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.

Native for macOS and iPadOS. Every tool documented here is part of the Forge workflow on both platforms.

Selection matters. If an action is unavailable or has no effect, switch to the component type named in its notes and make the required selection first.

Transform and shape

Transform

Move, size, or rotate selected objects, or move selected components.

Use it for: Use Transform as the default modeling gizmo: drag arrows to move, side handles to size object selections, and rotation handles to rotate object selections.

Notes: Choose World, Local, Selection, or View axes. Selection follows the active component, while View keeps its horizontal and vertical axes aligned with the screen.

Size

Scale the selected object with grid-aware handles.

Use it for: Use Size to set the broad proportions of boxes, cylinders, and joined objects before doing detailed edits.

Notes: Size works on object selections. Use Details for exact X, Y, and Z scale values.

Rotate

Rotate selected objects around X, Y, and Z.

Use it for: Use Rotate to aim repeated parts, turn cutters for CSG, or align a primitive before joining or subtracting it.

Notes: Rotation values stay within one full turn. World, Local, Selection, and View axis modes change the handle orientation.

Offset

Move the current selection by an exact signed distance on one world axis.

Use it for: Select one or more objects, vertices, edges, or faces, choose X, Y, or Z, enter the distance in the current project unit, then apply Offset.

Notes: Positive and negative values move in opposite directions. Multi-object and multi-component selections keep their relative spacing, and typed values remain exact even when slider movement follows the grid step.

Flatten

Project the current selection onto a flat plane.

Use it for: Use Flatten to clean warped polygons, align edge loops, or make selected vertices share an X, Y, Z, or calculated best-fit plane.

Notes: Angle mode uses a best-fit plane through the selected world-space points. Axis modes flatten to the selection center on that world axis.

Circlify

Turn a selected loop or face-region boundary into a circle.

Use it for: Select a closed vertex or edge loop, or a connected face region, then adjust Influence and apply Circlify. Enable Regular Spacing for evenly distributed vertices.

Notes: Face selections use their outer boundary. Branched or open selections are left unchanged; Preserve Surface projects the result back onto the original mesh.

Push/Pull

Move selected faces along their face normal.

Use it for: Use Push/Pull for architectural massing: raise panels, recess walls, or pull a face outward without creating a separate object.

Notes: The tool previews the offset. Apply from the sidebar or drag the normal handle.

Extrude

Create new connected geometry from selected faces.

Use it for: Use Extrude when you need a new volume that remains attached, like a ledge, pillar, handle, or branch.

Notes: Apply Extrude commits one extrusion and keeps Extrude active, so repeated clicks continue from the newly selected faces.

Inset

Create a smaller region inside selected faces.

Use it for: Use Inset before pushing a panel inward, making frames, lips, borders, doors, windows, or recessed details.

Notes: Use Inset per face for separate panels, or turn it off to inset connected coplanar faces as one region.

Arc

Round a selected quad face into a segmented arch.

Use it for: Use Arc for arched doorways, rounded tops, and simple curved silhouettes while staying low-poly.

Notes: Works best on a single quad face. Segment and height controls shape the curve.

Knife

Draw a knife polygon on the selected face.

Use it for: Use Knife to place windows, holes, panels, and custom face regions before using Cut Through, Push/Pull, or Inset.

Notes: Place points on the face, move points if needed, then Apply Cut or Cancel Cut.

Lathe

Revolve a drawn profile into a radial object.

Use it for: Use Lathe for barrels, columns, bowls, vases, wheels, and other shapes that come from a side profile.

Notes: Draw points on the vertical plane. Segments, subdivisions, and cap toggles control the generated mesh.

Align to Face

Attach a selected mesh region to another face using the active face as the source.

Use it for: Select the faces to move, make the attachment face active last, start Align to Face, then pick the destination face in the viewport.

Notes: The source face is placed against the destination face with opposing normals. The selected region moves rigidly without changing topology.

Cut Through

Turn a selected cut face into a tunnel through the object.

Use it for: Use Cut Through after Cut to make real openings like windows, vents, archways, and intersecting passages.

Notes: The command builds tunnel side faces and can merge with existing through-cuts.

Bevel

Chamfer selected objects, edges, or face borders.

Use it for: Use Bevel on selected faces to round the border of the face island, or on selected edges and objects for direct edge chamfers.

Notes: Use low segment counts for interactive work. Preview shows the affected chamfer area.

Solidify

Add thickness to selected faces.

Use it for: Use Solidify to turn planes, panels, roofs, and shell surfaces into real volume.

