Roblox announced Monday that it’s launching the first iteration of its 3D model, dubbed “Cube,” to allow creators to create 3D objects using generative AI. The company also launched an open source version so anyone off the platform can build on it.
Announced last year at Roblox’s annual developer conference, the company is demoing Cube at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) later this afternoon.
Creators will have access to Cube later this week, which includes its first tool: mesh generation.
Cube’s 3D mesh generation, currently available in beta, enables creators to “meshes,” or 3D representations of objects, using a single prompt. For instance, “generate an orange racing car with black stripes.” Creators can further adjust the in-game item within Roblox Studio.
The open source version of Cube 3D allows anyone to customize, create plug-ins, or train the model with their own datasets to fit their needs.
Roblox also announced three additional AI tools — text generation, text-to-speech, and speech-to-text. These capabilities will launch in the coming months.
The text generation tool lets developers add text-based AI features to their games. This includes giving players the option of having conversations with interactive non-player characters (NPCs).
Text-to-speech, meanwhile, lets developers add narration, have NPCs speak, or include spoken captions in their games. Speech-to-text allows players to use voice commands, like directing characters to move forward.
Other future plans the company has include launching mesh generation for more “complex” objects and scene generation, Roblox explains. The scene generation tool, for instance, will allow creators to prompt the AI to make a full forest scene and change the green leaves on trees to fall colors to show the season changing.
As Roblox previously stated last year, the long-term goal is to have the 3D objects and scenes fully functional, which it calls “4D creation.”
“Where the fourth dimension is interaction between objects, environments, and people,” Nick Tornow, vice president of engineering at Roblox, told TechCrunch.
As with any company exploring generative AI tools, Roblox believes Cube will help creators work faster, allowing indie developers to take on bigger projects. The company has already released several AI tools, including for texture generation and avatar creation.
AI tools in gaming are a hot topic, with several companies making advancements in the space. Most recently, Tencent launched its open source 3D generation model, designed to generate 3D models through text prompts or 2D images.
However, the use of AI continues to raise concerns within the industry. As indicated in GDC’s recent report, 30% of game developers feel that generative AI is negatively affecting the gaming space. According to a CVL Economics study, it’s projected that 13.4% of gaming jobs could be impacted or replaced by AI by 2026.
