By using the footForma tool, you'll generate a highly accurate and customized mold ready for downstream manufacturing. This workflow not only saves time but also ensures clinical precision every step of the way.
Creating a Mold from a Cast Scan Using the Spentys footForma Tool
Creating a precise mold from a scanned cast or foot is an essential part of the custom orthotic workflow. With Spentys’ footForma tool, this process becomes intuitive, accurate, and repeatable. The footForma tool exists of 2 chapters, the first being foot correction and the second being the mold generation/automation. In this tutorial, we walk you through each step of building a mold using a scanned cast, explaining not just how to use the tool, but also why each step matters.
Getting Started: Uploading and Preparing Your Scan
To get started, begin by uploading your scan. Create a new project folder and give it a clear name. Once the folder is created, upload your scan file and confirm that it has loaded correctly.
In order to use the footForma software, you’ll have to select the ‘M2’ product code. Only this code will give you the ability to modify your scan and create your digital mold. 
Be sure to verify the unit of measurement; If the software detects that the wrong units were given, it will ask if you would like for the scan to be scaled automatically. After the scan is uploaded, identify which side of the body the scan represents (e.g. the left foot).
Then begin the cleanup process by selecting the relevant part of the scan that you want to keep. This helps ensure that the software only processes the necessary areas and removes any unwanted noise or extra geometry. 
Landmarking and Initial Pose Correction
Next, we move on to positioning the anatomical landmarks. This includes locating the tibia and other key reference points that will guide the rest of the mold's orientation. These landmarks are critical for achieving correct anatomical alignment. Once the landmarks have been placed, the software will process these landmarks and generate the axis that can be used to correct the positioning of the mold. 
Aligning the Foot to a Neutral Position (chapter 1)
At this point, it’s time to refine the alignment further. The foot may still be slightly off-axis, so you’ll want to bring it into a neutral view. Begin by adjusting the base of the foot, then fine-tune the plantar and dorsal flexion by modifying the leg’s angle. It’s important to adjust this in multiple planes to ensure smooth, natural alignment. The software also allows you to correct for abduction angles and adjust for pronation. Foot rotation can be fine-tuned as well to make sure everything aligns with the intended axis.
Once the processing of the landmarks is done, the first thing we’ll have to do is align the mold with the axes. The goal is to align the foot with the x-axis, before aligning the calf with the y-axis. We first want to achieve a neutral position before we start adjusting the rest of the foot. The software will also allow you to correct the other articulations of the foot. 
To be able to start with the foot correction, you click on the icon and you can use the slider to adjust the positioning. The first 3 icons can be used to align the scan with the axis, the next 6 can be used to correct the positioning and place into a neutral pose. 
Generating and Refining the Mold (chapter 2)
Once the alignment meets your clinical objective, validate the setup and proceed to the mold generation phase. Before creating the mold, you’ll be prompted to add landmarks again—this time to assist in defining the structure of the mold. The first step of the mold generation is the reduction of the thickness of the cast.
Since you’re working from a cast, it’s important to account for its thickness. You can apply a reduction factor depending on the overall thickness of the cast, to remove that outer layer and generate a mold that fits the actual limb dimensions.
If you’re working with an actual limb, you could use this feature to create some overall offset to foresee some space for padding in the end-product.
Custom Zone Adjustments
With the mold structure in place, the next step is to define custom zones. The goal here is to first define (by dragging and dropping the nodes) the exact region you’d modify. Once the zone is defined, you’ll be able to select the exact amount of build up required for that zone, by using the sliders. Once all the zones have been adapted, you’ll be able to start modifying the toe-box. 
Final Sculpting and Export
The final step is called the ‘sculpting step’. This step could be used to create some local buildups, outside of those we’ve created and chosen in the previous step. In this step you could create positive or negative local offset, simply by drawing on the scan and choosing the amount of buildup you’d like to use.
By following these steps, you'll generate a highly accurate and customized mold ready for downstream manufacturing. This workflow not only saves time but also ensures clinical precision every step of the way.
👉 To see the process in action, watch the full tutorial video.