While Microsoft was busy updating Copilot yesterday with OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model, it also quietly launched Copilot 3D. It’s a free-to-use feature that can transform a regular 2D image into a 3D model that can then be used in game creation, animation, 3D printing, VR / AR, and much more.
Copilot 3D just needs a good clean 2D image, and you don’t even need to use any text prompts. Microsoft recommends using images with a clear background or a strong separation between the subject and the background. I’ve been testing Copilot 3D today and found that it works better when an image has even lighting and a sense of depth, to help the AI model better convert 2D elements to 3D.
Copilot 3D is part of Copilot Labs, meaning it’s a preview feature that is currently available for a subset of users. You don’t have to be a Copilot Pro subscriber, as this is open to all Copilot users globally. You can try it out on the web version of Copilot.
In my limited testing, it doesn’t work very well on animals or humans, though. I’m not even sure what happened here, but it looks like Copilot tried to guess that my dog has a penis (he does), and then decided to put that penis on his back.
While Copilot 3D struggles with dog anatomy, it does a much better job of converting 2D objects into 3D. I experimented with a bunch of Ikea furniture, beach balls, an umbrella, and some bananas. The Ikea furniture from the retailer’s website worked really well, giving me a 3D model that I could easily drop into an AR app and experiment with. Copilot 3D initially struggled with an umbrella, but once I used an image with more depth it recreated the umbrella almost perfectly. It did add the shadow cast by the shaft on the original umbrella image, but it’s easy to edit that out in a 3D design tool. Bananas were easy work for Copilot 3D, too.
You have to use 2D images under 10MB and they must be JPG or PNG to work with Copilot 3D. Once images are converted into 3D, they’ll be stored in a creations section for 28 days and you can download them freely in the GLB format — which is compatible with 3D viewers, design tools, and game engines. You can also convert the GLB downloads into SLT if you want to import the result into Blender or start 3D printing any images.
I also tried to get Copilot 3D to convert images of Tim Cook and Taylor Swift into 3D models, but it constantly refused. I just got a “Cannot generate content” message, which is likely the model’s guardrails in action. Microsoft notes that you should only be using “original images that you own or have the rights to use,” and not to use images that “include depictions of individuals without consent” or copyrighted material. I was able to successfully 3D model my own face, even though the result was horrific.
Copilot 3D doesn’t seem to stop you trying to make 3D models of Mario though, even if the results are far from great. Microsoft warns that “your account or Copilot usage may be restricted or suspended if we detect an attempt to upload illegal content or content that violates the Copilot Code of Conduct.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
