Visual Builder Guide

The Visual Builder is CADFaber's drag-and-drop interface for creating 3D models. It works similarly to tools like TinkerCAD — you place pre-built shapes onto a workplane and combine them using boolean operations. This guide covers every aspect of the Visual Builder in detail, from basic shape placement to advanced multi-selection and grouping workflows.

Overview of the Visual Builder Interface

When you open the editor and select Visual Builder mode (the default mode), you see a three-column layout. The left sidebar contains the shape library at the top and the scene tree below it. The center area is the 3D viewport, showing a grid-based workplane where your model lives. The right panel is the properties panel, which displays parameters for whatever shape you have selected. The toolbar at the top of the viewport provides access to CSG operations, export options, view controls, and mode switching.

The workplane is an infinite flat grid that sits at Y = 0 in 3D space. When you add a shape, it is placed on top of the workplane by default, with its bottom face resting on the grid surface. The grid lines are spaced 10 units apart by default, and snap-to-grid alignment uses these lines as reference points. You can orbit the camera around the workplane by clicking and dragging in empty space, zoom with the scroll wheel, and pan by holding the middle mouse button or Shift + left click.

The Shape Library

The shape library is located in the left sidebar, above the scene tree. It displays a scrollable list of all available primitive shapes, each represented by a small icon and its name. To add a shape to your scene, simply click on it in the library. The shape will appear at the center of the workplane (position 0, 0, 0) with default dimensions. You can then select it, move it, resize it, and adjust its parameters.

CADFaber provides 30 shapes across six categories, including core primitives, functional parts, decorative objects, and containers. Each shape has its own parameter set. For example, a Cylinder has radius and height, while a Torus has major and minor radii. For a complete reference of core shapes and their parameters, see the Shapes Library Reference.

Selecting Shapes

To select a shape, click on it in the 3D viewport or click its name in the scene tree. When a shape is selected, it displays a highlight outline and its resize handles become visible. The properties panel on the right updates to show the selected shape's parameters, including its position (X, Y, Z), rotation (around each axis), and shape-specific parameters like width, height, depth, or radius.

You can deselect a shape by clicking on empty space in the viewport or pressing the Escape key. When nothing is selected, the properties panel shows a message prompting you to select a shape.

The scene tree in the left sidebar provides an alternative way to select shapes. This is particularly useful when shapes overlap or when a shape is hidden behind another object. The scene tree lists every shape in the scene by name, and clicking a name selects that shape. You can also rename shapes by double-clicking their name in the scene tree, which is helpful for organizing complex scenes with many objects.

Moving Shapes (Drag-to-Move on Workplane)

Once a shape is selected, you can move it by clicking and dragging it in the 3D viewport. The shape moves along the workplane (the XZ plane) — that is, it slides horizontally and forward/backward but does not change its vertical position (Y axis). This constrained movement makes it easy to position shapes precisely on the build surface without accidentally lifting them off the workplane.

To change a shape's vertical position, use the Y value in the properties panel on the right. You can type a specific number or use the slider to adjust the height. This separation between horizontal dragging and vertical adjustment is intentional — it prevents accidental vertical displacement, which is one of the most common frustrations in freeform 3D editors.

When dragging, the shape's position updates in real time in the properties panel, so you always know the exact coordinates. If snap-to-grid is enabled (the default), the shape will snap to the nearest grid intersection as you drag, making it easy to align objects precisely.

You can also move shapes using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Each press of an arrow key nudges the selected shape by one grid unit in the corresponding direction. Arrow Up and Arrow Down move along the Z axis (forward and backward), while Arrow Left and Arrow Right move along the X axis. This is useful for precise positioning when you need to move a shape by exactly one grid unit.

Resize Handles

When a shape is selected, six resize handles appear around it — one on each face of the shape's bounding box. These handles are small squares that you can click and drag to change the shape's dimensions along that axis. Dragging a handle on the left or right face changes the width (X axis). Dragging a handle on the top or bottom face changes the height (Y axis). Dragging a handle on the front or back face changes the depth (Z axis).

Resize handles work proportionally relative to the center of the shape by default. When you drag a handle outward, the shape grows equally on both sides of that axis. If you hold the Shift key while dragging, the resize becomes asymmetric — the opposite face stays fixed and only the dragged face moves. This is useful when you want to extend a shape in only one direction, for example making a cube taller without changing where its base sits.

The resize values update in real time in the properties panel. You can also type exact dimensions directly into the properties panel input fields if you need precise measurements. This combination of visual handles and numeric input gives you both intuitive control and mathematical precision.

Rotation

Shapes can be rotated around any of the three axes (X, Y, Z). In the Visual Builder, rotation is controlled through the properties panel rather than through viewport handles, which keeps the interface clean and avoids the complexity of rotation gizmos. To rotate a shape, select it, then find the Rotation section in the properties panel. You will see three sliders or input fields for rotation around the X, Y, and Z axes, measured in degrees.

Rotation values range from 0 to 360 degrees. A rotation of 0 means the shape is in its default orientation. Common rotations include 90 degrees (a quarter turn), 180 degrees (half turn), and 45 degrees. The rotation is applied around the shape's center point, so the shape rotates in place without changing its position on the workplane.

Rotation is especially useful for shapes like Wedges, Arrows, and Pyramids that have a natural orientation. For example, a Wedge defaults to having its sloped face on one side — rotating it 90 degrees around the Y axis changes which direction the slope faces. Combining rotation with positioning lets you orient shapes to fit together in complex assemblies.

Snap-to-Grid

Snap-to-grid is enabled by default in the Visual Builder. When active, shapes automatically align to the nearest grid intersection when you drag them. This makes it much easier to position shapes precisely and ensures that objects align with each other. The grid spacing is 10 units by default, but the snapping system works at sub-grid resolution — shapes snap to whole-number coordinates, not just grid lines.

You can toggle snap-to-grid on and off using the grid icon in the toolbar or by pressing the G key. When snap-to-grid is off, shapes move freely without any alignment constraints. This is useful for fine-tuning positions that do not fall on grid points or for organic, non-aligned layouts.

Snap-to-grid also affects resize handles. When you drag a resize handle with snap-to-grid enabled, the dimensions snap to round numbers, making it easy to create shapes with clean measurements like 20x20x40 rather than 19.7x20.3x40.1.

Multi-Select

You can select multiple shapes at once by holding the Ctrl key (or Cmd on macOS) while clicking on shapes. Each clicked shape is added to the selection. Clicking on an already-selected shape while holding Ctrl deselects it. This toggle behavior lets you build up a selection incrementally.

When multiple shapes are selected, the properties panel shows information about the group selection rather than individual shape parameters. You can move all selected shapes together by dragging any one of them. The entire selection moves as a unit, maintaining the relative positions between all selected shapes.

Multi-select is essential for boolean operations. To perform a union, subtract, or intersect, you need to select at least two shapes first. The order of selection matters for subtract operations — the first selected shape is the base, and subsequently selected shapes are subtracted from it. See the CSG Operations page for details.

You can also select all shapes at once by pressing Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on macOS). To deselect all shapes, press Escape or click on empty space in the viewport.

Groups

Groups let you organize multiple shapes into a single logical unit without permanently combining them with boolean operations. When you group shapes, they move and rotate together as a unit, but each shape retains its individual parameters. You can ungroup at any time to restore individual control.

To create a group, select two or more shapes and press Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on macOS), or use the group button in the toolbar. The selected shapes are wrapped in a group container, which appears as a folder icon in the scene tree. The group has its own position and rotation, and child shapes are positioned relative to the group's origin.

To ungroup, select a group and press Ctrl+Shift+G (Cmd+Shift+G on macOS). The child shapes return to the root level of the scene tree with their absolute positions preserved. Groups can be nested — you can create a group that contains other groups, building up a hierarchy that reflects the logical structure of your design.

