Image to mesh · Development build

From reference.
To 3D form.

A dedicated guide to image-driven mesh generation in ArtBrush: select a workflow, prepare its inputs, inspect the resulting GLB and continue into texture painting.

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Forge concept animation · 3D creation preview

01 / PANEL GUIDE

From reference image to mesh

Open Generate 3D Model from the menu bar and pick a workflow. The result is an untextured mesh you can paint in ArtBrush.

ArtBrush Generate 3D Model workspace with TRELLIS.2 selected, ComfyUI model selectors and Workflow Settings — Current interface · TRELLIS.2 selected, ready for an image · Open full size ↗

The image-to-3D workspace

Three areas: inputs on the left, the 3D preview in the center, graph settings on the right.

Left · inputs & models: Open Image…, the ComfyUI address and model library, Refresh Workflow Models, the Workflow selector and its ComfyUI Models (here diffusion model, Shape VAE, DINOv3 and background removal), then Generate 3D Model / Cancel, Send to Texture Painting and Save Generated GLB…
Center · preview: An orbitable preview of the returned GLB on the scan floor.
Right · Workflow Settings: Preset (Low VRAM / Medium / High), Randomize sampler seeds on Generate, Reset Workflow Settings and one collapsible group per graph stage — samplers, resolutions, CFG, decimation, normals, remesh, crop, UV unwrap and SaveGLB.
Status line: Reports readiness (“Workflow ready. Choose an image.”), missing nodes or models, and the last result.

Open the workspace: Start ComfyUI (toolbar Run ComfyUI), then choose Generate 3D Model → Pixal3D, TRELLIS.2 or one of their variants. It uses the ComfyUI host/port from the AI panel. Finish or cancel any texture-generation request before switching.
Scope: The current bundled workflows focus on geometry and GLB output. Texture creation continues in the separate painting workspace. Availability depends on the installed ComfyUI nodes, model formats and hardware.

02 / PANEL GUIDE

Choose the generation workflow

The current workflow selector exposes five paths. Selecting one rebuilds the active model/settings controls and checks the server.

Workflow	Inputs	Purpose
Pixal3D	One image	Native image-to-mesh path with camera estimation, structure/shape/refinement, postprocessing, UV unwrap and GLB output.
TRELLIS.2	One image	Native image-to-mesh path with its own diffusion model; model fields and settings follow the active graph.
Pixal3D MultiView	Two images	Requires both image inputs. The additional image selector is for the opposite view (180°); uses its separate custom-node/model-loader workflow.
TRELLIS.2 LowPoly	One image	Mesh-only path with simplification and mesh reconstruction controls. The label does not guarantee clean production topology or a particular final face count.
TRELLIS.2 RefineMesh	One image + mesh	Refines an existing mesh against image guidance. Choose GLB / OBJ / PLY / STL in Open mesh to refine. The last generated result can be used as the starting mesh.

The MultiView, LowPoly and RefineMesh paths use different custom nodes and model loaders from the native Pixal3D / TRELLIS.2 paths. A ready native workflow does not establish that the other paths are installed.

03 / PANEL GUIDE

Source images & existing geometry

Load the inputs required by the selected workflow before generating.

Open Image…: Select PNG, JPG, JPEG or WebP. ArtBrush converts the source to RGBA PNG for upload. The reference preview is an input image, not a generated texture.
Second view: MultiView exposes a second image selector and requires both inputs before Generate is enabled. The current UI calls the extra image an opposite 180° view.
Open mesh to refine: RefineMesh needs a valid mesh file as well as an image. The current path tests the mesh file locally; the graph’s mesh-loader node also needs to be able to access the resulting configured path on the ComfyUI host.
Crop & background removal: The active graph determines preprocessing. Native paths include foreground removal/cropping; inspect the selected background-removal model and the relevant crop controls. Clear framing and a readable silhouette improve the input but do not guarantee unseen geometry.

04 / PANEL GUIDE

Model files, nodes & readiness

Refresh Workflow Models checks the node types and model availability for the selected graph.

Native diffusion model: Use a Pixal3D diffusion file for Pixal3D or a matching TRELLIS.2 file for TRELLIS.2. These are listed by the backend’s diffusion_models/ category.
Shape VAE: The native paths select a TRELLIS.2 shape VAE from vae/. It decodes geometry; it is not a texture VAE.
DINOv3: The image encoder is selected from clip_vision/. Use the file expected by the active workflow and loader.
MoGe camera: The native Pixal3D path uses MoGe camera/FOV estimation from geometry_estimation/. Native TRELLIS.2 does not expose that model field when it is absent from its graph.
Background removal: BiRefNet-compatible weights are resolved through background_removal/ for the preprocessing nodes.
Custom loader workflows: MultiView / LowPoly / RefineMesh use their own loader inputs and model directories. Use the active graph and node documentation; do not treat the native model dropdowns as a complete installer for those paths.
Install dialog: The Install menu lists the 3D files under PBR, 3D & Anti-Shade with Installed / Missing status and downloads the checked ones into the shared model folder. Each model field in the workspace also has a Download button.
Download links: The native model download controls point to Comfy-Org / Pixal3D, TRELLIS.2, MoGe and BiRefNet. Install compatible files, then refresh/restart the backend as required.
Readiness: Missing node types and unavailable/unsupported model selections block generation. A checkpoint found on local disk can still be unusable by the selected server loader. Native and original checkpoint formats are not interchangeable merely because both use .safetensors.

