Projects and sharing
Sign in to keep projects in the cloud, open them on any computer, collect their renders in a gallery, work on them with teammates and share renders with a link. Everything else in the lab works without an account.
Signing in
Press Sign in at the right of the top bar and choose Continue with Google, or type your email address for a sign-in link (no password needed). Anybody can make an account this way: there is nothing to apply for. The email link also confirms that the address is yours. After you press Email me a sign-in link the same window says Check your inbox and shows the address; Resend link unlocks after 60 seconds, and Use a different email goes back to the form with the address filled in. × or Esc closes the window.
Cloud projects
The account menu (your name at the right of the top bar) has:
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| My projects | Your projects and the ones shared with you, with thumbnails |
| Save to Cloud (Ctrl+S) | Saves the scene to its project, or asks for a name the first time |
| Save to Cloud as… | Saves it as a new project |
| Renders of this project | The render gallery of the open project |
| Restore previous save… | Opens the save before the last one, if the last save went wrong |
| Sign out | Signs out of this browser |
The Save to cloud window (first save, or Save to Cloud as…) shows the current render with the project name, how many states and materials it holds and the model file. The name field is selected when it opens, so typing replaces it; the default is the model’s file name. Enter saves, Esc or × closes it. While it saves the card shows the upload (“Uploading project” with the megabytes sent); if you close the window the upload goes on in the background and the status under the scene name shows it. When it is done a message at the bottom says Saved to cloud, with Open My projects.
The line under the scene name tells where things stand: Unsaved changes (with the time of the last change, and a Save button), Saving…, or Saved to cloud with how long ago. A scene that is saved only to a file says Saved to file. To rename the project, click the pencil next to its name or double-click the name; type the new name and press Enter (Esc keeps the old one).
A cloud project keeps the same things as a project file: the model, material edits and textures, light, camera, states and render settings. The model is uploaded with the first save; later saves keep it and update the rest.
In My projects you can open a project, rename it (the pencil on its card), see its Renders, Share… it with teammates, or delete it with the ×. Projects shared with you are marked Shared.
Autosave
While a cloud project is open, the lab saves your changes in the background about 30 seconds after you stop working, as an autosave. The autosave is kept apart: the project itself changes only when you press Save to Cloud. If you close the browser without saving, the next time you open the project the lab asks Which version do you want to open? and shows both side by side, each with a picture, its date and the number of states. The autosave (marked Newer) is chosen from the start; click the other card, or use the arrow keys, to pick the saved version. The button follows the choice: Open autosaved changes or Open saved version. Enter opens it, Esc or × closes the window and opens nothing. Nothing is lost either way: the saved version is not touched, and the autosave is kept until you press Save to Cloud. An autosave opens as unsaved changes; the saved version opens as saved, and the question comes back the next time.
The render gallery
In the Save PNG window, Save to project adds the picture to the open project’s gallery. Open the gallery from Renders of this project or from My projects. Click a render to see it full size; the arrows (or the left and right arrow keys) go to the next one. Point at a render to get three buttons on it:
- Download saves the PNG.
- Share this render opens the link of that render.
- ⋯ has Use as thumbnail, Share this render, Download PNG and Delete render.
A Thumbnail mark shows which render is the picture of the project (in My projects and in templates); a Shared mark shows renders that have a link. Auto thumbnail (top of the gallery) keeps the newest render as the thumbnail. Choosing Use as thumbnail on a render turns it off. The choice is kept in this browser.
Delete render deletes at once; Undo in the message at the bottom brings it back for 6 seconds.
Share gallery (top right) opens the link of the whole project: one link to every render, including the ones you add later. A green dot on the button means that link is on.
Share links
A share link opens a simple page with the render (or the whole gallery) that anyone with the link can see and download, without an account. It does not give access to the project, the model or anything else.
- The Public link switch makes the link or removes it. Switched off, the link stops working at once.
- Copy puts it on the clipboard (the button says Copied for two seconds); the arrow button opens the page in a new tab.
Working with teammates
Share… on a project in My projects adds people by their email address:
- Can edit: they open the project, change it, save it and render.
- Can view: they open it read-only and see it and its renders.
They also need an account (signing in is enough). Only one person edits a project at a time: while someone has it open, the others see it read-only, with their name shown. It becomes free when they close it or have been idle for a while; Edit this project… in the account menu then loads the latest version and takes over. Only the owner can delete a project, share it or publish links.
Your account
Click your email address at the bottom of the account menu for the account settings:
- Plan and Cloud storage: how much of your space the projects and renders use, and how many projects you have of the number your plan allows. The bar turns orange near the limit and red when it is full. The Free and Pro limits are listed side by side, and Request Pro sends us an email.
- Change email (for accounts that sign in by email; a Google account’s address is changed at Google).
- Sign-in: the address you sign in with.
- Delete account: press Delete…, type your email address to confirm, then Delete account. It removes the account with all its projects, renders, files and share links. It cannot be undone. Projects you saved as files on your computer are not affected.
Publish as template (admins)
Save as template… in the ⋯ menu of a project in My projects (shown to administrators) opens Publish as template. Fill in the Title, a Description (up to 140 characters) and a Credit or license (needed when the model is not yours). The card on the right shows how it will look in File → Templates. The template is a snapshot of the last saved version; if the open project has unsaved changes, a note says so and Save first saves them. When it is published, View in the message opens Templates.