Hi3D announced a new “3D print workflow” for AI-generated models.
The company, which seems to have changed its name from Hitem3D while we weren’t looking, provides both text to 2D and image to 3D services. Combining both allows users to generate complex 3D models from a simple text prompt.
They’ve been around for about a year now, but they’re now touting an “end-to-end workflow” that focuses on “AI manufacturing”. This is quite a bit different than most of the text to 3D services, which merely generate visual 3D assets. Often they are completely unprintable without a considerable amount of manual fixups.
Hi3D uses Google’s Nano Banana 2 AI model first to generate 2D images from the prompt. After some iteration, the resulting image is then fed into their image to 3D service, where it is transformed into a full 3D model.
So far this sounds like most of the other AI model generators. But then this:
“Unlike AI 3D tools focused mainly on visualization, Hi3D generates watertight meshes optimized for physical manufacturing. Structural integrity, topology continuity, and printability are handled automatically, reducing cleanup work that previously took hours to minutes.”
And there’s more. The service can also automatically segment generated models into printable parts. Often miniatures are quite spindly, with arms, tentacles, and swords sticking out, making printing quite challenging. Instead, Hi3D figures them out and separates them automatically!
This separation is not just a “cut”. They actually use a “press fit tolerance” system to automatically calculate and implement joints, including ball joints. Incredible.
Finally, they automatically take all the parts and compose a printable build plate, including their best guess at part orientations, and wrap it up into a downloadable 3MF file for download. All you need to do is print it.
They say the entire process from the initial text prompt to downloading the file can be only five minutes. That’s quite an achievement, and definitely puts Hi3D ahead of other AI generators for this application.
Does it work? Most definitely. I tried using a complex prompt, as shown above, and received an incredibly detailed and perfectly watertight 3D model in only minutes.
If you’re looking for unique printable 3D models that are easily generated, please give Hi3D a test. Note that it is a subscription service, but they do offer a very limited free plan for occasional use.
Via Global Newswire
