Flatten
Project 3D shapes from a camera viewpoint into 2D vector outlines or a rendered image.
What it does
Flatten collapses a 3D shape, piece of geometry or volume to 2D from a chosen camera angle. Vector mode projects the shape into a flat outline that stays editable as a path: stroke it, offset it, boolean it, or extrude it back into 3D. Texture mode renders the 3D scene from that same viewpoint straight to an image.
Azimuth and Elevation aim the camera. Distance switches between a flat orthographic projection (0) and a perspective one (any value above 0).
When to use it
A clean 2D silhouette or outline of a 3D shape, for a logo, a cutout or a line-art look
A 3D object turned into a flat vector path editable like any other shape: stroke, offset, boolean
A rendered snapshot of a 3D scene as a flat image from a specific angle, without building a full camera setup
| Parameter | Type | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
input | Collection or Field | — | 3D shapes (CRC), geometry, or volume to flatten to 2D |
mode | String | "Vector" | Vector: analytical 2D path outlines. Texture: rendered raster image. One of: Vector, Texture. |
azimuth | Number | 0 | Horizontal camera angle in degrees |
elevation | Number | 0 | Vertical camera angle in degrees |
distance | Number | 0 | Camera distance. 0 = orthographic projection (no perspective). |
scale | Number | 1 | Scale of the projected 2D output |
resolution | Number | 512 | Output texture resolution (square) |
sdf_resolution | Number | 128 | Grid resolution for SDF isoline extraction (complex shapes only) |
strength | Number | 1 | Effect strength / wet-dry (0 = no effect, 1 = full). Editable, wirable, keyframable. |
Gotchas
Silhouettes of simple shapes, spheres, boxes, cylinders and cones, can look very different from a few degrees of camera rotation. Nudge Azimuth or Elevation if an outline looks plain or blocky.
Distance controls the projection style, not physical camera placement. Leave it at 0 for a true orthographic projection with no perspective, and raise it above 0 for perspective foreshortening.
Vector and Texture mode share the same camera angle controls, but Scale affects Vector mode only and Resolution affects Texture mode only. Switching Mode changes which of the two is shown.
Worked example
Wire a 3D shape or geometry into Flatten's input.
Leave Mode on Vector for an editable 2D outline, or switch to Texture for a rendered image instead.
Adjust Azimuth and Elevation to orbit the camera until you like the view.
Raise Distance above 0 for perspective instead of a flat orthographic projection.
In Vector mode, use Scale to size the resulting outline; in Texture mode, use Resolution to size the rendered image.