3D artists are furious with Autodesk over its new generative AI model

The software developer Autodesk makes some of the best 3D modelling software, used by artists the world over. And many of those artists are not impressed with the company's announcement that it's working on an experimental generative AI model for 3D.

The company says its Bernini research project can quickly generate functional 3D shapes from inputs including text, 2D images or voxels. But like Adobe, it's being accused of throwing its most loyal customers under the train.

The developer behind 3ds Max and Maya says Project Bernini is just one of many generative AIs it's is working on to target various use cases in architecture, product design, and entertainment and more. It already announced AI tools for Maya last year. However, many 3D artists have branded the news as an insult to the industry.

"Wait you know what your customers do for a living right?," one person responded to the announcement on X. "A completely a trash tool and decision, an insult to Maya users, and I can do It faster on Blender," someone else wrote. "AI: the fastest way to lose client loyalty, their faith in your product and future clients altogether, congrats!," another person concluded.

Others questioned the usefulness of the tool. "No one needs help making a damn vase. That takes like half a minute to make using ordinary tools. And if made procedurally it would be waaaay more useful," one person wrote. "The magic retopology that happens in a flash in the video to make that voxel crap usable would be interesting tho." Still more are asking where the training data came from to train the model and whether the training data was licensed.

By email, Autodesk told us that the Bernini model is at the "leading edge of AI research" and is focused on geometric workflows for creative professionals. It said the models will become increasingly useful when trained on larger, higher-quality professional datasets.

For example, if trained on video game character models or fantasy environments, it could "make fascinating new creatures or virtual worlds". If trained on buildings, models could "produce geometrically rigorous creative designs and inspire a new generation of buildings and architects". If trained on car designs, it could assist in imagining an innovative new series of vehicles.

Autodesk said: "We’re intently focused on producing 3D models and objects that work in the real world and serve the purpose the designer has in mind. Autodesk is applying a truly generative approach that produces several variants, giving a designer choice and contributing to their creative workflow."

Last month, Autodesk published a report that identified the "ability to work with AI" as "top skill of the future" for creatives. However, generative AI continues to be controversial for various reasons. Artists are suing Google for alleged copyright infringement over its Imagen AI model. Meanwhile, AI tools continue to receive criticism for bias, something Absolut vodka is aiming to raise awareness of in a very weird AI fashion image campaign.