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Emil Rindell
Jonas Bryntesson
Henrik Andersson
2025-12-02
Emil Rindell
Jonas Bryntesson
Henrik Andersson
2025-12-02
IRONCAD COMPOSE (COMPOSE) is a free 3D program that opens both 3D and 2D files created in any of the programs in IronCAD Collaboration Suite (IRONCAD, INOVATE DRAFT).
There, you can zoom and rotate, select, move, rotate, and copy 3D models in a read-only environment, or "pick together" items that you have opened or found in catalogs.
You can also render cool images or create animated video clips.
IRONCAD COMPOSE more than "just" a 3D viewer!
Here you can see a brief overview of some basic features.
The free COMPOSE pretty much the same as its "big brother" IRONCAD. However, it is somewhat stripped down in terms of the number of functions in the tabs at the top of the program.
Just like in the full version IRONCAD a "history tree" ( Scene Browser) on the left that shows the contents of the currently open "3D scene."
At the bottom left, there are two additional tabs: Properties displays the properties of selected objects, and Search provides a convenient search function. On the right side of the program window, there is a library ofIRONCAD( Catalog Browser), which contains various geometries, materials, colors, and other features.
At the bottom, various tools are displayed in a Status Bar that is identical to the one in the full version IRONCAD.
You can open 3D scenes (*.ics) and 2D drawings (*.icd) saved in IRONCAD, but you cannot save over them. Instead, the 3D scene is saved as the file format *.ic3d, while the 2D drawings cannot be saved, but can instead be printed or exported to PDF or various image formats.
You can also purchase a so-called "import filter", COMPOSE (contact us for current prices), to import 3D files from other common 3D CAD systems on the market.
We do not have any specific training material for COMPOSE. However, some of the first videos in our training material for the complete IRONCAD also be followed with COMPOSE. An important difference to keep in mind is that you cannot remove material from models in COMPOSE. You can only add geometry. Otherwise, the camera and many of the tools work exactly the same.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-01-oversikt-3d-scenen
Use the camera to rotate and zoom. Drag and drop geometry. NOTE! At the end, material is removed with an H Block. This step cannot be performed in COMPOSE, but otherwise most of this exercise should work in much the same way.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-05-triballovning-del-1-3
The TriBall tool is also available in COMPOSE can be used in the same way to move, rotate, and copy objects in the 3D scene.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-06-triballovning-del-2-3
All steps in this exercise can also be followed using COMPOSE.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-07-triballovning-del-3-3
In this exercise, you can only follow the first step, as the remaining steps involve "negative geometries" (holes) that are not available in COMPOSE.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-56-kataloghantering-del-1-4
The catalogs are also available in COMPOSE the right-hand side, but since you cannot remove material or change the shape of certain types of geometries, it is not possible to follow these exercises to the letter. However, the steps where we save parts, materials, and colors work perfectly well to follow.
The anchor point is an important object in IRONCAD also in COMPOSE. It controls where an object is located in the XYZ coordinate system of the 3D scene. Just like in the full IRONCAD , you IRONCAD select and move/rotate the anchor point to other positions, etc.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-66-videoanimering-del-1-2
This exercise and the next one, films 66-67, which deal with video animation, can be followed using COMPOSE. The Visualization toolbar, where most of the buttons are located, looks pretty much the same, and the separate Animations catalog should be open from the start in the catalog field on the right.
https://ironcad.academy/tutorial/ovning-68-bildrendering-del-1-2
As with video animation, it should be possible to follow these two exercises, films 68-69—which deal with image rendering—using COMPOSE as well.
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