July 2025: Introducing the New Human Studio

We are excited to introduce a redesigned and reimagined Human Studio—our powerful suite of authoring tools for creating customized, interactive 3D views of human anatomy, physiology, health conditions, and treatments.

This update brings a cleaner interface, faster workflows, and powerful new tools to help you build engaging, learner-friendly content with more control, clarity, and creative flexibility.

Explore the highlights below.

 

A new interface built for ease of use

We rebuilt the Studio interface from the ground up to make customizing 3D content more intuitive, efficient, and aligned with the published experience. From workspace layout to tool access and anatomy navigation, every detail was designed to help you work more efficiently and with greater precision:

 

A modular workspace that keeps you focused

The redesigned Studio introduces a clean, modern light theme and updated Studio logo—subtle enhancements that help you stay oriented and navigate with confidence.

The newly modular workspace is now more flexible than ever. Your chapter content (left) and tools (right) are organized into adjustable side panels that are both resizable and collapsible, so you can customize your layout to suit your workflow. When you need a distraction-free view of your model, a new Toggle Columns button lets you hide both panels with a single click.

 

Streamlined access to essential tools

The updated Tool panel—now located on the right side of the page—consolidates all of your core tools, including Paint, Labels, Background Color, and Image Download, into a single, easy-to-navigate space. Each tool is now clearly labeled by name, not icon, and presented in a collapsible accordion layout, so you can open multiple tools at once and work with fewer clicks and more visibility.

 

Smarter, faster anatomy navigation

We have made a number of powerful improvements to the Anatomy Tree to make structure navigation more intuitive and efficient:

  • A new Tree/List toggle enables you to switch between the default hierarchical view—where structures are nested within their anatomical regions and systems—and a flat list to help you scan and select structures more quickly.
  • The tree can now be popped out into a movable, floating window, giving you the freedom to navigate and select structures while working in other tabs.
  • You can now collapse the entire tree to reset your view.
  • Search filters let you narrow your results by anatomical groups, individual structures, or both so you can find what you need with precision.
  • Fuzzy search helps you find structures even with typos or partial entries (e.g., typing “crer” will still return “cerebellum”).
  • Horizontal scrolling replaces text wrapping for improved readability.
  • Larger click zones make structure selection easier.

These enhancements are available not only in Studio, but also in the Viewer, ensuring a consistent anatomy navigation experience across the platform.

 

A true “What You See Is What You Get” authoring experience

This release introduces a fully WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing experience: the layout you see while building content now closely mirrors what learners will see when it’s published.

These changes eliminate the guesswork between authoring and publishing—so you can design high-impact, interactive 3D learning experiences with precision and confidence:

 

More accurate chapter layout and flow

The chapter list in Studio now matches the layout of the Viewer, providing a clearer sense of how learners will move through multi-chapter tours and a more predictable editing experience overall.

 

Integrated content editing with real-time preview

We have fully integrated the information panel—which displays all of your chapter’s supporting text, media, and other content—into the Studio workspace via the Content tab. Add text, images, video, and more using the new content block editor, and preview exactly how your additions will appear to learners as you work.

 

More intuitive quiz authoring

The Quiz builder has been redesigned—and relocated—for a clearer, more predictable quiz creation experience. Quiz questions are now authored in the same panel where learners see them in the Viewer, making it easier to visualize flow and placement.

See Clearer quiz settings and smarter question editing below to learn about our other quiz enhancements.

 

Consistent anatomy navigation

The Anatomy tab in Studio now uses the same Anatomy Tree as the Viewer, providing a consistent experience for selecting and working with anatomical structures across both tools.

 

More flexible authoring with drag-and-drop content blocks

Studio now supports content blocks—a modular, intuitive way to structure and organize content throughout your 3D experience.

In the Content tab, which powers the Information Panel in the Viewer, you can now add, reorder, and remove a variety of block types to create the layout that best supports your learning objectives.

Your content is no longer restricted to fixed fields in a predefined order. Content blocks give you complete control over layout, flow, and formatting, allowing you to create more personalized, structured, and visually engaging learning experiences.

We have also removed default section headers (e.g., Positions, Legend) from the Information Panel. You can now define your own structure using rich text formatting, including headings, to maintain a consistent style across chapters.

The same flexible content block architecture is also available in labels, where you can add text, images, videos, or GIFs.

 

Note: The image carousel is no longer supported in the Viewer. Images added in the Content tab in Studio now appear as individual, stacked image blocks. This may impact the layout of your previously published content.

 

Feature enhancements for faster, clearer authoring

This release also introduces new capabilities and enhancements to existing features that will help you build with more confidence and precision:

 

A faster, more intuitive painting experience

The Paint tool has been redesigned to give you more control and better results—in fewer steps.

Instead of layering colors over a structure’s original appearance, Studio now desaturates the original color first, so the color you pick is the color you see. The model’s texture still shows through, but your paint application will be much more consistent and predictable.

We have also streamlined the painting workflow. Once you enter Paint mode (via the    brush icon in the upper-left toolbar), paint is applied immediately to any structure you select—whether in the model or the Anatomy Tree. This makes it faster and easier to paint multiple structures at once—no need to click “Apply Paint.”

Other improvements to the Paint tool include:

  • Your current color is now displayed at the top for quick reference.
  • New BioDigital default colors better complement the natural look of our models.
  • The “Fade” preset has been renamed “Glass” for clarity.
  • Default and custom palettes are now consolidated into one menu, making it easier to switch between them.
  • A new structure count indicator shows how many structures are selected for painting.
  • The “Apply Paint” button has been removed, since color is applied instantly.

 

Clearer quiz settings and question editing

We have made several updates to help you create quizzes with greater clarity, accuracy, and control:

  • A new validation system flags incomplete questions and prompts you to fill in required fields.
  • Your quiz’s current visibility mode (Quiz Optional, Quiz Only, or Quiz Disabled) now appears at the top of the Quiz panel, next to the    Edit quiz settings button.
  • The mode formerly called View and Quiz has been renamed Quiz Optional for better clarity.
  • The “Instructions” option is now labeled Text Block to reflect its purpose more clearly.
  • You can now view all questions and answers in a single, scrollable list for each chapter.

 

Precise control over label positioning

When editing a label, you can now adjust the angle of its leader line—the connector between the label pin and the text container—giving you more control over your labels' layout and readability, especially when working with dense or detailed models.

 

New label visibility setting for developers

We also added a new Hide Label(s) option in the label settings menu for developers using our the Viewer API to build custom labels on top of the default label system.

 

FAQs

How will these updates (including paint) impact my existing models?

Most updates, including content blocks and interface improvements, will apply automatically. Previously authored models will still function as intended, but some visual differences may appear. For example:

  • Images that were previously grouped in a carousel within the information panel will now appear as stacked image blocks in published views.
  • Labels, Legends, and Positions in the informational panel will be expanded by default in published views.
  • Existing authored models will retain their original paint effects. The new paint effects will only be applied to newly authored models.

What happens when I open an older model in the new Studio?

You will be able to view and edit previously saved models in the new interface. All changes will be saved in the updated Studio format.

Can I still access the old version of Studio?

No. The new Studio has fully replaced the previous version. However, all core functionality remains, and many workflows have been improved or simplified.

Now that you’ve switched to light mode, do you still offer a dark mode?

Not yet, but we are considering dark mode support for a future update.