Free JustSketchMe Alternative

What is JustSketchMe

When artists start out with figure drawing or painting, it can be hard to find the right reference material for your subjects. Most people start out by using images for their reference poses but a big problem with that is that you eventually run out or can't find exactly what you're looking for in terms of poses, angles, and lighting. The other option that would give you the most realistic reference material would obviously be to hire a model or join a figure drawing class that provides a model. Unfortunately this option isn't available to most artists and especially aspiring ones.

Luckily many great alternatives have popped up! Where these artists in need of reference poses would probably have resorted to wooden drawing dolls in the past, online alternatives now provide an even better option. 

One of these online pose makers is JustSketchMe. JustSketchMe was launched around 2019 and offers a 3D environment in which you start out with a basic 3D model. You can adjust this model to your liking, add different models and objects or pick a preset pose. 

JustSketchMe downsides

While it may be a great option for some users, there are some downsides to JustSketchMe. One of the main problems people have with JustSketchMe is the controls. You adjust the model through so-called "gizmo-controls" on each joint. These types of controls are made for 3D software and can be very useful in specific use cases but in the case of a pose maker like JustSketchMe, a model with a lot of joints can make the interface cluttered and overwhelming. 

Combined with these controls, another downside is the lack of natural limitations of the model's limbs. When working in a 3D environment, it can be easy to adjust joints in the wrong direction without noticing. This can cause the joints to overlap, intersect or move in unrealistic positions.

It seems that these issues are unlikely to be addressed in the future as their roadmap hasn't seen any updates in development since 2024. Luckily SetPose offers a great alternative to JustSketchMe.

SetPose: Easy-to-use JustSketchMe alternative

The issues that you may have experienced with JustSketchMe are all addressed in SetPose. SetPose is a pose maker with the same goals but provides a completely different method than websites like JustSketchMe. Instead of joint-based the gizmo controls of JustSketchMe and others, SetPose makes the process of creating poses as intuitive as possible. Just like a wooden design doll, you can adjust the SetPose model simply by dragging the body part you want to move. You no longer need to look for the specific circle that controls the joint in the direction you want it to move, you just drag it forwards or backwards. 

Adjusting the SetPose Pro model

SetPose makes all of this possible in a clean and minimal UI, making sure you aren't distracted while having access to any feature you need to create the scene you have in mind.

Biological constraints

Another reason artists are choosing SetPose over other pose makers like JustSketchMe is the biological constraints. Biological constraints do exactly what it says. It's a feature that's turned on by default and makes sure the model only moves in ways that are natural. Where the JustSketchMe model forearms, for example, can be moved 360 degrees in any direction, this obviously doesn't look natural. In SetPose these limits make it easier to create realistic poses as you no longer have to make sure you have rotated the joint in the correct direction.

JustSketchMe Pro pricing compared to SetPose Pro pricing

Both SetPose and JustSketchMe offer a free version of the pose maker to everyone but you can also upgrade to a pro subscription with both. JustSketchMe is quite a bit more expensive, being almost twice the cost of SetPose's monthly subscription without the option for a yearly subscription that makes SetPose three times as affordable ($4 per month).

Below is a complete pricing comparison table between JustSketchMe and SetPose.