Notes: Selected faces are replaced by an offset surface plus clean side faces.

Subdivide

Split selected faces into smaller faces.

Use it for: Use Subdivide when you need more editable regions before painting, cutting, beveling, or shaping local detail.

Notes: In component mode, child faces remain selected so you can continue editing immediately. In Object mode, every face of each selected object is subdivided and the objects remain selected. This is destructive and separate from Sub-D preview.

Sub-D

Preview a smooth subdivision surface while keeping the original object editable.

Use it for: Select one or more objects, or keep editing vertices, edges, or faces, then use the Sub-D popover to choose Off or preview levels one through three.

Notes: Sub-D preview can be toggled while editing the original cage. Freeze is still a separate object-mode step for turning the smoothed result into real mesh faces.

Freeze Sub-D

Bake the current Sub-D preview into ordinary editable mesh geometry.

Use it for: Use Freeze Sub-D after the preview level looks right and before exporting or doing detailed mesh edits on the smoothed result.

Notes: Freeze is undoable, but the generated mesh can be much denser than the original cage.

Ruler

Measure the point-to-point distance between two selected vertices.

Use it for: Switch to vertex mode, select exactly two vertices, then click Ruler to show their world-space distance.

Notes: The viewport HUD formats the measurement using the current document's Units setting.

Selection and visibility

Select Loop

Extend two adjacent components into a loop.

Use it for: Select two neighboring vertices, edges, or faces, then use Select Loop before beveling, sliding, deleting, or transforming a continuous belt.

Notes: Most useful on quad-based topology. Face loops follow the strip through opposite quad edges.

Select Edge Ring

Select opposite edges across a quad strip.

Use it for: Use Select Edge Ring to prepare a Loop Cut or to inspect evenly spaced structure through a mesh.

Notes: Works best on connected quad strips.

Select Boundary

Select the boundary around selected faces.

Use it for: Use Select Boundary before filling, beveling a face perimeter, or inspecting the outline of a region.

Notes: Face mode converts to edge selection around the selected region.

Select Connected

Select the connected island for the current component type.

Use it for: Use Select Connected to grab one detached part of a mesh without manually picking every face or edge.

Notes: Works in vertex, edge, and face modes.

Select Coplanar

Select faces on the same plane as the current face.

Use it for: Use Select Coplanar to grab flat walls, floors, caps, and panels for material assignment or cleanup.

Notes: The command compares face planes, so curved or angled surfaces are excluded.

Select Hard Edges

Select edges between sharply angled faces.

Use it for: Use Select Hard Edges to find bevel candidates or check where the model has strong silhouette breaks.

Notes: Requires edge mode and visible mesh topology.

Select Open Edges

Select naked boundary edges.

Use it for: Use Select Open Edges to find holes, unfinished surfaces, and areas that may need Fill Holes.

Notes: Open edges are also highlighted by mesh-health overlays.

Select UV Island

Expand the current selection to the complete seam-delimited UV island.

Use it for: Select a vertex, edge, or face in the island, then use Select UV Island before unwrapping, packing, moving, or rotating that chart.

Notes: The command selects every face in the UV island containing the current component selection and works from Vertex, Edge, or Face mode.

Grow Selection

Expand the current component selection outward.

Use it for: Use Grow when your face, edge, or vertex selection is almost right and needs one more neighboring ring.

Notes: Works on component selections.

Shrink Selection

Contract the current component selection inward.

Use it for: Use Shrink to remove the outer border from a selected region before applying a command.

Notes: Works on component selections.

Hide Selected

Hide the current object or face selection without deleting it.

Use it for: Clear obstructing geometry from the viewport while editing interior or back-side details.

Notes: In Object mode it hides selected objects and clears their selection. In Face mode it hides selected faces. The command is undoable.

Hide Unselected

Isolate the current object or face selection by hiding everything else.

Use it for: Focus on one object hierarchy or a face region without changing the underlying scene.

Notes: Object mode keeps selected hierarchies together. Face mode isolates the selected faces on the active object.

Reveal All

Show all hidden objects or faces again.

Use it for: Restore the complete scene after a focused editing pass.

Notes: Use it from Object mode for scene objects or Face mode for hidden faces. Visibility changes are undoable.

Topology and repair

Split Edge

Insert midpoint vertices on selected edges.

Use it for: Use Split Edge to add control points before filling, reshaping, or creating cleaner manual topology.

Notes: Works on edge selections and keeps the inserted vertices selected.

