adidas 4D is a family of digitally manufactured lattice midsoles produced with Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS). The commercial partnership became visible with Futurecraft 4D in 2017 and later expanded into AlphaEdge 4D, 4D Run, Ultra 4D, and the 4DFWD family.
Calling 4D “just 3D-printed foam” misses the engineering idea. The midsole is a three-dimensional elastomeric lattice whose geometry can be changed to tune support, cushioning, and deformation in different regions.
Quick Answer: What Is adidas 4D?
adidas 4D is adidas’ name for a family of lattice midsoles manufactured with Carbon technology. It belongs to additive manufacturing and 3D printing, but it does not work like an FDM printer depositing melted filament. To see where the midsole sits in a shoe, use our sneaker anatomy guide.
- Carbon provides Digital Light Synthesis technology, materials, hardware, and manufacturing software.
- adidas applies that capability to footwear and midsole design.
- The component begins as a digital design.
- Liquid resin is converted into a three-dimensional polymer structure.
- Lattice geometry can be tuned to alter mechanical response in different zones.
- Futurecraft 4D was officially unveiled in 2017.
Does “4D” Mean the Fourth Dimension?
It is not accurate to define adidas 4D as a scientific statement that “the fourth dimension is time.” In adidas communication, 4D functions primarily as the commercial name of the digitally manufactured lattice platform developed with Carbon.
adidas has used language about taking additive manufacturing into a “new dimension,” but the useful consumer definition is simpler: 4D identifies an adidas lattice-midsole platform made with Carbon DLS.
When Did adidas 4D Start?
Futurecraft 3D in 2015: The Precursor
On October 7, 2015, adidas presented Futurecraft 3D, a 3D-printed midsole concept developed with Materialise. It explored the possibility of using athlete data to change cushioning and geometry, showing that adidas was already testing additive manufacturing before Carbon 4D even though the project should not be confused with the later DLS platform.
Futurecraft 4D in 2017
On April 7, 2017, adidas officially unveiled Futurecraft 4D and announced its strategic partnership with Carbon. The key shift was moving additive manufacturing toward a durable end-use performance midsole rather than treating it only as a prototyping tool.
adidas initially announced 300 Friends & Family pairs, more than 5,000 retail pairs later in 2017, and an ambition to scale past 100,000 pairs by the end of 2018. Those figures belong to that historical scaling plan, not to every later 4D release.
Who Created the Technology Used in adidas 4D?
adidas did not invent Digital Light Synthesis by itself. Carbon, a U.S. digital-manufacturing company, developed the DLS/CLIP platform and the elastomeric materials used for production.
It is equally incomplete to say “Carbon created the shoe.” adidas contributed footwear design, athlete data, performance requirements, testing, and product development. 4D is a partnership between manufacturing technology and footwear engineering.
What Is Digital Light Synthesis?
Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) is Carbon’s additive-manufacturing platform using digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, programmable liquid resins, software, and post-processing.
DLS is built on Carbon’s CLIP—Continuous Liquid Interface Production process. Instead of laying down filament layer by layer like FDM, the system projects changing light patterns through a window into liquid resin while the part grows continuously.
Digital Light Projection
Carbon projects ultraviolet light through an oxygen-permeable window. The projected images define which regions of the resin polymerize into the growing part.
Why Oxygen Matters
Controlled oxygen near the window maintains a very thin uncured liquid interface that Carbon calls the dead zone. This prevents the part from bonding directly to the window and allows fresh resin to flow beneath it.
The final midsole is not “made of oxygen.” Light and oxygen are parts of the manufacturing process; the finished product is a polymeric elastomer.
Liquid Resin
Early and high-volume adidas 4D midsoles used Carbon elastomeric polyurethane materials such as EPU 41, developed for resilience, tear resistance, repeated compression, and end-use lattice structures.
Post-Processing
Production does not end when a part leaves the printer. Carbon’s dual-cure materials can require cleaning and a secondary curing stage so the finished lattice develops its intended mechanical properties.
