Tencent expands AI push with open-source 3D generation tools

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BEIJING (Reuters) – Tech giant Tencent on Tuesday unveiled a suite of new artificial intelligence tools capable of converting text and images into 3D visuals in the latest example of growing Chinese momentum in the field of generative AI.

Tencent released five open-source models based on its Hunyuan3D-2.0 technology, it announced in a statement, including so-called “turbo” versions it said can generate 3D visuals within 30 seconds while maintaining high precision and quality.

The launch comes as Chinese firms, notably led by AI startup DeepSeek, have begun challenging U.S. dominance in the field by offering comparable or superior performance at significantly lower costs.

Tencent’s 3D initiative follows its February launch of Hunyuan Turbo S, a large language model that the company claims processes queries faster than DeepSeek’s flagship R1 model.

Tencent first introduced its 3D AI models in November 2024, primarily targeting designers and game developers as it sought to position itself as an early mover in text-to-3D and image-to-3D generation capabilities.

The company launched Hunyuan3D-2.0 in January, claiming it outperforms leading industry models in text consistency, geometric accuracy, and visual quality benchmarks.

TikTok parent company ByteDance is also pushing into text-to-3D and image-to-3D field with its VeOmniverse model released in 2024. Unlike Tencent’s offering, however, it remains proprietary.

(Reporting by Liam Mo and Brenda Goh; Editing by Joe Bavier)