I Built a Text-to-3D API That Generates GLB Files in 75 Seconds for $0.015

#python #api #3d

The Problem with 3D APIs

Every 3D generation API hits the same three walls:

Too slow — Tripo3D takes 3-5 minutes per model
Too expensive — Meshy.ai charges $0.05-0.15 per model
Both — Some services charge $1+/model with 10-minute wait times

We needed something that was actually fast and affordable for production use. So we built it into PixelAPI.

What We Built

A text-to-3D endpoint that takes a text prompt and returns a GLB file in ~75 seconds at $0.015 per model.

Pipeline:

FLUX.1-schnell (10 steps, ~7s) — generates a clean 1024px image from your prompt
TripoSR (stabilityai/TripoSR) — extracts a textured mesh from the image

Output is a binary glTF (.glb) file with embedded color texture. Opens in Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, Three.js — no conversion needed.

The API

import requests, time

# Submit job
resp = requests.post(
    'https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/3d/text-generate',
    headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'},
    data={'prompt': 'a ceramic blue vase on a wooden table, studio lighting'},
)
job = resp.json()
print(f'Job ID: {job["id"]}')

# Poll until done
while True:
    status = requests.get(
        f'https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/3d/text-status/{job["id"]}',
        headers={'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'}
    ).json()
    if status['status'] == 'completed':
        print(f'GLB: {status["output_url"]}')
        break
    time.sleep(3)

Returns both an input image URL (what FLUX generated) and an output GLB URL.

Pricing

Service	Price/model	Time
Meshy.ai	$0.05-0.15	2-5 min
Tripo3D	$0.05	3-5 min
Luma Dream Machine	$0.04	2-3 min
PixelAPI	$0.015	~75s

5-10x cheaper than competition, and faster.

Real Output Example

Tested with: "a golden Buddha statue on a marble pedestal, warm dramatic lighting"

128-res gives ~18K vertices. 256-res gives ~105K vertices.

Get Started

Live demo: api.pixelapi.dev/tools/3d-generator.html

No affiliations. We just needed this ourselves and couldn't find a good option.

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