FOR 3DS MAX · BLENDER · MAYA / RIGGING · STANDALONE

SkinLayer Studio

20 years of skinning pain,
finally solved with layers.

Build a proxy with Init Dummy, paint the hard areas there first, then push it back onto the real mesh as new layers with Transfer Weights.

🛒 Buy 🏢 Buy for Business / Team Team seats you can assign 🎁 Start Trial Contact Us (KakaoTalk)

🎯 Early Access

💸 Early Access 1-month term: $17.5

💸 Early Access 12-month term: $168 (20% off)

⏰ Early Access period: Aug 15 – Oct 31, 2026

Regular price after launch $20/month · $192/year
Windows
3ds Max 2019~2027
Blender 3.6~5.2
Maya 2022~2027
Version 1_7_0
Auto Updates
Early Access
SkinLayer Studio Introduction
1

Pick / Pick All

Pull Skin data from your DCC into Studio — one mesh or the whole character.

2

Edit in Studio

Init Dummy, layers, Bone Lock, Sync Map. No DCC round-trips while you work.

3

Apply to Skin

Push the result back to the DCC Skin modifier when you are ready.

SkinLayer Studio is a standalone app — it talks to 3ds Max, Blender, and Maya, so heavy editing never blocks your DCC.

🏕️ The First Settlers

  • Exclusive token rewards for early supporters (Gold / Silver / Copper)
  • Priority partnership & feedback influence rights
  • Future product discounts & early beta access
Learn more →

🤔 Why SkinLayer Studio?

3ds Max Skin Modifier hasn't changed in 20 years.

😱 The Problem

❌ No Influence Lock

Fix one shoulder, break an elbow. When 3+ bones overlap, weights redistribute like falling dominoes — completely out of your control.

❌ Skin Copy / Paste does not work as intended

You copy with a clear intent, and the weights still break or land on the wrong vertices. Rebuilding by hand is often faster than fixing the paste.

AAA quality with this tool? Seriously?

❌ AAA quality with this tool? Seriously?

Hundreds of bones on one character, and no structural way to manage them. Layers, Init Dummy and Sync Map change the pipeline itself.

"Great for modeling. Absolute hell for skinning."

Feature 3ds Max Skin SkinLayer Studio
Layer Editing ❌ ✅
Influence Lock ❌ ✅
Reliable Mirror ❌ ✅
Real-time Heatmap ⚠️ ✅
Multi-Mesh Editing ❌ ✅
Non-destructive Workflow ❌ ✅
⬇️
🎯 SkinLayer Studio Solution
SkinLayer Studio Solution

✅ Separate with layers · Lock · Reliable Mirror

Layer Lock Heatmap Mirror Multi-Mesh

Key Features

🗂️

Layer System

Stack weight layers like Photoshop. Add correction layers on top of base weights — fully non-destructive.

🔒

Bone Lock · Influence Lock

Lock a bone and only the unlocked ones redistribute. The domino effect is over. Weights go where you intend.

🌡️

Real-time Heatmap

60fps live updates. Sub-0.001 weight differences visible by color. Catch hidden bugs instantly.

🔄

Mirror Layer (mask + inf)

Works regardless of pose or topology. Asymmetric meshes handled by spatial matching. Paint one side, done.

📦

Sync Map · Multi-Mesh Editing

Body, clothing, and gear — all in one view. No more switching between objects. Manage the full character at once.

Init Dummy Template

🧩 Init Dummy Template

In the Create menu you can make a dummy template, save it, and load it again. Pick a ready-made arm, finger, leg, neck, or spine dummy for Max, Maya, or Blender, then use Fit Dummy to place it on the character.

Create Template → Save / Load → Pick preset → Fit Dummy → Paint

🎯 Init Dummy → Transfer Weights

When an area is too hard to paint directly on the base mesh, build a proxy for it with Init Dummy. Then use Transfer Weights — Method: Closest Point (IDW), Add as new layers — to stack the result onto the target.