Is adidas 4D Really 3D Printing?
Yes in the broad manufacturing sense: adidas and Carbon both describe the platform as additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
The important distinction is process. Carbon DLS is not FDM filament printing and should not be imagined as a conventional desktop 3D printer scaled up to shoe size.
What Material Is an adidas 4D Midsole Made From?
The material has changed across generations, but Carbon’s production 4D work is strongly associated with elastomeric polyurethane materials such as EPU 41, engineered for elasticity, fatigue resistance, energy return, and lattice cushioning. Later 4DFWD generations used newer materials including EPU 44.
Is EPU the Same as the eTPU Used in BOOST?
No. Carbon EPU is an elastomeric polyurethane resin used in DLS production. BOOST historically uses expanded thermoplastic polyurethane, usually abbreviated eTPU.
Both are polyurethane-based families, but their manufacturing processes, structures, and mechanical behavior are different.
What Is a Lattice Structure?
A lattice is a repeating three-dimensional network of struts and cells. Instead of filling the entire midsole with solid material or foam, the geometry creates open space and interconnected structural elements.
Carbon says the original adidas 4D production midsole contained more than 10,000 individual struts, allowing density and geometry to be tuned across different regions.
Why Does Geometry Matter So Much?
In a conventional foam midsole, behavior depends heavily on chemistry, density, thickness, and shape. In a lattice, geometry becomes an additional engineering variable.
Changing cell shape, orientation, strut thickness, or local density can alter how a region compresses, supports, and rebounds without requiring a completely different midsole material.
How Did Athlete Data Enter the Development Process?
adidas and Carbon used large datasets from running and product testing to guide geometry choices rather than treating the lattice as decoration.
Carbon’s case study says the early 4D platform used roughly two decades of high-speed motion-capture and force data from nearly 4,000 runners. For 4DFWD, adidas later evaluated millions of potential lattice variations alongside years of athlete data.
Is adidas 4D Customized for Each Person?
Not in standard commercial models. The digital process creates the technical possibility for high levels of tuning, but buying a 4DFWD off the shelf does not mean adidas scans your gait and prints a one-off midsole for you.
Personalization was part of the long-term Futurecraft vision, while mass-market 4D products use standardized geometries developed for a target product and use case.
Major adidas 4D Models and Generations
The 4D platform evolved through several products rather than one unchanged shoe.
Futurecraft 4D
Futurecraft 4D introduced the adidas–Carbon partnership publicly in 2017 and proved that a complex lattice midsole could move from concept toward consumer production.
AlphaEdge 4D
AlphaEdge 4D helped expand the technology beyond ultra-small launch quantities and showed how the lattice could be combined with Primeknit and Continental rubber in a more widely distributed performance product.
4D Run 1.0
The 4D Run 1.0 represented another step toward a recognizable running platform, focusing on the familiar green lattice aesthetic and a more conventional retail running-shoe format.
Ultra 4D
Ultra 4D combined the Ultraboost-style upper architecture with a 4D lattice midsole, creating a hybrid that made the contrast between BOOST and 4D especially easy for consumers to understand.
4DFWD
4DFWD, introduced in 2021, changed the cell geometry dramatically. adidas used a bowtie-shaped FWD CELL designed to compress forward under vertical loading instead of behaving like the earlier 4D lattice.
Ultra 4DFWD
Ultra 4DFWD combined an Ultraboost-derived upper concept with the directional 4DFWD midsole, again showing that “Ultra” and “4D” can be mixed in product architecture without becoming the same technology.
What Is adidas 4DFWD?
4DFWD is a later 4D running platform created with Carbon DLS and a directional lattice selected from more than five million evaluated structures.
adidas says the design was informed by 18 years of athlete data and engineered to convert vertical loading into a more forward-oriented deformation pattern, creating a smoother transition sensation.
What Is the FWD CELL?