Merge

Merge selected vertices, edges, or faces.

Use it for: Use Merge to collapse vertices, dissolve internal edges, or turn connected face groups into a larger n-gon.

Notes: The viewport previews mergeable selections before commit.

Connect

Connect two selected vertices with a new edge path.

Use it for: Use Connect in vertex mode to draw topology across one face or a simple strip of faces.

Notes: Connect needs exactly two vertices on the same object and refuses ambiguous paths.

Fill

Create a face from selected boundary vertices or edges.

Use it for: Use Fill after deleting faces, opening a mesh, or selecting one edge of an open boundary you want to cap.

Notes: When an open boundary edge is selected, Fill caps the whole boundary loop that contains it.

Bridge

Create bridge faces between two compatible selections.

Use it for: Use Bridge on two edges to patch a gap, or on two matching faces to turn them into a connected tunnel.

Notes: Face bridges need two selected faces with the same vertex count.

Loop Cut

Cut a quad strip through selected edges or adjacent faces.

Use it for: Use Loop Cut to add support edges, panel divisions, or places where Edge Slide can shape thickness.

Notes: Select edges, or select two adjacent quad faces to define direction. Use the Position slider before applying.

Edge Slide

Slide selected edges along adjacent faces.

Use it for: Use Edge Slide to reposition a loop or support edge without changing the surrounding surface shape too much.

Notes: Best on edges with clear neighboring faces.

Triangulate

Convert selected faces into triangles.

Use it for: Use Triangulate when exporting, debugging a troublesome n-gon, or preparing a face for simpler rendering.

Notes: Paint and UV information is carried onto the generated triangles.

Flip Normals

Reverse selected face winding.

Use it for: Use Flip Normals when a face appears inside-out or renders from the wrong side.

Notes: Only selected faces are affected.

Recalculate Normals

Orient face winding outward.

Use it for: Use Recalculate Normals after heavy edits, CSG, joins, or imported/handmade geometry cleanup.

Notes: Works on selected faces or selected objects.

Weld

Merge vertices that occupy the same position.

Use it for: Use Weld after joins, mirror operations, or manual edits that leave overlapping vertices.

Notes: Object mode welds across selected objects; vertex mode welds the selected vertices.

Remove Degenerates

Delete collapsed or invalid faces.

Use it for: Use Remove Degenerates when a mesh health warning points to tiny, repeated, or broken faces.

Notes: Useful after aggressive CSG or bevel experiments.

Fill Holes

Fill simple open boundary loops.

Use it for: Use Fill Holes to repair accidental openings, cap simple deleted regions, or fill the open loop containing a selected boundary edge.

Notes: Complex or self-crossing holes may need manual cleanup first.

Cleanup Mesh

Run a basic repair pass on selected objects.

Use it for: Use Cleanup Mesh after several topology operations to weld overlaps, remove degenerates, and recalculate normals.

Notes: This is a broad repair command, not a modeling replacement for deliberate topology work.

Separate

Move selected faces into a new object.

Use it for: Use Separate when a detail should become its own object for transform, material, or CSG work.

Notes: The new object is selected after the command.

Join

Join selected objects into the active object's mesh.

Use it for: Use Join to combine pieces after arranging modular parts or primitives.

Notes: Transforms are baked into the active object's local mesh.

Symmetry and object operations

Mirror X

Mirror selected object meshes across local X.

Use it for: Use Mirror X for symmetrical modeling around the object's local X axis.

Notes: Mirroring changes mesh geometry, not just object scale.

Mirror Y

Mirror selected object meshes across local Y.

Use it for: Use Mirror Y to flip vertical forms or create matched top/bottom variants.

Notes: Mirroring changes mesh geometry, not just object scale.

Mirror Z

Mirror selected object meshes across local Z.

Use it for: Use Mirror Z for front/back symmetry and mirrored cutters.

Notes: Mirroring changes mesh geometry, not just object scale.

Sym +X

Force local X symmetry from the positive side.

Use it for: Use Symmetrize X after shaping one half of a model; it deletes the local -X half and mirrors local +X across the center plane.

Notes: Faces that cross the center plane are kept from the positive side and welded at the center.

Sym -X

Force local X symmetry from the negative side.

Use it for: Use Sym -X when the modeled half is on local -X; it deletes the local +X half and mirrors local -X across the center plane.

Notes: Faces that cross the center plane are kept from the negative side and welded at the center.

Sym +Y

Force local Y symmetry from the positive side.

