Comparison

Solid Engineer vs Forma3D

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Solid Engineer

This app teaches programming through visual 3D model creation. It offers modes for beginners to advanced users, including JavaScript support. Models can be printed or shared.

Highlights
  • Visual programming interface
  • 3D model creation
  • Printable model export
  • Beginner to advanced modes
  • JavaScript integration
  • Keyframe animation
Features
Read full description

Learn programming and create 3D models that can be printed or shared with other users. The 'basic' mode helps students to learn the basics of programming by dragging and dropping programming statements. The 'advanced' mode supports subtracting and intersecting volumes, profiles, parameters, part libraries and keyframe animation. In the 'programmer' mode you can use the power of modern JavaScript such as arrow functions, maps and filters.

About

Forma3D

Create and edit 3D models directly on your iPhone or iPad. Prepare designs for 3D printing with precise tools and export to common formats. Ideal for beginners and experienced users alike.

Highlights
  • Create primitive 3D shapes
  • Precise transformation controls
  • Boolean operations (union, subtract)
  • Mesh editing (vertices, edges, faces)
  • STL and 3MF import/export
  • Beginner-friendly interface
  • X-Ray mode for transparency
Features
Read full description

Forma3D is a professional 3D mesh editor for iPad and iPhone — built for makers, 3D printing enthusiasts, and anyone who needs to fix or modify 3D models on the go. No laptop. No cloud. Everything runs locally on your device, offline, with desktop-grade mesh editing capabilities. ▸ FACE PAINT & MULTI-FILAMENT 3MF EXPORT Paint individual faces with different colors directly in the editor, then export a 3MF file with per-face color data ready for multi-filament 3D printing. Bambu Studio and Creality Print automatically assign filaments based on the embedded paint codes — no manual slicer setup needed. This is a desktop-only feature in slicer software, now available on mobile exclusively in Forma3D. ▸ MESH EDITING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Switch between Object Mode and Edit Mode. Select and edit individual vertices, edges, and faces with precision. Use Single, Rectangle, Oval, or Brush selection tools with Multi-select support. Move, rotate, and scale with an interactive transform gizmo or numeric input. ▸ PROFESSIONAL MODELING TOOLS • Extrude — push faces in or out with live preview and direction toggle • Inset — shrink or grow faces inward with adjustable depth • Bevel — round edges with custom segments and profile control (desktop-grade bevel algorithm) • Boolean Operations — Union and Subtract using Manifold CSG library • Manifold Cut — slice meshes with Line, Circle, Ellipse, Rectangle, Polygon, or Freehand shapes • Mirror — symmetrically duplicate geometry across X, Y, or Z axis • Revolve — create lathe geometry by rotating a profile • Subdivide — add resolution where you need it • Simplify — reduce polygon count for lighter exports • Remesh — retopologize with uniform quad-dominant mesh • Vertex Sculpting — push and pull vertices with gesture-based brush • 3D Text — add extruded text to your scene • Color — paint all faces of a mesh with a single tap ▸ PRIMITIVES & IMPORT Start from built-in primitives: Cube, Soft Cube, Sphere, Soft Sphere, Cylinder, Torus, Pyramid, Plane, Tube, Bolt, Nut. Import STL and 3MF files. Export to STL, 3MF, or USDZ formats. ▸ 3D SCANNING (LiDAR) Capture real-world objects with your iPhone or iPad LiDAR scanner and edit the resulting mesh directly in the app — scan, fix, and print without switching apps. ▸ PRECISION & MEASUREMENT Ruler tool for measuring distances in millimeters. World grid with 20 mm squares for build-plate reference. Snap-to-grid for accurate positioning. Keyboard hotkeys for fast numeric input (move, rotate, scale by exact values). ▸ VISUALIZATION Orthographic view cube for standard projections (Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Left, Right). X-Ray mode to see through meshes and inspect internal geometry. Wireframe display with Triangles or Quads mode. Custom viewport colors, lighting controls, and world axes toggle. ▸ UNDO / REDO & PROJECTS Full undo/redo history. Save and load projects in native .forma3d format. Duplicate, delete, and organize objects in the scene with an objects list panel. ▸ APPLE PENCIL SUPPORT Hover tooltips with Apple Pencil. Precise vertex dragging and component selection optimized for Pencil input. ▸ MULTILINGUAL Now available in 16 languages: English, Deutsch, Français, 日本語, 简体中文, Español, Italiano, 한국어, Português, Русский, Nederlands, Polski, Türkçe, 繁體中文, Svenska, العربية. Forma3D is built on a custom mesh kernel with Manifold CSG boolean operations and a desktop-grade bevel algorithm — bringing professional 3D editing to your pocket. Whether you're preparing models for 3D printing, fixing scanned meshes, painting faces for multi-filament prints, or creating from scratch, Forma3D gives you the tools to get the job done — anywhere. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Solid Engineer4 screens
Forma3D4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Solid Engineer at none against Forma3D's 1. Solid Engineer also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Forma3D's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Forma3D sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per month. Solid Engineer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Solid Engineer against 5.0 for Forma3D. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forma3D has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solid Engineer ships an update every 5 months, Forma3D every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Solid Engineer versus Forma3D: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolid EngineerForma3D
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAxxem B.V.Denis Vazyulya

Customer experience

Solid Engineer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Forma3D

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Solid Engineer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Forma3D

Subscriptions1
  • Forma3D subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month

Questions

Is Solid Engineer free?
Solid Engineer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forma3D free?
Forma3D is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Solid Engineer or Forma3D?
Solid Engineer and Forma3D are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Solid Engineer or Forma3D have ads?
Neither Solid Engineer nor Forma3D shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solid Engineer or Forma3D?
Solid Engineer ships an update every 5 months, and Forma3D every 3 days. Most recently, Solid Engineer was updated on October 6, 2026 and Forma3D on October 11, 2026.

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