The FWD CELL is the bowtie-shaped unit used in the 4DFWD lattice. Its anisotropic geometry means it is designed to behave differently depending on the direction of loading.
That directional deformation is what separates 4DFWD from earlier 4D midsoles, whose lattice behavior was not built around the same forward-compression concept.
Are 4D and 4DFWD the Same Thing?
No. 4DFWD belongs to the broader 4D family but uses a distinct directional lattice geometry and later material development.
Think of 4D as the broader platform and 4DFWD as a specific evolution inside that platform.
Are Ultra 4D and Ultra 4DFWD the Same?
No. Ultra 4D uses an earlier-style 4D lattice, while Ultra 4DFWD uses the directional 4DFWD midsole concept.
The similar “Ultra” naming comes from their relationship to Ultraboost-style upper design, not from identical midsoles.
adidas 4D vs. BOOST: What Is the Difference?
BOOST and 4D solve cushioning through fundamentally different structures.
- BOOST: expanded foam whose behavior depends on material formulation, density, and midsole geometry.
- Light BOOST: a later, lighter evolution inside the BOOST family.
- 4D: an elastomeric lattice where three-dimensional geometry is also used to tune mechanical response.
- 4DFWD: a specific 4D evolution using directional FWD CELL geometry.
Neither technology is automatically “better.” The more useful question is which feel, weight, stability, and use case you prefer.
Is 4D Softer or Firmer Than BOOST?
Many 4D products feel firmer and more structured underfoot than classic Ultraboost foam, while BOOST is often associated with a softer, more immediately compressible sensation.
That comparison depends heavily on the exact shoe, generation, geometry, body weight, and running or walking use. “4D” and “BOOST” each cover multiple products.
Does adidas 4D Have Good Energy Return?
Carbon materials such as EPU 41 are designed for resilient, repeated compression, and adidas has engineered 4D lattices around cushioning and energy-management goals.
That does not mean every 4D shoe returns more energy than every BOOST, Lightstrike Pro, or racing-shoe platform. Performance claims should be tied to the exact model and test method.
Is adidas 4D Good for Running?
Yes, multiple 4D and 4DFWD shoes were designed as running products. The 4DFWD line in particular was developed around running biomechanics and transition.
Whether it is right for a particular runner depends on fit, weight, pace, stability preference, training purpose, and personal feel. A technically interesting midsole is not automatically the best shoe for every workout.
Is adidas 4D Heavy?
Many 4D shoes are heavier than today’s lightest performance-running models because of the lattice material, outsole, and overall construction.
Weight varies by size and model. If low mass is your top priority, compare the actual listed shoe weight rather than treating all 4D products as identical.
Is adidas 4D Sustainable?
Digital manufacturing can reduce tooling and enable geometries that are difficult to mold, but that does not make 4D automatically sustainable.
Environmental impact still includes resin chemistry, energy use, manufacturing, upper materials, packaging, transportation, product lifetime, and end-of-life options.
Bio-Based Material in 4DFWD
Carbon’s EPU 44 material used in 4DFWD includes 40% bio-derived components by weight, according to Carbon. That is a meaningful material change, but it should not be rewritten as “40% recycled.”
Bio-based and recycled are different concepts. A material can contain renewable-source feedstocks without containing recycled content and without being automatically recyclable.
Does adidas 4D Have Sensors or App Connectivity?
The 4D midsole itself is not an electronic sensor system. There is no basis for saying standard 4D midsoles monitor posture, learn your gait while you run, or send live biomechanical data to the adidas Running app.
adidas can use athlete data during product development without the finished shoe collecting new data from the wearer.
Does adidas 4D Have a Carbon Plate?
Do not infer a carbon-fiber plate from the name of the partner. Carbon is the company that developed DLS; in this context, “Carbon” does not mean “carbon plate.”
A structural plate has to be verified on the individual shoe. The 4D lattice itself is not, by definition, a carbon-fiber plate.
Does adidas Still Sell 4D in 2026?
