Shap-E, a free open-source text to image generation model from OpenAI, is revolutionizing the way we create 3D objects. It can be used to both generate 3D objects from a text prompt and also to convert an existing image into 3D. This model is available locally as well as within a hosted version on Hugging Face, a freemium platform where users can deploy AI models. Model users can interact with the 3D objects to view the generated result from different angles and can also download the 3D version of the object in the GLB 3D file format for further editing or use in other 3D editing software.
The text to 3D objects converter provides users with the ability to both quickly generate 3D objects and also provides Jupyter notebooks for users to explore the code of the model. There are demo scenarios available that can be used to better understand the capabilities of the model. On the other hand, the image to 3D objects converter can take a 2D object image and convert it into 3D, though right now the results from this feature are still crude and require a certain level of post-editing in order to make the output look better.
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory based in San Francisco. Founded in 2015, OpenAI is a for-profit company with backers such as Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel, Greg Brockman, and many more. Their mission is to “advance our the ability of artificial intelligence through groundbreaking research and engineering”.
Greg Brockman, one of the co-founders of the company, is the current CEO of OpenAI. Previously he held the title of CTO at the e-commerce company Stripe. He earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics and conductive computer science from Caltech and has also held various roles at Microsoft Research, Google X, and Google Maps.
