Customisable Female Basemesh v2.0 Documentation

Customisable Female Basemesh v2.0 allows you to customise your basemesh like you would in a video game.

This character is already fully rigged using Blender’s Rigify addon so you can pose it or animate it however you want.

You can use the sliders to change your character’s body proportions and facial features. Change the colour of the skin or eyes, and change the eyebrows and makeup.

If you just want something quick you can use some of the presets, or randomise things and the addon will generate a random character for you.

IMPORTANT

This is for intermediate Blender users, you’ll need to know how to navigate Blender and also know how Blender’s rigging tools work, it’s not going to do everything for you

Also a quick disclaimer, this is NOT AN ADDON.

This is simply a Blender file that contains the customisable female basemesh, there is an included addon that you can install to control the character.

Summary

There is a lot to cover so below you’ll find links that will bring you to each section

New in Version 2.0
Version Compatibility
Getting Started
Addon Menu
Using the Rig
Editing the Model

Editing the Textures
Materials explained
Multiple characters
Using the Rig as Drawing Reference
Troubleshooting

New in Version 2.0

Completely new Model

V2.0 has been completely rebuilt from the ground up, so the mesh is completely different from v1.0. The body has been remade with more realistic proportions.

Better Rig

In version 2.0 I’ve improved the rig to allow for better deformations. The shoulders and hips will now deform much more naturally than version 1.0

Presets

I‘ve included 8 preset character styles that can let you create different characters very easily.

More customisation options

I’ve added a bunch of new customisation options, so as well as being able to change the proportions, you can also change the character’s height, give the character vampire teeth, fangs or a forked tongue.

Custom addon

Included with v2.0 is a custom addon that gives you menus to customise the character. This allows you to easily change your character’s body, face or materials incredibly quickly.

Improved textures

All of the textures have been improved and are higher resolution. The textures have been divided up into a Face texture and Body texture to allow for higher resolution texture maps.

Clothes Textures

There are 5 clothing options to choose from (and nude) which can help when designing different characters because sometimes different clothes can spark an idea.

Custom Eyes

You can customise each aspect of the eyes, you can change the colour of the Sclera, Iris and Pupil separately and enable/disable the different parts to create unique eye designs.

Skin Textures

You can now change the colour of the character’s skin very easily. There are 4 main skins, Caucasian and Black and then realistic versions of both. You can also choose Coloured skin to choose whatever colour you would like.

Makeup Textures

There are also 7 makeup options to choose from. These can allow you to preview different characters very quickly

Version Compatibility

V2.0 of the Customistable Female Basemesh was made for the current version of Blender 5.1, so that’s the version that will be the most compatible, but it has been tested with all of these different versions of Blender, so have a look at the list below or the infographic to see what versions of Blender it will work in.

Compatible

Blender 4.3

Blender 4.2
Blender 4.1
Blender 4.0
Blender 3.6LTS (Presets don’t work, but the Rig does)

Incompatible (will crash on startup)

Blender 3.5
Blender 3.4
Blender 3.3LTS
Blender 3.2
Blender 3.1
Blender 3.0

Getting Started

To get started, when you first open the Blender file, you’ll see the basemesh in your scene. It may take a second to load the materials because it has to set up all of the textures, but once they load you can now play around with the mesh.

If you want to pose or animate the character you can select the Rig, and then enter Pose Mode. I won’t go too deep into Rigify, but by default it uses IK, Inverse Kinematics, so to pose the character you can move or rotate either the hips, chest, shoulders hands or feet, and the body will calculate the bend of the knees and elbows.

Addon Menu

Body settings

You can change the overall weight and proportions of the basemesh through the Body Menu. In here you can change the Height of your character and also change the size of individual body parts.

At the top of the menu, you can choose to Randomise the Body proportions which will choose random values for everything, or you can choose to Reset them if you want to go back to the default settings.

You can also lock each of the sliders and this will exclude them from randomisation, this is useful for trying out character proportions without things getting too crazy.

To change any of the values, simply click on them and drag to the left or right. To reset individual values, you can hover the mouse over the slider and press Backspace. If you want change multiple settings at the one time you can click and drag vertically to select multiple sliders at once, then drag left or right to change all of them at once. This is great for changing the overall weight of the character without messing up your proportions

Below is a list of all of the body settings and what they do:

Height

The height slider allows you to change the height of your character. The heights can range from 3’11” to 5’11”.

Head Scale

The Head Scale slider changes the size of the head. A smaller head can make the character look more realistic, and a bigger head can be more stylized.

Face Weight

Face Weight changed how sunken or full the cheeks look. This is a quick way to make heavier or skinnier characters.

Jaw Weight

Jaw Weight allows you to change the weight of the jaw.

Neck

The Neck slider allows you to change the thickness of the neck

Arms

The Arms slider changes the size of the arms. Use this in combintation with the muscles slider to create defined arms.

Torso

The Torso slider will change the size of the torso.

Hips

The Hips slider changes the size of the hips. Use this in combination with the legs slider to create characters with strong legs

Legs

The Legs slider changes the size of the legs

Breasts

The Breasts slider changes the size of the breasts.

