Autodesk unveils Project Bernini for 3D generative AI
Autodesk has announced its research project Bernini focused on developing generative AI for professional geometric workflows, capable of generating multiple functional variations of a 3D shape from a given input.
Named after the famed 17th Century Italian sculptor and occasional architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, in its first experimental guise, the software is capable of generating functional 3D shapes from a variety of inputs including 2D images, text, voxels and point clouds, although at this stage is not available for public use.
Autodesk says that the Autodesk AI Lab within Autodesk Research is a diverse team of scientists and specialists working on applying AI to aid in difficult tasks in design, manufacturing, architecture, engineering, and construction.
This team has trained the Bernini model on 10 million diverse 3D shapes made up of publicly available data – a mixture of CAD objects and organic shapes. Research that contributed toward this work was published earlier this year by the AI Lab in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“Autodesk is working to create generative models that could be used for different use cases across architecture, product design, entertainment, and more,” said an Autodesk spokesperson. “We’re intently focused on generating functional 3D structures because the articles built or manufactured from the outputs of these models must work in the real world, serving the purpose that the designer has in mind.”
While Project Bernini is exciting and at the leading edge of generative AI, Autodesk admits that models will only become increasingly useful and compelling when trained on larger, higher-quality professional datasets, whereby a if trained on car designs, for example, it could assist in imagining an innovative new series of vehicles.
Project Bernini is mentioned as only ‘one piece of a comprehensive Autodesk AI strategy’, which the company says is focused on delivering intelligent assistance and generative capabilities spanning its cross-industry product portfolio.
According to Autodesk’s own 2024 State of Design & Make report, 78% of business leaders believe AI will enhance their industry and 79% agree that AI will make their industry more creative.
