Dust3D Generate 3D Model from 2D Image

Given a turnaround reference image, generate a Dust3D XML node file, run the dust3d CLI to produce a .obj mesh and a .ds3 document file, and verify the result. Three output files are produced: nodes.xml (the source node graph), result.ds3 (the Dust3D project file), and result.obj (the exported 3D mesh).

Overview of the Workflow

1. Analyze the reference image and identify all body parts.
2. For each part, trace a tube shape using a chain of nodes sampled from both the front view and the side view.
3. Write nodes.xml in Dust3D canvas XML format.
4. Run dust3d -paste-xml nodes.xml -output result.ds3 -output result.obj.
5. Optionally verify by projecting result.obj in front and side views.

Step 1 — Understand the Reference Image Layout

A turnaround reference image places the front view on the left and the side view on the right, both at the same vertical scale and vertical center.

Normalize all image coordinates to the range [0.0, 1.0] relative to the full image width and height:

normalized_x = pixel_x / image_width
normalized_y = pixel_y / image_height

Identify the body's bilateral symmetry axis and vertical midpoint to set the canvas origin:

Step 2 — Decompose the Model into Parts

Split the model into anatomically distinct tube-shaped parts. For a quadruped, typical parts are:

• Body — the torso/spine running front-to-back
• Neck — connecting torso to head
• Head — the skull volume
• Jaw — lower jaw (if needed)
• Front left leg — upper + lower segments, or one continuous tube
• Front right leg — mirror of front left, or use xMirrored on the front left
• Rear left leg
• Rear right leg — mirror of rear left
• Tail — one or more segments (TailBase, TailMid, TailTip)
• Ears / fins / wings — any additional appendages

Use xMirrored="true" on a part to have Dust3D automatically produce its mirror image across the X axis — this means you only need to model one side for symmetric parts (e.g., define the left leg only and mirror it for the right).

Step 3 — Trace Each Part with Nodes

For each part:

1. In the front view (left half of the image) identify ~5–15 control points along the center-line of the part, spaced more densely where curvature changes.
2. In the side view (right half of the image) identify the same number of control points along the depth of that part.
3. Each control point pair becomes one node. The node stores:
   • x — normalized X from the front view
   • y — normalized Y from the front view (use the same Y as the front-view sample; both views share the same vertical scale)
   • z — normalized X from the side view (this encodes depth)
   • radius — half the visible width of the body at that point as seen in the front view, normalized: radius = visible_width_pixels / (2 * image_width)

Tip: For left-side parts that will be mirrored, place the nodes slightly to the left of originX in the front view so they sit on the correct side.

Node Placement Constraints (from mesh engine internals)

The tube mesh builder has specific constraints that, if violated, cause mesh artifacts or failures:

1. Minimum radius: Never use a radius below 0.002. The engine has a hard floor of 0.001; staying above 0.002 avoids degenerate geometry.

2. Node spacing rule: The distance between two consecutive nodes should be ≥ the sum of their radii. When radius[i] + radius[j] > distance(i, j), the engine inserts interpolation nodes automatically, but excessive overlap (ratio > 2:1) can produce poor topology. Best practice: ensure distance ≥ 1.2 × (radius_a + radius_b).

3. Minimum 2 nodes per part: A part with only 1 node becomes a sphere (via turnSingleNodeToTube()). This works but produces limited geometry. Use at least 2 nodes per part for proper tube generation.

4. Avoid collinear nodes: If all nodes in a part lie on a straight line with no curvature, the base normal calculation may fail (cross products become zero). Add a slight offset (even 0.001 in any axis) to at least one interior node to break collinearity. The engine falls back to a perpendicular vector, but this fallback can produce unexpected cut face orientations.

5. Avoid duplicate positions: Two nodes at the exact same position produce a zero-length edge, which breaks direction calculations. Always maintain at least 0.002 distance between consecutive nodes.

6. Radius transitions: Avoid abrupt radius changes (e.g., 0.1 → 0.01 between adjacent nodes). The engine interpolates linearly, and extreme jumps create pinched or stepped surfaces. Transition gradually over 2–3 nodes.

Step 4 — Write the XML File

The XML file has four sections: nodes, edges, parts, components.

4.1 Generate UUIDs

Each node, edge, and part needs a unique id formatted as {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}. Generate them with Python or any UUID library:

import uuid
def new_id():
    return "{" + str(uuid.uuid4()) + "}"

4.2 XML structure

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<canvas originX="FRONT_CENTER_X" originY="MODEL_CENTER_Y" originZ="SIDE_CENTER_X" rigType="Quadruped">
 <nodes>
  <!-- One <node> per control point -->
  <node id="{NODE_ID}" partId="{PART_ID}" radius="RADIUS" x="X" y="Y" z="Z"/>
  ...
 </nodes>
 <edges>
  <!-- Connect consecutive nodes within a part in order -->
  <edge id="{EDGE_ID}" partId="{PART_ID}" from="{NODE_A_ID}" to="{NODE_B_ID}"/>
  <!-- Optional: boneName="Spine" etc. for rig bone labeling -->
  ...
 </edges>
 <parts>
  <!-- One <part> per tube shape -->
  <part id="{PART_ID}"
        chamfered="false"
        disabled="false"
        locked="false"
        visible="true"
        rounded="true"
        subdived="true"
        xMirrored="false"
        deformThickness="1.0"
        deformWidth="1.0"
        cutFace="Quad"/>
  ...
 </parts>
 <components>
  <!-- One <component> per part, links display color to part -->
  <component id="{COMPONENT_ID}"
             linkData="{PART_ID}"
             linkDataType="partId"
             color="#ffccbbaa"
             combineMode="Normal"
             expanded="false"
             smoothCutoffDegrees="180.000000">
  </component>
  ...
 </components>
 <animations>
 </animations>
</canvas>

4.3 Part attributes reference

4.4 Edges

Connect the nodes of each part in a single chain from one end to the other. The order of from→to does not affect the mesh but should follow the natural direction of the part (e.g., head-to-tail for the spine).

