The End of Siloed AI 3D Tools? How Hi3D & Meshy Aim To Infiltrate Your Entire Print Workflow

Companies offering AI 3D model generation don’t just want you to generate models on their platforms anymore. They want their technology built into the other tools you use, from design software to AI assistants and, potentially, the 3D printers themselves.

Two announcements from Hi3D and Meshy on Oct. 23 show how they’re expanding their reach, moving existing AI 3D capabilities out of isolated web apps.

AI-powered 3D creation platform Hi3D has made one of its AI 3D models open source, allowing developers to incorporate its technology into their own applications. Meanwhile, Meshy, another generative AI company, just introduced a plugin for the open-source Hermes Agent, bringing its 3D generation and print preparation tools into a general-purpose AI assistant. Neither announcement introduces a breakthrough in generating printable 3D models. Instead, both point toward a future in which AI 3D tools are less confined to standalone services and more closely integrated into the software and workflows you already use. That could eventually mean fewer steps between generating a model and getting it ready to print, although we’re not there yet.

Hi3D Focuses on More Usable 3D Geometry

Hi3D has released Hi3D V1.0, formerly known as Sparc3D, as an open-source AI model. This allows developers and researchers to download and run the technology themselves or incorporate it into their own software. For example, a 3D scanning app could potentially use the model to add detail to rough scans based on a reference image, while a game development tool could use it to refine 3D assets.

The model specializes in reconstructing detailed 3D geometry, with Hi3D emphasizing its ability to preserve fine features and produce consistent shapes. The company says it expanded the model’s training dataset from approximately 500,000 to two million 3D assets.

Of particular interest to 3D printing enthusiasts is Hi3D’s claim that the model achieved a 90% slicing success rate in testing. That suggests many of its generated meshes can be processed by slicing software, although successful slicing doesn’t necessarily mean an object will print successfully or function as intended.

For now, the open-source release is primarily relevant to developers who want to build on the technology. However, Hi3D also offers free 3D generation through its website, allowing users to try its tools.

Meshy Brings 3D Printing Tools to an AI Assistant

Meshy, meanwhile, is taking a different approach to simplifying the model generation-to-3D print process. Its new plugin for Hermes Agent, an open-source AI assistant, brings the company’s existing 3D generation and print preparation tools into a conversational workflow outside Meshy’s own platform.

Rather than manually moving between different tools, users can give the assistant a series of instructions, such as turning a photo into a textured 3D model and keeping its proportions, checking an STL file for errors, repairing its geometry, resizing it, and opening it in an installed slicer. Hermes coordinates the individual operations, potentially reducing the work involved in preparing a model for printing.

The underlying capabilities aren’t new: Meshy already offers AI-powered 3D generation, printability checks, and geometry repair through its own platform. What’s new is the ability to incorporate these steps into workflows managed by a separate AI assistant. The plugin is free to install, although generating models requires a paid Meshy subscription and credits.

Hi3D is making existing model technology available to more developers, while Meshy is making existing capabilities available through more workflows. Neither represents a breakthrough in AI-generated printable geometry, but both reflect efforts to expand the use of AI 3D tools to replace — or run alongside — computer-aided design, printer slicers, and other software in the 3D printing process, expanding access to 3D printing itself.