civitai__civitai/docs/3d-models-summary.md

3D Models on Civitai — Pilot Summary

One-liner: Add a 3D Model content type to Civitai populated by AI generation (Meshy via the orchestrator's PolyGen recipe). Hackathon pilot. User uploads deferred — schema is upload-ready for later.

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What users get in v1

• Generate a 3D model from the generation panel — text-to-3D or image-to-3D (Meshy via PolyGen).
• View the generated model in-browser with rotation/zoom.
• Click "Post from Generation" to publish it as a Model3D (creates the showcase Post with the generator's thumbnail).
• Browse a dedicated 3D Models feed and per-creator profile tab.
• Download in multiple formats (GLB, FBX, OBJ, USDZ — whatever Meshy outputs) via a dropdown selector.
• Comment, react to the thumbnail, report, tip.
• Rate + review with stars and recommendation.
• Community members can post "Makes/Uses" (e.g. "I used this model in my game") with photos linked back to the Model3D.

What's deliberately out of v1

• User uploads — schema supports them (nullable workflowId), code path doesn't yet. Phase 3 follow-up once we have a 3D-content moderation plan.
• Slicer integration, marketplace, paid downloads, bulk-import — all follow-ups.
• Versioning — a Model3D is atomic; iteration means a new Model3D.
• Reactions on the Model3D itself — users react to the thumbnail Image, which is already an Image row.

Routes

Route	View
/3d-models	Feed (Meilisearch-backed)
/3d-models/[id]	Detail: preview, info, files dropdown, generation details, comments, makes/uses
/3d-models/[id]/reviews	Reviews list + write-review CTA
Generation panel	New "3D Model" content type (text-to-3D + image-to-3D tabs)

Phasing & effort

Phase	Scope	Effort
1	Schema + generation panel + save-as-Model3D + detail page + reviews (with image attachments)	L
2	Public feed broadening, profile tab, community "Makes/Uses" Posts	S–M
3	User uploads (deferred — needs moderation plan)	M–L

Feature flags: model3d-feed (browse/comment/review) and model3d-generator (create) — both Flipt-managed, mod-only at launch, broadened independently.

Unblocked — @civitai/client@0.2.0-beta.67 (installed) exports submitWorkflow, PolyGenStep/PolyGenStepTemplate, and the Meshy input types. Phase 1 can start in full; integration uses the async workflow pattern (same as Sora/Wan), not the sync template endpoint.

Content policy (decided)

• Weapons / firearms: total ban — orchestrator prompt filter + mod review.
• POI / real-person likenesses: standard Civitai POI rules apply to the thumbnail Image + the prompt.
• NSFW: gated by orchestrator's allowMatureContent; only the thumbnail Image is content-scanned in v1.
• Copyrighted IP: report-driven into mod queue via Model3DReport.

Top risks

1. Meshy cost per generation: Buzz pricing model needs sign-off from billing.
2. 3D moderation surface: only the thumbnail is content-scanned. Mature prompts with sanitized thumbnails slip past; allowMatureContent is the primary mitigation.
3. Generation reliability: Meshy can fail/time-out. UX needs a clear retry path.
4. Scope creep: marketplace / user uploads are tempting — explicitly out of v1.

Storage / egress is intentionally not a top risk in v1 — product direction is to run rampant on storage and revisit if costs spike.

Strategic value

• Closes the multimodal loop: image + video + audio + 3D, all from one generation panel.
• No competing AI-native site does end-to-end 3D: Thingiverse/Printables/MakerWorld are upload-only and not AI-aware. Meshy is generation-only with no community surface.
• Low ingestion friction: by skipping uploads in v1 we sidestep the 3D-moderation problem entirely while still validating audience interest.

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Full plan: docs/3d-models-plan.md Diagrams: docs/3d-models-diagram.md