SphereLinks 2.0: A New Shader Editor and More

When we launched SphereLinks, the goal was simple: let anyone turn a 2D image into a 3D model without installing software, without a GPU, and without a PhD in computer graphics. You upload an image, we generate the mesh, you edit it in the browser.

That core idea hasn't changed. But everything around it just got a major upgrade.

Here's what's new in SphereLinks 2.0.

A New Shader Editor — Built for People Who Think in Code

The old material system used a Blender-style node graph — wired together visually. It worked, but it was a black box. You couldn't see what was actually happening under the hood.

So we rebuilt it from scratch.

The new Shader Graph is a code-first material editor. Every node is either shader code you write yourself, a value input (color, number, texture), or a math operation. They connect on a visual canvas, and every change updates your material live directly on your mesh.

What this means in practice:

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  Source nodes — write your own shader code. The editor gives you a built-in code area with a collapse toggle and live feedback.

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  Value inputs — add a color picker, a number slider, or a texture as a named input. Wire it into your shader.

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  Math nodes — add, multiply, mix, and more — no code required.

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  Output node — the final connection point. Hook up your color output here and the mesh updates instantly.

If you've worked with visual shader editors before, this will feel immediately familiar. If you haven't, the default graph gives you a working starting point that you can tweak and build on.

Editor Improvements

A few smaller things that add up:

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  Faster scene load — projects load significantly faster, especially for larger scenes.

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  Mobile guard — if you open a project on a phone, you'll see a clear message and a button back to the dashboard instead of a broken layout.

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  Cleaner viewport toolbar — mode switching (object / edit / sculpt) is faster to reach and no longer overlaps the scene on smaller screens.

What's Coming Next

We're working on a few things we're not ready to announce yet, but here's a hint: real-time collaboration and version history are both in active development. If either of those would unblock something you're trying to build, reach out — we're talking to users as we design them.

Try It

If you already have a SphereLinks account, everything above is live in your dashboard right now.

If you don't have an account yet — sign up free at spherelinks.com. You get credits to start and no credit card is required.

Questions, bug reports, or feedback — open an issue on GitHub or email us directly. We read everything.