05 / PANEL GUIDE

Workflow settings & presets

Controls are generated from the selected graph and its server input schema. Different workflows expose different stages.

Native quality presets: Low VRAM, Medium and High set native graph parameters. Low VRAM reduces sampling/resolution/target faces; High increases structure/refinement/mesh targets. They are configuration presets, not measured GPU-memory or quality guarantees. Custom-loader paths use their own exposed parameters.
Sampler stages: Structure, Shape and Refinement samplers have their own Seed, Steps, CFG, Sampler, Scheduler and Denoise where the graph exposes them.
Seeds: Randomize sampler seeds on Generate chooses fresh sampler seeds; disable it to enter fixed values. Input images, graph version and all other parameters also affect reproducibility.
Structure & shape: Graph controls can expose voxel/refinement resolution, CFG interval/rescale, structure sampling shift and batch parameters. They affect reconstruction stages, not texture-painting brush settings.
Camera & preprocessing: Pixal3D exposes crop, MoGe camera estimation/FOV and related graph controls when present. Read their node tooltips and keep settings within the server-supported range.
Mesh processing: Decimation controls target face count and placement mode; normal smoothing, remeshing, UV unwrap and GLB saving follow the selected graph. Native paths contain UnwrapMesh; custom-loader paths have their own mesh postprocessing. None of this establishes animation-ready topology.
Reset Workflow Settings: Restores the active graph’s settings. Older screenshots may show texture sampling and PBR/AO/normal baking; those stages are not part of the current bundled mesh-only native graphs.

06 / PANEL GUIDE

Generate & inspect

Press Generate 3D Model after the required input files, nodes and model selections are ready.

Connect to the intended ComfyUI instance and select the workflow.
Load its source image(s), plus an existing mesh for RefineMesh.
Refresh model readiness and resolve every missing-input message.
Choose settings, then press Generate 3D Model.
Follow progress/status. Cancel requests cancellation; controls are disabled during an active task.
Orbit and inspect the returned GLB: silhouette, hidden surfaces, thin parts, normals and UV status need review.

Output validation: The application checks that the returned file is a GLB and attempts to load it for preview. A successful load is not a clean-topology or visual-quality certification.

07 / PANEL GUIDE

Save GLB & continue painting

Keep a standalone mesh copy before transferring into a painting project.

Save Generated GLB…: Saves the generated GLB to disk. Generated files are initially held in the application’s temporary working area; save a durable copy before closing/replacing work.
Send to Texture Painting: Loads the completed result into a new painting project. The application checks for an existing project and its save/discard flow; preserve work before replacing it.
Back to Texture: In the current implementation, returning with a completed result available also transfers that result. Finish or cancel an active 3D task before switching back.
UV requirement: Texture baking/painting requires UV coordinates. Native workflows include UV unwrap, but inspect the exported mesh and tile layout. If a custom mesh-only path returns a mesh without UVs, unwrap it in a suitable DCC application, export and reimport; ArtBrush can display a UV-less mesh while baking is disabled.
Texture export: For brushes, AI projection, PBR maps, UDIM and textured-model export, continue in the Texture Painting Documentation ↗. A generated gray mesh is not a finished textured asset.

08 / PANEL GUIDE

Troubleshooting

Resolve the specific readiness/status message before increasing generation settings.

Generate disabled: Check required image(s), supported model selections and backend readiness. RefineMesh also needs an existing mesh file. A model selected in an earlier workflow is not necessarily valid for the new one.
Missing node: Install/enable the node implementation referenced by that graph, restart ComfyUI (Stop / Run ComfyUI in the toolbar) and refresh. Workflow choices can require different node packages.
Original/local file found: An existing original checkpoint can be incompatible with the native loader. Use the compatible format/loader or conversion required by the graph. A local file the backend has not indexed may need a backend restart or corrected shared model paths.
No result / load failure: Read the server error and ArtBrush status. Verify output paths, GLB creation, available memory and input compatibility. A full progress bar alone does not prove a usable mesh was returned.

MotionSmith ArtBrush — 3D Generation Guide