Plastic Software releases Plasticity 2025.3
Plastic Software – aka tools developer Nick Kallen – has released Plasticity 2025.3, the latest version of the popular hard surface modeling software.
The release adds a new instancing toolset and the option to create shareable web previews of projects, and improves real-time feedback when adjusting surface curvature and continuity.
A lightweight NURBS modelling app for concept art, not industrial design
Released in 2023, and pitched as “CAD for artists”, Plasticity is a streamlined NURBS modeler.
The software is intended to provide a low-cost, artist-friendly alternative to tools like MoI and Fusion, and is aimed at concept art as well as industrial design.
It features a streamlined UI, with on-screen clutter reduced by context-sensitive widgets and pop-up UI panels, and uses key bindings and selection modes familiar to Blender users.
New instancing system helps keep complex projects lightweight
Plasticity 2025.3 introduces some long-awaited functionality to the software, in the shape of the new instances workflow.
New Create Instance commands create live instances of Solids, Sheets, Curves and Groups, with any changes made to the parent object automatically propagated to the instances.
Creating instances avoids duplicating actual mesh data when copying forms, keeping models lightweight.
For more control over the results, separate Realize Instances commands convert selected instances into editable real bodies, making it possible to modify the geometry individually.
The software’s existing Mirror and Array commands also now support instances as well as meshes, making it possible to arrange instances evenly.
Create shareable web previews of Plasticity projects
Other new commands include Publish to Plasticity Share, which publishes a Plasticity file to the cloud, where clients or collaborators can view it in a standard web browser.
Only mesh data is exported, not the actual CAD geometry, making it possible to share previews of a project without exposing the original project files.
The update also adds a new Measure Radius command and a new Ellipse tool.
Workflow improvements
Plasticity 2025.3 also features some fairly significant workflow improvements, particularly to the feedback provided when adjusting the curvature or continuity of surfaces.
Users can now manipulate curves and edges in real time while Toggle Curvature or Measure Continuity are active, providing immediate visual feedback on the changes.
There are also updates to the Move tool, handling of pivot points, measurements and snapping, and to the PBR materials and HDRI environment lighting system introduced in Plasticity 2025.2.
SVG export and updates to OBJ export
In addition, it is now possible to export the curves selected in a Plasticity project in SVG format. Suggested use cases include creating technical documentation.
The update also introduces new settings when exporting OBJ files from Plasticity, including the option to remove smaller surface features when creating low-poly geometry for texture baking.
A Convex Ngons Only setting prevents Plasticity from creating concave ngons in meshes, which can result in shading artifacts when the file is imported into DCC applications.
Price, system requirements and release date
Plasticity 2025.3 is available for Windows 10+, Ubuntu 22.04+ Linux and macOS 12.0+. In the online documentation, the release is also referred to as Plasticity 25.3.
Perpetual node-locked Indie licenses now cost $175, up $26 since the previous release. Indie users can import and export files in OBJ, STEP, STL and Parasolid XT format.
Studio licenses support a wider range of file formats and cost $299.
Read a full list of new features in Plasticity 2025.3 in the online release notes
Read more about Plasticity on the product website
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