Backed by $3 million in inception funding from Sierra Ventures and other investors, Thrixel introduces part-based 3D generation and programmatic control for AI-driven pipelines and interactive applications.
CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / October 8, 2026 / Thrixel, founded by University of Chicago computer scientist Rana Hanocka, launched a 3D creation platform that generates assets built from individually named parts with logical hierarchy, so AI agents can identify, assemble, and animate them directly in industry-standard game engines.
"AI has transformed text, images, video, and code, but 3D has historically remained locked behind slow, expensive, and highly specialized tools," said Rana Hanocka, Founder and CEO of Thrixel. Building production-ready 3D content still demands deep technical expertise, which puts it out of reach for many developers and slows down even large studios. Thrixel's part-aware generative architecture produces structured 3D assets with individually named, identifiable components built for AI-driven pipelines. A car generated with Thrixel arrives with its wheels, doors, and chassis as separate named parts that can be animated or swapped. Creators can manipulate individual parts directly with code, assemble complex assets from components, and bring them into existing 3D workflows. The platform combines vision language models, agentic pipelines, generative diffusion, and optimization techniques, each mapped to a discrete step in the 3D modeling pipeline, so creators can use the full workflow or apply specific steps to refine a model.
Watch the demo: a complete game built with Claude and Thrixel, with Thrixel generating the 3D assets and Claude assembling it in Unity.
Thrixel grew out of years of research at the intersection of AI and computer graphics led by Founder and CEO Rana Hanocka, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago. Her research laid key foundations for 3D AI, anchored by MeshCNN, a pioneering framework for deep learning on meshes, and Text2Mesh, an early milestone in text-driven 3D manipulation. She is joined at Thrixel by a founding engineering team of longtime research collaborators who have published extensively across premier computer graphics and computer vision venues. The team pairs that technical depth with close collaboration with users, working directly with developers, studios, and enterprises to understand their workflows and continuously improve the platform.
"We're building a 3D creation engine to power the agentic world," said Hanocka. "Thrixel creates assets that are structured, so an LLM can animate them, add logic, and drop them into a scene."
See Thrixel in action: Rana Hanocka's demo of Claude building a fully playable game with the Thrixel MCP.
Alongside the platform, Thrixel is introducing Build World, an agentic workflow that turns ideas into interactive 3D experiences. Instead of placing assets by hand, creators work alongside an AI coding agent that uses Thrixel to generate the needed 3D content while writing the underlying logic and code. Build World supports building playable experiences in Roblox, Three.js, Unity, and Unreal Engine.
Thrixel is actively engaging with partners across game development, interactive media, robotics, and simulation.
"Thrixel is the first AI 3D platform I've used that lets me craft a result iteratively and use the assets programmatically. It's a natural extension of our existing workflow."
- Alex Seropian, Founder/CEO of Look North World and Founder of Bungie
Thrixel has raised $3 million in inception funding from Sierra Ventures, MFV Partners, Harper Court Ventures, and Z5 Capital, with participation from industry leaders including AI and computer graphics researcher Jon Barron and former EA executive Matt Bilbey.
About Thrixel
Thrixel is an AI-native 3D creation platform delivering intelligent, part-based 3D generation, editing, and control for real-time applications. Founded by University of Chicago professor Rana Hanocka, Thrixel enables developers and enterprise teams to scale 3D asset generation through direct control and AI-driven automation. Its architecture seamlessly connects with professional pipelines and major engines including Unreal Engine, Unity, Three.js, and Roblox. Learn more at thrixel.com.
Media Contact:
Lauren Gill
MAG PR
lauren@mooringadvisorygroup.com
SOURCE: Thrixel
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/uchicago-ai-researcher-rana-hanocka-launches-thrixel-a-3d-generat-1233742
