Getting Started with MatterCAD

MatterCAD is a 3D design application. You build a design from shapes, change their sizes in the Properties panel, combine and reshape them with operations, and export the result for other programs. These pages show you around and get your first design made.

A new design starts with an empty bed. Add a shape to begin.

On a Mac, press ⌘ (Command) wherever these pages say Ctrl.

The Window

  • Tabs - Along the top. Each open design has its own tab; the Store, Library and Help have tabs too. The + button (Create New Design) opens a new design. See Tabs, Search and the Status Bar.
  • ☰ MatterCAD menu - At the left end of the tabs: Open System File, Open Recent, Help, Interface Tour, Check For Update, Settings, Community and About MatterCAD. On a Mac the same items are also in the menu bar at the top of the screen. See Menus and Toolbar.
  • Toolbar - Across the top of the design:
    • Add to Bed - opens the library so you can drag parts and files onto the bed. The arrow beside it holds Add System File to Bed.
    • Save - saves the design. The arrow beside it holds Save As and Export. The button reads Save • while you have changes that are not saved.
    • Bed - Export, Cut, Copy, Paste, Reload and Clear Bed.
    • Undo and Redo.
    • The operations, in groups such as Transform, Placement, Merge and Duplication. The Tools button at the end of the toolbar lets you collapse or hide groups.
  • Favorites bar - The column of shapes down the left side. It starts with the 3D primitives (Cube, Cylinder, Sphere and the rest); the heart on an item in the library adds it here or takes it off. Double-click a shape to add it to the bed, or drag it onto the bed where you want it.
  • 3D view - The middle of the window, where your design sits on the bed.
  • Camera controls - The cube in the top-right corner of the 3D view and the buttons around and under it. See Camera Controls.
  • Side panel - On the right, with a Design tab and an AI tab. The Design tab shows the Design tree (every part in your design) above the Properties panel (the settings of the selected part).

Topics

Quick Start

  1. Add a shape. Double-click Cube (or any shape) in the favorites bar on the left, or drag it onto the bed. It appears on the bed.
  2. Move it. Drag the part across the bed. Drag the arrow above it to lift it, or press the arrow keys to nudge it.
  3. Change it. With the part selected, change its settings (such as Width or Height) in the Properties panel on the right.
  4. Add more shapes. Add another shape and overlap the two. Select both (click one, then Shift-click the other) and use Combine or Subtract in the toolbar’s Merge group (Boolean operations) to join them or cut one out of the other.
  5. Save your work. Click Save in the toolbar. To write an STL, 3MF or another format, click the arrow beside Save and choose Export.

Table of contents