Every 3D object in ShapeShifter 3D is created from vertices and faces. Vertices are created with the CREATE VERTEX tool, and are invisible until they are arranged into faces. Each face is formed by 3 vertices connected by edges. To create a face in ShapeShifter 3D select the CREATE FACE tool and click on three different vertices, one at a time. Faces in ShapeShifter 3D are one-sided: they are only visible from one direction, and this is determined by the order the vertices are connected when the face is created. If you connect the vertices counter-clockwise then the face will be visible in the direction facing you. If the vertices are connected clockwise the face will be visible from the opposite side. See the ShowMe movie "Creating Faces" available at the TUTORIALS AND SAMPLES area of the ShapeShifter 3D webiste for a visual explanation of face creation in ShapeShifter 3D.

Objects can also be created from standard primitives. ShapeShifter 3D allows creation of boxes, spheres, cylinders and geosheres using the appropriate tool in the CREATE menu. To create a primitive just select a tool (CREATE SPHERE for example) and click on a viewport. Hold the mouse button down and drag to size your primitive. Primitives are also composed of vertices and faces, and they are good starting points to be shaped into a different model.

Another powerful way to create geometry is by using the EXTRUDE tool. This tool works only when you have one or more faces selected. See the tutorial movie "Creating a simple head" available at the ShapeShifter 3D website for a visual explanation of model building using primitives and the extrude tool.

Geometry in ShapeShifter 3D is organized into groups. A group is simply a collection of faces. The controls in the GROUPS Tab can be used to select, rename, hide and recombine groups. The SELECT GROUP tool can also be used to quickly select a group in a viewport. One important quality of a group is that materials are assigned to groups, not individual vertices or faces. So if you want to assign different materials to the same object you have to split it into two groups (using the REGROUP SELECTED button available in the GROUPS Tab). By default in Director 8.5 each group will be visible as a different mesh of the same model. If you need to manipulate each group separately in Lingo you can choose to export each group as a separate model in the Save As Shockwave 3D exporter options dialog box.