Butt

The Butt slider changes the size of the butt.

Muscles

The Muscles slider increases the muscle definition of the model, this can be used for large or small characters to give added definition.

Simplify Body

The Simplify Body slider allows you to remove some of the definition from the model, this can be useful for more cartoony characters.

Overall Weight

Overall weight allows you to modify the current proportions of the character to make them larger or smaller. This is useful for minor tweaks to the weight of the character

Face Settings

You can modify each part of the face separately, there are over 50 different options, allowing you to create some varied characters. At the top of the menu, can choose to Randomize the Face which will choose random values for everything, or you can choose to Reset them if you want to go back to the default settings.

You can also lock certain facial features, such as the ears, and this will exclude them from randomisation. This is useful for slowly dialing in a character by randomising fewer parts each time.

Below is a list of all of the face settings and examples of what they do.

Head Height

Head Height allows you to change the vertical size of the head. This can be useful for creating skinnier faces.

Head Width

Head Width allows you to change the width of the head

Head Depth

Head Depth allows you to change the depth of the head

Chin Depth

Chin Depth allows you to change the depth of the chin

Chin Width

Chin Width allows you to change the width of the chin, making it pointy or square

Chin Length

Chin Length allows you to change the length of the chin

Jaw Width

Jaw Width allows you to change the width of the jaw, making it skinnier or wider

Jaw Height

Jaw Height changes the height of the jaw

Jaw Forward

Jaw Forward will bring the jaw forward or back, this is useful when changing the depth of the ear

Top Lip Size

Top Lip size changes the size of the top lip

Bottom Lip Size

Bottom Lip Size changes the size of the bottom lip

Mouth Height

Mouth Height changes the height of the mouth

Mouth Width

Mouth Width changes the width of the mouth

Top Lip Depth

Top Lip Depth changes the depth of the top lip

Bottom Lip Depth

Bottom Lip Depth changes the depth of the bottom lip

Mouth Corner Angle

Mouth Corner Angle changes the angle of the corner of the mouth, essentially making the character smile or frown

Remove Cupid’s Bow

This will remove the Cupid’s bow from the top lip

Crooked Teeth

This will make the teeth more crooked. Only visible when the mouth is opened in Pose Mode

Lower Fangs

This will increase the size of the lower incisors. Only visible when the mouth is opened in Pose Mode

Vampire Teeth

This will increase the size of the upper incisors, creating vampire teeth. Only visible when the mouth is opened in Pose Mode

Forked Tongue

This will change the tongue into a forked tongue. Only visible when the mouth is opened in Pose Mode

Cheek Fullness

Cheek Fullness changes how gaunt or full the cheeks are

Cheekbones Height

Cheekbones Height changes the vertical position of the cheekbones

Cheekbones Size

Cheekbones Size changes the size of the cheekbones

Nose Size

Nose Size will change the size of the nose making it skinnier or wider

Nose Depth

Nose Depth will move the entire nose forward or back

Nose Height

Nose Height allows to make the nose shorter or longer

Nostril Size

Nostril Size allows you to change the size of the nostrils

Nose Angle

Nose Angle allows you to change the angle of the nose, making it more upturned or downturned

Bridge Size

Bridge Size allows you to change the size of the nose bridge

Tip Roundness

Nose Tip Roundness will make the nose more pointy or more bulbous

Pinocchio

The Pinocchio slider will make the tip of the nose longer

Eye Size

Eye Size allows you to change the size of the eyes

Eye Height

Eye Height allows you to change the vertical position of the eyes

Eye Distance

Eye Distance allows you to change the distance between the eyes

Eye Depth

Eye Depth changes the depth of the eyes

Eye Angle

Eye Angle allows you to rotate the eyes

Monolid

Monolid removes the eyelid crease

Eyes Open/Closed

Eyes Open/Closed allows you to open/close the eyes. This overrides the Rig controls, so to animate or pose, you need to remove the Constraints on the eyelid bones

Thicker Eyelash

This will make the eyelash slightly thicker

Remove Eyelash Point

This will remove the Point from the Eyelash

Brow Depth

Brow Depth changes the depth of the brow

Brow Width

Brow Width allows you to change the distance between the eyebrows

Brow Height

Brow Height changes the height of the brow

Ears Depth

Ears Depth changes the depth of the ears, bringing them either closer to or further away from the face

Ears Height

Ears Height changes the height of the ears

Ears Protrusion

Ears Protrusion will change the protrusion of the ears, either laying them more flat or making them stick out

Ears Size

Ears Size will change the size of the ears

Ears Forward Tilt

Ears Forward Tilt controls the side rotation of the ears

Ears Tilt

Ears Tilt will tilt the ears outwards

Smaller Lobe

Smaller Lobe reduces the size of the earlobe

Pointy Ears

Pointy Ears allows you to create some more fantasy style characters

Using The Rig

The presets have Tags attached to them so you can easily search for different types of Poses. You can Filter by using the Search bar at the top of the Asset Browser. You can search for any of the Categories of Poses, so Action, Hand, Lying, Sitting, Sitting Chair, and along with there are Weapon poses and these also have the type of weapon that is being used i.e Gun, Sword, Staff, Bow

Editing The Model

If you’re happy with the changes that you made using the sliders, you may want to make some further changes to the model and we can do this in 2 ways.

