I come from the traditional 3D industry, trained on software at a time when 3DS Max was known as 3D Studio (yes, I'm that old). Back then, creating even the most basic 3D scene required navigating massive books and switching between separate applications for modeling, texturing or animation. It was a time of meticulous learning and laborious processes. The countless hours I spent learning these tools shaped my understanding of 3D design. Yet, it has taken me time (and packs of bitter pills to swallow ) to admit that much of what I once painstakingly learned can now be avoided, and with much better results.

In recent years, I’ve witnessed every aspect of 3D production being challenged and, in many cases, replaced by AI tools. Even though many of these tools currently produce imperfect results, the speed at which they improve leaves no doubt about their potential in the very near future. This realization underpins the broader discussion of whether 3D design as we know it is on the brink of obsolescence.

It’s been a long time that I’ve been convinced that these tools need human intervention when creativity, concepts, and ideas are concerned. This was my opinion long before the AI storm. But I’ve recently realized that AI tools helping 3D artists with their work is just a phase. I don’t see why we’d use 3D production at all if what needs to be in front of our eyes can be generated. Right now, there are two main challenges with AI: the accuracy of generation and the time it takes to generate. However, we can imagine that once we’re able to generate images with extreme precision in real-time, the need for any 3D stage will become obsolete.

Let’s take an example from one of the most 3D-dependent categories: video games. At the moment, everything relies on 3D assets (models, animations, lights, etc.). In the future, it will likely be possible to generate the scene visible to the player as an image, that will be updated in real time. For any animation, or every time the user presses a button on the controller, a new image could be generated, giving the sensation of movement, looking around, or jumping. The same applies to interactive surroundings like enemies. Their appearance, behavior, and actions could be a series of generated images, whether predefined or improvised.

The rules defining the gameplay will still be designed by a game designer, and the desired style by concept artists and art directors, but the final output would be generated by AI.

The Evolution of 3D Design

3D design has long been a cornerstone of creative industries, from architecture and gaming to film and product design. Tools like 3DS Max, Maya Blender, and Cinema 4D empowered creators to craft intricate models and simulations, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling and functional design. The painstaking artistry behind 3D design required skill, time, and substantial computational resources. However, this meticulous approach is both a strength and a limitation, particularly in a world that increasingly demands speed and adaptability.

Generative AI, driven by neural networks and machine learning, is redefining what’s possible in the realm of creative output. Models like Flux, DALL-E, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion have demonstrated the ability to generate stunning visuals in a fraction of the time traditional methods require. This technology excels in producing assets that are not only visually appealing but also contextually relevant. In the domain of 3D, platforms leveraging generative AI can now generate complex models, textures, and animations with minimal human intervention.

The implications are profound. Instead of laboring over a single 3D model, creators can input prompts and let the AI handle the heavy lifting. Iterations can happen at lightning speed, fostering an environment where experimentation thrives.

Why 3D Design May Fade

Some argue that generative AI and traditional 3D design can continue to coexist, serving distinct purposes in various industries. While this may hold true for now, the rapid pace at which AI is evolving suggests a different trajectory. Efficiency is a driving factor — generative AI significantly reduces the time required for asset creation, allowing designers to produce high-quality results in hours rather than weeks. The accessibility of AI further accelerates this shift, eliminating the steep learning curve associated with traditional 3D tools and enabling even those without prior experience to generate professional-grade visuals.

Cost is another key consideration. Traditional 3D workflows require substantial investment in both hardware and software, whereas AI-powered solutions, often cloud-based, present a more scalable and cost-effective alternative. Additionally, AI’s versatility is undeniable. From gaming to architecture, AI-generated assets are proving to be as dynamic as they are efficient, opening up endless possibilities for industries reliant on 3D modeling.

A possible future for 3D

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom for 3D design purists. While the industry is shifting, there remains an undeniable need for artistic control , something that has long been at the core of creative expression. No matter how advanced generative AI becomes, there will always be value in human intention, in the choices that make a creation unique beyond efficiency and automation.

In this evolving landscape, 3D could transition from a practical necessity to a recognized art form in its own right. Much like traditional photography processes — such as silver-based film or cyanotype printing — 3D modeling may come to be appreciated for its craftsmanship rather than its utility. These antique techniques, while easily mimicked with digital devices, retain a unique appeal for those who revel in the process itself. The act of manually shaping, lighting, and animating 3D models could similarly become a niche pursuit, valued for the hands-on experience it offers rather than the speed of production. Ironically, 3D artists, once obsessed with precision and realism, may even begin seeking out the very imperfections they currently strive to eliminate. Instead of achieving photorealistic results, the medium could shift toward embracing anomalies, accidents, and an intentional distance from reality. Just as painters abandoned hyperrealism in favor of impressionism and abstraction, 3D creators may lean into the unexpected, using the medium as a form of artistic exploration rather than a mere tool for representation.

Ultimately, while AI threatens to take over the functional aspects of 3D production, it may also liberate the discipline from rigid constraints, allowing it to evolve into something more experimental, personal, and expressive. The question is no longer whether 3D will survive, but rather in what form it will endure.

The Road Ahead

While it’s too early to declare the death of 3D design, its dominance is undoubtedly being challenged. Generative AI offers a compelling alternative — one that is faster, cheaper, and more accessible. As AI continues to evolve, the balance may tip further, pushing traditional 3D practices into niche applications or blending them into hybrid workflows that harness the best of both worlds.

The creative landscape is shifting, and adaptability will be key. Whether you’re a seasoned 3D designer or a newcomer exploring generative AI, the message is clear: embrace change or risk obsolescence.

