What ShapeDiver does

ShapeDiver GmbH is a Vienna-based SaaS company founded in November 2015 that operates a cloud Geometry Backend for hosting, computing, and sharing Rhino/Grasshopper parametric models. The platform turns Grasshopper definitions into secure, browser-accessible web applications via a WebGL viewer (v3) with AR support, an iframe embed surface, and a REST Geometry Backend API, with multi-tiered caching, a proprietary 'Billboard' load-balancing algorithm, and auto-respawning Rhino 6/7/8 worker fleets running on AWS. The product stack includes the ShapeDiver Platform, App Builder (a no-code UI framework that exited beta in August 2024), the Geometry Backend API, Desktop Clients for Rhino/Grasshopper/Adobe Illustrator, and ShapeDiver Agent Skills (a Progressive-Disclosure knowledge package for AI coding assistants introduced in June 2026).

The company serves computational designers and engineering teams primarily across architecture/engineering/construction (AEC), e-commerce brands selling customizable products, jewelry (CD Peacock), healthcare/prosthetics (OrthoSolid, macu4), footwear and furniture manufacturing (Vivobarefoot, Dampere, Moveis Movêu, Pentaura), and individual Grasshopper users via a free tier with 50 monthly credits. AEC is the primary vertical, anchored by Thornton Tomasetti's CORE studio running 30+ apps on the platform.

The business combines a freemium product-led growth motion with a sales-led enterprise tier. Pricing spans a €49/month base subscription, €199/month DIY annual plan (annual billing), one-time turn-key configurator builds from €7,999, native Shopify builds from €9,999, €500/hour Specification Stage consulting, and quote-based enterprise deployments with dedicated Geometry Backends, SSO, and 98% warranted uptime SLAs. Revenue is supplemented by bespoke professional services. Ownership rests with the three co-founders — Mathias Höbinger (CEO), Alexander Schiftner (CTO), and Mathieu Huard (Head of Product) — plus seed investor Thornton Tomasetti via TTWIIN following the September 2020 merger with Thornton Tomasetti's Swarm app store. The company has achieved SOC 2 Type II Certification and is pursuing ISO 27001.

Name

ShapeDiver

Legal name

ShapeDiver GmbH

Website

https://shapediver.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ShapeDiver GmbH operates a cloud SaaS platform that turns Rhino/Grasshopper parametric models into secure web applications and 3D product configurators. It serves AEC firms, e-commerce brands, and computational designers across 15+ industries with freemium, subscription, and turn-key pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Computational Design Platform

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Model Serving, Inference & Deployment Platforms (APIs, Edge/On-Prem) (HDAEANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)

Keywords

• Parametric design platform
• 3D product configurators
• Cloud geometry backend
• Grasshopper SaaS hosting
• Computational design tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Free Tier (Freemium): Free account with 50 monthly credits allows designers to host Grasshopper definitions and share public ones at no cost; drives land-and-expand into paid plans.
2. DIY Product Configurator Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription starting from €199/month (annual billing) for users with Grasshopper proficiency who build their own configurators on the platform.
3. SaaS Subscription Plans (Base Tiers): Recurring SaaS subscriptions starting from €49/month for shared Geometry Backend access with computation credits, advanced features (scripted components, AR, APIs), and tiered upgrades as usage scales.
4. Turn-Key Product Configurator Build Service: One-time project fee starting from €7,999 where ShapeDiver's team builds the entire product configurator for the customer, including 3D assets, dynamic pricing, technical drawings, custom UI, and ERP/CRM integrations.
5. Shopify Product Configurator Build Service: One-time fee from €9,999 for native Shopify integration of a configurator; requires an underlying ShapeDiver subscription.
6. Specification Stage Consulting: Paid consultation engagement priced at €500 per hour-long session to produce a detailed specification document for a custom Grasshopper build.
7. Professional Services & Custom Development: Consulting and bespoke development services across industries (parametric model creation, architecture counseling, partner introductions) offered by the in-house team.
8. Enterprise Tier / Dedicated Geometry Backend: Enterprise customers receive a dedicated Geometry Backend system with elevated maximum computation times, fully automated custom plugin deployment, SSO, and SLAs (98% warranted uptime).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

ShapeDiver is a cloud-based SaaS platform that hosts parametric Grasshopper models and turns them into secure, shareable web applications and 3D product configurators. It provides a managed Geometry Backend running Rhino and Grasshopper on AWS with auto-scaling, load balancing, caching, and a REST API; a WebGL-based 3D viewer with AR; an App Builder for no-code UI creation in Grasshopper; and turn-key configurator build services for eCommerce platforms. Customers use it to deploy computational design tools internally or embed 3D/AR product configurators into Shopify/WooCommerce storefronts without exposing proprietary Grasshopper source code.