If you want to keep the sliders and the ability to change your character’s proportions, simply select the Basis shape key in the Data tab and Edit your mesh as normal.

If you want to remove the shape keys and still want to be able to pose your character, we can Remove the Shape Keys and this will allow you to keep the Rig. With the Mannequin selected, we can go to the Data tab on the Right (the Green Triangle) and here you’ll see all of the Shape Keys that allow us to customise the model. On the right hand side, there is a small Arrow, press this and then choose New Shape From Mix. This will create a new Shape Key at the bottom. Now if we select the 2nd last shape key (it should be Head 2), then press the - button on the right to delete the shape key. You’ll see the model slowly going back to normal as you remove the shape keys. Keep pressing this button until you’re left with 2 keys, Basis and your new Shape Key.

Materials Explained

If you’re happy with the changes that you made using the sliders, you may want to make some further changes to the model and we can do this in 2 ways.

If you want to keep the sliders and the ability to change your character’s proportions, simply select the Basis shape key in the Data tab and Edit your mesh as normal.

Multiple Characters

If you want to have multiple mannequins in your scene and have them interacting, you can just duplicate both the Rig and the Mesh with Shift+D.

You can then move this new mannequin to the side.

To give the new mannequin a different colour we can change the material settings. Thje easiest way to do this is just by clicking the number icon beside the Name of the Material. This will duplicate the material and make it unique.

From here, you can go to the Color property and choose one of the AM Colours on the Right. These are all of the Preset colours to allow you to keep the same colour scheme as the existing presets. Alternatively, you can choose to Remove the colour and this will give you the basic Colour property that you can adjust.

Now we can pose our new character. In Object Mode, select BOTH of the character rigs, THEN enter Pose Mode. This will allow us to use both rigs at the same time instead of toggling modes to select the other rig.

If you want to use the Preset Poses or Character Presets, be aware that the Presets will operate on the LAST selected rig. The rigs are still technically two separate objects, so we need to select one first to tell Blender what object we are working on. Then if you deselect everything, you can apply the preset. In the top left of your screen you should see the active object and bone, and when switching rigs, you’ll see this change from Adjustable Mannequin to Adjustable Mannequin.001 (unless you renamed it).

Using the Rig as Drawing Reference

If you want to use the mannequin for drawing reference, you can do this really easily.

First of all, pose your character using the rig controls or choose a preset
Choose your camera angle, so go to the Properties panel by pressing N, then enable Camera To View. Now if we press 0, we can move the camera and position it so that it’s centered on the character.
You can choose the aspect ratio and resolution of your image by changing the Resolution of the file, and for more varied results you can also change the Focal length of the camera, this can give you either a very zoomed or very wide angle look.
Set up your scene lighting, and now simply render your scene with F12 and save it wherever you like.
Now just import your image into whatever software you use, so Photoshop, Krita, Procreate, Clip Studio Paint and start drawing! You can use it purely as reference, or use it as a basis and trace over it, adding your own details.

We’re using Blender so don’t be afraid to mess with the model. If your character is holding something, then quickly model it in Blender, or if they are wearing certain clothing, then model that too.

The more work you do in Blender, the less figuring out you’ll have to do when drawing.

So pick out the major features for your character design, maybe they have horns or specific clothing or accessories and model them using primitive shapes.

Then with these features in place you can use it as a basis for drawing. It’ll still take some work to get it to look like a finished piece, but it definitely helps, and it can be a great learning tool as well, to teach you how different parts of the model are affected by light and shadow and how perspective affects your character.

Troubleshooting/FAQ

I can’t open the file, Blender keeps crashing

The Adjustable Mannequin is only compatible with the newest version of Blender (or some older versions, check the compatibility section). If you open it in an older version of Blender, Blender will crash.

So if you double click the Adjustable Mannequin file and Blender immediately crashes, it’s because you are using an incompatible version of Blender.

I can’t use the presets

The Presets were created using Blender’s Asset Library, and this needs to be enabled in the Preferences, you can find the explanation here. In the future this may be enabled by default, but for now you have to enable it in the Preferences.

Can I use this character for a game/animation/VTuber/commercial use?

Yes you can, if you’ve changed it enough. You can’t just take the default mannequin and use it as the main character for your game, although, if you use the mannequin as the basis and give it hair, clothing, armour etc, then that’s fine. As long as it’s not IMMEDIATELY recognisable as the Adjustable Mannequin, then you can use it.

I can’t move the mannequin or the sliders

The Adjustable Mannequin uses a Rig to pose the character and move the sliders. A Rig is a special type of object in Blender that allows us to animate and move bones. Make sure you enter Pose Mode in the top left corner of the screen, as explained here.