Maquette Studio

Coming soon to the App Store

Pose the figure. Frame the shot. Draw from it.

Maquette Studio is a 3D pose and scene reference tool for artists. Pose figures by hand, set up the camera like a real lens, and export line art, tone layers and depth maps that are ready to draw over.

  • For iPad, iPhone and Mac. One purchase covers all three.
  • Free to download, with a one-time unlock. No subscription.
A grey figure mid-stride, toon-shaded with an ink outline, standing on a ground grid.

Exports made for drawing

Every shot exports as the layers you actually draw with, from the working view or from any camera you have placed in the scene. These are the same frame, exported five ways.

  • The shaded render of the walking figure.
    RenderThe shaded frame, opaque or with a transparent background.
  • Line art of the same figure: clean black contour lines.
    Line artAnti-aliased ink on transparency, or black on white.
  • The tone layer of the same figure: solid black shadows and grey half-tones.
    Tone layerShadow and half-tone bands, ready to put a screentone under.
  • The depth map of the same figure: nearer parts lighter, farther parts darker.
    Depth mapNearer is brighter.
  • Perspective guides for the same shot: a horizon line and a ground grid in perspective.
    Perspective guidesHorizon, vanishing points and ground grid, matched to the camera.
A turnaround sheet: the same walking pose seen from the front, three-quarter and side.
Turnaround sheetFront, three-quarter and side in one image.

Animation clips and turntables export as PNG sequences or H.264 movies.

A camera that behaves like a lens

Choose a focal length in millimetres, switch to orthographic to check proportions, and place cameras in the scene that show the exact frame an export will hold.

Two figures, one pointing at the other, through a 16 mm lens with straight lines.
16 mm, rectilinearA scene camera with straight lines.
The same two figures through the same camera with a curvilinear lens: the horizon and ground grid bend.
16 mm, curvilinearThe same camera with a fisheye curve. A negative curve gives pincushion.
  • Focal length and orthographicWide to portrait lenses, or no perspective at all.
  • Scene camerasCameras placed in the scene draw their frame at their own aspect, and exports can be shot through them without leaving your view.
  • Curvilinear lensFisheye or pincushion perspective on any scene camera.
  • Depth of field and saved viewsFocus falloff in the render, and views you can save and return to.

Shading and light you can paint from

Toon shading with an ink outline, smooth matcap, or the figure's own textures. Key, fill and rim lights with an ambient lift shape the shadows the way you want to paint them.

  • The figure in toon shading with a dark ink outline, on a light background.
    Toon with ink outline
  • The figure in toon shading lit from the side, with a rim light along one edge.
    Toon, side key and rim light
  • The figure in glossy grey matcap shading.
    Matcap
  • The figure with its own textures: skin, hair, a black tank top, shorts and sneakers.
    Textured

Pose from a photo, onto your own figure

Pick a photograph and the pose is found on the device with Apple's Vision framework. The skeleton is drawn over the picture, every joint can be dragged to correct it, and a side view sets depth before the pose lands on your figure.

  • Stays on the deviceDetection runs locally. The photo is never uploaded.
  • Nothing guessedJoints the detector is unsure of are skipped and left as they were, for you to place.
  • Any figureThe pose is fitted to the figure's own bone lengths, so it works on tall, short and stylised bodies alike.

Your figures, your scene

Bring the characters you already draw, or start with the figures that come with the app.

  • Your own modelsOpen VRM (0.x and 1.0) and glTF binary (.glb) figures.
  • Poses that travelPoses are saved against the standard humanoid skeleton, so a pose made on one figure applies to another.
  • Pose libraryStart from the bundled poses and stance presets, and keep your own saved poses beside them.
  • Whole scenesSeveral figures in one scene, with props: built-in shapes or your own OBJ files, attached to a joint if you like, and reference pictures as image planes.

Posing by hand

Drag a hand or a foot and the limb follows, bending at the elbow or knee within human limits. Switch the limits off for poses no body could hold.

  • Touch and Apple PencilPose with a finger or Apple Pencil on iPad and iPhone, or the mouse on Mac. Hover highlights the joint under the Pencil; with Apple Pencil Pro, squeeze for posing tools and roll the barrel to twist.
  • Hands and facesHand presets for open, relaxed, fist and point, and the expressions your figure carries.
  • ProportionsHead, shoulders, arms, torso, legs and height, with presets and your own saved body types.

iPad first, with iPhone and Mac in the same purchase

Built for iPad, touch and Apple Pencil. The same app runs on iPhone, and the native Mac version comes with the same purchase. Free to download, with a one-time unlock: no subscription, no account, no ads, no tracking.

Coming soon to the App Store