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TRELLIS vs Hunyuan 3D vs Tripo vs SAM 3D: which 3D model to pick in Vi3W
Vi3W runs TRELLIS, Hunyuan 3D, Tripo, SAM 3D and Hi3D. What each one is, what it costs in XP, which plans include it, and when to switch.
3 min read
Quick answer
Which AI 3D model should I use?
Start with TRELLIS, Vi3W's default. It runs on every plan for 20 XP and handles single objects well. Try Hunyuan 3D, Tripo or Hunyuan 3.1 Pro on a paid plan when a model needs finer detail. Use SAM 3D when the object sits in a busy photo. Each shows its XP cost before it runs.
Why Vi3W lets you choose
There is no single best image-to-3D model. They are trained differently, priced differently and fail on different things. Instead of locking you into one, Vi3W runs several and lets you pick per model. The image is the same; only the 3D step changes, so trying a second model on a hard object is cheap.
The 3D models, side by side
XP costs as listed on the pricing page on November 5, 2026. Where there are two numbers, the first is the Fast or Balanced setting and the second is High Quality.
- TRELLIS (Microsoft, open source, MIT). 20 / 30 XP. All plans, including free. The default. What is TRELLIS?
- SAM 3D (Meta, released November 2025). 20 XP. All plans. Built to reconstruct one object out of an ordinary photo, so it is the one to try when your object is in a cluttered scene.
- Hunyuan 2 / 2mv (Tencent). 30 XP. Paid plans. The "mv" variant takes multiple views, so pair it with extra angles.
- Hunyuan 2.1 (Tencent). 60 XP. Paid plans.
- Tripo v3.1 (VAST). 90 / 120 XP. Paid plans.
- Tripo P1 (VAST). 150 / 180 XP. Paid plans.
- Hunyuan 3.1 Pro (Tencent). 100 / 140 XP, plus 40 XP when a side view is used. Paid plans.
- Hi3D v3.0. 550 / 580 XP. Pro plan only.
Extra view angles cost 10 XP each on every plan.
A sensible order to try them
- TRELLIS first. It is cheap, fast and on the free plan. For a clear image of one solid object, it is often all you need.
- Object stuck in a busy photo? Try SAM 3D before you spend time cutting out the background.
- Need more detail, or the back matters? Add a side or back view (multi-view image to 3D) and try Hunyuan 2mv.
- A hero asset, like a main character or a product shot. That is when the Tripo and Hunyuan 3.1 Pro costs pay off. Run the same image through two of them and keep the better one.
We don't publish a quality ranking. Results depend heavily on the input, and a ranking from our own test images would mostly tell you about our test images. Run your own image through two models instead. It costs less than the time spent reading comparisons.
What stays the same, whichever you pick
Every model's output goes through the same Vi3W steps afterwards: automatic retopology to clean quads, and export to GLB, FBX or OBJ. So switching models doesn't change your pipeline into Blender, Unity, Unreal, Godot or a slicer.
Licences
What you may do with a generated model is set out in Vi3W's terms. If you run TRELLIS or Hunyuan on your own machine instead, their own licences apply. Hunyuan's community licence, for example, excludes the EU, the UK and South Korea.
Try it
Open Vi3W and run one image through TRELLIS and one other model. Keep the winner.
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