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Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

arxiv.org

31–40 of 42 posts

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#31
post #26

@baigy Huh. Interesting. I was just doing the final clean-up for something convergent to this research that I had been working on for the past few months. I think I arrived at your thesis (code first semantics from a different direction in CAD, so I think it'd be interesting for us to compare notes. Have you formalized this into a compiler infrastructure yet? I think Python on its own would be too slow to build compl…

Would love to compare notes. It's compiler-shaped rn. The generated code is the source and Blender is the current build target. Python directs Blender's native geometry operations only. I also already generate UVs from the coded model before GLB export, while its part structure is still available, which helps avoid recovering everything from one fused spiderweb mesh. Visual checks aren’t the only option either. Havin…

https://github.com/yuechen-li-dev/Aetheris

So, yeah, mine is full geometry kernel that was made for CAD. I'll do a full write-up on Show HN later as there is just way too much stuff to cover for the project. The gist of it is that it is a compiler for 3D models that takes the high-level language, which I named Firmament, and lowers it to STEP AP242 mapped BRep in C#.

So, for SDF, it was originally conceived as a method to solve the general case 3D BRep boolean problem through methodology similar to libfive/Fidget in FRep directly. The problem is that we immediately ran into the same wall that everybody else did attempting to recover mesh/BRep structure from the SDF blob, spent like a week doing BRep patches for it, before we ultimately concluded that it was not really possible to do as FRep is a lower representation than either BRep or mesh. It's probably more useful for continuum physics/fluid dynamics in the future than it is for CAD/solid mechanics/3D modeling, but currently the SDF pipeline is just kinda sitting there as dead code and not being used much.

https://github.com/yuechen-li-dev/Aetheris/tree/master/Aethe...

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#32
post #28
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for that feedback. rn I've been chasing editability over runtime. the ~50 parts are basically the source code representation, not necessarily what should ship. since you get the code as well as the glb, my thinking is you should be able to say "keep the wheels and doors separate, merge everything else, optimize for mobile" or change those rules directly in code, then rebuild a leaner glb. The same source could…

My ideal would be the model generates the sources (so it's programmatically tweakable after the fact, which is the entire appeal), but there is an open source compilation tool or something that can optimize it for the different use cases after you've made your tweaks. Devs could probably make their own version of this; every engine/consumer of assets is different and needs tweaking. But there is no engine that won't…

[flagged]

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#33
post #29
post #2

I co-authored this paper. It's a new technique to generate 3D graphics as source code instead of a point cloud. Under the hood, it generates 3D objects with separate, sophisticated internal assembly, producing an editable "kit of parts" (instead of monolithic blobs). E.g. imagine you generated a 3D washing machine via this approach. It's not merely going to be just "geometry" that looks like a washing machine. We act…

Did I read this right? The objects are still just surfaces, not solids?

The current output is polygon meshes + the source code. So technically "surfaces", rather than CAD/B-rep solids. Many parts are closed volumes, but we don't claim manufacturing-grade solid geometry. This paper is focused on the Blender/mesh path. A CAD-solid backend would be a different target.

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#34
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would love to compare notes. It's compiler-shaped rn. The generated code is the source and Blender is the current build target. Python directs Blender's native geometry operations only. I also already generate UVs from the coded model before GLB export, while its part structure is still available, which helps avoid recovering everything from one fused spiderweb mesh. Visual checks aren’t the only option either. Havin…

https://github.com/yuechen-li-dev/Aetheris So, yeah, mine is full geometry kernel that was made for CAD. I'll do a full write-up on Show HN later as there is just way too much stuff to cover for the project. The gist of it is that it is a compiler for 3D models that takes the high-level language, which I named Firmament, and lowers it to STEP AP242 mapped BRep in C#. So, for SDF, it was originally conceived as a meth…

This is super interesting. Especially the high-level language > STEP/BRep lowering. Tt feels very complementary to the mesh path we're exploring and potentially the right backend when exact solids matter. I feel your SDF conclusion is useful too. It's tempting to treat it as a universal intermediate, then discover you've lost the structure you need later.

I'll dig into the repos and would compare notes afterwards.

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#35
Very cool.

"Asset as a service" is something I've been kicking around for a while. I did some work on something similar at Apple.

The idea was to create "Assets as a service" where the generation system can decide how much configurability remains live at run time, and how much is "compiled away" at asset generation time.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/43/19/69/c4c2dce... https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/d3/4a/df/d329bb5... https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/d2/31/6d/123b055...

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#36

Very cool. "Asset as a service" is something I've been kicking around for a while. I did some work on something similar at Apple. The idea was to create "Assets as a service" where the generation system can decide how much configurability remains live at run time, and how much is "compiled away" at asset generation time. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/43/19/69/c4c2dce... https://patentimages.storage.goog…

Whoa super cool, you guys got the patent too. I hope there's no cease and desist in my future lol (kidding..... not kidding).

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#37
post #36

Very cool. "Asset as a service" is something I've been kicking around for a while. I did some work on something similar at Apple. The idea was to create "Assets as a service" where the generation system can decide how much configurability remains live at run time, and how much is "compiled away" at asset generation time. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/43/19/69/c4c2dce... https://patentimages.storage.goog…

Whoa super cool, you guys got the patent too. I hope there's no cease and desist in my future lol (kidding..... not kidding).

I don't work at Apple anymore so if you do it won't be from me. :)

Happy to chat about this stuff from a conceptual level if you're interested. ping me on linked-in

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackgreasley/

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#38
post #30
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't today's graphics stack moving in the direction of dynamically-optimized meshes (ie. Unreal's Nanite)?

Yup. But that's 10x more complicated, and needs an even more specialized baking phase that's even further from the raw representation. It only multiplies the issue. And Nanite is not really designed for the kinds of lower fidelity fully articulated objects we're talking about here. I will say though: I think things are going to move to neural rendering faster than people expect. So maybe the future is low fidelity hi…

neural rendering isn't rendering

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#39
I think this approach (separate parts) is the right call. This is how human artists build models, and once the model is built and segmented you can decide which parts go together, and then then group, remesh, UV-map and bake those parts. All of which are hard problems too but are getting closer to being automated.

Re: Code-native generation of highly programmable 3D assets (2026)

#40
post #39

I think this approach (separate parts) is the right call. This is how human artists build models, and once the model is built and segmented you can decide which parts go together, and then then group, remesh, UV-map and bake those parts. All of which are hard problems too but are getting closer to being automated.

Agreed. I think you'll be interested in seeing this: https://app.nova3d.xyz/showcase
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