I had so many discussions on the subject of superheroes that I made myself sick, and decided to put this writing down for good.

Superheroes have been an integral part of pop culture since their inception. Comics have long served as a vehicle for political and social commentary, and have frequently been used as a platform for marginalized groups to voice their opinions and tell their stories.

In the comics, the superhero is an over-the-top action-adventure character. The heroes are often larger than life, and their powers are often used in the most dramatic ways possible.

Unfortunately, young fans fantasize about what their life would be like if they had superpowers instead of the ability to learn, train, and develop real-world skills.They want to be like them. The heroes are exciting and fun, but also unlike anyone else in our society: wealthy, powerful men who can do whatever they want with no consequences for their actions or those of others. More than seeing superheroes as fictionally augmented, young fans see themselves as diminished in real life.

The most negative aspect of superheroes, according to me, is their power to decide on their own what is right and wrong for the community.

Superheroes are a fantasy of fascism, where one person knows what is right for the world and can take whatever actions they want without much oversight.

It is important to note that superheroes are not bound by the laws of the land. They can do whatever they want, including killing people, and there is no accountability for their actions. When Spiderman experiences superpower glitches and damages a car while falling, he does not even give a thought about it, he is only concerned by his own problem. Worse, in Man of Steel, Superman takes the decision to destroy an entire city completely without consulting its citizens.

According to Wikipedia (with my comparaison to superheroes into parenthesis) :

Fascists (superheroes) regard the complete mobilization of society under a totalitarian one-party (i.e the Advengers) state as necessary to prepare a nation for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic difficulties (or other villains). Fascism (like superheroes) rejects assertions that violence is automatically negative in nature and views imperialism, political violence and war as means that can achieve national rejuvenation. The extreme authoritarianism and nationalism of fascism often manifests a belief in racial purity or a master race (white, male, tall, muscular), usually synthesized with some variant of racism or bigotry against a demonized “Other” (the villains).

I can’t think of many things that are more fascist than superhero comics. Most superheroes don’t have any human limitations, so they can do whatever they want with impunity. They are living in a perfect world where there is no need for debate or democracy because everything is just fine as long as those in power remain vigilant against those who might challenge their authority.

It would be difficult to ignore parallels between various art forms. Visual Arts and Music probably came together, somewhere during the Stone Age, and followed a very similar curve of evolution.

Recent arts like Cinema, after only a bit more than a century of existence, are also following a pattern based on the same archetype : an initial spark, a primitive development, a reach of perfection, immediately questioned, and a destruction phase leading to new, or renewed formats.

If we had to write a History of video game, the cavemen paintings of Lascaux would probably be comparable to Spacewar!, developed and running on a newly installed computer at MIT in 1962.

The Venus of Willendorf could be Pong, one of the first game developed for devices dedicated to playing at home, the revolutionary game consoles.

The Greek “invention” of perspective around the 5th century BC could be the first attempt in 3D, like 3D Monster Maze for ZX81 platform in 1981.

The perfection of perspective wanted by the Renaissance, has also been an obsession in gaming from the 90’s, with 3D numbers like Virtua Racing on Sega, or Quake on PC.

Since, video gaming has technologically evolved with faster processors, better graphic displays, online participation, open worlds etc. All contributing to make the experience more “real”.

If we keep the comparison with History of Art, where would it be now? Maybe around the Seicento, when the ultimate goal of Art in Europe was to reach perfection in reproducing reality, leading to an idealistic 19th century’s “Search of Truth”? Similarly, studios around the world keep improving technical performances in gaming, with the perfect illusion of reality as a final destination. We all know we’ll reach this point in more or less the near future.

And then what? Can we expect an equivalent of Expressionism, Fauvism, Pointillism or Suprematism in video games? Will it go towards Dadaism or pure abstract forms of playing?

Graphically speaking, there have been many attempts of disruption in game art, particularly with environments. Prism, Ultra Flow 2, Monument Valley 2 are good examples. Audio-only games like A Blind Legend, where the user can only refer to sounds to progress in the story, reach a Malevich aesthetic, where image is simply absent, or more precisely, the absence of image is the experience.

But the essence of a game is not as much the way it looks than the way it modifies the gamer sensations, even his or her life in some cases.

With the phenomenon of gamification propagating to various domains, including education, corporates, business, defence or health, and the development of serious games, we can expect gaming industry to have a profound impact on our posterity.

Let’s imagine what game designers will do after the perfection of mimicking reality is achieved.

Will we have Impressionist games? Like the 19th century painters tried to differentiate themselves from the new Photography medium by emphasising on their subjectivity, games might try to have much more influence on their audience in their daily life. Will it wake you up at night to adjust your fatigue level if you make a wrong decision? Or force you to run-commute in order to complete a particular level?

Or like watching Cubist artworks, should we expect experiencing a merge of past, present and future events in a same spatial dimension?

And if the technology allows it, we or our descendants might witness Surrealist games, using the mechanics of dream, where the controller will be the automatic psychic functions of the brain. What will happen in the game won’t be the result of our skills and desire to conform to social models like winning, conquering, getting rewards etc., but an expression of the mind in its natural way…

Finally, do we have the capacity to imagine what would be an Abstract game, or a game based on Deconstructionism? A game that would combine emotional intensity and rejection of traditional forms of storyline, rules, settings, characters and controllers?

Once games will have assimilated all the facets of humanity, it might sustain momentum and give human being new values, morals, different life goals and perspectives. Some might find in it a new meaning of life, others a new religion.

Refs :

http://listverse.com/2010/05/11/15-firsts-in-video-game-history/

Wikipedia

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