← AI Tools
Image AIIntermediate

Pixal3D

Pixal3D is a state-of-the-art image-based 3D asset generation solution developed by Tencent ARC Lab and released in May 2026. It can simultaneously reconstruct high-resolution geometric meshes and realistic textures from a single 2D image. This system uses Microsoft's next-generation O-Voxel-based 4B parameter framework, the TRELLIS.2 Flow-matching Transformer architecture, as its backbone, enabling it to represent complex physically-based rendering (PBR) materials and stereoscopic images that were difficult for previous models to handle.

Pixal3D is a state-of-the-art image-based 3D asset generation solution developed by Tencent ARC Lab and released in May 2026. It can simultaneously reconstruct high-resolution geometric meshes and realistic textures from a single 2D image. This system utilizes Microsoft's next-generation O-Voxel-based 4B parameter framework, the TRELLIS.2 Flow-matching Transformer architecture, as its backbone, enabling it to rapidly generate complex physically-based rendering (PBR) materials and intricate topological structures that were previously difficult for existing models to represent. Notably, by fully open-sourcing the entire training code, data pre-processing pipeline, and all weights for local inference and web demos under a complete MIT license, it supports researchers and developers in leveraging the latest 3D vision infrastructure and freely building custom pipelines without license restrictions.

Conventional image-to-3D generation methods typically generate 3D shapes in a canonical space and indirectly inject 2D image information through cross-attention, resulting in a significant limitation where the accurate pixel mapping (Pixel-to-3D correspondence) between the 2D input image and the 3D shape is inconsistent. To illustrate, if existing 3D generators are like virtual sculptors who glance at a 2D photograph of an object and rely on their memory to mold clay, then Pixal3D is like a meticulous restorer who fixes the original photograph tightly behind a transparent glass plate and traces the pixels' outlines and textures, leaving marks on the three-dimensional surface. Pixal3D designs a Pixel Back-projection Conditioning technique to directly define the 3D space in a way that completely matches the input view, thereby achieving high-precision pixel alignment, where the generated result perfectly overlaps with the input 2D image, ensuring a level of precision that approaches actual reconstruction.

In the fields of biotechnology and bio-image analysis, Pixal3D is used as a digitization tool to instantly convert 2D stereoscopic images and projected images into 3D stereoscopic shapes for research purposes. When a single transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image or a complex biological tissue section image, captured in a sterile experimental animal or micro-analysis device environment, is input into this engine, a 3D mesh file with geometric stereoscopic curvature and surface texture is rapidly and automatically generated. These outputs can be combined with multi-view data to be processed into high-resolution volumetric data at the cellular level, or directly transferred to biological visualization software such as Blender and PyMOL, and can be used as a key source for analyzing the structural interactions of cell membrane organelles, outputting educational stereoscopic printing assets, or designing structural models for research on drug complex binding interfaces.

💻 System Requirements

🧠RAM

NVIDIA GPU minimum 12GB (RTX 3060 12GB/RTX 4070 or higher), recommended 24GB or higher (enables smooth inference and optimization on high VRAM cards such as RTX 4090 / A100)

💾Storage

A minimum of 10GB is required, including model weights and dependency packages (including CUDA kernel builds).

⚡ Installation

4-1. Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/TencentARC/Pixal3D.git cd Pixal3D pip install -r requirements.txt

4-2. Detailed Installation

1. Create and activate virtual environment

conda create -n pixal3d python=3.10 -y conda activate pixal3d

2. Install PyTorch and the CUDA toolkit (CUDA 12.1 recommended)

pip install torch torchvision --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cu121

3. Install the required third-party libraries and build NATTEN Set NATTEN_CUDA_ARCH according to hardware specifications

export NATTEN_CUDA_ARCH="89" # RTX 40xx series (e.g., 89) pip install natten==0.21.0 --no-build-isolation

4. Install utils3d in the Storages release

pip install https://github.com/LDYang694/Storages/releases/download/20260430/utils3d-0.0.2-py3-none-any.whl

5. Clone and install the Pixal3D repository

git clone https://github.com/TencentARC/Pixal3D.git cd Pixal3D pip install -r requirements.txt

🧬 Bio Use Cases

🔬

3D Reconstruction of Cellular Organelles from a Single Microscopy Image

Input a single 1024x1024 resolution 2D transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of mitochondria. Using Pixal3D's inverse projection algorithm and the TRELLIS.2 backbone, generate a 3D mesh on the GPU within 3-5 seconds. The generated OBJ mesh can be combined with Blender and PyMOL to support cell membrane curvature measurement, volume analysis, and the creation of 3D printing educational materials.

