f.1 Runaway

Ⅰ. Overview of Runway Animation Production

Style3D Studio enables you to add runway motions to avatars. Combined with animation editing, light follow‑up, hair simulation, and other features, you can produce professional‑grade 3D runway animation videos.
The overall workflow for runway animation production is as follows:
  1. Complete garment pattern creation and simulation (confirm satisfactory fitting results)
  2. Apply runway motion assets to the avatar
  3. Cut and combine motion clips via the Animation Editor
  4. Set up lights (light follow‑up for avatar is supported) and camera tracks
  5. Enable hair simulation (optional, for enhanced realism)
  6. Render and export animation video
Figure: Tool menu featuring entry points for Animation Editor, Render and other functions

Ⅱ. Pre‑Preparation: Garment & Avatar

2.1 Complete Garment Simulation

Before creating runway animation, finish garment pattern‑making and simulation, and make sure:
  • Garment fits well with no obvious mesh penetration
  • Fabric physical properties are properly configured
  • All sewing relations are correct

2.2 Select a Suitable Avatar

System default avatars are recommended for runway animation, since runway motion assets are rigged to the skeleton of built‑in avatars. Note: Do not apply large‑scale size edits to runway avatars, otherwise mesh penetration may occur.
� Tip: Mesh penetration may occur after resizing the avatar, caused by collision from changed limb spacing. There is no optimal workaround at present. It is recommended to use avatars with default sizes for runway shows.

2.3 Footwear Assets

Shoes downloaded from the Marketplace support runway animation if they are avatar‑type assets in .sacs format. Pattern‑piece‑type footwear assets do not support runway animation. Please verify the file format before adding footwear.

Ⅲ. Add Runway Motions to Avatar

3.1 Download Motion Assets from Official Marketplace

Operation Path: Library ▶ Avatar ▶ Cloud Download ▶ Official Marketplace
Locate runway motion assets in the Official Marketplace, select and download them. Successfully downloaded assets will be automatically added to your Library.
Figure: Download model action material in the official market

3.2 Apply Motion to Avatar

After downloading, double‑click the runway motion asset in the Library to apply it to the current avatar. If the asset is incompatible with the avatar, switch to a compatible avatar and double‑click to add.
Figure: Double‑click motion asset to apply it to the avatar

3.3 Avoid Mesh Penetration When Switching Avatar Poses / Motions

Direct switching between avatar poses or motions may cause garment mesh penetration. Follow the correct workflow below:
  1. Enable simulation first
  2. Switch avatar pose/motion
  3. Wait for the garment to stabilize
  4. Disable simulation
Make sure both avatar and garment are fully stabilized before turning off simulation.
Animation Demo: Keep simulation enabled while switching avatar poses to prevent mesh penetration

3.4 Naming Rules for High‑Heel Motions

If the avatar’s feet lift abnormally after applying a motion asset, check the naming convention of the motion file: High‑heel motion files must carry one of the following suffixes: "HighHeel", "Heel", "Heel01", "高跟鞋". Adding the correct suffix resolves the abnormal foot‑lifting issue.
Figure: Example of Abnormal Foot‑Lifting Issue on Avatar

Ⅳ. Animation Editor: Cutting & Compositing

Style3D Studio V8.0 introduces animation cutting and compositing features. You can edit and combine existing poses and motions, and insert poses between motions to achieve interpolated transitions.

4.1 Open Animation Editor

Operation Path: Tools ▶ Animation Edit

4.2 Cut and Composite Motions

Within the Animation Editor, you can:
  • Trim motion clips (use the Split Avatar Motion button)
  • Combine multiple motion clips
  • Add pose transitions between motions
  • Adjust animation playback speed and duration
Figure: Animation Editor Interface

4.3 Animation Track Editing (V9.0)

V9.0 further enables camera‑path editing features:
  • Keyframe editing: Drag the keyframe pointer on the timeline to the target position, then right‑click at key positions to create keyframes
  • Support for special lens settings
  • Support for camera‑path editing
  • New 3D parameters for camera (XYZ position and rotation)
Operation Method: Click the camera function button at the top‑left corner of the animation background viewport to enable camera‑path editing.
Figure: Animation Track Editing

V. Lighting and Camera Settings

5.1 Light Follow‑Avatar Animation

In runway animation, the avatar moves across the scene. To maintain consistent lighting results, enable the light follow function:
Operation Path: Tools ▶ Render ▶ Settings ▶ Property Editor ▶ Render Settings ▶ Light ▶ Scene Follow‑up ▶ Light Follow‑up ▶ Follow Avatar
Once enabled, fill lights will move along with the avatar, ensuring proper illumination for the figure and garments throughout the runway sequence.
Figure: Settings for Light Follow‑Avatar

5.2 Scene Props Follow Camera

Operation Path: Tools ▶ Render ▶ Settings ▶ Property Editor ▶ Render Settings ▶ Light ▶ Scene Follow‑up ▶ All Props Follow Camera
When the camera view moves, all scene props will automatically move synchronously with the camera view to guarantee consistent background in exported outputs.

