---
key: mechanic/creative-construction--t229
type: mechanic
id: creative-construction--t229
lang: en
title: 'Modeling, sculpting and shape manipulation'
summary: >-
Shape manipulation adds, removes or moves material to explore volume and
expression under selected constraints.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/creative-construction--t229/'
jsonUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/creative-construction--t229.json
markdownUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/creative-construction--t229.md
aliases:
- Sculpting and shape manipulation
tags:
- 'Creativity, construction and free play'
- Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
- source-8cc54cd9f9a5c8e8
- source-2abecd308ec5a319
- source-ba1f99d5c671bdaa
sources:
- id: source-8cc54cd9f9a5c8e8
title: 'Godot: Physics introduction'
url: >-
https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/physics_introduction.html
verifiedAt: null
- id: source-2abecd308ec5a319
title: 'Godot: Prototyping levels with CSG'
url: 'https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/3d/csg_tools.html'
verifiedAt: null
- id: source-ba1f99d5c671bdaa
title: Claybook
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/661920/'
verifiedAt: null
relations:
- type: uses
direction: outgoing
label: Sources in the selection
key: resource/godot-physics
title: 'Godot: physics introduction'
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-godot-physics'
jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/godot-physics.json'
markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/godot-physics.md'
placements:
- catalogId: creative-construction
id: t229
title: 'Creativity, construction and free play'
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/creative-construction/#t229'
categoryIds:
- mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
preview:
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
title: Sculpting and shape manipulation
description: >-
Shape manipulation adds, removes or moves material to explore volume and
expression under selected constraints.
image:
src: images/mechanics/general-claybook-00.webp
width: 1440
height: 810
game: Claybook
sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/661920/'
originalUrl: >-
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/661920/ss_18f83aac47406c5c996cfaa3958844aa0a1bcb8c.1920x1080.jpg?t=1615367716
credit: Second Order / Second Order
rights: >-
Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY
4.0.
caption: The virtual world consists of deformable material
alt: The virtual world consists of deformable material
markers:
- x: 38
'y': 59
label: Three-dimensional shapes form the deformable scene
tips:
- Show the tool’s affected area and preserve the ability to undo a change.
examples:
- title: Claybook
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/661920/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/creative-construction
---
# Modeling, sculpting and shape manipulation
id: creative-construction--t229
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/creative-construction--t229
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/creative-construction--t229/
Shape manipulation adds, removes or moves material to explore volume and expression under selected constraints.
## At a glance
[Claybook](https://store.steampowered.com/app/661920/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
1. Three-dimensional shapes form the deformable scene
- Show the tool’s affected area and preserve the ability to undo a change.
- [Claybook](https://store.steampowered.com/app/661920/)
## How it works
Shape manipulation adds, removes or moves material to explore volume and expression under selected constraints.
## Variants
### Mechanic variants
- Adding grows volume around a brush.
- Subtraction removes material from a shape.
- Smoothing softens sharp local transitions.
- Symmetry repeats edits across a plane.
## Design example
A player sculpts a hollow mask by growing its shell and removing interior material.
Prototype check: Test undoing a sequence of edits and preserving thin details when changing brush scale.
## Context and limits
Creative mechanics constrain shape, connections and appearance while preserving the player’s choice of a personal result. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.
## Connected materials
- Sources in the selection: [Godot: physics introduction](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-godot-physics) (key: resource/godot-physics)
## Sources and provenance
Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.
- [Godot: Physics introduction](https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/physics_introduction.html) (id: source-8cc54cd9f9a5c8e8)
- [Godot: Prototyping levels with CSG](https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/3d/csg_tools.html) (id: source-2abecd308ec5a319)
- [Claybook](https://store.steampowered.com/app/661920/) (id: source-ba1f99d5c671bdaa)
CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors