back to article I'll take your frame to another dimension, pay close attention: This AI auto-generates 3D objects from 2D snaps

Boring 2D images can be transformed into corresponding 3D models and back into 2D again automatically by machine-learning-based software, boffins have demonstrated. The code is known as a differentiable interpolation-based renderer (DIB-R), and was built by a group of eggheads led by Nvidia. It uses a trained neural network to …

  1. Tom 7

    Russel's teapot just got a lot more complicated.

    1. KittenHuffer Silver badge

      Only if you believe it exists!

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. Rich 11

      Russell's teapot became a lot more complicated in 1959. He probably should have used the example of a samovar instead.

  2. aaaa
    Devil

    re-write the heading

    This AI auto-generates 3D objects from from 24 differently angled 2D snaps.

    Not quite as ground breaking as it seems. I think people have been generating 3D objects usnig multiple camera angles for years...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: re-write the heading

      Ah, so that's been done for decades (literally, early 2000s and before IIRC).

      There is an AI that generates from 1 picture:

      https://gizmodo.com/nvidia-taught-an-ai-to-instantly-generate-fully-texture-1840323132

      and:

      https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/04/google-ai-generates-images-of-3d-models-with-realistic-lighting-and-reflections/

      (Though I cannot find the one example I was thinking of. :P )

    2. aelfric

      Re: re-write the heading

      No, that was just the training. Once trained it will attempt to infer the 3D from a single 2D image.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: re-write the heading

        But it is generating them from a 3D rendered image.

        I would be concerned that it is learning the details of the renderer and is using cues of specific artificial highlights etc that wouldn't necessarily work on a real photo real object.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    +1 for the Prodigy reference in the title.

    I have a friend who is involved in custom rc car chassis, and at the moment he says he has 2 months before the clones flood out of his latest design and kill the market for his new product, and then he starts getting complaints about quality and failures only to discover its badly made (as in materials of lower grade, less precise tolerances, cheaper electronics etc) clones. He is convinced he has two months lead time because his new designs are bought by someone with the intent to copy them, and that's the time to purchase & send the item, them to send it onward to the cloners to reverse engineer and production of the clone to start and be shipped.

    If this takes root properly and its reasonably accurate enough to make a passable clone, they can cut out at least 5 weeks of that lead time just by using brochure information and publicity photos of the item.

    1. Anonymous Coward Silver badge
      Paris Hilton

      But creating such a thing requires replicating all the internal fixing points etc... which would not be discernible from a publicity photo. If the cloners are going to the lengths of adding those to the model themselves, they're basically doing the design work anyway so they might as well go the whole hog and start from scratch.

      1. phuzz Silver badge

        Release deliberately flawed publicity pictures.

        1. ChrisC Silver badge

          Bonus points for making them into adversarial images, so that the 2->3D generator ends up spitting out a perfectly formed model of a lump of dog poo, or a hand giving them the middle finger/v-sign/other locally obscene gesture...

  4. TRT

    So what you're basically saying is...

    That there's an AI that can take a photograph, turn it into 3D model and produce a photograph from it?

    1. ArrZarr Silver badge

      Re: So what you're basically saying is...

      Just wait till the AI takes a photograph, turns it into a 3D model, 3D prints the model and then takes a photograph from that.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: So what you're basically saying is...

        Would be interesting if they could do this with human models...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: So what you're basically saying is...

          humanoid... >.>

        2. macjules

          Re: So what you're basically saying is...

          Shh. Facebook is listening.

  5. Khaptain Silver badge

    Inflatables

    OK I presume that the next stage will be to order an inflatable friend after providing suitable pics...

    Just choose your friend frim your favourite Pron site et voilà...

    1. TRT

      Re: Inflatables

      AI PronPal 3D printing system v0.9 system starting...

      GNU GRUBBY BOOT LOADER loading...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So when can we try it?

    This AI stuff is never out there for us.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    great development

    I have long waited for some automated process that would scan an old map (ok, at least an air photo), and turn it into a 3D (of course the buildings would be just a guesswork, from, say, a database of buildings created approx. in that time (and typical for specific country / area ;)

    and it would be great to see automatically built, realistic 3d landscape in google earth at last! Then, combine this with gaming...

    1. Diogenes
      Coat

      Re: great development

      and it would be great to see automatically built, realistic 3d landscape in google earth at last! Then, combine this with gaming...

      … or model railways

      (Anorak - obviously)

    2. John H Woods

      Re: scan a map

      Can we scan e.g. OS maps and train an AI to read the contour lines? Might not even need an AI, just start in the top left corner and count the number of times you cross the lines of the correct colour?

  8. HoggertyHog

    Waiting for the time when AI can infer all the code from our product PR bull. I would love to write code through PR crapola gotta be better than JS

  9. Mike 137 Silver badge

    "Boring 2D images can be transformed into corresponding 3D models"

    Why would I want a boring 3D model?

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