5.3 Camera Depth‑of‑Field Effect

Under ray‑tracing rendering mode, physical‑camera depth‑of‑field is available to highlight focal subjects and blur background:
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Render Settings ▶ Property Editor ▶ Ray‑Tracing ▶ Lens Effects ▶ Physical Camera

5.4 Add Multiple Wind Controllers (V9.0)

Multiple wind controllers can be added for runway animation to generate natural fluttering motion for garments as the avatar walks. Operation Path: Scene Manager Viewport ▶ Scene ▶ Environment ▶ Wind Controller ▶ Add

Ⅵ. Hair Simulation for Runway Shows

Starting from V8.0, avatar hair simulation is supported. Hair can swing naturally during runway sequences for significantly enhanced realism.

6.1 Operation Method

Select avatar ▶ Property Editor ▶ Type ▶ Hair ▶ Simulation

6.2 Usage Tips

  • Enable hair simulation after garment simulation is fully completed for better results
  • Currently only long straight female hair supports simulation
  • Hair simulation increases computational load; ensure sufficient PC performance
Figure: Hair Simulation Settings‑Enable Natural Hair Swing in Runway Animation

6.3 Multi‑Select Avatar Joints for Angle Adjustment

You can multi‑select joint points to adjust angles in batches when editing avatar poses: Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Avatar ▶ Avatar Skeleton ▶ Hold Shift/Ctrl to multi‑select IK joint points
Animation Demo: Batch Angle Adjustment via Multi‑Selected Avatar Joints

Ⅶ. Render and Export Runway Animation

7.1 Render Mode Selection

Style3D Studio provides three render modes:
Render Modes
Features
Applicable Scenarios
Normal Rendering
CPU, fast
Quick Preview
Ray Tracing Rendering
GPU, fast and realistic
runway animation
Offline rendering
CPU, highest realism
Final high quality output
⚠️ Recommendation: Ray‑Tracing Rendering is recommended for runway animation. It delivers quality close to offline rendering while saving 98% of rendering time.
Figure: Render Settings Interface

7.2 Render‑Export Settings

Operation Path: Tools ▶ Render ▶ Render Settings
  • Resolution: Up to 8K (8192×8192). 1920×1080 or 4K is recommended for runway videos.
  • Frame Rate: 30fps or 60fps is recommended.
  • Export Formats: MP4, image sequence and more.
  • Background Settings: Transparent background or custom scene background available.
  • Auto Exposure: Automatically correct image exposure (Ray‑Tracing Rendering only).

7.3 Export Notes

Verify that the target output file path exists before saving rendered animation. If “Folder does not exist” pops up, manually create the folder or select a valid save path.

Ⅷ. FAQ & Notes

Q1: Mesh penetration occurs after resizing the runway avatar? There is no ideal workaround. Major size modifications to runway avatars are not recommended. Mesh penetration happens because limb distances are fixed. Enlarging waist measurements shortens the distance between waist and hands and causes interpenetration.
Q2: Can footwear downloaded from Official Marketplace be used in runway animation? Footwear works for runway animation if it is an avatar‑type asset in .sacs format. Pattern‑piece‑type footwear assets are not supported.
Q3: Avatar feet lift abnormally after applying a motion? Check the motion‑file naming convention. High‑heel motion files must carry one suffix: "HighHeel", "Heel", "Heel01", "高跟鞋". Adding the correct suffix fixes abnormal foot‑lifting.
Q4: Prompt “Folder does not exist” when saving rendered animation? Confirm the target path exists and select a valid save location.
Q5: Garments flutter unnaturally in runway animation? Recommendations:
  • Verify fabric physical properties (gravity, friction, etc.)
  • Add wind controllers to improve fluttering effect
  • Keep particle distance small (less than 10 recommended) for finer simulation
Q6: Runway animation renders very slowly? Recommendations:
  • Prioritize Ray‑Tracing Rendering for balanced performance and quality
  • Lower resolution for preview; switch to high‑resolution for final export
  • Disable unnecessary hair effects to reduce computation load
  • GPU: RTX 2060 or higher is required
Q7: How to adjust and save avatar poses? Save edited poses to the pose list, otherwise the avatar reverts to its default pose after simulation. Operation Method: Select avatar ▶ Property Editor ▶ Pose ▶ Add Current ▶ Add Pose and Confirm
Figure: Save Avatar Pose to Pose List
Figure: Property Editor Viewport Switches Automatically After Adding Pose
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f.2 Fabric Fluttering