Use boneName on edges to label rig bones. Common names for a quadruped: Spine, Neck, Head, Jaw, TailBase, TailMid, TailTip.

Step 5 — A Minimal Working Example

Below is a two-part skeleton: a body tube and a mirrored front leg, for an animal whose front view center is at x=0.33 and whose side view occupies the right portion of the canvas.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<canvas originX="0.330000" originY="0.500000" originZ="1.500000" rigType="Quadruped">
 <nodes>
  <!-- Body (spine), 4 nodes front-to-back -->
  <node id="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.120" x="0.330" y="0.420" z="1.100"/>
  <node id="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.150" x="0.330" y="0.430" z="1.300"/>
  <node id="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.145" x="0.330" y="0.440" z="1.500"/>
  <node id="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000004}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.110" x="0.330" y="0.430" z="1.700"/>
  <!-- Front left leg, 3 nodes top-to-toe (will be mirrored for right leg) -->
  <node id="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" partId="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.045" x="0.295" y="0.450" z="1.150"/>
  <node id="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" partId="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.035" x="0.290" y="0.580" z="1.160"/>
  <node id="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}" partId="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" radius="0.020" x="0.288" y="0.750" z="1.165"/>
 </nodes>
 <edges>
  <edge id="{e0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" boneName="Spine" from="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" to="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}"/>
  <edge id="{e0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" boneName="Spine" from="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" to="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}"/>
  <edge id="{e0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}" partId="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" boneName="Spine" from="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}" to="{a0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000004}"/>
  <edge id="{e0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" partId="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" from="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" to="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}"/>
  <edge id="{e0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" partId="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" from="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" to="{a0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}"/>
 </edges>
 <parts>
  <part id="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" chamfered="false" deformThickness="0.900" disabled="false" locked="false" rounded="true" subdived="true" visible="true" xMirrored="false"/>
  <part id="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" chamfered="false" deformWidth="0.780" disabled="false" locked="false" rounded="true" subdived="true" visible="true" xMirrored="true"/>
 </parts>
 <components>
  <component id="{c0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" linkData="{b0000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" linkDataType="partId" color="#ffc7b5b4" combineMode="Normal" expanded="false" smoothCutoffDegrees="180.000000">
  </component>
  <component id="{c0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" linkData="{b0000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" linkDataType="partId" color="#fffff4cd" combineMode="Normal" expanded="false" smoothCutoffDegrees="180.000000">
  </component>
 </components>
 <animations>
 </animations>
</canvas>

Step 6 — Run Dust3D to Generate the Mesh

Save the file as nodes.xml, then run:

dust3d -paste-xml nodes.xml -output result.ds3 -output result.obj

• Exit code 0 means success.
• nodes.xml is the source node graph (already written in Step 4).
• result.ds3 is the Dust3D project file, which can be reopened in the Dust3D GUI for further editing.
• result.obj is the exported 3D mesh.

Step 7 — Verify the Result

Confirm all three output files were created:

# Quick sanity check: confirm all output files exist and are non-empty
ls -lh nodes.xml result.ds3 result.obj

# Count vertices and faces in the mesh to check plausibility
grep -c '^v ' result.obj   # vertex count
grep -c '^f ' result.obj   # face count

For visual verification, open result.obj in any 3D viewer that supports orthographic projection (e.g., Blender, MeshLab) and switch to front orthographic and right orthographic cameras. The silhouette should roughly match the front and side views of the reference image.

If a part is too flat or too round, adjust deformThickness or deformWidth on that part and re-run.

Troubleshooting Common Failures

Best Practices for Reliable Mesh Generation

1. Start simple: Begin with 3–5 nodes per part and add detail after confirming the base mesh generates correctly.
2. Overlap parts intentionally: Where two parts connect (e.g., leg to body), ensure the first node of the child part sits inside the parent tube. The boolean union will merge them cleanly.
3. Use subdived="true" and rounded="true" on all parts for smoother results. Only disable for angular/mechanical shapes.
4. Test incrementally: Add one part at a time and regenerate to isolate which part causes failures.
5. Keep radii proportional: A good rule of thumb is that the smallest radius in the model should be no less than 1/20th of the largest radius.
6. Prefer fewer, well-placed nodes over many tightly-packed nodes. Dense node chains (spacing < 2× radius) trigger heavy interpolation and can slow generation or produce artifacts.

Quick Reference: Coordinate System

Canvas X axis  →  increases left to right
Canvas Y axis  ↓  increases top to bottom (0 at top, 1 at bottom)

Front view (left portion of canvas):
  node.x = horizontal position in front view
  node.y = vertical position

Side view (right portion of canvas):
  node.z = horizontal position in side view  (larger X values = right side of canvas)
  node.y = vertical position (same scale as front view)

canvas.originX  = body's bilateral symmetry axis X in the front view
                  (NOT the front-view panel center — measure the body's
                   actual left-right extent and take its midpoint;
                   xMirrored reflects parts across this exact value)
canvas.originY  = center Y shared by both views  (model's vertical center)
canvas.originZ  = center X of side view   (model's depth center)

All coordinates in the XML are absolute canvas-space values (not offsets from origin). The origin attributes tell Dust3D where to treat as the world center.