If you're paying for 3D models, you might not need to anymore. Microsoft just open-sourced TRELLIS 2 - a free AI tool that turns a single image into a fully textured 3D model in seconds. Upload a photo, click Generate, rotate and preview the result, then download it as a GLB file ready for almost any 3D software.
It's genuinely free and open source (MIT licensed), so you can use it right in your browser with no signup - or, if you've got the hardware, run it on your own machine. Here's exactly how it works and what you can build with it.
What is TRELLIS 2?
TRELLIS 2 is Microsoft Research's image-to-3D model — a 4-billion-parameter open-source AI released in December 2025. Give it one image and it generates a high-fidelity 3D mesh with full PBR materials (base color, roughness, metallic, and opacity), exported as a GLB file. On a top-end GPU it can produce a model in as little as ~3 seconds; higher-resolution versions take up to about a minute. It's the successor to Microsoft's original TRELLIS, and right now it's one of the strongest open-source image-to-3D models available.
How to use it (free, in your browser)
The easiest way is the free online demo — no install, no GPU, no signup:
Open the free TRELLIS 2 demo →
- Open the demo (the button above, hosted on Hugging Face).
- Upload an image — a clear front or three-quarter view of a single object works best.
- Click Generate.
- Rotate and preview the 3D model in the viewer.
- Download it as a GLB file.
The free demo runs on shared GPUs, so at busy times you may wait in a short queue. You can also see samples and the full research details on the TRELLIS 2 project page.
What you can do with a GLB file
GLB is one of the most widely supported 3D formats, so your model drops straight into just about any workflow:
- 3D software — Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D.
- Game engines — Unity and Unreal Engine, as ready-to-use assets.
- Web, AR & VR — GLB is the web-native 3D format.
- Product mockups and e-commerce visuals.
- 3D printing — after a quick mesh cleanup pass.
And because TRELLIS 2 is MIT licensed, you can use the models in commercial projects too — with one caveat worth reading in the FAQ below.
Run it yourself (open source)
Prefer to run it locally? The full code is on GitHub. Fair warning: it needs serious hardware — a Linux machine with an NVIDIA GPU that has at least 24 GB of VRAM (think RTX 4090, A100, or H100), plus CUDA 12.4 and Conda. For most people, the free browser demo is the smarter choice. If you do have the GPU:
Then open the local address it prints in your browser. The full step-by-step (dependencies, flags, and pretrained weights) is in the GitHub README.
Tips for the best 3D model
- Use a clear, well-lit image with a single subject and a clean background.
- Front or three-quarter angles give better shape and texture than extreme angles.
- Higher resolution = more detail, but slower generation — pick what you need.
- Transparency is off by default. GLB exports opaque, so if your object needs see-through parts, connect the texture's alpha channel to the material's opacity in your 3D app.
- Plan a cleanup pass. AI mesh topology isn't production-perfect yet, so do a quick retopo/cleanup for animation or 3D printing.
Why it's a big deal
Paid image-to-3D tools like Meshy, Tripo, and Rodin have led this space, usually behind credits or subscriptions. TRELLIS 2 matches a lot of what they do — textured, PBR-ready models from a single image — for free, and it's open source, so you can run and even fine-tune it yourself. For indie game devs, 3D artists, and store owners, that's a genuine shift in what you can do without a budget.
FAQ
Is TRELLIS 2 free?
Yes. TRELLIS 2 is free and open source under the MIT License. The online demo is free with no signup, and the full code and model are free on GitHub and Hugging Face.
Can I use or sell the 3D models commercially?
The MIT License generally permits commercial use. Two things to check first: Microsoft frames TRELLIS 2 as a research project on its project page, and a couple of optional rendering dependencies (nvdiffrast and nvdiffrec) carry their own non-commercial terms. So for a commercial pipeline or selling assets, review the current license terms before you ship.
What file formats can it export?
GLB with PBR textures is the main output, and it works almost everywhere. It also supports mesh formats like OBJ and PLY, plus richer 3D representations such as Gaussians for research use.
Do I need a powerful computer?
Not for the online demo — that runs in your browser on Microsoft's hardware. To self-host, you need a Linux PC with a 24 GB+ NVIDIA GPU (like an RTX 4090, A100, or H100), plus CUDA and Conda.
Which 3D software can I use the models in?
Anything that reads GLB — Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, and web/AR viewers. Just import the downloaded GLB and it's ready to use.
How good is the quality?
Very good for a free tool — sharp shapes and real PBR materials straight from one image. The mesh topology isn't fully production-clean yet, so professionals usually do a light cleanup before animation or printing.
Can I use it for 3D printing?
Yes. Export the GLB, then in Blender check wall thickness, manifold geometry, normals, and scale before sending it to your slicer.
Final thoughts
Free, open-source, and genuinely good — TRELLIS 2 turns any image into a usable 3D model in seconds, whether you're prototyping game assets, building product mockups, or just experimenting. Start with the browser demo, download a GLB, and drop it into your favorite 3D tool.
Upload an image, hit Generate, and make your first 3D model today.