A Blender alternative for iPad mesh editing
Looking for a Blender alternative for editing 3D-printing meshes on iPad? Forma3D provides touch-first STL and 3MF editing on iPhone and iPad, without bringing Blender's full desktop production pipeline into your workflow.
Blender's tablet work and Forma3D's focus
Blender has demonstrated an iPad prototype and documented work on tablet interfaces in its Beyond Mouse & Keyboard project. Platform availability can change; check Blender's official announcements rather than assuming an iPad port is technically impossible.
Forma3D focuses on direct mesh editing and print preparation with touch controls. It does not replace Blender's animation, rendering, simulation, or sculpting pipeline.
What Forma3D does instead
Forma3D is a native iOS app that covers the most common Blender tasks for 3D printing workflows:
- Mesh editing — import STL and 3MF files, modify vertices, faces, and edges with touch gestures
- Face painting — assign palette colors to mesh faces for compatible multi-filament 3MF exports
- Boolean operations — cut, merge, and subtract meshes directly on device
- Sketch modeling — trace an SVG reference and extrude the closed sketch into a printable mesh
- LiDAR scanning — scan real objects with iPhone LiDAR and photogrammetry, then edit the mesh
- Export — export STL, 3MF, or USDZ for any slicer or printer
Blender vs Forma3D comparison
| Feature | Blender (Desktop) | Forma3D (iPad/iPhone) |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh editing | Broad modeling and modifier toolset | Direct vertex, edge, and face editing |
| 3MF workflow | Depends on installed extensions and export setup | Built-in colored 3MF export for compatible slicers |
| On-device object scanning | Separate capture workflow | Apple Object Capture on supported LiDAR devices |
| SVG workflow | Import curves and model from them | SVG reference, sketch tracing, and mesh extrusion |
| Animation and rendering | Full production toolset | Not a replacement for Blender's pipeline |
| Input focus | Desktop workflow; tablet development is documented separately | Touch-first iPhone and iPad interface |
| Price | Free and open source | Free download; full-access in-app purchases |
Who is Forma3D for?
If you're a 3D printing enthusiast who uses iPad as your primary device, Forma3D gives you the mesh editing tools you need without switching to a desktop. Model on the couch, export to your slicer, print.
Get started
Forma3D is free to download. Full-access features require an in-app purchase, with monthly, annual, and lifetime options. Check current feature access and pricing in the app.
Start with STL editing on iPad, learn about colored 3MF export, or compare Tinkercad and Forma3D.