The Concept, Build, Make journey

A persistent step bar runs across the top of every project: Concept, Build, Make. It is both a map of the work and a way to move around. Click any step whenever you like.

You do not have to use all three. If you already know what you want, skip straight to Build. If you only need a print file for a part you have just modified, jump to Make.

At a glance

Concept: dream before you commit

Concept is for exploring appearance cheaply, before any geometry exists.

1. Describe what you imagine. The Concept Board generates four images.
2. Refine with chips such as "Rounder", "More industrial" or "Add drawer". Mix two concepts ("A's shape with C's texture"), or draw a circle on part of an image and describe the change.
3. Pin your own photos, textures and colors to a moodboard. Every round is saved in a version strip, so you can go back.
4. When one direction wins, Lock concept. Solid Vibes produces a clean turnaround sheet (front, side, top, three-quarter view) on white.

The turnaround and moodboard then travel with you into Build as visual intent.

Build: make it real and parametric

Build is the heart of Solid Vibes. You talk to the agent (text, voice, images, or point-and-say-"this"), it proposes changes as ghost previews, and each change you accept becomes a step in the Recipe.

Along the way:

• Numbers that matter become Parameters with sliders.
• Rules you state ("always keep the holes centered") become Design intent.
• Things with moving or separately made parts become several Pieces with Connections.
• Bought hardware (screws, boards, bearings) comes from the library with real dimensions.

Manual tools sit alongside the agent: a context ring that shows only tools relevant to your selection, push/pull handles on faces, a command palette, and a minimal tool rail (Sketch, Solid, Modify, Connect, Inspect).

Make: check, show, and produce

Make is where a model becomes an object or a deliverable.

• Manufacturability check. Pick your process (for example 3D Print FDM), printer, and material. You get a printability score, a heatmap, an issues list with one-tap Fix and Fix all, and estimates for print time and material.
• Render Studio. Realistic stills, and turntable videos on plans that include them, from prompts like "premium product shot on a walnut desk, morning light".
• Drawings. Auto-dimensioned 2D sheets "for the CNC shop" or "for assembly instructions".
• Export. STL and 3MF for printing. Higher plans add STEP, GLB, DXF, DWG and PDF.
• Make list. Every piece with how it is made, its material, time and cost, plus the bought pieces you need.

It is a loop, not a line

The steps feed each other:

• A Make check finds an overhang. Fix adds steps to the Recipe, and you are effectively back in Build.
• A render in Make reveals that the proportions feel clunky. You go back to Concept for a quick visual exploration, then update the Parameters in Build.
• A drawing needs a dimension that is missing. You name it in Build, and the drawing updates automatically.

Because history is saved as commits, you can wander freely and still return to any earlier state.

Try it

Run through all three steps on a tiny project. Start in Concept with:

Four concept images of a minimalist desk organizer with a pen slot, a phone slot and a small tray for keys. Matte white with a walnut accent.

Lock your favorite, move to Build, and tell the agent:

Build this as one printable piece, 180 mm wide. The pen slot should fit a pen 14 mm in diameter, and the phone slot should fit a phone 9 mm thick with a case.

Then open Make and run the manufacturability check for your printer.