Use it for: Use Symmetrize Y for top/bottom mirrored forms after modeling the upper half.

Notes: Faces that cross the center plane are kept from the positive side and welded at the center.

Sym -Y

Force local Y symmetry from the negative side.

Use it for: Use Sym -Y when the modeled half is on local -Y; it deletes the local +Y half and mirrors local -Y across the center plane.

Notes: Faces that cross the center plane are kept from the negative side and welded at the center.

Sym +Z

Force local Z symmetry from the positive side.

Use it for: Use Symmetrize Z for front/back mirrored forms after modeling the front half.

Notes: Faces that cross the center plane are kept from the positive side and welded at the center.

Sym -Z

Force local Z symmetry from the negative side.

Use it for: Use Sym -Z when the modeled half is on local -Z; it deletes the local +Z half and mirrors local -Z across the center plane.

Notes: Faces that cross the center plane are kept from the negative side and welded at the center.

Duplicate

Duplicate selected objects or faces.

Use it for: Use Duplicate for repeated parts like beams, planks, bolts, panels, and selected face details.

Notes: Object duplicates stay in place with new mesh IDs. Face duplicates become a separate object without removing the original faces.

Array

Create repeated object or face copies.

Use it for: Use Array for evenly spaced parts like fence posts and grille slats, or radial wheel and hub details around a center.

Notes: Generated array copies are placed in one Array group in the Outliner so they stay organized while remaining editable.

CSG Subtract

Subtract one selected object from the active object.

Use it for: Use CSG Subtract for object-shaped cutouts, holes, sockets, and large boolean edits before refining the result.

Notes: Select two objects. The active object is the target; the other object is removed as the cutter.

Delete

Delete the current selection.

Use it for: Use Delete to remove objects or faces; in edge mode, use it to dissolve clean internal edges during retopology.

Notes: Boundary edges delete connected faces or refuse cleanly when a safe dissolve is not possible.

Rotate X 90

Rotate selected objects 90 degrees around X.

Use it for: Use quick axis rotations to orient primitives and cutters without dragging the rotate gizmo.

Notes: Works in object mode.

Rotate Y 90

Rotate selected objects 90 degrees around Y.

Use it for: Use quick axis rotations to turn repeated wall, cylinder, or cutter pieces into place.

Notes: Works in object mode.

Rotate Z 90

Rotate selected objects 90 degrees around Z.

Use it for: Use quick axis rotations for top-down layout changes and sideways primitive alignment.

Notes: Works in object mode.

Materials and UVs

Apply Material

Assign the active material to selected objects or faces.

Use it for: Use Apply Material after picking a palette color/material, especially for face-level accents or whole-object coloring.

Notes: In object mode it affects all faces on selected objects.

Clear Material

Remove material overrides from selected objects or faces.

Use it for: Use Clear Material to return a region to the default material behavior before repainting or exporting.

Notes: This does not delete materials from the palette.

Clear Paint

Remove brush paint grids from selected objects or faces.

Use it for: Use Clear Paint when a face-level paint pattern should be reset without changing the mesh.

Notes: Material overrides remain unless you also use Clear Material.

Clear All

Remove material overrides and brush paint grids from selected objects or faces.

Use it for: Use Clear All when the selection should return to the default unpainted look.

Notes: This does not delete materials from the palette.

UV map management

Create, duplicate, rename, delete, and activate UV maps for the selected object.

Use it for: Keep alternate texture layouts, duplicate a useful map before experimenting, or choose the layout used for painting and export.

Notes: UV maps belong to individual objects. Deleting the active map changes texture layout data but does not delete mesh geometry or palette materials.

Mark Seam

Mark selected edges as cuts for seam-aware unwrapping.

Use it for: Define where a connected surface may split into UV islands before using Unwrap Selection or Unwrap All.

Notes: Work in Edge mode. Seams are stored with the active UV map and highlighted when Show UV Seams is enabled.

Clear Seam

Remove UV seam marks from selected edges.

Use it for: Join charts differently before unwrapping the object again.

Notes: Clearing a seam does not immediately move existing UVs; run Unwrap again to rebuild the layout from the revised cuts.

Mark Edge Loop / Clear Edge Loop

Expand selected edges into complete edge loops and mark or clear those loops as seams.

Use it for: Cut or reconnect a regular quad strip without selecting every edge manually.

Notes: Edge-loop expansion works best on clean, non-branching topology. Use Clear All Seams when the complete seam layout should be reset.

Show UV Seams

Show or hide seam overlays in the viewport.

