A young French technology startup wants to change the way people create and make the things they use daily by opening up 3D modelling and 3D printing to anyone, not just to people with a background in engineering or graphics. Chat3D, a company started by tech entrepreneur Félix Balmonet and British co-founder Glenn Avezoux, employs AI to create 3D models just by the given text, a sketch, or a photo, thus getting rid of the need for a high-level technical skill set or complicated modeling software. Balmonet said to The Connexion, “3D creation we wanted to make as simple as photo editing. Using it, you can fix a broken washing machine knob, create a customized phone stand, or print out ornaments and gifts. The thing is, you don’t even have to print if you don’t want — 3D models can be used just for home redesign.” In just two minutes, the software can reconstruct in 3D a real-life object like a chair from an uploaded photo. If the model is obtained, individuals can modify it, change its size, alter its shape or they can do any other preparation for 3D printing.
Such a file type is ideal for common 3D printers and also, individuals who wish to can forward their design to a shared printing area, called Fab Labs, there the fee will be only a few euros for the printing. From Concept by Students to Start-up with Rapid Expansion Balmonet, a 24-year-old guy from the eastern part of France, developed the concept with Avezoux after they met at an engineering school in Lyon. At the beginning, the startup’s main concern was to provide better access to 3D printers; however, after the founders discovered that a piece of equipment was not really the barrier, they decided that the frighteningly complex 3D modeling software was the issue. Balmonet said, “The problem wasn’t the printer – it was the difficulty of creating things to print. AI can simplify that.” Now the company has expanded its team from two people to twenty-five researchers, engineers, and designers. Chat3D counts business clients in the fields of animation, visual effects, video games, virtual reality, and live entertainment who utilize the software to generate digital assets, holograms, and virtual environments. The organization has opened a public version of the platform in October allowing everybody to have a try at the tool online.
Rising Popularity and Global Technology Partnership Apart from the BPI France labels Jeune Entreprise Innovante de recherche and DeepTech, which can grant tax benefits and various financial aids to the start-up, Chat3D is also eligible for other kinds of support and has attracted the attention of many potential partners and investors. The firm has collected 3 Million Euros, largely from French private investors and venture capital funds. Balmonet claims that it is imperative for them to work with top AI companies in the improvement of their product. He said, “To connect with OpenAI and Nvidia, we often go to California” Large-scale computing resources are very important during the time when the software is being trained and thus it is able to learn from millions of 3D samples. Transforming 3D Printing into an Everyday Technology The sharp 3D printing cost reduction has been a great help for Chat3D in achieving its goal, i.e. to make the technology an ordinary thing in the daily households of people. “Right now, you can get 3D printers at a price of around 100 euros — it will be one of the most popular Christmas gifts,” he said. The materials used are quite cheap and are similar to Lego type plastic, which makes it attractive for people to print whatever they want e.g. kitchen tools, toys accessories, and home repairs. Balmonet thinks that, apart from a community of hobbyists, technology will be a powerful tool for consumer creativity at its new era. “AI is a tool that lessens the requirement for technical skills and at the same time encourages creativity. It has a great deal of power and in the process, it supports artists’ self-expression without substituting them,” he explained The Innovation Ecosystem in Europe Balmonet remains positive about European talents but at the same time he points out continent-wide regulatory hesitance as a weakness. “We are able to go toe-to-toe with U.S. giants, but the regulation can throw sand in our gears,” he cautioned.
The company is advocating for a more protective Europe attitude similar to the one in the U.S. tech industry. “In situations like call for tenders, preference could be given to local companies so that we can create our own leaders.” According to Balmonet, France has several strong points to be very competitive among other countries e.g. top-notch math education, cheap electricity, and great research talent. Ethics is another thing that Chat3D is very concerned about: the company’s systems are trained only on the data that are not copyright-protected and they make sure that the users get to keep full ownership of the things they create. He said, “The thing that really distinguishes us is just this ethical factor,” “That is the reason why big video games producers come to us.”
