Leopoly releases Shapelab Max 2026
Leopoly has released Shapelab Max 2026, the new version of its VR and desktop sculpting tool, previously known simply as Shapelab.
The update reworks the software’s gizmo system for manipulating sculpts, and introduces a new Elastic Move tool for quickly posing characters.
A polygon-based digital sculpting tool streamlined enough to use in virtual reality
Released in 2023 after several years in early access, Shapelab is designed for sculpting 3D models – primarily organic forms like characters and creatures – in VR or on desktop systems.
Unlike many VR sculpting apps, it represents 3D models as conventional polygonal geometry – and more recently, as voxels – rather than Signed Distance Fields.
Shapelab uses a brush-based sculpting workflow, with a base set of brushes that will be familiar to users of apps like ZBrush, plus the option to use alpha textures as stamps.
For texturing sculpts, Shapelab includes a vertex painting toolset with support for masks; or users can apply a set of readymade materials.
Shapelab Max 2026: reworked 3D gizmo system
Shapelab Max 2026 is the first release of the software under its current product name, which has been changed to distinguish the desktop-and-VR edition from the dedicated editions for VR headsets: Shapelab Lite, for Meta Quest and Pico, and the new Shapelab for Vision Pro.
The headline change is an overhaul of Shapelab’s gizmo system, used to manipulate sculpts.
Key changes include support for non-uniform scaling, for scaling objects along individual axes, and new dedicated widgets for key operations like switching between local and world space.
New Elastic Move tool for manipulating sculpts
However, perhaps the most eye-catching change is the new Elastic Move tool.
The tool, based on a Pixar-developed method for real-time elastic deformation, makes it possible to drag sculpts around as if they were rubber while preserving their overall volume.
Leopoly describes it as providing a quick way to pose characters.
Other changes and workflow improvements
Other changes in Shapelab Max 2026 include a single unified co-ordinate space for symmetry operations, and updates to the speed and quality of voxel remeshing.
There are also a number of workflow improvements, particularly when working in VR, with VR controllers now supporting haptic feedback for UI interactions like hovering and button presses.
Price and system requirements
Shapelab Max 2026 is compatible with Windows 10+. Find a list of supported VR headsets here.
Perpetual licenses have a standard price of $69.99, up $5 since the release of Shapelab 2025. Subscriptions now have a standard price of $49.99/year.
Read a full list of new features in Shapelab Max 2026 in the online release notes
See a feature comparison between Shapelab Max and other editions of Shapelab
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