Use it for: Hide the colored seam display when judging the model or painting while retaining the seam layout.

Notes: This is a display setting only; it does not add or remove stored seams.

Unwrap Selection

Unfold selected faces into UV islands.

Use it for: Mark the required seams or select a bounded face region, then unwrap only that part of the object.

Notes: The unwrap uses marked seams and the selection boundary. Re-running it reflects any seam changes.

Unwrap All

Build a seam-aware UV layout for the complete object.

Use it for: Create a connected layout after defining seams across the whole mesh.

Notes: Box-like and curved meshes are unfolded into charts rather than projected onto one dominant plane.

Planar / Box / Cylinder / Sphere / Smart UV

Generate UVs using a projection suited to the selected form.

Use it for: Use Planar for flat surfaces, Box for hard-surface forms, Cylinder for wrapped sides, Sphere for rounded objects, or Smart UV for automatic chart creation.

Notes: Projection can provide a quick starting point when a hand-authored seam layout is unnecessary.

Pack Selection

Arrange selected UV islands inside the texture tile.

Use it for: Repack only the working islands while leaving unrelated selections alone.

Notes: Pixel Margin, Normalize Islands, and Allow Rotation control spacing, relative scale, and orientation.

Pack All

Arrange every UV island in the active map inside the texture tile.

Use it for: Finish a complete layout before texture painting or export.

Notes: Leave a suitable pixel margin to reduce texture bleeding between islands.

Pack to Others

Fit selected UV islands around the unselected islands already in the map.

Use it for: Add or revise one part of a layout without repacking the established charts.

Notes: Unselected islands keep their existing placement.

Rotate UV 90

Rotate selected face UVs by 90 degrees.

Use it for: Use Rotate UV 90 to align checker or painted patterns across neighboring faces.

Notes: The viewport UV overlay shows the mapping direction. Multiple selected faces rotate around one shared pivot so an island stays together.

Flip U

Mirror selected face UVs horizontally.

Use it for: Use Flip U when a painted pattern is reversed left-to-right on a face.

Notes: Works on selected faces in Face or Paint mode.

Flip V

Mirror selected face UVs vertically.

Use it for: Use Flip V when a painted pattern is upside down on a face.

Notes: Works on selected faces in Face or Paint mode.

Reset UV

Reset selected face UVs to the default polygon layout.

Use it for: Use Reset UV when manual UV edits become confusing and you want a clean baseline.

Notes: After resetting, use Fit UV To Face for a projection matched to the face shape.

Fit UV To Face

Fit selected face UVs to the face projection.

Use it for: Use Fit UV To Face after cutting, beveling, or CSG when a face needs a stable projected paint layout.

Notes: This is the general-purpose repair for most skewed face paint mapping.

Copy UV

Copy UVs from the first selected face.

Use it for: Use Copy UV when one face has the correct texture orientation and you want to reuse it.

Notes: Paste requires target faces with the same vertex count.

Paste UV

Paste copied UVs onto matching selected faces.

Use it for: Use Paste UV to quickly align repeated planks, panels, caps, or matching sides.

Notes: Only faces with the same vertex count receive the pasted UVs.

Import

Import SVG

Convert filled SVG artwork into extruded, watertight mesh geometry.

Use it for: Import logos, outlined lettering, symbols, and custom profiles, then set the width, extrusion depth, and curve quality before creating the solid.

Notes: Filled paths, shapes, Bézier curves, arcs, nested transforms, holes, CSS class styles, and solid fills are supported. Gradients use representative solid materials. Convert text and strokes to outlines first.

Combine paths into one object

Control whether an SVG import becomes one object or a set of separate objects.

Use it for: Leave it enabled to select, transform, and undo a multi-path design as one object; disable it when individual paths need independent object-level editing.

Notes: Combining is enabled by default and preserves the materials assigned to individual SVG paths.

Primitives

Create Box

Add a new box primitive.

Use it for: Use boxes for blockouts, walls, floors, crates, and simple hard-surface forms.

Notes: New objects are selected immediately.

Create Cylinder

Add a cylinder using the project cylinder resolution.

Use it for: Use cylinders for posts, wheels, barrels, pipes, and radial cutters.

Notes: Set the cylinder segment count from the primitive toolbar menu; it is independent from snap grid subdivision.

Create Sphere

Add a sphere using the project sphere resolution.

Use it for: Use spheres for round parts or as CSG cutters for rounded cavities.

Notes: Set the sphere segment count from the primitive toolbar menu; it is independent from snap grid subdivision.