Introduction

Runway now supports 3D. As of November 12, you can generate a textured 3D model inside Runway with Tripo H3.1, Tripo's flagship text- and image-to-3D model, or upload a .glb you already have. Then you orbit the model, pick any camera angle, and snap that view as a reference for your next image or video generation. The model also exports, so it can travel on to Blender, a game engine, or a slicer.

This is a closed, credit-based feature in the Runway app, not open weights. Tripo H3.1 is a third-party model, and it lives in Tool mode under a new 3D option.

What Shipped

Generate a 3D model

  • Inputs: a text prompt, or photos of an object from one or more angles
  • Output: a textured .glb file, saved to your assets with a 3D tag
  • Geometry: Standard or Detailed (Detailed adds finer surface detail like hair, fur, and fabric)
  • Textures: off, Standard, or Detailed, with optional PBR materials
  • Negative prompt: up to 255 characters
  • Advanced settings: a face limit for lighter meshes, fixed model, image, and texture seeds for repeatable tweaks, and automatic sizing
  • Speed: Runway says a generation takes a few minutes

Bring your own model

You can upload any static .glb with embedded textures. Runway's help page notes that .obj, .fbx, and .usdz files need converting to .glb first, and that rigged or animated models won't upload, so export one static .glb per pose for a posed character.

Use it as a reference

Once a model is in your assets, you can view it from any angle and capture that framing as an image reference. You can also drag a .glb straight onto a reference or frame slot in Tool mode, or load it through the new 3D Model node in Runway Workflows.

Pricing

Each Tripo H3.1 generation in Runway costs 10 to 50 credits, depending on geometry and texture choices:

  • Standard geometry, no textures: 10 credits
  • Standard geometry, Standard textures: 20 credits
  • Standard geometry, Detailed textures: 30 credits
  • Detailed geometry, no textures: 30 credits
  • Detailed geometry, Standard textures: 40 credits
  • Detailed geometry, Detailed textures: 50 credits

Turning textures off is the cheapest way to block out a shape before you commit to a full-detail pass.

Why It Matters for Creators

Consistency is the hard part of AI image and video. A prop, vehicle, or creature that changes shape between shots breaks the illusion. With a real mesh in the loop, you lock the object once and then choose the camera: a low hero angle for the poster frame, a three-quarter view for the reveal, a top-down for the transition. Every reference comes from the same geometry.

It also shortens the trip between tools. Tripo describes H3.1 as its high-detail model for production-ready assets, with meshes of up to 2 million faces on its own platform. Inside Runway, the same .glb that guides your shots can be exported for a game scene or a 3D print.

How to Try It

  1. Open Runway and select Tool in the left sidebar
  2. Choose 3D at the top of the panel (Tripo H3.1 is preselected)
  3. Type a prompt, or select Reference and add photos of your object
  4. Pick Standard or Detailed geometry, adjust textures under Advanced settings, and select Generate
  5. Open the finished model, rotate it to the angle you want, and use that view as a reference for an image or video

A starter prompt that gives Tripo plenty of shape, material, and color detail:

A vintage brass diving helmet with three round glass portholes, riveted seams, a slightly dented crown, patches of green verdigris around the bolts, thick leather neck collar, warm polished highlights on the brass, realistic proportions

For photo input, Runway recommends shooting front, left, back, and right views with nothing else in frame, since a hand or a nearby object can end up baked into the mesh.

Original Source

Full specs and credit costs are on Runway's help page, Using 3D models in Runway. Model details are on Tripo's H3.1 developer page.

Conclusion

Runway just gave its image and video tools a stable 3D anchor. Generate or upload a mesh, frame it however you like, and let every shot reference the same object. Start cheap with untextured blockouts, then spend credits on the detailed pass once the shape feels right.

—Aurelia ♡