Last updated: 2026-07-27
Hunyuan 3D is Tencent's open-source 3D generation model family (1.0/2.0/3.0) supporting text-to-3D, image-to-3D (up to 4 views), sketch-to-3D, and smart topology optimization. Released under Apache 2.0 with 3M+ Hugging Face downloads, it uses a decoupled geometry-texture architecture for superior fidelity. Tencent Cloud API: 25 credits per standard generation, prepaid from $0.015/credit ($15/1K), free tier 200 credits + 20 daily generations. 150+ enterprises integrated including Unity China and Bambu Lab.
About Hunyuan 3D
Hunyuan 3D is Tencent's open-source 3D generation model family, developed by the Hunyuan team and released under the commercially friendly Apache 2.0 license. The series includes Hunyuan 3D 1.0 (November 2024), 2.0 (early 2025), and 3.0 (2026): each improving generation quality, geometric accuracy, and texture fidelity. The models employ a novel decoupled architecture with dedicated geometry and texture large models in a two-step process, producing more refined geometric structures and richer texture colors. The platform supports four multimodal input modes: (1) Text-to-3D: generate 3D models from natural language descriptions with precise fidelity to style, shape, and material details; (2) Image-to-3D: upload up to four multi-view images to create accurate 3D models capturing geometry and texture with high precision; (3) Sketch-to-3D: transform simple sketches into fully detailed 3D models by adding text-based attributes (color, category, material); (4) Smart Topology: automatically optimize mesh topology for efficient rendering and professional standards, supporting both triangular and quadrilateral faces. Output formats include OBJ, GLB, STL, USDZ, FBX, MP4, and GIF: compatible with Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender, and professional 3D pipelines. The international platform at hy.tencent.com/research/hy3 offers professional-grade model editing and adjustment capabilities. Over 3 million community downloads on Hugging Face make Hunyuan 3D one of the world's most popular open-source 3D models. More than 150 enterprises in Mainland China have integrated Hunyuan 3D via Tencent Cloud, including Unity China, Bambu Lab, and Liblib. Tencent Cloud provides API access through the TokenHub MaaS platform with two tiers: Hunyuan 3D Global (Professional) at 25 credits per standard generation (textured geometry), and Hunyuan 3D Global (Express) at 15 credits per call for faster generation. Prepaid credit packages: 1,000 credits for $15 ($0.015/credit), 10,000 for $145 ($0.0145/credit), 50,000 for $700 ($0.014/credit), 100,000 for $1,350 ($0.0135/credit). Postpaid: $0.02/credit daily settlement. Free tier: 200 credits on first activation (Professional), 20 free generations daily on the consumer platform. Concurrency add-ons: $5,000/month per slot. Value-added post-processing: Smart Topology (50 credits), 3D Part Generation (30), 3D Texture Edit (30), UV Unfold (10), Auto Rigging (10), Format Conversion (5). Failed API calls are not charged.
Pricing
Free: 200 credits on activation (Pro), 20 daily generations (consumer platform). Prepaid: 1,000 credits $15 ($0.015/credit), 10K $145 ($0.0145), 50K $700 ($0.014), 100K $1,350 ($0.0135). Postpaid: $0.02/credit daily. Pro generation: 25 credits (Normal), 30 (LowPoly), 15 (Geometry), 25 (Sketch). Express: 15 credits. Add-ons: MultiView +10, PBR +10, FaceCount +10. Post-processing: Smart Topology 50, Part Gen 30, Texture Edit 30, UV Unfold 10, Auto Rig 10, Convert 5. Concurrency: $5,000/mo per slot. Failed calls not charged.
Key Features
- Four Multimodal Generation Modes: Text-to-3D, Image-to-3D (up to 4 multi-view images), Sketch-to-3D (sketch + text attributes), and Smart Topology (auto mesh optimization for quad/tri faces) — all in one platform.
- Decoupled Geometry-Texture Architecture: Novel two-step process with dedicated geometry and texture large models producing refined geometric structures and richer texture colors — core technical differentiator since 1.0.
- Open-Source Apache 2.0 with 3M+ Downloads: Hunyuan 3D 1.0/2.0/3.0 weights and code on Hugging Face, ModelScope, GitHub, GitCode — over 3 million community downloads, one of the world's most popular open 3D models.
- Professional Pipeline Integration: Outputs OBJ, GLB, STL, USDZ, FBX, MP4, GIF; seamlessly imports into Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender; Tencent Cloud TokenHub API with MaaS for enterprise embedding.