Groups are different from boolean operations. A group is a container that does not change the geometry of its children. A boolean operation (union, subtract, intersect) permanently merges shapes into a single solid. Use groups for organization and alignment; use booleans for creating the final combined geometry.

Undo and Redo

CADFaber maintains a full history of all actions performed in the Visual Builder. Every shape addition, deletion, movement, resize, rotation, parameter change, and boolean operation is recorded. You can undo the most recent action by pressing Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on macOS) and redo an undone action by pressing Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z (Cmd+Y or Cmd+Shift+Z on macOS).

The undo history is linear — if you undo several actions and then perform a new action, the redo history is cleared and the new action becomes the latest entry. The history is maintained for the duration of your editing session. It is stored in memory and is not persisted when you close the browser tab. To preserve your work across sessions, use the project save feature (Ctrl+S) which saves to IndexedDB, or export your project as a JSON file.

Undo is your safety net. Feel free to experiment with boolean operations, large movements, and parameter changes — you can always step back. There is no practical limit on the number of undo steps within a single session.

Arrow Keys and Precise Positioning

The arrow keys provide precise, incremental movement for the selected shape. Each key press moves the shape by one unit along the corresponding axis. Arrow Left moves the shape in the negative X direction, Arrow Right in the positive X direction, Arrow Up in the negative Z direction (away from the default camera position), and Arrow Down in the positive Z direction (toward the camera).

For finer control, hold the Shift key while pressing an arrow key to move the shape by 0.1 units instead of 1 unit. For larger movements, hold the Ctrl key (Cmd on macOS) while pressing an arrow key to move by 10 units. These modifiers let you quickly position shapes at different scales of precision without switching between the mouse and the properties panel.

The Page Up and Page Down keys can be used to move shapes vertically (along the Y axis). Page Up lifts the shape, and Page Down lowers it. The same Shift and Ctrl modifiers apply for fine and coarse vertical movement.

Keyboard Shortcuts in the Visual Builder

The Visual Builder supports a comprehensive set of keyboard shortcuts designed to accelerate common operations. Here are the most important ones for everyday use:

• Delete / Backspace — Delete the selected shape(s)
• Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V — Copy and paste shapes
• Ctrl+D — Duplicate the selected shape with a small offset
• Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y — Undo and redo
• Ctrl+A — Select all shapes
• Ctrl+G — Group selected shapes
• Ctrl+Shift+G — Ungroup
• G — Toggle snap-to-grid
• Escape — Deselect all
• Arrow keys — Nudge selected shape
• ? — Open keyboard shortcuts help panel

For a complete list of every shortcut including viewport navigation, CSG operations, and export commands, see the Keyboard Shortcuts Reference.

Viewport Navigation

Navigating the 3D viewport is essential for inspecting your model from all angles. CADFaber uses standard 3D viewport navigation controls that will feel familiar if you have used other 3D software. Left-click and drag on empty space to orbit the camera around the center of the scene. Scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Middle-click and drag (or Shift + left-click and drag) to pan the camera.

You can also use preset camera angles: press the number keys 1 through 6 to snap the camera to front, back, left, right, top, and bottom views. Press 0 (zero) to reset the camera to the default perspective view. These preset views are especially useful when you need to verify alignment from a specific direction, for example checking that two shapes are flush when viewed from the side.

Tips for Efficient Visual Building

Working efficiently in the Visual Builder comes down to combining keyboard shortcuts with mouse interactions. Start by adding your shapes from the library, then use Ctrl+D to duplicate shapes you need multiple copies of. Use snap-to-grid to align everything, then switch to the properties panel for precise adjustments. Group related shapes together to keep your scene tree organized, especially in complex models with many parts.

When building symmetrical designs, create one half first, then duplicate and mirror it. When building mechanical parts that need to fit together, design them in the same scene so you can check alignment visually. And always remember that Ctrl+Z is your best friend — experiment freely knowing you can always undo.