Presented by
Autodesk Flow Studio: What are Wonder Tools and how do they work?
Having explored the limitless potential that is Autodesk’s Flow Studio last year, I thought I’d take a peak at their latest addition, something cryptically called ‘Text 2 3D’.
I must admit that at first I was stumped. Is this the second version of a tool that turns your letters into 3-dimensional shapes on screen?
It turns out, I was far too literal about this, but it may be possible that that name was too confusing for other potential customers, as it’s been renamed Wonder 3D.
Catchier name for sure, but I still have no clue what it’s about. So let’s explore this one together and discover what the heck is Autodesk on about, and why they’re so excited about it…
What is Wonder 3D?
Wonder 3D is a new generative AI model. Now, we should all know what generative AI is by now, and how to use it, right?
For those of you at the back who have been sleeping, put simply, it’s a means of getting complex algorithms to design artwork, and in this case 3D models, based on a text prompt, sometimes with the help of a reference image.
So, let’s hop on over to Flow Studio and see what all the fuss is about. You can check it out by clicking here.
Entering Flow Studio
Now, Flow Studio isn’t a free tool. There is a free option that will allow you to test it out - that plan gets you 300 credits each month, 1GB of online storage, and your export resolution is locked at 720p. The cool thing about this free plan: you don’t need to give Autodesk any payment details - just your email address will do.
But if you want to get serious about digital 3D recreations, then you’ll have to get yourself a subscription. These currently range between $6 a month to $51, based on an annual contract.
The more you pay, the more credits you get each month, the more online storage you’re given, and your export resolution is progressively increased.
Once into your account, the bulk of the page is all about templates and featured characters you can use in your project. Check out my article Create CGI characters in 60 minutes with Autodesk Flow Studio for more.
But where’s this fabled Wonder 3D we’re here for?
Look at the sidebar on the left. You’d got a Home button (which is where we are right now), a ‘My Projects’ button, followed by a large section to encourage you to buy a new plan.
Then you’ve got tutorials, a Discord server, documentation and a support page - scroll down and ‘Wonder Tools’ are revealed.
Free Wonder Tools
There are plenty of new ‘Wonder’ tools, but some of them are reserved for subscribers.
On the free tier, you'll find ‘Text to 3D’, ‘Image to 3D’, and ‘Text to Image’. Each generation will cost you 20 credits - giving you 15 goes per month. That cost is the same throughout the subscription tiers.
So how do they work?
Text to Image
It’s really simple: choose one of these tools - to be honest, it doesn’t really matter which of these three you’ll select, as you’ll find icons allowing you to switch between them easily in a sidebar to the left once you’ve clicked on one of them.
It’s a nice feature that I appreciate, especially since the tools are there to help bring your ideas to life. As Autodesk say themselves, this service is “designed to help you explore more ideas, faster — without locking you into a single result.”
Since this is all generative AI, if you know how to use a prompt, you know how to use the Text to Image Wonder tool. Your text input is limited to 600 characters, and everything that is generated will cost you 20 credits.
If you don’t like what was produced and you wish to regenerate an image based on the same description, you don't get your credits back, and have to fork out another 20 credits for the new image, thank you very much.
If however the generation failed for some reason, fret not: Autodesk will instantly refund your credit so you can try again.
Image to 3D
I encountered that with their next tool, Image to 3D. Turns out, it doesn’t seem to like landscapes - it needs a subject to extract from your photo. It's also worth noting that Flow Studio isn’t compatible with the HEIC image format.
If you’re wedded to the Apple ecosystem where HEIC thrives, you’ll have to convert your image to another format first. I tried JPEG, PNG, and Webp, and they all worked well. Should you choose PNG, which is usually more resource-hungry than the others, you need to be aware that Flow Studio limits your image size to 15MB.
Having overcome these minor hurdles, Image to 3D doesn't need any further instructions from you - it will figure out what you wish to extract from it on its own. I found the results to be impressive.
Take a generic Ikea yellow octopus as an example. It’s a complex form with multiple tentacles, not all of which can be seen in the photo I provided.
Or how about an intricate stone buddha? None of that seemed to bother the algorithm that powers Flow Studio. Give it a few minutes, and the outcomes were really impressive.
I’m always amazed how these complex calculations can figure out what the back of a 2D model looks like, or even its underside, and for the various objects I experimented with, the results were flawless.
You’re offered four different versions of the proposed 3D model, each with various numbers of faces (aka flat surfaces or polygons) and vertices (aka individual points in 3D space). Your next step is to choose one of them to further render the model, complete with a texture based on the original photo.
Text to 3D
Finally, it’s time to take a look at the final one, Text to 3D.
Obviously, the text field is back, with the same 600 character limit as ‘Text to Image’, only this time the results are more along the lines of ‘Image to 3D’, in as much as your 20 credits get you four variants of the image you asked for.
Here, rather than having four extremely similar digital 3D renders of a model (those four variants have to be similar since they’re based on the exact same photo, right), you are presented with four different models.
They will also come with various numbers of faces and vertices, but the more important thing would be, does any of them come close to what you had imagined.
If they don’t, all you have to do is regenerate the same text prompt for another 20 credits, but if you are happy with at least one of them, the process is again the same as with 'Image to 3D’.
Click on it, check the various options open to you, and generate a full version of this model.
Final Thoughts
Flow Studio was a lot of fun to use last time I explored its features, and these new additions increase its usefulness and creativity, without adding too much to the complexity.
Yes, there are some elements of the interface that could be refined, but when it comes to working with these new Wonder tools, it's incredibly simple: type in some text or add an image, and the advanced algorithms will do the rest. In my own experience of the service, the results were great and well worth the few minutes it took for service to present them to me.
It's great you can try all of these tools for free. Your monthly allowance isn’t much, but is enough to get a feel for what's available, and the best thing is, it gets replenished every month.
While I enjoyed using each of the tools, 'Image to 3D' is the one that most impressed me: the ability to create a highly detailed 3D image with only one 2D frame to guide you is astounding.
In my next article, I’ll be taking a deeper dive into the various options offered to you when creating these images and renders.
Until then, see my other Autodesk articles: 5 ways Autodesk Flow Studio improves on traditional VFX workflows and I re-imagined these iconic film classics with Autodesk Flow Studio.
