With OpenAI’s new 3D model tool Shap-E, text-to-3D printing may soon be a reality

2023-05-10T12:11:00-04:00

OpenAI, the company behind AI applications such as ChatGPT and text-to-image tool DALL-E, has unveiled a new model that allows users to generate 3D objects from text or images. Named Shap-E, and available for free on GitHub, the tool generates 3D objects that can be opened in Microsoft Paint 3D and converted into STL files for use in 3D printers.

Unlike ChatGPT and DALL-E, Shap-E does not operate over an online application and is instead downloaded onto a PC for local use. The tool works in three modes: a ‘text-to-3D’ mode that uses text prompts to generate models, an ‘image-to-3D’ mode that turns a 2D image into a 3D object, and ‘encode-model’ which takes an existing 3D model and transforms it into another model.

3D objects generated from text prompts by Shap-E. Image credit: OpenAI

According to a paper by OpenAI announcing the tool, Shap-E can produce both textured meshes (3D objects formed of polygons overlayed by colored textures) and neural radiance fields (3D scenes generated b...

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With OpenAI’s new 3D model tool Shap-E, text-to-3D printing may soon be a reality