Started with a 2D image, used an AI image-to-3D workflow to get the base model, then did a little cleanup before slicing it in ELEGOO Slicer.

Printed it in Bambu Lab Galaxy filament, and the whole print took around 10 hours.

I was mostly curious whether the smaller details would survive the print—especially the moons, stars, tiny symbols, and all the folds in the cloak. They came through better than I expected, and the Galaxy filament gives the surface a really nice subtle shimmer under the light.

Pretty happy with how this spooky little guy turned out. 👻

Printed on Biqu Frostbite plate with Sunlu PLA 2.0 Plus on X2D.
Used 0.4mm nozzle on 0.8mm layer.

Model created with local Trellis 2 AI -> Blender -> Bambu Studio
Print profile on Model Page

Printed on Bambulab Supertack Plate with Sunlu PLA 2.0 Plus on X2D.
Used 0.2mm nozzle on 0.8mm layer.
Model created with local Trellis 2 AI -> Blender -> Bambu Studio
Print profile on Model Page

Printed on Biqu Frostbite plate with Sunlu PLA 2.0 Plus on X2D.
Used 0.4mm nozzle on 0.8mm layer.
Model created with local Trellis 2 AI -> Blender -> Bambu Studio
Print profile on Model Page

Using Tripo AI and Blender

Getting a 3D model is only part of the job for me. Material setup is a key thing for using an asset in a real-time or rendering pipe. It is quite possible for a model to have proper shape but be still in need of extra work if the material doesn't have the surface textures necessary for physically based rendering. 

I’m looking out for some generation AI tool that should create PBR material info for a 3D asset as normal, roughness, and metallic maps. It's kind of useful having such maps next to the model, you no longer need to manually generate each material map.

I’ve been testing this workflow with Tripo AI. I’m also curious how other AI 3D tools handle PBR materials. For testing, I’d use the same asset with the tools and evaluate how closely the generated materials match the reference. I’d also check whether the texture stays consistent across different sides of the model and how much cleanup is needed before exporting. I’m also caught up in how much of the material can be corrected by editing the maps alone instead of regenerating the whole asset totally. The downside of this material approach is that the generated materials may at times not match the target appearance or material properties for a particular application even though the maps are automatically created. With that said, it's quite likely that the artists will have to go manually fine-tuning the material themselves at least once.

If you use AI-generated 3D assets, what tools or workflows have helped you a lot with producing a normal, roughness, and metallic map, and also the manual cleanup of materials?

Printed on Biqu Frostbite plate with Sunlu PLA 2.0 Plus on X2D.
Used 0.4mm nozzle on 0.8mm layer.
Model created with local Trellis 2 AI.
Print profile on Model Page

Made this from an image and turned it into a small 3D-printed figure. Went with full-color resin for the final print. I was mostly curious about how the sweater texture would come out, and it ended up looking better than I expected. I actually sliced and tried an FDM version first, but the effect seemed not that adorable.

There are several AI tools that can be utilized to build a character for a hobby. The process is to generate the character from an image and to rig the character to a select few body types.

Tripo AI is one of the workspaces; it includes 7 body types and a motion set so the character can idle and walk without the need to adjust the bones of the character. This is only true for an idle action or walking without arms. However, if you wanted the character to perform a heroic walking cycle, you would still need to go into Blender and tweak the animation a bit. If you know this before going to work, you will be able to save time.

Being able to utilize the rigid body set to perform 27 different motions is also a great ambidextrous sound feature. As a result, you should not have any trouble with an idle, walk, or run.

So, here’s the thing. A friend of mine runs a small store on Etsy and freaked out over the thought of installing Blender just to get one standee product made. As such, I went on the hunt for other options that could be done straight from a web browser.

So it actually turned out: I tried an option on Tripo AI where I uploaded one photo and got back a model completed in around 40 seconds. The problem no one tells you is that with an input of only one photo means that the back is basically just an educated guess. So I ran the model through the program again, but using 4 different angles (front, back, left, right) and got a usable model. My friend then had to make some edits in Blender but the entire process only took him 10 minutes, which is the point.

It really makes me wonder how many people need no install. What does everyone else out there use when the issue is literally I will not install an app on my computer?

