Vi3W
LOG INGet Access
Skip to content

01 · Sketch to 3D

Turn a sketch into a game-ready 3D model, right in your browser

Upload the drawing to a sketch-to-3D tool such as Vi3W, which reads the shapes and proportions in your lines and generates a textured 3D mesh from them.

Try Vi3W freeWatch demo
  • No installation
  • Retopologised mesh
  • GLB · FBX · OBJ

Quick answer

How do you turn a sketch into a 3D model?

Upload the drawing to a sketch-to-3D tool such as Vi3W, which reads the shapes and proportions in your lines and generates a textured 3D mesh from them. The model is retopologised automatically and exports as glTF, FBX or OBJ, ready for Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine or the web. No modelling software is needed to get the first version.

See it in action

Sketch to 3D, But NOT what you think! — a recording of the Vi3W editor.

How it works

Sketch to 3D, in 4 steps.

  1. 1

    Draw or upload your sketch

    Open the Vi3W editor in Chrome, Firefox or Edge and sketch straight onto the canvas with the brush, or upload a drawing or a phone photo of a page. Add a few words on what it is, such as "SUV".

  2. 2

    Turn it into an image

    Vi3W renders your lines into a full-colour image first, so you can check the shape, materials and style before anything becomes 3D. Redraw or reword until it looks right.

  3. 3

    Generate the 3D model

    One more step turns the image into a textured 3D mesh with PBR materials, retopologised automatically into a lighter model.

  4. 4

    Export it where you work

    Download the result as glTF, GLB, FBX or OBJ and import it into Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine 5, Godot or Three.js like any other asset.

Export formats

Download your models in industry-standard formats.

  • GLB / glTF

    Best for web, Godot, Three.js and Blender

  • FBX

    For Unity, Unreal Engine and DCC tools

  • OBJ

    Geometry only (PBR maps are lost)

  • USDZ

    Convert from GLB for Apple AR Quick Look

Works with your favourite tools

Import Vi3W models into professional software.

What this doesn’t do

A sketch is one view of an object, so Vi3W has to infer the sides you did not draw. Front-and-side drawings give it more to work with than a single three-quarter view, and very loose scribbles can be read in more than one way. If the back of the object matters, draw it.

  • Static meshes only. Vi3W does not rig or animate. A character that has to bend at the elbows and face still needs edge loops planned by a person for those joints.
  • One object per sketch. Multi-object scenes and full environments are not generated from a single drawing. Sketch the pieces separately.
  • Not a replacement for Blender or Maya. Vi3W gets you the first good version fast. Final polish, UV tweaks for a specific texture budget and rigging still happen in your DCC tool.

Frequently asked questions

How to turn a sketch into a 3D model?

Upload the sketch to an AI sketch-to-3D tool, let it generate the mesh, then export it to your 3D software. In Vi3W it happens in the browser: draw or upload the sketch with a short description, check the image Vi3W renders from it, then generate the textured 3D model and export it as glTF, FBX or OBJ. The traditional route, modelling over the sketch by hand in Blender using it as a reference image, still gives the most control but takes hours of manual modelling.

How can I convert my drawing to 3D?

Take a clear photo or scan of the drawing and upload it to an image- or sketch-to-3D generator. Results tend to be best when the lines are dark and closed, the background is plain, and the object is drawn on its own. If you have front and side views, use them: the generator has less to guess. Pencil, biro and digital line art all work as input.

Is sketch 3D free?

It depends on the tool. Vi3W has a free tier with a monthly allowance of credits, so you can turn sketches into 3D models without paying, and you can earn extra credits through referrals. Heavier use is covered by paid plans. Check what a free plan includes before you rely on it for commercial work, because licences and limits differ between tools.

How to turn a drawing into a 3D model for free?

Use the free tier of a browser-based sketch-to-3D tool, or model it yourself in Blender, which is free and open source. With Vi3W's free credits you upload the drawing and export the result. In Blender you load the drawing as a reference image and build the mesh over it by hand, which costs nothing but time and teaches you a lot about topology.

Which AI is best for creating 3D models?

The best AI depends on your input and where the model is going. If you start from a sketch or drawing and need a mesh you can open in a game engine, choose a tool that accepts sketches and retopologises its output. That is the job Vi3W is built for. Judge any tool by its exported mesh, not its render: check the topology, the UVs and the file formats.

Related features

Other inputs, integrations and the terms behind them.

Sketch to 3D

Try it with the sketch on your desk

The free tier is enough to turn your first drawings into models.

Open the editorAll capabilities

Last reviewed