Cortex Studio is a high-performance, real-time 3D livery previewer and development environment. It bridges the gap between your design software (Photoshop, paint.net, etc.) and the game engine, allowing for an instantaneous, iterative workflow.
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The centerpiece of v3.1 is the Variant Builder, a dedicated environment for managing complex livery projects with multiple variants.
- PSD Native Workflow: Load your Photoshop files directly. Cortex Studio parses layers and groups with full hierarchy support.
- Variant Management: Create, duplicate, and rename variants. Each variant stores its own unique set of layer visibilities.
- IDE-Style Interface: A professional layout featuring a variant sidebar, dual 3D/2D preview panes, and a comprehensive layer panel.
- Solo & Group Controls: Quickly isolate layers or toggle entire groups.
- Batch Export: Export all your variants at once to high-quality PNGs (up to 4K resolution) into a dedicated output folder.
- Real-time Compositing: As you toggle layers in the panel, the 3D model updates instantly with the new composited texture.
- Live Texture Reloading: Uses a native file watcher to detect saves in your design software and reloads textures in milliseconds.
- Four Powerful Viewing Modes:
- Livery Mode: Intelligently auto-targets vehicle carpaint and livery materials.
- All Textures: Applies the loaded texture to every mesh on the model (great for checking templates).
- EUP Mode: Specialized support for Emergency Uniform Packs and clothing models (
.ydd). - Multi-Model Viewer: Compare two models side-by-side with independent texture controls.
- Native GTA V Support: Direct parsing of
.yft(vehicles) and.ydd(clothing) files. - Full Camera Control: Quick presets (Front, Side, 3/4, Top), center action, and optional WASD flight controls.
- Material Controls: Fine-tune body color, background color, glossiness, and light intensity to see how your design looks in different conditions.
- Fully Local & Private: No cloud dependencies, no accounts, no data leaves your machine.
- Tauri v2 Core: Built on the latest Tauri framework for maximum performance and a tiny footprint.
- .yft (GTA V/FiveM Vehicles)
- .ydd (GTA V/FiveM Clothing/EUP)
- .psd (Photoshop - Recommended for Variants)
- .png, .jpg, .tga, .dds, .bmp, .webp, .tiff
Livery work is iterative. In-game testing is slow and breaks your flow. Cortex Studio keeps your preview live so you can focus on design and iteration instead of constant exporting, loading, and reloading.
- Not a material editor. Cortex Studio doesn’t aim to replace a full material/shader workflow or in-game tuning.
- Preview-focused. It’s built to view liveries/textures in real time on a 3D model—fast iteration, quick inspection, and instant feedback.
- Asset fidelity depends on the source files. What you see is constrained by the model/material setup and naming conventions in the asset.
src/- React UI, Three.js viewer, and logic.src/components/VariantsPage.jsx- The new PSD Variant Builder.src/lib/yft.js- High-performance YFT/YDD parser.src-tauri/- Rust-based Tauri v2 backend for file system access and performance.
- Bun (Fastest JS runtime & package manager)
- Rust toolchain (Required for building the Tauri app)
bun installTo run the full application with native features (recommended):
bun run tauri devTo run just the UI (limited features, no file system access):
bun run devbun run tauri build- The Variant Sidebar: Use it to create "Night", "High-Vis", or "Stealth" versions of your liveries in one project file.
- Double-Click Layers: In the Variant Builder, double-click a layer in the panel to "Solo" it.
- Alt + 1-4: Use these hotkeys to quickly switch between viewing modes.
- Custom Hotkeys: Check the Settings menu to customize every action to your liking.
MIT. Free forever. Developed with ❤️ for the GTA V modding community.
Contributions are welcome! Whether it is a bug fix, a new feature, or improved documentation, feel free to open an issue or a PR.