Castle Model Viewer vs Shapely 3D
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Castle Model Viewer
View and interact with a wide range of 2D and 3D model formats. Explore models, play animations, and save screenshots. Supports various file types including glTF, X3D, and OBJ, with options to open ZIP archives containing models and textures.
- Supports glTF, X3D, VRML, IFC, Spine JSON, and more
- Open ZIP files with models and textures
- Change navigation types (walk, fly, examine, 2D)
- Play animations
- Save screenshots
- Display scene statistics
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Viewer for 3D and 2D model formats supported by the Castle Game Engine: - glTF - X3D - VRML - IFC - Spine JSON - sprite sheets (in Castle Game Engine, Cocos2D and Starling XML formats) - MD3 - Wavefront OBJ - 3DS - STL - Collada - and more. In addition to the above formats, it also allows to open a ZIP file that contains a single model and associated media (like textures, sounds etc.). You can change navigation type (walk, fly, examine, 2D), jump between viewpoints, play chosen animations, save a screenshot, display scene statistics (triangle, vertex count) and more. The application comes with a few sample files, and naturally you can open your own 3D and 2D model files. The models must be self-contained, e.g. you have to - use GLB with all the textures packed in one file, - or X3D with all textures expressed as PixelTexture or data URI, - or just put your model with data (like textures) inside a zip. - We have documented how to make your models self-contained here: https://castle-engine.io/castle-model-viewer-mobile This is an open-source software, available to you for free. There are no ads or tracking. We appreciate if you can support us: https://www.patreon.com/castleengine !
Shapely 3D
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Shapely 3D is a fast, native 3D modeling app built for iPad — sketch, sculpt, and export real 3D models with just your finger or Apple Pencil. Build scenes from simple primitives, then move, rotate, and scale them with an on-screen gizmo. Snap to a configurable grid, measure distances as you work, and use the orientation cube to jump straight to any view. Shapely 3D saves your work as a native document you can open again anytime, right where you left off. Shapely 3D Pro unlocks: • CSG boolean operations — union, subtract, and intersect shapes to build more complex forms • STL export — send your models straight to a 3D printer or another CAD tool • Sketch & Extrude — draw a 2D profile and pull it into a solid • Smoothing — round any object with adjustable, non-destructive subdivision • Cut tool — slice objects apart along a face or a drawn line • Edit Faces — move, extrude, and reshape the individual faces of any object Whether you're prototyping a part, teaching geometry, or just enjoy building things in 3D, Shapely 3D keeps the fundamentals simple and gets out of your way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Castle Model Viewer at none against Shapely 3D's 1. Castle Model Viewer also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Shapely 3D sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Castle Model Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Castle Model Viewer | Shapely 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MICHALIS KAMBURELIS | Fabrizio Brancati |
In-app purchases
Castle Model Viewer
No in-app purchases
Shapely 3D
- Shapely 3D Pro$4.99