Product overview

ShapeDiver is a single unified SaaS platform (the ShapeDiver Platform) that turns Grasshopper files into online applications, with a modular architecture composed of the App Builder (no-code UI-builder framework), Viewer v3 (WebGL-based 3D viewer with AR), Geometry Backend API (REST API for hosting and computing Grasshopper models), Grasshopper Plugin (for preparing Grasshopper definitions), Desktop Clients (Rhino/Grasshopper/Adobe Illustrator integration), and Agent Skills (a modular knowledge package for AI coding assistants). On top of the platform, ShapeDiver offers verticalized service offerings including 3D Product Configurators (turn-key, Shopify, and DIY tiers) and a ShapeDiver for AEC deployment for engineering/architecture firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ShapeDiver App Builder: Grasshopper-powered UI-builder framework launched by ShapeDiver that enables users to create dynamic, customizable user interfaces for ShapeDiver models without traditional web development.
• ShapeDiver Geometry Backend
• ShapeDiver Viewer

Products and services

• ShapeDiver Platform The flagship SaaS platform for hosting, computing, and sharing parametric Grasshopper models in the cloud. Users upload Grasshopper definitions (with 40+ supported plugins) and ShapeDiver turns them into secure shareable web applications with a 3D viewer, parameters, exports, eCommerce integrations, and access-control features.
• ShapeDiver App Builder A no-code UI-builder framework powered by Grasshopper for creating dynamic and customizable user interfaces for ShapeDiver models. Supports tabs, widgets, conditional parameter show/hide, images, formatted text, tables, graphs, drawing tools, and an AI agent (BETA).
• ShapeDiver Viewer (v3) A high-performance WebGL-based 3D viewer that bridges parametric Grasshopper models with modern web applications. Provides developer-centric APIs for Sessions, Viewports, Scene Trees, Materials/Lighting/Post-processing, Selection, Dragging, Gumball transforms, and AR Quick Look via glTF/usdz. Distributed via npm as @shapediver/viewer.
• ShapeDiver Geometry Backend API A REST API that manages hosted Grasshopper models, triggers computations, requests outputs/exports, uploads file inputs, serves glTF/usdz AR assets, and returns analytics. Backends are tied to specific Rhino versions (6, 7, or 8) with shared and dedicated (Enterprise) tiers.
• ShapeDiver Grasshopper Plugin The official Grasshopper plugin used to prepare Grasshopper definitions for hosting on ShapeDiver, providing special input/output components, App Builder components, and client-side plugins.
• ShapeDiver Agent Skills A modular knowledge package for AI coding assistants that brings targeted ShapeDiver platform context to tools like Cursor, Copilot, and Claude Code through Progressive Disclosure, enabling more accurate code generation around ShapeDiver APIs.
• ShapeDiver 3D Product Configurator Service Service offerings built on the ShapeDiver platform in three tiers: Turn-Key Product Configurator (from €7,999, built by ShapeDiver's team), Shopify Product Configurator (from €9,999, native Shopify integration), and DIY Product Configurator (from €199/month annual). Supports dynamic pricing, automatic technical drawings, and ERP/CRM integrations.
• ShapeDiver for AEC A deployment of ShapeDiver targeted at engineering and architecture firms for securely distributing Grasshopper tools across an organization. Provides role-based access, version control, SSO, SDKs/APIs for CAD integration, and built-in engineering analytics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2x conversion rate increase for products enabled with 3D/AR (cited)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• ShapewaysminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2017Historical 2017 integration called the 'ShapeDiver – Shapeways Bridge' that allowed users to configure models via ShapeDiver and order 3D-printed objects through the Shapeways marketplace.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationNative Shopify integration plugin enabling brands to embed ShapeDiver product configurators in Shopify storefronts and start selling in minutes. Pricing for the Shopify turn-key build service starts from €9,999.
• WooCommerce / WordPresscoreTechnology or IntegrationNative ShapeDiver plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce enabling eCommerce sales of configured products; alongside Shopify it is one of the two flagship eCommerce distribution integrations.
• iJewel3DcoreTechnology or IntegrationJewelry-focused rendering platform that integrates with ShapeDiver; referenced by customer CD Peacock as part of its heritage-driven bridal configurator stack.
