December 2025: TRELLIS.2, VARCO 3D & Hitem3D 2.0 — Three Major Releases | TOP 3D AI Learn

🏆 TRELLIS.2 — The Best Open-Source 3D AI

This was a highly anticipated release from Microsoft. TRELLIS.2 is a 4-billion parameter model, and I can confidently say — it's now the best open-source 3D AI available.

It significantly outperforms Hunyuan 2.1, Hi3D, and other open-source alternatives. The quality jump from TRELLIS 1 is massive — both textures and mesh have improved dramatically.

TRELLIS.2 Website Tool Details

Sample TRELLIS.2 3D model generation — Sample TRELLIS.2 generation — impressive quality for open-source

Key Features

1536³ resolution: High-detail mesh output with excellent geometry
Alpha channel support: First model to properly understand transparency and export GLB with alpha maps — probably one of a kind right now
PBR textures: Proper material separation out of the box
MIT License: Fully open source for commercial use
ComfyUI ready: Already available via ComfyUI-TRELLIS2 custom nodes (8GB VRAM minimum, 16GB+ recommended)

TRELLIS.2 transparency and alpha map support — TRELLIS.2 is the first to properly handle transparency — exports GLB with alpha maps

Hardware requirement: TRELLIS.2 needs 24GB VRAM minimum for optimal outputs. You can fine-tune it to work with ~12GB using lower resolution settings, but quality will be reduced. Also, no multi-view support yet — which is disappointing for many users.

🎮 VARCO 3D — The December Surprise

This was probably the biggest surprise of December. NCSoft quietly released VARCO 3D on December 1st with almost no marketing. It was actually quite difficult to find — but if you're reading this article, you're among the first to know about it.

They position themselves as 3D AI for game developers first, and from my tests — yes, their dataset is clearly trained on game-ready models. The quality is somewhere around Tripo 3.0 without Ultra mode, or similar to Meshy 6.

Try VARCO 3D Tool Details

Textured 3D model created in VARCO 3D — VARCO 3D output — game-ready quality with 2K textures

Standout Feature: Quad Retopology

One thing that really caught my attention — they have a paid retopology feature (available in any subscription tier) that produces excellent quad topology.

I tested it and was impressed. It's very close to what professional tools like Quadrim, Instant Meshes, or Blender's remesher produce. Probably one of the best quad retopology I've seen in AI tools so far.

VARCO 3D impressive quad retopology result — VARCO 3D's quad retopology — clean quads comparable to professional tools

2K textures: Good detail for game-ready assets
Quad retopology: Professional-grade topology output
Game-focused: Dataset trained on game assets

Current limitations: No multi-view support, some artifacts on sides in certain generations, and you cannot upload your own models yet for retopology — only models generated within the platform.

🔥 Hitem3D 2.0 — Even Sharper Details

Hitem3D is already known for its ultra-detailed geometry, and version 2.0 pushes it even further. I honestly don't know how much sharper they can go — but for highly detailed objects, this is now the definitive top choice.

The improvements focus on texture quality, detail preservation, and overall fidelity. It's now out of beta, so you can test it yourself.

Try Hitem3D Tool Details

Hitem3D 2.0 dragon with incredibly sharp details — Hitem3D 2.0 — every single scale is distinguishable, insane detail level

Perfect for 3D Printing

If you're into 3D printing, Hitem3D 2.0 is extremely well-suited for that workflow. The high-fidelity geometry and unified textures make it ideal for full-color 3D printing.

Hitem3D 2.0 detailed bust with clean textures — Cleaner textures and extra sharp details in Hitem3D 2.0

Unified textures: Improved texture generation
Higher fidelity: Even sharper geometry details
3D print optimized: Great for full-color printing

Pro tip: Version 2.0 excels with detailed objects, but for simpler objects, it can sometimes produce awkward results or unexpected artifacts. For simpler geometry, I recommend sticking with v1.5 — it still delivers excellent results and handles basic shapes more reliably while the team fine-tunes 2.0.

The Verdict

December 2025 was a strong month for 3D AI. Here's my quick summary:

TRELLIS.2: Best open-source option, period. Great for those who can run it locally (24GB VRAM). Alpha channel support is unique.
VARCO 3D: Hidden gem for game developers. The quad retopology feature alone makes it worth checking out.
Hitem3D 2.0: Undisputed king for detailed objects and 3D printing. Use v1.5 for simpler stuff.

All three tools are now available in our 3D AI Arena — compare them side-by-side with the same prompts to see which one fits your workflow best.