Posed Figure Reference Maker

What it is for

Posed Figure Reference Maker creates a simple articulated mannequin from artistic proportions and joint angles. Use it to stage a comic panel, test a character silhouette or put a scale reference into a concept scene. It produces a drawing reference and real low-poly geometry, with editable files for later changes.

The controls follow the parametric approach familiar from open character tools such as MakeHuman, but the implementation uses original procedural shapes. It does not bundle MakeHuman models, libraries or character assets, and it does not attempt detailed human anatomy.

Worked example

Start with the default standing pose and a neutral design height of 1750 millimetres. Keep 7.5 head units, shoulders at 25 percent of height and hips at 18 percent. Calculate to see the orthographic reference and download its SVG, OBJ or editable figure file.

Next choose the seated example. A hip flex of ninety degrees brings each thigh forward; a knee flex of ninety bends each lower leg downward. View the result from an azimuth of minus fifty-five degrees and an elevation of twenty-five degrees to see the pose in three quarters.

Open the figure in Panelcraft's Figure Lab. Adjust the left shoulder or elbow, then insert the transparent PNG into the selected comic panel. In Renderloom, the same Figure Lab inserts separate solids into the current scene, where you can light and render them.

The four-view SVG sheet shows the same pose at quarter-turn increments from the chosen azimuth. Each view is fitted independently; apparent sizes should not be used as measurements. In Figure Lab, My poses saves up to 30 joint-angle snapshots in the current app’s browser storage, while loading one preserves the current proportions and camera. Save an editable figure file for a portable backup.

How to read the result

Every starting pose — standing, seated or the running gesture with a {"left":{"elbow":90}} override — reports sixteen solids and 576 triangles, because posing moves the same solids rather than adding geometry. The figure file preserves height, proportions, view and left/right joint controls. The Form Studio project and OBJ contain the posed geometry in millimetres, with Z pointing upward. The lowest mesh vertex is translated to ground level.

Neutral height is a design parameter. A seated, bent or raised-arm figure has a different occupied bounding box. Arm and leg segments retain their original lengths as joints move; this model does not perform inverse kinematics or constrain self-intersection.

The SVG uses an orthographic camera, shaded triangles and painter ordering. It is useful for composition and tracing. For rendered visibility, lighting and shadows, open the geometry in Renderloom instead.

Tips and common mistakes

Use the optional joint overrides to adjust only the controls you need. For example, an object containing a left elbow value changes that elbow while keeping the starting pose's other values. Only left and right joint objects are accepted.

Height supports 1200 to 2200 millimetres. Head units range from six to nine. These controls create stylized artistic variation; they are not demographic classifications or validated anatomical measurements.

Keep the editable figure JSON alongside flattened references. OBJ has separate triangulated solids without UV coordinates, a skeleton, skin weights, facial details or clothing. Imported OBJ editors may assume metres, so explicitly select millimetres or apply the appropriate scale.

FAQ

Does this generate a realistic human character?

It creates a jointed low-poly mannequin for art reference and scene blocking. Use a dedicated character application for anatomy, facial work, clothing, skinning and animation.

Can I reuse a pose in both apps?

Yes. Figure JSON opens in Figure Lab, comic insertion uses a transparent PNG, and scene insertion uses the same posed Form Studio solids. Editing a reference does not change a previously inserted snapshot.

Is it available through API and MCP?

Yes. The tool ID is panelcraft-figure-reference and the MCP name is panelcraft_figure_reference. Results include the figure, geometry, artifact downloads and an editable Figure Lab link.