Ortho is a python based app that renders orthographic templates from existing 3d models, akin to a ‘blueprint creator’. It’s free and requires only python and a browser. No coding or commands, just run the launcher, then drag and drop your file or zip,then configure in the browser. Runs on PC and Mac, pretty much fool proof.

No more googling for low res watermarked inaccurate paywalled. Templates. Not AI.

Orthographic Template Generator — Setup & Usage

Turns a 3D car/vehicle model file into a clean black-and-white orthographic line-art reference sheet (front, back, left, right, top, bottom views, plus a width-wise cross-section). Runs entirely on your own PC — nothing is uploaded anywhere.

Quickest way to start (recommended)

Double-click Start App.bat in this folder. That's it.

It checks for Python, installs everything the app needs the first time (later launches skip straight to starting up), then opens the app in your browser automatically. A window will stay open while the app runs — leave it open, and close it when you're done to shut the app down. If something looks wrong, the window will explain what to do in plain language.

If you'd rather do each step yourself (or the launcher hits something it doesn't handle), the manual steps below do exactly the same thing.

One-time setup (manual, only needed if not using Start App.bat above)

1. Install Python, if you don't already have it: go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ , download the Windows installer, run it. On the first screen of the installer, tick the box at the bottom that says "Add python.exe to PATH" before clicking Install. This is the single most common thing people miss, and it's exactly what causes the 'pip' is not recognized error covered below — if you've already installed Python and skipped that box, see the troubleshooting section, don't reinstall yet.

2. Open a command window: open the folder where these files are saved in File Explorer, click once in the address bar at the top (where the folder path is shown), type cmd, press Enter. A command window opens already pointed at the right folder — this matters for step 3.

3. Install the required libraries by typing this and pressing Enter:

   python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
   

   (python -m pip is used instead of plain pip because it's more reliable right after a fresh Python install — it only needs python itself to be found, not a separate pip command.)

   This may take a few minutes and print a lot of text. If you see red error text partway through, copy it and we'll sort it out — don't worry, it's not unusual for one package to need a small fix on a new machine.

Troubleshooting setup

'pip' is not recognized as an internal or external command This means Python isn't on your PATH yet (see step 1 above). Check first: type python --version in the command window.

• If THAT also says "not recognized": Python isn't installed/found at all. Re-run the installer from python.org, and make sure to tick "Add python.exe to PATH" on the very first screen this time.
• If python --version DOES show a version number (e.g. Python 3.12.3) but pip alone still fails: use python -m pip install -r requirements.txt instead of plain pip install ... — this works around it directly, no reinstall needed.

'python' is not recognized too Same root cause, different symptom. Re-run the python.org installer, tick "Add python.exe to PATH" on the first screen. If you've already got a partial install you're unsure about, it's fine to just run the installer again — it'll detect the existing install and offer to repair/modify it.

Something else printed in red during pip install Copy the exact text (especially the last few lines, which usually say what actually failed) — that's specific enough to diagnose properly rather than guess at.

Running it (every time)

1. Open a command window in the folder where these files are saved (the simplest way: open the folder in File Explorer, click the address bar at the top, type cmd, press Enter — a command window opens already pointed at the right folder).

2. Type:

   python app.py
   

3. You'll see a message saying it's running. Open your normal web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox — whatever you usually use) and go to:

   http://127.0.0.1:5000
   

4. Drop your model file onto the page. Wait for it to read the file (large files can take a little while). You'll see a list of all the named parts inside the model, all ticked on by default.

5. Pick which views you want, your colors, and click Generate.

6. Look at the picture. If something looks wrong — a stray shape, something missing, clutter where there shouldn't be any — untick the suspicious part(s) in the list and click Generate again. No 3D software needed; just compare what you see to what you'd expect a real car to look like.

7. When you're done, close the browser tab and go back to the command window, press Ctrl+C to stop the program.

Supported file types

.obj, .dae (Collada — common for BeamNG mods), .stl, .gltf / .glb, .kn5 (Assetto Corsa — converted internally by our own from-scratch parser).

If something goes wrong

• The browser says it can't connect: make sure the command window still shows the program running (it should say "Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000") and hasn't shown an error and stopped.
• Upload fails with an error message: that's the program telling you something specific about the file — copy the exact message, that's the starting point for fixing it.
• The generated image looks like a mess of clutter: this usually means the model's internal mesh quality isn't great (seen this already with some Assetto Corsa conversions) — try the part checklist first (untick obviously-interior parts: seats, dashboard, roll cage, etc.) before assuming something's broken.