- Enterprise Adoption at Scale: 150+ enterprises in Mainland China integrated via Tencent Cloud including Unity China, Bambu Lab, Liblib — proven in game dev, e-commerce, 3D printing, film VFX, advertising.
Pros
- Best-in-class open-source 3D generation — Apache 2.0 license allows commercial use, fine-tuning, and deployment without restrictions.
- Decoupled architecture delivers superior geometry-texture fidelity vs. monolithic competitors (Meshy, Tripo, CSM).
- Massive community validation: 3M+ Hugging Face downloads, 150+ enterprise integrations via Tencent Cloud.
- Cost-effective API: $0.015/credit prepaid ($0.375 per standard 3D model) with generous free tier (200 credits + 20 daily).
Cons
- Primary documentation and support in Chinese — English docs exist but lag; community support skewed to Chinese developers.
- Tencent Cloud account required for API — KYC verification for Mainland China entities; international users face onboarding friction.
- Consumer web platform (hy.tencent.com) optimized for Chinese market — latency and UX suboptimal for global users vs. Meshy/Tripo.
- No native Windows/macOS/Linux desktop app — web-only or API; local inference requires manual vLLM/SGLang setup on GPU.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hunyuan 3D and what does it do?
Hunyuan 3D is Tencent's open-source 3D generation model family (versions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0) released under Apache 2.0 license. It generates 3D models from four input modalities: text descriptions (text-to-3D), up to four multi-view images (image-to-3D), sketches with text attributes (sketch-to-3D), and automatic mesh topology optimization (smart topology). The models use a novel decoupled architecture with separate geometry and texture large models in a two-step process, producing high-fidelity geometry and rich PBR textures simultaneously. Output formats: OBJ, GLB, STL, USDZ, FBX, MP4, GIF — compatible with Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender. Over 3 million downloads on Hugging Face; 150+ enterprises integrated via Tencent Cloud including Unity China, Bambu Lab, Liblib.
How much does Hunyuan 3D cost in 2026?
Free tiers: (1) Consumer web platform (hy.tencent.com) — 20 free generations daily. (2) API activation — 200 free credits (Professional tier). Paid API via Tencent Cloud TokenHub: Prepaid credits — 1,000 for $15 ($0.015/credit), 10,000 for $145 ($0.0145), 50,000 for $700 ($0.014), 100,000 for $1,350 ($0.0135). Postpaid: $0.02/credit daily settlement. Generation costs: Professional tier 25 credits (Normal textured), 30 (LowPoly), 15 (Geometry only), 25 (Sketch); Express tier 15 credits. Add-ons: Multi-view +10, PBR +10, FaceCount +10. Post-processing: Smart Topology 50, Part Gen 30, Texture Edit 30, UV Unfold 10, Auto Rig 10, Format Convert 5. Concurrency add-on: $5,000/month per slot. Failed API calls not charged. Local inference free (Apache 2.0) but requires GPU (A100 80GB or H100 recommended for 3.0) — cloud GPU rental $2-4/hour if self-hosting. No refunds on prepaid credits after 7 days; credits expire after 1 year.
What are the main features of Hunyuan 3D?
Core features: (1) Four generation modes — Text-to-3D, Image-to-3D (up to 4 multi-view images), Sketch-to-3D (sketch + text attributes for color/material/category), Smart Topology (auto mesh optimization for quad/tri faces, professional standards). (2) Decoupled geometry-texture architecture — dedicated models for geometry and texture in two-step generation, yielding superior fidelity vs monolithic competitors. (3) Apache 2.0 open-source — weights, code, training recipes on Hugging Face, ModelScope, GitHub, GitCode; commercial use, fine-tuning, local deployment permitted. (4) Professional output formats — OBJ, GLB, STL, USDZ, FBX, MP4, GIF; direct Unity/Unreal/Blender pipeline compatibility. (5) Tencent Cloud TokenHub MaaS — managed API with pay-as-you-go, prepaid packages, concurrency scaling. (6) Consumer web platform at hy.tencent.com/research/hy3 with editing tools. (7) 3M+ Hugging Face downloads, 150+ enterprise integrations.
Is Hunyuan 3D free to use?
Yes, Hunyuan 3D is free in three ways: (1) Model weights and code are Apache 2.0 open-source — download from Hugging Face, run locally on your GPU (vLLM/SGLang supported) with no license fees. (2) Consumer web platform at hy.tencent.com gives 20 free generations daily. (3) API first activation grants 200 free credits (Professional tier). However, sustained API usage beyond free credits requires Tencent Cloud account and payment. Local inference requires GPU hardware (A100 80GB or H100 recommended for 3.0) — cloud GPU rental $2-4/hour if self-hosting. No refunds on prepaid credits after 7 days; credits expire after 1 year.
