How to Create a New Project in Popul8 Express

Creating your first project? Here's how to do it step by step:

🎬 Check our Tutorial Video:

1. Add your license

When you launch Popul8 Express for the first time, you’ll be asked to add a license file.

• Select the license file from the location where you saved it (you received it via email).
• Once confirmed, the application will be activated.

2. Click “Create Project”

On the main screen, click the Create Project button to start a new project.

3. Name your project and choose a save location

In the dialog window that appears:

• Enter a project name (e.g., Demo_Test)
• Choose the folder where the project should be saved.

Tip:

For smoother performance, it's best to save your project in the same location where you store the files you plan to import.

We recommend organizing the Location folder into subfolders such as:

• Animation
• Deformable (e.g., clothing, hairstyles)
• Shape
• Template

A clean folder structure will speed up your workflow and make project management easier.

• Suggested structure for asset organization:

4. Add a project thumbnail

Adding a thumbnail makes it easier to identify your project in the internal list.

• You can select an image file (e.g., a screenshot or logo) to use as the project icon by adding the path to the image in the Thumbnail field when creating a new project.

• Alternatively, you can manually specify the image path by updating the thumbnailFilePath field in your project’s .pp8 file (ProjectName.pp8). If you choose this manual method, unlink your project, and then re-import it to apply the changes.

This helps you quickly recognize your project at a glance.

5. Wait for initialization

Popul8 Express will set up all required components. This may take a few seconds.

✅ Done!

Your project has been successfully created, you’re ready to get started.

Good luck!

❓ What’s next?

Check how to add your first character to the scene → How to Import Your Own Template (Character)