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Using SolidVents on iPad

SolidVents runs in Safari on iPad, with nothing to download from the App Store. Work with your finger or the Apple Pencil, then open your exports in Shapr3D or Onshape on the same iPad, from pattern to 3D model without a computer.

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One iPad, from pattern to finished part. Slide number fields and drag a gradient controller with the Pencil, and the pattern follows live; export, and one extrude in Shapr3D cuts it through the housing. Every clip runs at real speed.

Before you start: the window needs to be 768 px wide

Anything narrower gets the phone layout, which has no editor. Every iPad is wide enough in landscape; an iPad mini in portrait or a half-screen Split View window is not. Rotate the iPad or widen the window.

Add it to your Home Screen

It then opens full screen like an app, with no address bar over the canvas.

  1. 1In Safari, open solidvents.com/app.
  2. 2Tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
  3. 3Leave Open as Web App on (iPadOS 26 and later) and tap Add.

The Home Screen app keeps its own storage, separate from Safari: designs saved to browser storage in Safari won’t show up in it. Stick to one, or save to the Cloud (Pro).

Finger and Apple Pencil basics

Tap and drag work as they do with a mouse. The differences:

Press and hold for half a second
Opens the right-click menu. Scale, Rotate and Adjust Fillet follow your finger while you drag; lift to confirm.
Add a second finger while dragging a controller
Two-finger rotate and scale.
Drag a sidebar edge or a panel title bar
Resizes the column, or pulls the panel out into a floating window.

Number fields: slide to adjust

You rarely need to type into a number field:

  • Slide left or right to adjust the value and watch the pattern follow.
  • Tap to open a small number pad beside the field, instead of the system keyboard.
  • Slide up or down to scroll the panel as usual.

The custom editor: on-screen Shift, Alt and Delete

While the Apple Pencil touches the screen, iPadOS passes no finger touches to web pages, so you can’t hold a key with one hand and draw with the other. The editor puts large keys at the edge of the screen instead:

  • Tap Shift or Alt to lock it on; tap again to release it.
  • Delete removes the selection.
  • The top button moves the keys under the hand without the Pencil.

From pattern to 3D model on the same iPad

CAD apps on iPad open SolidVents exports directly:

  1. 1Export STEP. Safari saves it to Downloads in the Files app.
  2. 2Import it in Shapr3D or Onshape, or tap the file in Files and share it to the app.
  3. 3To model the holes yourself, export DXF and bring it in as a sketch.

The full workflow is in the STEP export guide.

More that works well on iPad

Photo to halftone, from the camera

Take a picture in the Background Image panel and turn on Image as Controller: its brightness sets the hole sizes. Walkthrough in the photo to halftone guide.

Keyboard, mouse and trackpad

With a Magic Keyboard or a Bluetooth mouse attached, it works just like on a computer.

Where your designs are saved

On iPad, in the Browser or the Cloud (Pro). The Local folder option needs desktop Chrome or Edge.

Heavy patterns

Turn on Performance Mode in Settings and the preview updates when you let go.

Where iPad shines

Sketching ideas, drawing shapes with the Pencil, reviewing designs with a client. For long, precise sessions a computer is still fastest.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a SolidVents app for iPad? +

There is nothing to download from the App Store: the full editor runs in Safari. Add it to your Home Screen and it opens full screen with its own icon, just like an app.

Does it work with the Apple Pencil? +

Yes. The Pencil and your finger both drag controllers, open the right-click menu with a press and hold, adjust number fields by sliding, and draw in the custom editor.

Why can’t I hold Shift with a finger while drawing with the Pencil? +

While the Pencil is touching the screen, iPadOS doesn’t pass finger touches to web pages, so the held finger never reaches the editor. Tap the on-screen Shift or Alt key to lock it on instead, and tap it again to release it.

Why do I see the phone layout on my iPad? +

The editor needs a window at least 768 px wide. An iPad mini in portrait (744 px) and a half-screen Split View window fall short. Rotate to landscape or give SolidVents the wider side of the split.

Can I open the STEP file in Shapr3D or Onshape? +

Yes. Safari saves the .stp file to Downloads in the Files app. Import it from there in Shapr3D, Onshape or any CAD app that reads STEP, or tap the file in Files and share it to the app.

Are my designs shared between Safari and the Home Screen app? +

No. The Home Screen app keeps its own storage, so designs saved to browser storage in one don’t appear in the other, and you sign in again once. Stick to one of them, or save to the Cloud (Pro).

Open SolidVents on your iPad

Open it in Safari, add it to your Home Screen, and start with your finger or the Pencil. Free, nothing to install.

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