Use modeled product variants

Variants allow you to connect different versions of the same product within a single project, streamlining your visualization workflow.

For example, a furniture model might have both standard and open-drawer states. Upload both versions, connect them as variants, and switch between either state within one project - keeping the same lighting, camera angles, and backdrop.

Managing Variants in the Studio

Variants are managed from within Glossi Studio. Open a project and use the left sidebar to add, switch, and manage variants for your model.

Base Variant

Every model has a base variant - this is the original model itself. The base variant is always listed first and cannot be deleted or renamed. Any additional variants you assign appear alongside it.

Adding a Variant

From the Model management panel in the left sidebar, select a model from your library to add as a variant. Once added, it will appear in the variant list alongside the base variant.

Important Variant assignments are one-directional. If you assign Model B as a variant of Model A, it will be available in projects created with Model A, but not in projects created with Model B. For bidirectional access, create separate variant assignments in both directions.

Switching, Renaming, and Deleting

• Switch variants - Select a different variant to preview it in real-time with your current lighting and camera setup.
• Rename variants - Give variants descriptive names (e.g., "Open Drawer", "Walnut Finish"). The base variant cannot be renamed.
• Delete variants - Remove variant assignments you no longer need. The base variant cannot be deleted.

If you delete the variant a studio is currently showing, the model switches back to the base variant, including its materials and logos. A project whose active variant was deleted opens on the base variant.

Variant Types

Each variant is a separate uploaded model, so any model in your library can be assigned as a variant. Common use cases include:

• Different geometric states - Open/closed drawers, extended/folded elements, lid on/off
• Different material options - Upload the same geometry with different materials applied (e.g., fabric choices, wood finishes, color variations)
• Different accessory configurations - With/without optional elements, different handle styles

Variants on the model page

A model's page in the library lists its variants on the Variants tab, with search and tag filters for large catalogs. New variant opens a page listing every material slot on the model: pick a material from your library for each slot you want to change, or drop texture files on a slot to upload a new material for it. Slots you leave alone keep the original material.

To start from a photo of the product instead, use Match a photo on the model's Actions tab: the agent regroups the model to match the photo and picks a material for every group (how it works).

The material picker shows your whole library in two groups: Yours (materials you generated, uploaded, or extracted from models) and From catalog.

Variants saved this way are kept on the model and can be renamed, tagged, and edited there. They are available in every project that uses the model and through the API; the studio builds a variant the first time it is selected or rendered, and rebuilds it after its materials change.

3D previews

A variant you create or change on the model page gets a 3D preview of its own, built in the background from its materials and logos, so you can inspect it without opening the Studio. While it is being built the variant's card shows a spinner and its row in the Variants panel says Building preview; select the variant to see the preview once it is ready, usually within a few minutes.

• Preview failed: choose Try again in the variant's row.
• No preview yet on a variant made before previews were automatic: choose Make preview.
• Open in Studio once to make a preview: the model is not in a project yet. Open it in the Studio once, then make the preview.

Variants made in the Studio get their preview when you leave the Studio.

Logos per variant

A model's decal slots are shared by all of its variants, but each variant chooses its own logo for each slot. Slots are created and placed in the studio; outside the studio you only choose which logo goes in them.

On a variant's page

Open a saved variant from the Variants tab. The Decal slots section lists each slot with its size in centimeters and inches:

• Choose logo picks an image from your Decals library for an empty slot.
• Click the current logo to change it.
• Choose the X beside a logo to leave the slot empty on this variant.

Changes save right away. The studio shows them the next time the variant is selected. This also works for variants created in the studio.

When a slot has a logo, you can also set how the factory applies it. See Production files.

If the model has no slots yet, the section asks you to add them in the studio.

On a new variant

The New variant page also lists the slots. It starts with the base variant's logos, and you can change or empty any slot before creating the variant. Your logo choices are saved when you choose Create variant.

A variant can change only logos and keep the original materials. To create a variant, change at least one material or one logo.

In the studio

The studio shows the logos of the active variant. Switching variants swaps the logos in every slot, and renders of each variant use that variant's logos. You can also assign a logo to the active variant directly in the studio; see Decal slots.

Rendering Variants

When rendering, you can choose to render all variants at once. This produces a separate render for each variant using the same camera positions and settings, making it easy to create consistent imagery across your entire product line.

Best Practices

• Designate the most commonly displayed configuration as your primary (base) model
• Use clear naming conventions that indicate the variant type (e.g., "Open", "Closed", "Walnut")
• Maintain consistent variant relationships across product families
• Use the render-all-variants option to efficiently create comprehensive product imagery