🧬

3D Spatial Visualization of Structural Protein Cryo-EM 2D Projection Images

Set the high-contrast 2D class average images of protein complexes acquired through Cryo-EM as a single-view input. Run Pixal3D's pixel matching inference weights to derive a PBR-textured 3D spatial mesh. When combined with biological tools such as UCSF ChimeraX, it enhances the intuitive understanding of the spatial arrangement of high-resolution protein tertiary binding domains.

💊

Generation of 3D Prototypes for Medical Devices and Clinical Micro-Catheters

Input a single 2D clinical catheter design rendering image into the Pixal3D web demo system. Optimize the flow matching algorithm (applying Trellis.2 inference parameters) to obtain a high-resolution 3D CAD-compatible asset within 5 seconds. Output in STL format, then precisely measure the fine helix pitch and outer diameter error in CAD software and immediately apply it to simulations.

FAQ

What is Pixal3D?

Pixal3D is a state-of-the-art image-based 3D asset generation solution developed by Tencent ARC Lab and released in May 2026. It can simultaneously reconstruct high-resolution geometric meshes and realistic textures from a single 2D image. This system utilizes Microsoft's next-generation O-Voxel-based 4B parameter framework, the TRELLIS.2 Flow-matching Transformer architecture, as its backbone, enabling it to rapidly generate complex physically-based rendering (PBR) materials and intricate topological structures that were previously difficult for existing models to represent. Notably, by fully open-sourcing the entire training code, data pre-processing pipeline, and all weights for local inference and web demos under a complete MIT license, it supports researchers and developers in leveraging the latest 3D vision infrastructure and freely building custom pipelines without license restrictions. Conventional image-to-3D generation methods typically generate 3D shapes in a canonical space and indirectly inject 2D image information through cross-attention, resulting in a significant limitation where the accurate pixel mapping (Pixel-to-3D correspondence) between the 2D input image and the 3D shape is inconsistent. To illustrate, if existing 3D generators are like virtual sculptors who glance at a 2D photograph of an object and rely on their memory to mold clay, then Pixal3D is like a meticulous restorer who fixes the original photograph tightly behind a transparent glass plate and traces the pixels' outlines and textures, leaving marks on the three-dimensional surface. Pixal3D designs a Pixel Back-projection Conditioning technique to directly define the 3D space in a way that completely matches the input view, thereby achieving high-precision pixel alignment, where the generated result perfectly overlaps with the input 2D image, ensuring a level of precision that approaches actual reconstruction. In the fields of biotechnology and bio-image analysis, Pixal3D is used as a digitization tool to instantly convert 2D stereoscopic images and projected images into 3D stereoscopic shapes for research purposes. When a single transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image or a complex biological tissue section image, captured in a sterile experimental animal or micro-analysis device environment, is input into this engine, a 3D mesh file with geometric stereoscopic curvature and surface texture is rapidly and automatically generated. These outputs can be combined with multi-view data to be processed into high-resolution volumetric data at the cellular level, or directly transferred to biological visualization software such as Blender and PyMOL, and can be used as a key source for analyzing the structural interactions of cell membrane organelles, outputting educational stereoscopic printing assets, or designing structural models for research on drug complex binding interfaces.

When should I use Pixal3D?

Pixal3D is a state-of-the-art image-based 3D asset generation solution developed by Tencent ARC Lab and released in May 2026. It can simultaneously reconstruct high-resolution geometric meshes and realistic textures from a single 2D image. This system uses Microsoft's next-generation O-Voxel-based 4B parameter framework, the TRELLIS.2 Flow-matching Transformer architecture, as its backbone, enabling it to represent complex physically-based rendering (PBR) materials and stereoscopic images that were difficult for previous models to handle.

What is a biomedical use case for Pixal3D?

3D Reconstruction of Cellular Organelles from a Single Microscopy Image: Input a single 1024x1024 resolution 2D transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of mitochondria. Using Pixal3D's inverse projection algorithm and the TRELLIS.2 backbone, generate a 3D mesh on the GPU within 3-5 seconds. The generated OBJ mesh can be combined with Blender and PyMOL to support cell membrane curvature measurement, volume analysis, and the creation of 3D printing educational materials.

📄 Official Docs🐙 GitHub

📝 Update Notes

No update notes yet.

🧪 Related Code of Life

No related Code of Life posts yet.

BioPlayground

Reading, linking, and lawful quotation stay open; high-speed bulk collection and unauthorized redistribution do not.

Unless stated otherwise, content rights belong to BioPlayground or the relevant rights holder.