• SpecklecoreTechnology or IntegrationShapeDiver-for-Speckle integration allowing bidirectional data exchange between the Speckle AEC collaboration platform and ShapeDiver models; co-marketed in the Spring '25 Update webinar.
• Autodesk FormacoreTechnology or IntegrationShapeDiver extension (BETA) for Autodesk Forma enabling AEC workflows; co-marketed via live webinars (e.g., July 11, 2023) and integration documentation.
• McNeel (Rhino / Grasshopper)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationShapeDiver's Geometry Backend runs Rhino and Grasshopper on fully redundant servers (versions 6, 7, and 8). ShapeDiver hosts a dedicated section on the McNeel Discourse forum and supports the Grasshopper plugin ecosystem. Rhino, Grasshopper, and Rhino Compute are registered trademarks of Robert McNeel & Associates.
• Karamba3DcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCommercial Grasshopper plugin (structural analysis) selected and configured by ShapeDiver as a fully supported add-on; used by customer Pentaura for parametric timber structures.
• GeometryGym IFCcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCommercial Grasshopper plugin (BIM/IFC) fully configured and available as an add-on on ShapeDiver; supports AEC interoperability use cases.
• Genera (3D printers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrame Maker's (Frame Stock) commercial collaboration uses Genera 3D printers for production of custom-fit children's eyewear enabled by the ShapeDiver-powered configurator.
• Vision NowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial collaborator with Frame Stock on a customizable children's eyewear collection, leveraging the ShapeDiver platform for the configurator and Genera 3D printers for production, with potential for in-store customization and centralized production across stores.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rhino Compute (Robert McNeel & Associates): McNeel's own self-hosted engine for running Rhino/Grasshopper computations in the cloud. It is the most direct alternative to ShapeDiver, differing primarily in being self-managed rather than a fully managed SaaS with proprietary load balancing and caching.
• VIKTOR.ai: Web app builder for engineers that enables creation of parametric engineering applications using Python. VIKTOR.ai targets a similar engineering-app-building use case as ShapeDiver, with explicit bidirectional integration between the two platforms.
• Threekit: Enterprise 3D product visualization and configurator platform serving brands across furniture, fashion, and manufacturing. Threekit competes with ShapeDiver's 3D product configurator offering, particularly for DTC and bespoke-product eCommerce customers.
• Marxent (VisualCommerce): Provider of 3D and AR product configurators for home furnishings, building products, and outdoor goods. Marxent directly overlaps with ShapeDiver's bespoke-product eCommerce configurator use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Configura (CET Designer): Established commercial space-planning and configuration software used by office furniture and commercial interiors dealers. Competes with ShapeDiver in the furniture/commercial-interior configurator space but with a more specialized, vertically focused offering.
• Autodesk Forma: Autodesk's cloud-based AEC platform for early-stage design and analysis. Forma is both a ShapeDiver integration partner and a broader incumbent in the cloud-AEC space that could expand into ShapeDiver's territory.
• SimScale: Cloud-based engineering simulation SaaS for FEA, CFD, and thermal analysis serving AEC and product engineering teams. Overlaps with ShapeDiver's enterprise engineering-tool deployment use case in serving computational engineering work in the cloud.

Emerging players

• Speckle: AEC-focused open-source data collaboration platform that integrates with Grasshopper, Rhino, Revit, and other design tools. Speckle is both a ShapeDiver integration partner and an adjacent player in the AEC computational design workflow.
• Hummingbird (by Hyphen): AI-assisted building design and AEC platform that targets similar parametric/early-stage design workflows. Competes with ShapeDiver in serving computational design use cases inside AEC firms, though with a more AI-native architecture.
• Simsala (3D/AR configurators): 3D and AR product visualization platform serving ecommerce and manufacturing customers with interactive product experiences. Competes in the 3D product configurator segment of ShapeDiver's offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/shapediver
• YouTubeyoutube.com/shapediver
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shapediver
• Xx.com/shapediver
• Facebookfacebook.com/shapediver

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ShapeDiver