To shape a cabinet side in Mozaik so the profile can flex on the fly, build the cabinet, write your own user parameters (named values like toe height, recess, depths, and heights), then in the side view use Edit Side Shape to add points and drive each point's X and Y position with a parameter instead of a fixed number. Because every point is locked to a formula, changing a single parameter reshapes the whole side automatically and the product stays parametric when you resize it.
This walkthrough uses a base cabinet turned into a bench seat as the example, so you can see the side profile bend from a plain box into an angled seat back driven entirely by named values.
This guide follows Mozaik's official walkthrough. Watch the original on Mozaik's channel:
What side shaping with user parameters actually does
Side shaping lets you redraw the profile of a cabinet from its side view instead of leaving it as a plain box. On its own, that profile is static. The power comes from putting user parameters behind each point: instead of typing fixed numbers, you tie every corner of the shape to a named value. After that, you reshape the cabinet by editing one parameter rather than dragging points by hand, and the shape rebuilds itself every time.
Step 1 - Drop in a base cabinet and open the product editor
Place a standard base cabinet on your plan and set its size (the example uses a 60" wide cabinet). Then open it for editing:
- Double-click the cabinet to open the Product Editor.
- Move the Product Editor to one side and open the 2D/3D viewer alongside it so you can watch the shape change as you work. On a two-screen setup, put one on each screen.
Step 2 - Turn off stretching so the shape stays predictable
In the Size tab, uncheck stretching on the cabinet. This keeps the cabinet from auto-stretching while you shape it. You can re-check it later if you bring the product back into a job.
Tip: you can always re-enable stretching after the product is built.
Step 3 - Strip the cabinet down to a clean box
Clear out the interior and parts so you're shaping a clean cabinet, then remove the features that would get in the way of the side profile.
- Remove the back: in the Backs (Cabinet/Unfinished Backs) parameters, set the Backs parameter to none.
- Flush the nailers: with the back gone, the nailers are set in by the back's thickness. Go to the back recess parameter and set the recess to the thickness of the nailers so they sit flush with the ends.
- Remove the toe notch: in the toe parameters, override both the toe height and toe recess to zero. The bottom of the cabinet now sits on the floor with no toe kick.
Step 4 - Write your user parameters
Still in the Parameters tab, add your own named values by selecting in the parameter column and typing each one. The example creates seven, each with a parameter name, a description, and a starting value:
| Parameter | Description | Starting value |
|---|---|---|
| BTH | Base toe height | 4 |
| BTR | Base toe recess | 3 |
| Base depth 1 | First depth | 1 |
| Base depth 2 | Second depth | 15 |
| Base depth 3 | Third depth | 18 |
| Base height 1 | First height | 18 |
| Base height 2 | Second height | 17 |
These are placeholder values. Expect to fine-tune them as the shape comes together. The whole point is that these are the dials you'll turn later instead of re-shaping by hand.
Step 5 - Switch to the side view and start the shape
Side shaping is view-specific. At the top right of the Shape tab, whichever face is highlighted is the one that's active for editing - selecting the top makes top shaping active while the front and side views are inactive. To shape from the side:
- Go to the side view and choose Edit Side Shape.
- Confirm Yes to clear any existing shaping (there's none on a clean cabinet).
- Roughly drag and add points to the front line to block out the general profile you want before you apply any formulas. This is just to get the shape close; the formulas come next.
Step 6 - Drive each point with a formula instead of a number
Now replace each point's coordinates with a formula. Every point has an X position (horizontal) and a Y position (vertical). For each point, click the formula button and type the parameter name - Mozaik highlights it when it recognizes a valid parameter. Lock each formula so the point can't drift.
In the bench example, the points are assigned roughly like this:
- Floor point at the toe: X = BTR (base toe recess), Y = 0 (sits on the floor).
- Top of the toe: X = BTR, Y = BTH (base toe height).
- Step in above the toe: X = base depth 1, Y = BTH - squaring this corner to 90 degrees.
- First face point: X = 0, Y = BH1 (base height 1).
- Angle-back point: X = base depth 2, Y = base height 2 - this is what angles the seat back.
- Top back point: X = base depth 3, Y = H (the product's height).
