A tool I built to generate 3D objects with functional, articulated parts. It's on github, and is mostly LLM-agnostic.
Posted by mhb-11@reddit | LocalLLaMA | View on Reddit | 28 comments
The video shows how my pipeline produces a 3D washing machine, composed of separated, functional parts (instead of monolithic 3D blobs). There's also hinge/socket articulation, so the internal assembly actually churns or rotates.
The problem I'm solving: pretty much every text-to-3D pipeline right now is just diffusion (or diffusion-like) weights producing mesh blobs. Want to swap the scope on a generated gun? Change one word in your prompt, the whole or most of the thing regenerates from scratch, because the model has zero concept that a gun has parts. It's all undifferentiated point clouds to these systems.
I tried to change that. My pipeline uses an LLM as a structured code compiler, instead of an image generator. It writes native Blender Python code blocks that target specific nodes in the scene graph.
The trick is that everything compiles through Blender's actual scene graph structures instead of pixel or point-cloud diffusion. Final export is a clean multi-part GLB with transform nodes and working pivot axes preserved.
Stack:
Frontend is Flutter with a Three.js viewport harness for in-browser rendering and node manipulation. By default it hits my hosted API, but I made it model-agnostic for self-hosting.
Frontend repo is open source: https://github.com/RareSense/Nova3D
Also some bad news: local models are getting there, but they still hallucinate Blender's internal matrix math functions pretty badly on complex transforms. I spent way too long debugging "correct-looking" code that was actually rotating things into the fourth dimension. The pipeline code itself is fully LLM-agnostic, byt for best results, try Gemini as BYOK. Would love to collaborate with smarter people than me to rig this up with a great opensource candidate, I myself have failed at that.
Also want technical feedback from people messing with prompt-to-code pipelines in 3D generation contexts.
Btw, for fun: Interesting generated examples:
- Boston Dynamics-style robot dog: https://imgur.com/a/CqMYgrF
- A microwave: https://imgur.com/a/hIqIJdr
Wixely@reddit
Is it required to sign in to use this? What's that for?
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Currently the front-end is open-sourced/self-hosted. I haven't claimed the back-end is.
I'm discussing opensourcing everything with my partner (who's working on this with me). We're unsure about the timing though. Should we build more and get a seed-level community going first (to assess who our first users really are, what their pain-points are, etc). Or just opensource right away.
What's your take?
Wixely@reddit
With the utmost respect, I wont be using your service if I can't fully self host it. Too many factors including the risk that you pull something mean that it's not a service I can rely on. That wont go away if you make it a paid service either. Remember you're on /r/LocalLLaMA, some core tenets are sovereignty and privacy.
I can't say what is best for your project though, but there is an idiom "first in, best dressed".
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
+1 first in, best dressed.
I'll keep this in my mind when I next discuss it internally.
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Otherwise if you wanted to give it a shot, you can BYOK, using a ring-fenced API key, funded with \~$5.
The results with open source models aren't there yet. But I've gotten some useful pointers in this discussion, so hopefully I'll get there. I think that's the holygrail.
Wixely@reddit
No problem. I'm interested in knowing what models you tried locally, have you tried any large ones around the 120b mark?
Local_Phenomenon@reddit
Thank you
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Do try it out and provide feedback.
Croned@reddit
For local models, you could try prompting a separate agent to review any Blender Python code with the documentation in context. You can also try having the agent iteratively debug, passing error messages and even screenshots of the Blender renders.
Artistic_Okra7288@reddit
This is amazing. I can imagine games being created with this level of detail and the physics / immersion it will unlock. Also I want to use it for seeing how well it can generate models for 3D printing.
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
You're looking for manifold, watertight STL outputs?
Artistic_Okra7288@reddit
Probably not, just individual interlocking parts that can be assembled instead of a single part.
Reddit_User_Original@reddit
I would love to see something like this for 3d printing
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Ah so essentially you're looking for a watertight, manifold STL format output?
Reddit_User_Original@reddit
3MF format?
Inevitable_Ear132@reddit
This is awesome, will it work for articulates/rigged humanoids? Something that could generate a skeleton that can be retargeted in something like Unreal to the UE mannequin would be amazing
Cereal_Grapeist@reddit
I imagine video game designers would love this. Very cool... thanks for building and sharing.
tracagnotto@reddit
Speak of the devil... https://www.reddit.com/r/TopologyAI/s/glXoUqxXhf
Cereal_Grapeist@reddit
Wow that is insanely cool. I'm really excited to see how indie devs use this kind of thing to create bigger and better worlds! Too bad there is such a virulent anti-AI mindset in the gaming community that will make indie devs hesitant to use these tools (or disclose it).
tracagnotto@reddit
Well these guys in the comments of that posto were looking exactly for a tool that made moving parts and in here someone might be looking to where to put these moving parts. So I thought to link everything. It's insanely cool for sure!!!
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Appreciate it!
apoptosist@reddit
Hear that local LLM people, he wants your help to make this work with Qwen3.6, Gemma4, etc.!
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
If we crack that, could ultimately be a boon to opensource, especially in game dev circles. I know code-native approaches are catching attention these days.
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Thanks for pointing it out, I reached out in that thread. That's literally the pain that I've been going through too. 3D generators create great looking objects, but ultimately of limited use.
tracagnotto@reddit
Well guys here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TopologyAI/comments/1tb8o2i/aigenerated_3d_assets_into_a_ue5_platformer_in_3/
were looking for this. I'll share them the link to this
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Thanks for pointing it out, I paste the link in one of those comments just now. That's literally the pain that I've been going through too. 3D generators create great looking objects, but ultimately of limited use.
cmdr-William-Riker@reddit
This is awesome! I've been wanting to try and make something like this. I had a feeling AI could probably do a lot with OpenSCAD!
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Noted your edit.
mhb-11@reddit (OP)
Thanks, take it for a spin and just throw your feedback my way please.