Yes. In 2026, adidas U.S. still lists 4DFWD 4 running shoes, and the U.S. 4DFWD assortment also includes 4DFWD x STRUNG products depending on current stock.
Older models can disappear from normal retail while the platform continues. A specific Ultra 4D or older 4DFWD going out of stock does not mean adidas ended 4D technology.
Is adidas 4D Still Worth It in 2026?
It can be worth considering if you value the distinct lattice feel, the engineering story, the visual design, or a specific 4DFWD model that fits your running or lifestyle needs.
It is not automatically the best choice for someone prioritizing minimum weight, maximum softness, or a current elite racing setup. adidas now offers several midsole platforms built for different goals.
Common Myths About adidas 4D
The technology is easier to understand when a few common myths are removed.
- “4D means the fourth dimension is time”: that is not an official technical definition.
- “It is just 3D-printed foam”: the midsole uses an elastomeric lattice structure.
- “DLS works like FDM”: no. It uses projected light, liquid resin, and oxygen-permeable optics.
- “Every 4D is personalized to your foot”: not on standard commercial products.
- “4D uses AI during every run”: no evidence supports that as an inherent product feature.
- “The midsole contains sensors”: not as a standard 4D characteristic.
- “Carbon means carbon-fiber plate”: Carbon is the manufacturing-technology partner.
- “4D replaced BOOST”: the platforms coexist and target different experiences.
- “4D and 4DFWD are identical”: 4DFWD uses a later directional lattice.
- “4DFWD guarantees more speed”: directional deformation does not guarantee universal performance improvement.
- “4D is sustainable by definition”: digital manufacturing and bio-based content do not answer the entire lifecycle question.
adidas 4D FAQ
What Is adidas 4D?
It is a family of digitally manufactured lattice midsoles produced with Carbon Digital Light Synthesis.
Is adidas 4D 3D Printed?
Yes in the broad additive-manufacturing sense, but Carbon DLS should not be confused with filament-based FDM printing.
What Is Digital Light Synthesis?
Carbon DLS combines digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, programmable liquid resins, CLIP printing, and post-processing to create end-use polymer parts.
Is 4D Foam?
Not in the conventional EVA or BOOST sense. It is an elastomeric lattice that performs the cushioning role of a midsole.
Are 4D and BOOST the Same?
No. BOOST is expanded foam; 4D is a digitally manufactured lattice platform.
Are 4D and 4DFWD the Same?
No. 4DFWD is a later 4D evolution with directional FWD CELL geometry.
When Did Futurecraft 4D Launch?
adidas officially unveiled Futurecraft 4D on April 7, 2017.
Does “Futurecraft 4D X” Exist?
We did not find enough official documentation to treat “Futurecraft 4D X” as a confirmed formal adidas model name.
Is the Official Name “4DFWD 2.0”?
adidas used 4DFWD 2 in official product communication; “4DFWD 2.0” should not be treated as the formal name without release-specific evidence.
Does adidas 4D Have Sensors?
Not as a standard feature. The midsole is not an electronic wearable system.
Does adidas 4D Have a Carbon Plate?
Not by definition. Carbon is the company behind DLS, not a statement that every 4D shoe contains a carbon-fiber plate.
Does adidas Still Sell 4D in 2026?
Yes. adidas U.S. still lists 4DFWD 4 and other 4DFWD products depending on current inventory.
Conclusion
adidas 4D matters not because it “learns” your stride or automatically makes every runner faster, but because it made digital lattice geometry a practical engineering variable in mass-produced footwear.
Futurecraft 3D showed the direction in 2015; adidas and Carbon introduced Futurecraft 4D in 2017; and 4DFWD later added a specifically directional anisotropic lattice. In 2026, 4D remains part of adidas’ U.S. running catalog alongside BOOST and other platforms rather than replacing them.
To understand how the midsole interacts with the upper, outsole, and other parts of a shoe, continue with our sneaker anatomy guide.