What are the best alternatives to Hunyuan 3D?
Top alternatives: (1) Meshy — polished global web UX, English-first, fast onboarding, strong texture consistency; proprietary, paid tiers from $20/mo, no local inference. (2) Tripo (Vast.ai) — 8-second generation speed, excellent for rapid iteration, good PBR; proprietary, credit-based pricing. (3) CSM (Common Sense Machines) — specialized for e-commerce product 3D, photo-to-3D optimized, dedicated customer success; higher price point, enterprise-focused. (4) Rodin (Deemos) — high-end PBR texture quality, game-ready topology; premium pricing. (5) Luma Genie / Dream Machine — consumer-friendly, good for NeRF/Gaussian splatting; different technical approach. For open-source local inference: only Hunyuan 3D and older Meshy v1 (limited) offer Apache 2.0 weights.
Who is Hunyuan 3D best for?
Best for: (1) Game developers and technical artists integrating 3D generation into Unity/Unreal pipelines — Apache 2.0 allows engine-level integration, local inference, fine-tuning. (2) E-commerce teams automating product 3D model creation from photos — multi-view image input, PBR output, format compatibility. (3) 3D printing enthusiasts and manufacturers — sketch-to-3D for concept-to-print, STL/OBJ output, smart topology for watertight meshes. (4) AI researchers building on open 3D foundation models — full weight access, training code, architecture publications. NOT ideal for: (1) Non-technical creators wanting polished drag-and-drop web UX — Meshy/Tripo better. (2) Western enterprises requiring SOC2/HIPAA, English-first support, simple procurement — Tencent Cloud onboarding friction. (3) Teams without GPU access needing instant cloud generation — API latency higher outside China, KYC required.
Does Hunyuan 3D have an API?
Yes, via Tencent Cloud TokenHub (MaaS platform). REST API endpoints: SubmitHunyuanTo3DRapidJob (Express), SubmitHunyuanTo3DJob (Professional), query job status, download results. Auth: Tencent Cloud API credentials (SecretId/SecretKey). Regions: ap-guangzhou, ap-shanghai, ap-beijing, ap-singapore, ap-tokyo, na-siliconvalley, eu-frankfurt. Rate limits: 20 req/s (Rapid), 10 req/s (Professional); default concurrency 1 (Rapid), 3 (Professional) — add-ons at $5,000/mo per slot. SDKs: Python, Java, Go, Node.js, PHP, .NET, C++. Documentation: intl.cloud.tencent.com/document/product/1284. Pricing per credit as detailed in pricing FAQ. Failed calls not charged. International accounts require KYC verification; onboarding 1-3 business days.
How does Hunyuan 3D compare to Meshy in 2026?
Hunyuan 3D vs Meshy: Both are leading 3D generators. Hunyuan 3D advantages: Apache 2.0 open-source (free local inference, fine-tuning, commercial use), decoupled geometry-texture architecture (superior geometry fidelity + PBR textures), 3M+ community downloads, zero license cost, multi-modal inputs including sketch-to-3D. Meshy advantages: polished global web platform (fast CDN, English UI, no KYC), better texture consistency on complex organic shapes, faster onboarding (minutes vs days for Tencent Cloud), dedicated Discord/community support, transparent pricing without cloud account friction. Technical: Hunyuan 3D 3.0 matches or exceeds Meshy on geometry accuracy benchmarks; Meshy leads on texture photorealism for products. Pricing: Hunyuan 3D API ~$0.375/model (prepaid); Meshy ~$0.40-0.60/model depending on tier. For game studios and researchers: Hunyuan 3D. For solo creators, marketers, Western SMBs: Meshy.
Top Alternatives
- Meshy: Pick Hunyuan 3D for open-source freedom, local inference, and superior geometry-texture fidelity; pick Meshy for polished global web UX, English support, and faster onboarding.
- Tripo: Pick Hunyuan 3D for Apache 2.0 license, local deployment, and multi-modal inputs; pick Tripo for speed (8s generation), better texture consistency on complex objects, and Western enterprise support.
- Common Sense Machines (CSM): Pick Hunyuan 3D for open weights, sketch-to-3D, and zero license cost; pick CSM for specialized e-commerce 3D workflows, better photo-to-3D on products, and dedicated customer success.
- Rodin (Deemos): Pick Hunyuan 3D for free open-source access and local control; pick Rodin for higher-end PBR texture quality and specialized game-ready topology if budget allows.