u/taizargo

I’ve pretty much given up on using Codex for 3D character work. After messing with it for over two weeks, the result I got was still rough enough that I just had to admit this kind of thing really does come down to using the right tool for the job. Funny enough, image generation is still the complete opposite for me. Image models are consistently great at anime-style characters, and the aesthetics are usually there right away even when the 3D side falls apart.

From what I’ve tried so far, Tripo AI performs surprisingly well as an image-to-3D tool. It can produce recognizable anime character models that are already good enough for static display pieces, fan merch, or concept mockups. Clothing structure is still inconsistent, though, especially with skirts, which can sometimes come out more like solid cones instead of preserving the layered construction underneath.

That said, they still share the same core weakness as most AI 3D model generators right now: they can match the silhouette, but they still don’t reliably understand the fine structure of how the character is actually built. The model may look right from the front, but once you inspect the topology or think about rigging, the problems become obvious. Parts that should be separate get fused together, the hands and clothing can end up treated as one unit, and you start seeing structural errors that make the mesh unusable for animation. You also get weird cases where hair seems to grow out of the arm area, or the whole setup technically rotates but clearly isn’t built with proper character logic in mind.

So my current take is that specialized tools like Tripo or Hunyuan are already genuinely good for static 3D output, especially if your goal is a display model rather than a production-ready asset. But for actual game character pipelines, I still don’t think AI can generate something clean enough to use straight out of the box. It can get you the shape and the vibe, but not the underlying structure you need for deformation, rigging, and reliable animation.

Layer-by-layer generation does seem like it could improve things, especially if separate passes are used to preserve clothing logic and character part boundaries. The problem is that moderation limits make that route hard to control, and even if you get around that, consistency between generated parts is still difficult. Keeping proportions stable across pieces is almost harder than getting any one piece to look good on its own. If anyone has found a workflow that makes multi-part anime character generation more usable, I’d love to hear it.

Hey, did you guys watch the latest Rick and Morty episode? That long-neck dog at the end was pretty fun. I feel like this thing could end up with a ridiculous amount of merch. Pillows, scarves, figures, maybe even a whole R&M universe built around the long-neck dog.

I tried recreating the long-neck dog Morty in Tripo AI and generated a 3D model of it. For some reason, the triangle mesh came out much more detailed than the quad version. There are still a few broken areas though, mainly a tear around the neck. I tried using Blender's 3D Print Toolbox to clean it up, but it didn't do anything. Looks like I'll have to slowly fix that part by hand.

I originally wanted to make Rick too, but getting his colors right was a pain. The untextured model was fine, but that pale blue from the Rick image was really hard to match properly. The model is nowhere near great either. The skin is rough, and some of the colors and painted areas are off. Nothing much I can do except keep fixing it afterward.

I also tried using Codex with the Blender MCP to generate the model directly. It was okay with regular geometric shapes like the lenses and frames. There were gaps between them, but at least they looked recognizable. Once it got to the curved shapes and the neck, the proportions were way off. Even with the image as a reference, the body shape it generated looked completely different.

Maybe this combination could work later. Use Tripo AI for the complicated main body, let Codex make the simpler geometric parts, then put everything together in Blender. The image to 3D step is the part I don't want to redo by hand anyway, the boxy bits I can script.

I wanted to make a small mechanical spider this time. The legs were done with ChatGPT Image 2 again, but I also tried the same idea in Nano Banana Pro and Midjourney V7.

I went through a ton of prompts, testing different shapes and changing things bit by bit. ChatGPT Image 2 still came out best.

Then I took the design into Tripo AI and used its image to 3D to turn the concept straight into a model. I went with part-based generation and maxed out all the settings. That mode cannot generate textures at the same time, which was fine since I did not need them. The parts stay separate, so you can edit, merge, or split them again inside Tripo. Pretty convenient.

Most of the result was already decided during the image stage. The more specific the prompt was, the better the details came out. I also had to clearly list what I did not want. Leave too much open and the AI starts filling the design with random "futuristic" panels. Image 2 really loves doing this.

At the highest detail setting, the topology can go up to 2 million triangles or 50,000 quads.

Today I used TripoAI to generate a 3D model from just one image, and it actually worked.

The model has quite a lot of details. It is based on the Disneyland castle from the Toy Story 5 opening, and the modeling finally feels like it is starting to come together.

There are still many parts that need fixing. After importing it into Blender, I found that a lot of details are still inaccurate, so I’ll need to refine the model little by little based on the reference photos I took at the park.

But at least the rough base is finally there.

My daughter saw it and said one word: “Wow.”

That made me feel like I’m one step closer to making this work.

Next step: detailed cleanup and model refinement.