This guide covers every aspect of working with 3D models in Paint 3D: creating shapes from built-in primitives, importing external model files, manipulating objects in the 3D workspace, painting directly on 3D surfaces, and exporting finished models in formats compatible with 3D printers, game engines, and other software. Paint 3D was discontinued by Microsoft in November 2024, but these features remain available on existing installations.
Built-In 3D Shape Primitives
Paint 3D includes a set of geometric primitives you can place on the canvas and modify. These are the building blocks for 3D scenes when you do not have an external model file to import.
Cube
Six flat faces with equal edge lengths. Useful as a base for buildings, boxes, and furniture models.
Sphere
Smooth, rounded surface. Works for planets, balls, heads, and organic shapes.
Cylinder
Flat circular top and bottom connected by a curved surface. Good for pillars, cans, and pipes.
Cone
Circular base tapering to a point. Useful for tree shapes, funnels, and party hats.
Torus
A ring-shaped surface (like a donut viewed from above). Used for rings, wheels, and circular frames.
Doughnut
A thicker, rounder variant of the torus with more volume. Better for organic ring shapes and food models.
Inserting a Primitive
- Click the 3D Shapes tab in the top toolbar.
- In the right-side panel, select one of the six primitives (Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Cone, Torus, Doughnut).
- Click and drag on the canvas to place the shape. The size depends on how far you drag before releasing.
- Release the mouse button. The shape appears with selection handles visible.
Freeform 3D Shapes with 3D Doodle
Beyond the standard primitives, the 3D Shapes panel includes two doodle tools that convert freehand drawings into 3D geometry.
- Sharp Edge 3D Doodle: Draw a closed shape on the canvas. Paint 3D extrudes it into a 3D object with flat, angular faces. Works well for geometric designs, letters, and logos.
- Soft Edge 3D Doodle: Draw a closed shape, and Paint 3D inflates it into a rounded, pillow-like 3D object. Better for organic shapes, characters, and rounded forms.
Both doodle types require a closed path. If your drawn line does not connect back to its starting point, Paint 3D closes the gap automatically with a straight line segment.
Importing External 3D Models
Paint 3D can open 3D model files created in other software. This lets you paint, texture, or combine models downloaded from 3D marketplaces or created in tools like Blender, Tinkercad, or Fusion 360.
Supported Import Formats
| Format | Extension | Typical Source |
|---|---|---|
| 3D Manufacturing Format | .3mf | 3D printing software, Paint 3D projects |
| Filmbox | .fbx | Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, game engines |
| Wavefront OBJ | .obj | Blender, ZBrush, most 3D editors |
| Polygon File Format | .ply | 3D scanners, photogrammetry software |
| Stereolithography | .stl | CAD software, 3D printing slicers |
Import Steps
- Click Menu > Insert.
- Navigate to your 3D model file (.3mf, .fbx, .obj, .ply, or .stl).
- Select the file and click Open.
- The model appears on the canvas with selection handles. Drag to reposition it.
Note on Remix 3D: Microsoft’s Remix 3D online library, which once allowed downloading community 3D models directly within Paint 3D, was shut down in January 2021. External model downloads now require third-party sources like Sketchfab, Thingiverse, or TurboSquid.
Moving, Rotating, and Scaling 3D Objects
Once a 3D object is on the canvas (whether a primitive, doodle, or imported model), you interact with it through the selection handles. For detailed rotation instructions, see the dedicated guide.
- Select the object. Click on any 3D object to activate its selection box. The box shows white square handles at corners and edges, plus curved rotation handles.
- Move (drag). Click inside the selection box and drag the object to a new position on the X-Y plane (left-right, up-down). To move the object forward or backward in depth (Z-axis), click the small button on the left side of the selection box and drag up or down.
- Rotate. Three curved rotation handles appear around the selection box, one for each axis. Drag the top handle to rotate around the Y-axis (spin left-right). Drag the side handle to rotate around the X-axis (tilt forward-back). Drag the front handle to rotate around the Z-axis (roll).
- Scale. Drag any corner handle outward to enlarge, or inward to shrink. Corner handles maintain proportions. Edge handles stretch the object along a single axis.
Multiple 3D objects can exist on the same canvas. Select each individually to position them relative to one another and build composite scenes.
Painting on 3D Surfaces
One of Paint 3D’s distinctive features is the ability to paint directly on 3D object surfaces using the same brush tools available for 2D canvas work.
- Click a 3D object on the canvas to select it.
- Click the Brushes tab in the top toolbar.
- Choose a brush type (Marker, Oil Brush, Spray Can, or any other).
- Set your desired color, thickness, and opacity.
- Click and drag directly on the 3D object’s surface. The paint wraps around the geometry, following the surface contours.
Painting on 3D surfaces works best on larger, smoother shapes like spheres and cubes. Highly detailed imported models with complex polygon meshes may not accept paint strokes cleanly on every surface.
You can also apply stickers and textures to 3D surfaces via the Stickers tab, which wraps flat images onto curved geometry.
Converting 2D Drawings to 3D
Paint 3D allows you to turn flat 2D canvas artwork into 3D objects using a combination of tools. For a dedicated walkthrough, see the 2D to 3D conversion guide.
- Draw or import a 2D image on the canvas.
- Use Magic Select to isolate the element you want to convert.
- With the cutout selected, click Make 3D in the toolbar options that appear. This lifts the flat selection into 3D space as a planar object with depth.
- Alternatively, use the 3D Doodle tools (Sharp Edge or Soft Edge) to trace over a 2D drawing and extrude it into a full 3D shape.
Exporting 3D Models
Paint 3D can export your 3D creations in formats that other 3D software, game engines, augmented reality viewers, and 3D printers can read.
- Click Menu > Save As.
- Select 3D Model from the format options.
- Choose your target format: 3MF or GLB.
- Name your file and click Save.
Export Format Comparison
| Format | Preserves Colors/Textures | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 3MF | Yes (full fidelity) | 3D printing, reopening in Paint 3D |
| GLB | Yes (embedded textures) | Web viewers, AR apps, game engines (Unity, Unreal) |
If you need to export as a flat 2D image instead (a rendered snapshot of your 3D scene), use Menu > Save As > Image and choose PNG or JPEG. This flattens the 3D scene into a 2D raster image at the current camera angle.