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Runchat ships with several image-to-3D model generators. This example covers when to use which, how to produce higher-quality output with multi-view inputs, and how to import the result into your CAD tool. Time: 6 minutes You’ll need: An image to convert (an AI-generated render or a photograph)

Open the example workflow

Make a copy of this workflow in your account to follow along.

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Pick the right model

Open the node picker (double-click the canvas, or press Ctrl/Cmd + K) and choose 3D model in the left rail. The main options: For known object types (a chair, a tree, a lamp), Trellis does a surprisingly good job for the price. For anything experimental or architectural, the cheap models tend to fall apart, switch to Hunyuan or Trellis 2. See Credits for the full pricing table.

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Single image to 3D

The basic workflow:
  1. Drag a wire from your image’s output handle and drop it on an empty part of the canvas. The node picker opens.
  2. Choose a 3D model generator from 3D model (start with Trellis to test). It is added already connected to your image.
  3. Click Run
Trellis outputs a GLB. You can import it directly into Rhino, Blender, Revit, or SketchUp using the Runchat plugins.

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Multi-view for better results

Single-image 3D fails on complex or experimental geometry, the model has to invent everything it can’t see. The fix is to generate additional views first and feed all of them in.
  1. Take your generated image.
  2. Use Flux 2 Turbo to generate three more views with simple prompts:
    • “Show this building from behind”
    • “From the right side elevation”
    • “From the left side elevation”
  3. Add a Hunyuan 3D node. Open More (…) on its toolbar, choose All parameters, and click Show as input on the back, left, and right image parameters so they appear as inputs.
  4. Connect the four views to their corresponding inputs.
  5. Run. Takes a few minutes, around 1,000 credits.
Trellis 2 also accepts multiple images and figures out the multi-view mapping itself, which is less work to wire up. Try it before going to Hunyuan if your geometry isn’t too complex.

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Why generate 3D from a 2D concept

You’re not producing construction-ready models. You’re taking something visually interesting from a 2D generation, a form, a proportion, a detail like a scalloped staircase or an unusual opening, and getting it into 3D so you can model against it. Reference geometry for a design process, not a deliverable.

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Import into your CAD tool

For Rhino: in the Runchat for Rhino plugin, select the 3D node, click the Rhino chip in the top-right of the editor, and choose Send selected GLB. The textured model loads at the origin as real Rhino geometry. For SketchUp, Blender, or Revit: same pattern via the host chip in their respective plugins.

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Next steps