Shenzhen-based 3D printer manufacturer Creality has formed a new strategic partnership with Tencent (00700.HK), the Chinese tech giant behind WeChat and some of the world’s most popular video games.
Through the collaboration, Creality will integrate its AI modeling platform, MakeNow, with Tencent’s large foundation model, Hunyuan.
By leveraging Hunyuan 3D V2.5, the model’s latest version, MakeNow will deliver smarter, more user-friendly AI tools. Tencent expects the partnership to increase accessibility to advanced 3D generation capabilities, according to a report from Futubull, the trading app of Chinese Fintech firm Futu Holdings.
This new partnership follows Creality’s decision to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Before its IPO, Creality secured RMB 508.5 million (USD 71.0 million at current exchange rates) in a 2021 funding round led by Tencent, alongside Qianhai FOF, Shenzhen Capital, and AVIC Pingshan. The investment reportedly increased Creality’s valuation to RMB 4 billion (~USD 560.0 million).
Looking ahead, Creality and Tencent plan to expand their technologies to improve 3D modeling capabilities and grow the consumer 3D design and printing ecosystem, Futubull reported.
Tencent and Creality collaborate to enhance AI 3D modeling
Tencent launched Hunyuan 3D V2.5 in April 2025, just four months after releasing Hunyuan 3D 2.0 in January. The update enhances high-resolution 3D asset generation with greater geometric precision, improved texture fidelity, and faster processing.
Tencent’s Hunyuan model supports both text-to-3D and image-to-3D inputs and uses a two-stage architecture. It generates geometries with Hunyuan3D-DiT (Diffusion Transformer) and synthesizes textures through Hunyuan3D-Paint.
Hunyuan3D-DiT generates base geometries, capturing intricate details, such as subtle fabric folds and precise facial features, that earlier models often overlooked. Hunyuan3D-Paint then applies vibrant textures, utilizing diffusion techniques and geometric priors.
This decoupled approach improves both speed and adaptability, with Tencent’s performance data showing clear gains over alternative systems. For instance, Hunyuan 3D V2.5 boosts geometric resolution to 1024 and reduces latency by 25%, thanks to enhanced diffusion transformers.
These capabilities will now be integrated to enhance Creality’s MakeNow platform, which currently offers two AI modeling tools: ‘CubeMe – The Mini Me’ for character design and ‘SignForge’ for creating custom signs.
AI software powers 3D design
AI-powered text-to-CAD tools are rapidly gaining traction in the additive manufacturing sector, allowing users with little design experience to create 3D printable models quickly and efficiently.
In April, AI 3D modeling platform Tripo AI introduced an Application Programming Interface (API) to generate high-quality 3D models from text and image inputs. The tool aims to help developers integrate 3D model generation into their applications and services, offering features that streamline the workflow from initial drafts to fully polished, animated models.
Elsewhere, leading GPU manufacturer NVIDIA recently launched PartPacker, an AI-powered design tool that generates editable 3D models from a single 2D image. Unlike most methods that produce unified meshes, PartPacker builds part-based models, enabling users to edit or animate individual components separately for greater flexibility. This system is designed to support workflows across fields spanning 3D printing, animation, gaming, and academic research.
In other news, a joint team from Peking University, ByteDance, and Carnegie Mellon University recently released an open-source generative AI platform that converts images into 3D part meshes in seconds. Called PartCrafter, the open-source tool uses a compositional latent diffusion transformer to bypass manual segmentation, letting users quickly turn concept photos into fabrication-ready geometries.
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Featured image shows the Tencent HQ building in Shenzhen, China. Photo by Michael Petch.