Select 2+ bones → Init Dummy → Paint on the dummy → Transfer → New mesh layer

📁 Layer System

Stack weight layers like Photoshop. Add correction layers on top of base weights — fully non-destructive.

  • Add / remove / reorder layers
  • Independent weight data per layer
  • Base layer + correction layer structure

📂 Layer Group

Group correction layers by body part or pass so the stack stays readable — stack first, then group.

  • Create Layer Group
  • Toggle a whole group on / off
  • Keep complex correction stacks organized

🔒 Bone Lock · Influence Lock

Lock a bone and only the unlocked ones redistribute. The domino effect is over. Weights go where you intend.

  • Per-bone Lock / Unlock toggle
  • Locked bones excluded from redistribution
  • Lock multiple bones simultaneously

🌡️ Real-time Heatmap

60fps live updates. Sub-0.001 weight differences visible by color. Catch hidden bugs instantly.

  • 60fps real-time color heatmap
  • Sub-0.001 weight precision visualization
  • Instantly reveal hidden weight bugs
Real-time Heatmap
Mirror Layer (mask + inf)

🔄 Mirror Layer (mask + inf)

Works regardless of pose or topology. Asymmetric meshes handled by spatial matching. Paint one side, done.

  • Pose-independent mirror support
  • Spatial matching for asymmetric meshes
  • Paint one side, auto-complete the other

📦 Sync Map · Multi-Mesh Editing

Body, clothing, and gear — all in one view. No more switching between objects. Manage the full character at once.

  • Body + clothing + gear displayed together
  • Manage everything without switching objects
  • Full character in a single view

Compare Your Options

Feature 3ds Max Skin Maya Layer Skin Tool Blender (Built-in) SkinLayer Studio
Layer Editing ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅
Influence Lock ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅
Reliable Mirror ❌ ✅ ⚠️ ✅
Real-time Heatmap ⚠️ ✅ ✅ ✅
Multi-Mesh Editing ❌ ❌ ⚠️ ✅
Non-destructive Workflow ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅
3ds Max Support ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅
Init Dummy → Transfer Weights ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Sync Map (Multi-Mesh Relations) ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Standalone App (No DCC Lock) ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Price Included Other DCC only Free Prepaid term · EA from $17.5

* Other DCC layer skinning tools are Maya-only and cannot be used in 3ds Max.

⚠️ means the feature exists but is limited or unreliable in real production use.

See it in a real workflow

From the official walkthrough to a real production pipeline.

🎬 Official Introduction

🤝 Creator Workflow

Animator Rowa — BipedPlus × SkinLayer Studio

YouTuber — RoAnim

🎮 Review by Minjoon

Minjoon Ani

User Reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Being able to split Max skinning into layers and paint weight values was an innovation from the start. Getting used to the brush and layer workflow took some time, but once it clicked it was on another level. I'm building a skinning pipeline myself without a TA, and using it with BipedPlus has clearly cut my working time.

JM

Game studio animator · 2–5 years

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The biggest advantage is being able to stack layers and separate each stage of the work. It is especially useful when skinning meshes influenced by several areas, such as skirts, ornaments, and capes. Using it on real shots showed me a way to make existing skinning more efficient.

JS

Senior animator · 8 years

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Everything is better than Max's built-in skinning. The lock feature is a big deal, and I could manage bone influences much more easily. Coming from Maya to Max, I was really glad and grateful that a tool like this exists.

라이브컬러

Animator · Maya to Max

🧪 Early Access · Open now

Start SkinLayer Studio Early Access

Early Access Benefits

  • $17.5 for a 1-month term now → $20 after Early Access ends (about 1.5 months post-launch)
  • 12-month term: 20% off ($168 during Early Access)
  • Skin in supported DCCs (3ds Max · Blender · Maya)
  • Active updates toward the best skinning tool
🛒 Buy

⚡ Prepaid term (1 or 12 months) · No auto-renewal · Auto updates · Commercial use