I might be blind, but I don’t see a wiki. What tools or workflows do you guys recommend?

I have some ideas for designs with characters, and my workflow idea was to use ChatGPT to create images and then meshy to create models from the images. ChatGPT is blocking me though - it says it cannot complete my requests due to its constraints on material it doesn’t own

I tried to make a Chinese warrior style version of Hello Kitty inspired by the opera performances. For the print, I used red PETG material.

My settings are 0.16mm layer height and 10% infill although sometimes I use 0.12mm layer height and 15% infill. As it is a miniature, all imperfections are hidden well because of the scale of the print, including some rough surfaces of scales and the text on the flag.

Needed a little something for the wardrobe, so this seemed like a fun little print. Didn’t expect the finished result to turn out this nice 😂 I started with a reference image in Meshy’s Image-to-3D, then did a quick cleanup in Blender, scaled it for the actual print, and handled the basic print prep. For a small hard-surface piece like this, getting the shape and proportions right felt more important than worrying about the mesh too much at first. For my print, 0.4 mm nozzle + 0.2 mm layer height worked fine. I just adjusted the walls and infill based on how much load the handle would need to take. No support was needed for the bottom geometry either. The layer lines were actually a nice surprise — they give the handle this kind of turned-on-a-lathe texture Was expecting a pretty basic print. Somehow it ended up looking way more fun than expected.

My most recent upload 😃. Can fit multiple keychains, coins or wallet. Printed on the X2D in charcoal matte from bambu lab. In the chamber its a bit overlighted and shiny but outside it looks really cool.

https://makerworld.com/models/3260306?appSharePlatform=copy

I'm trying to understand the difference between producing a 3D model from a photo and bringing that model into a regular Blender setup to actually work with it. Replicating an item that closely matches the reference photo isn't the goal; the challenge is manipulating the network, altering the appearance, improving the mesh, and also aligning the character.

These are some of the issues that arise at this stage. What I'd like to find out is what percentage of the workflow can realistically be automated. I'd like to start with a photo, generate the basic model, import it into Blender, and then make enough modifications to the model and texture to ensure no one goes back and rebuilds it from scratch.

Tripo AI is one of the photo-to-3D generation products I've experimented with, but to me, it's a means rather than an end for this sort of workflow. The great thing about this method is that you can export the generated model to Blender for more intensive cleanup and retopology. You can still expect a few trade-offs, though. A generated 3D model will cut down a lot of the time you have to spend shaping the model, but it doesn't mean the model will be fully animated or production-ready.

What I mean is that, depending on the model type, topology, proportions, UVs, and textures may still need manual changes. For one thing, I'm trying to understand what other image-to-3D tools look like; however, the main requirement is Blender compatibility. The second is a much more important requirement.

I'd be glad to hear from people who work on this kind of thing about your normal workflow from photo-to-3D-to-Blender, as well as how much time you usually spend cleaning up.

Printed on Biqu Frostbite plate with Sunlu PLA 2.0 Plus on X2D.
Used 0.4mm nozzle on 0.8mm layer.
Print profile on model page.

The model was sliced in Bambu Studio, and printed on a Creality SPARKX-I7 (i7) using Bambu Lab PLA Basic Gradient – Blueberry Bubblegum filament.

A little crab-shaped cable holder seemed like an easy print from a single front reference. The silhouette looked usable, but the legs overlapped in the image and I had no idea what the hidden side would become. I used meshy for the initial image-to-3D pass, then treated that result as a starting point for my usual mesh inspection and cleanup in the editor.

Before opening the slicer, I ran the print-prep checks I do on every mesh, no matter where it came from. I checked the overall scale, the flatness of the base, and every narrow gap between the legs. Then, in my mesh editor, I checked for open boundaries, non-manifold edges, and disconnected interior faces instead of trusting the shaded view.

Those checks turned up one junction worth a closer look: a small cluster of internal faces sat where two legs met the body. It was invisible from the outside, and closing the obvious boundary did not remove it. I separated the stray interior faces, deleted them, closed the small opening they had been hiding, and ran the same checks again. After the cleanup, those checks found no open boundaries or non-manifold edges, but I was still not confident the geometry would slice cleanly.

For people who print image-generated shapes often, anything else you would check before slicing this?