FaceRef

3D head angle and lighting reference tool for artists and AI workflows

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About FaceRef

FaceRef is a versatile, free 3D head reference tool developed to aid both artists and AI creators in mastering facial anatomy, lighting, and pose control. The tool enables users to precisely adjust the head model's pitch and yaw to capture exact angles necessary for drawing, painting, or AI portrait generation. It features directional lighting controls where users can simulate complex lighting setups such as Rembrandt lighting, giving an accurate preview of shadows and highlights before starting their artwork or AI render.

Designed with both traditional and AI workflows in mind, FaceRef offers export options to generate structural sketches based on the Loomis or Asaro head construction methods and ControlNet-ready maps. This dual functionality allows artists to improve proportion studies and lighting comprehension while also facilitating AI portrait consistency by locking facial structure and pose during generation. The intuitive user interface combines anatomical precision with user-friendly controls, making it an essential tool for portrait artists and AI developers alike.

Use Cases

An artist preparing for a portrait commission uses FaceRef to set an exact three-quarter head angle with soft side lighting to study how shadows fall on facial planes before painting.
A concept artist experimenting with character turnarounds uses FaceRef's preset angles and lighting controls to quickly generate structural sketches for consistent design across multiple views.
An AI developer working with Stable Diffusion utilizes FaceRef to export ControlNet-compatible depth and edge maps, ensuring consistent face poses in their AI-generated portraits.
A drawing instructor uses FaceRef's Loomis and Asaro structural guides to teach students about head proportions and lighting effects during online art classes.
A digital painter tweaks lighting angles interactively on FaceRef to replicate Rembrandt-style portrait lighting before applying it on a digital canvas.
A game designer creates reference sheets from FaceRef's clean structural sketches to guide 3D character modeling and texturing precisely for realistic facial anatomy.

Key Features

Control and orbit a 3D head model with customizable pitch and yaw angles
Adjust lighting position, angle, and intensity to simulate portrait lighting
Export Loomis or Asaro style structural sketches for drawing or AI ControlNet
Preset common head angles like three-quarter, profile, high and low angles
Supports AI workflows with depth and edge map exports for stable face pose control

Pricing

FaceRef operates on a freemium pricing model. The core features, including full 3D head orbit controls, adjustable pitch and yaw angles, lighting setup, structural guides (Loomis and Asaro), and basic export options, are available for free using a user account with daily rendering limits. The paid Pro plan offers enhancements such as higher-resolution exports, printable angle sheets, transparent background PNGs, and unlimited or increased generation counts for intensive users. Pricing tiers and exact costs can be found directly on FaceRef's pricing page, but the free tier is well-suited for most casual and hobbyist artists and AI creators.

Pros & Cons

Pros

+ Precise control over 3D head angles with pitch and yaw adjustments for exact pose referencing.
+ Customizable directional lighting tools to simulate various portrait lighting setups like Rembrandt lighting.
+ Offers both Loomis and Asaro structural guides to accommodate different artistic anatomy preferences.
+ Exports ControlNet-compatible depth and edge maps to support consistent AI face generation workflows.
+ User-friendly interface that combines traditional art references with AI generation needs in one platform.

Cons

- Free tier limits daily render counts which may restrict heavy users without upgrading.
- Export options like high-resolution and transparent images require a Pro subscription.
- The tool is specialized for head references, so it lacks body or full-figure pose support.
- Users unfamiliar with Loomis or Asaro methods might require additional learning before fully utilizing structural guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can FaceRef be used for full-body references?

No, FaceRef is specialized for 3D head references only, focusing on facial angles, lighting, and structural guides. For full-body posing, other tools would be more appropriate.

Do I need technical knowledge to use the lighting controls?

No, the lighting controls are designed to be intuitive, allowing users to adjust position, angle, and intensity easily to simulate common portrait lighting scenarios without technical expertise.

Is FaceRef compatible with AI models like Stable Diffusion?

Yes, FaceRef can export depth and edge maps formatted for ControlNet, enabling consistent facial pose control in AI models such as Stable Diffusion.

Are the Loomis and Asaro guides interchangeable?

FaceRef lets users choose between Loomis and Asaro structural guides depending on their preference or study focus; both are popular head construction methodologies for artists.

What are the benefits of upgrading to Pro?

The Pro subscription provides features like higher-resolution and transparent background exports, printable angle sheets, and increased daily rendering limits, which benefit frequent or professional users.