- Outer top corner: X = D (depth), Y = H (height).
- Outer bottom corner: X = D (depth), Y = 0.
A couple of notes on entering formulas:
- Typing a formula in the formula bar and then left-clicking in the formula area shows the resulting dimension and locks that position.
- H and D are reserved Mozaik parameters - height of the product and depth of the product. You can confirm them under view parameters > reserved. Use these rather than retyping the cabinet's overall numbers.
Click OK and the cabinet rebuilds into the shaped profile - in the example, it starts to look like a bench with an angled seat back.
Step 7 - Adjust the shape on the fly
Now the payoff: go to the Parameters tab and change any value to reshape the cabinet instantly.
- Changing base height 2 (the back-angle point) to 18 moves that point automatically.
- Setting base depth 1 to 0 squares off that corner.
You tune the bench (or whatever shape you're building) to the customer by editing these named values, not by re-dragging points.
Step 8 - Save the shaped product back to your library
Save early so you don't lose work. Use add new product, give it a name (the example calls it "bench"), and confirm. Because the cabinet was pulled from that library, it saves back into the same library. You can then delete the working copy and pull the saved bench back in to keep refining it.
Step 9 - Assign edges so you can add doors, drawers, and a top
After bringing the saved product back in, define what each edge is so Mozaik treats it correctly. In the Shape tab, select an edge and change its type. Mozaik's edge types here are finished end, unfinished end, front face, full top, and face. In the bench example, the edges are set like this:
- The bottom edge (currently typed as a front face) becomes a finished end.
- The bottom of the toe notch becomes an unfinished end.
- On the left view, change the finished-end edge to a front face (so you can add doors/drawers there later).
- The seat/sitting area becomes a full top.
- The angled back rest becomes a face.
- The very top also becomes a full top.
This gives you a front face and a secondary face to build openings on.
Step 10 - Add doors or drawers to the shaped faces
On the Face tab you'll now see the faces you defined (in the bench example, a front face and a face two).
- Because one area is angled, you can't put drawers there at an angle - add a single door instead, set the hinge to none to remove hinges, then use overrides to split the panel into three equal sections for visual character on a wide door.
- On face two, highlight the opening and set up a panel.
- To switch to drawers where the shape allows: set base depth 1 back to 0 to square that corner, then on the front face use multi-split to split it into several drawers (three in the bench example). Mozaik builds the drawer boxes.
- For the interior partitions, highlight the interior, use multi-split in partitions, and lock each partition to center so it stays put. The drawer-guide distance and partition shaping are handled automatically.
Step 11 - Adjust reveals and handle an out-of-level floor
- Reveals: select the front, choose adjust, and use the reveal adjustments in the face opening options.
- Out-of-level floor: use the scribe button > bottom interior scribe and set it to -1 to raise the bottom up by 1" so the cabinet copes with an uneven floor.
Step 12 - Save the final version and reuse it
When the product is done, save the library again - choose update the current product, confirm Yes, then OK. Delete the working copy. From now on you can drop the shaped bench into any room, and because every point is tied to a parameter, resizing it on the Size tab keeps the whole thing parametric and self-adjusting.
Get it done-for-you
You can set this up yourself using the steps above. If you'd rather skip the setup, PAC's Mozaik training and done-for-you services can help - phillanton.com.
Full disclosure: this guide is published by Phill Anton Consulting.
FAQ
Why use user parameters instead of just dragging the shape points?
Dragged points are fixed - to change the shape later you'd have to redraw it by hand every time. When each point's X and Y are tied to a named user parameter, you reshape the whole side by editing one value, and the product stays parametric when you resize it.
What's the difference between user parameters and the H and D parameters?
User parameters are values you create and name yourself (toe height, recess, depths, heights) with your own starting numbers. H (height) and D (depth) are reserved parameters Mozaik already provides for the product's overall height and depth - you can confirm them under view parameters > reserved and reference them in your point formulas.
Why remove the back and toe before shaping the side?
A clean box makes the side profile predictable. Removing the back (and flushing the nailers with the back recess) and zeroing the toe height and recess clears features that would otherwise interfere with the points you place along the side. You add doors, drawers, and a top back in after the shape is built.