Start your first project
Choose Paint Demo Marine to start with the included model. To use your own STL, choose Prepare STL in the library and select the file. Review its dimensions and preparation settings, prepare it, then choose Paint This Miniature. Keep your original source file.
Paint, rotate and zoom
With touch, choose Paint mode for brushstrokes and Move mode for navigation. On iPad with Apple Pencil, the Pencil paints, one finger rotates, two fingers move and pinching zooms. Apple Pencil is optional; touch painting works on both iPhone and iPad.
Set up your workspace
Open the palette button to choose paint and adjust the brush. Drag the panel by its handle to move it, or close it for more canvas space. Open it again from the palette button.
Choose a brand and mix a colour
In the Paint Library, use the brand selector to choose Citadel, The Army Painter or Vallejo, then select a range. You can search for a paint name or product code and save favourites.
Choose Mix colours, add two to four supported paints, then set the parts for each ingredient. For example, three parts blue and one part white is a 3:1 mix. Ingredients can come from different brands. Choose how to apply the mix, give it a name and select Save & Use. Find it again in Mixes; its recipe retains the paints and proportions.
Clear mediums and reference-only effects cannot be mixed. Digital colours are estimates, not exact predictions of how physical paints blend.
Build up your painting
Begin with a basecoat, add layers and explore shades and contrast-style paints. The drybrush coverage control moves from light edge-catching strokes to broader raised-surface coverage. Selecting a spray paint lets you cover the whole model with one tap, so use it when you intend to coat every surface.
Take it offline
Download models from cloud file providers before travelling. Core preparation, painting and local saving work without internet. Online file providers and sharing destinations may need a connection.
Save and back up
Return to the library and allow saving to finish. Export an editable Miniature Studio project to keep a backup. Exported models and images are separate from editable projects. Before deleting the app or replacing a device, back up any work you want to keep.
Export a model or a backup
On the home screen, open a model’s three-dot menu and choose Export. You can also export from the painting screen’s three-dot menu.
- Coloured OBJ + textures (ZIP): unzip the download, then import Miniature.obj. Keep Miniature.mtl and the PNG textures in the same folder: they carry the materials and painting. Enable material and texture loading in your destination app.
- Painted model (USDZ): share the painted model with a compatible viewer.
- Print geometry (STL, no colours): export the shape for printing. STL does not store paint colours.
- Editable Miniature Studio project: keep a backup that you can reopen for painting.
For OBJ and STL, choose the overall height in millimetres, including the base. Exports use the saved working model; they cannot restore detail removed during preparation. Colour printing requires compatible software and hardware. Check dimensions, wall thickness, holes and supports in your slicer.
If a model won’t open
Check that it is a supported file and fully downloaded. Very dense models can require a lighter working mesh; fine geometric details may change when reduced. Texture resolution and model complexity are limited by your device’s memory. Keep your original file and send support the exact error message.
If saving fails
Keep your project open, free some device storage and try saving again. Avoid force-closing or deleting the app while a save is pending.
Tell us what happened
Email miniaturestudio4@gmail.com with your device, iOS/iPadOS version, app version, the steps you took and any error message. Screenshots help. Only send models you have permission to share.
For Apple purchase and refund queries, visit Apple’s purchase support.