Getting started with Denrim: Forge
Get started with Denrim: Forge for 3D modeling, UV editing, painting, and animation. Available for Windows, Linux, Mac, and iPad.
Before your first lesson
Use this setup when an example says start with a new document. It gives you the same starting model as the screenshots and shows how to recover when a control is missing.
What do you want to do?
Start with the result you want. Choose the selection mode first, select the geometry, and then open the tool. If the Actions panel only shows icons, cycle its header layout button to show names and descriptions.
Learn by example
Start with a small, complete task. Each lesson shows the selection, the controls, and what you should see after applying the tool. Screenshots are captured from the Mac SwiftUI app, v1.5.30; click any screenshot to open it at full size. On iPad, look for the same tool names; the layout changes with screen space. Windows and Linux layouts may differ.
Interface and navigation
Forge keeps the core workflow visible: the viewport is where you model, the action panel provides the next relevant tools, and the toolbar controls modes, snapping, help, and project actions.
Modeling and mesh workflow
Forge is most effective when you move from silhouette to detail. A box can become a crate, a tower, a vehicle body, or the foundation of a figurine without leaving the direct viewport workflow.
Center and align objects
To center two objects on an axis, give their centers the same Position value on that axis. Work with one object selected at a time in Object mode.
Make a raised panel
Turn the top of a box into a smaller raised block. This teaches the difference between Inset, which makes a border on the surface, and Extrude, which adds connected side walls and moves the new face outward.
Round and repeat a part
Make a rounded block, then create four evenly spaced blocks with Array. This is useful for repeated posts, machine parts, buttons, or decorative blocks.
Make a window through a wall
Use Knife to define a window region, then Cut Through to open it through the wall. The result includes the inside faces of the opening, not just a missing front face.
Paint, materials, and UVs
Forge lets you finish a model in the same workspace where you created it. Create a reusable texture layout in the UV workspace, then choose a palette material in Paint mode and use brush, face, or object scope depending on the kind of detail you need.
UVs and your first painted face
Create a texture layout for a cube, then color one face. This introduces two separate ideas: UVs place mesh surfaces on a flat texture, while Paint assigns appearance to those surfaces.
Texture a prop from seams to brush strokes
Give a simple box prop a charcoal base and a gold identification mark. You will mark a seam, unwrap and inspect the UVs, pack the layout, and paint directly on the surface.
Animation
Forge animates ordinary scene objects by keying their position, rotation, and scale. Parent-child hierarchy evaluation makes this useful for segmented characters, articulated props, vehicles, and mechanical assemblies without requiring a skeletal rig, skinning, or vertex deformation.
Animate a hinged door
Make a door swing around one edge while its handle follows. This lesson connects three ideas: an origin defines the object's rotation point, parenting makes an attached part follow it, and keys store poses at different frames.
Rendering and export
Enable Studio/PBR in the viewport display strip to preview materials and lighting. Renderer Options controls tone mapping, exposure, environment lighting, reflections, ambient occlusion, and bloom, and provides the settings for rendering an image.
Export and check a game asset
Exporting a file is only the first step. Check that the receiving application gets the intended appearance, dimensions, hierarchy, and animation before handing the asset to someone else.
Tool reference
Every Forge action includes contextual guidance in the app. This reference brings together the same practical information: what the action does, when to reach for it, and the important constraint to remember.