Online Tool Store
3D Shape Net Generator
Generate a real printable net for a cube, cuboid, prism, pyramid, or tetrahedron, sized in millimetres with tabs, fold lines, and A4/Letter fit checks.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
How the 3D Shape Net Generator works
- Choose the solid — cube, cuboid, triangular prism, square pyramid, or tetrahedron — and its dimensions in millimetres.
- Choose tabs on alternate edges, on all edges, or none, and a paper size (A4 or US Letter) so you know if it fits one sheet.
- The net updates immediately: solid black lines are cut lines, dashed grey lines are fold lines. Turn on face labels if you want each face named on the sheet.
- Download the net as an exact-size SVG (for vector/plotter software) or a 300 DPI PNG, then print, score along the fold lines before folding, and cut the solid lines.
The method
A net is the solid's surface unfolded flat, so its area equals the solid's surface area exactly. This tool builds each solid as real 3D geometry and unfolds it face-by-face along a spanning tree of shared edges — rather than a fixed hand-drawn layout — so the same engine produces a correct net for any of the five shapes and any dimensions you enter.
cube: 6a² · cuboid: 2(lw+lh+wh) · triangular prism: 2·(√3⁄4)a² + 3ah · square pyramid: a² + 4·(½·a·slant) · tetrahedron: √3·a²
There are eleven distinct nets for a cube, which is a good classroom investigation in itself — and a reminder that a net is not unique. This tool always lays the cube out as the classic cross.
FAQ
How many different nets does a cube have?
Eleven, ignoring rotations and reflections. Finding them all is a genuinely good exercise, and it makes the point that unfolding a solid has more than one answer. This tool always generates the classic cross layout for a cube.
Why put tabs on alternate edges?
Because each seam joins two edges, and only one needs a tab. Tabs on every edge means two overlapping at every join, which makes the model bulky and hard to close. The "Tabs" setting also has an "On all edges" option and a "None" option, for a taped-seam assembly instead of glue.
Should I score the fold lines?
Yes — run a blunt point along them with a ruler before folding. Unscored card folds unevenly, and on a small model that is the difference between crisp and shapeless. Fold lines are shown dashed on the net; cut lines are solid.
Which solids can I generate a net for?
Cube, cuboid, triangular prism, square pyramid, and tetrahedron — enter the edge length(s) for the one you need and the net updates immediately.
What if the net is too big for one sheet of paper?
The tool shows the exact footprint in millimetres and warns if it will not fit a single A4 or US Letter sheet at normal margins, so you can reduce the size before printing rather than finding out after cutting.
How we compare
| Feature | Online Tool Store | Pen and paper | PrintablesWorld's net generator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tabs positioned correctly, on alternate, all, or no edges | ✓ | Manual | On/off only |
| Fold and cut lines distinguished | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Printable at exact size (A4 or US Letter fit check) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tetrahedron net | ✓ | Manual | ✗ |
| Vector (SVG) download, not just a rasterised PDF | ✓ | N/A | PDF only |
| No account | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
3D Shape Net Generator defaults to tabs on alternate edges only — the detail that separates a model that closes cleanly from one that's bulky at every seam — while still offering all-edges or no-tabs for a taped assembly, a tetrahedron option, and a vector SVG export alongside PNG.