March 24, 2023

In recent years, the demand for 3D technology has witnessed a conspicuous surge, with its market size expected to reach $703.4 billion in 2030. While COVID-19 caught everyone’s fancy for a real-life experience of virtual shopping through Augmented Reality, it has further necessitated the use of 3D images in the eCommerce industry. The concept of the metaverse taking the world by storm is hooked on 3D modelling for enabling a realistic experience for the users. Further, the dependency on 3D technology in movie production, gaming, healthcare and architecture is undeniable. It goes without saying that experience-driven business is the future and 3D technology has to play a colossal role here. While the world is up on its toes to make the best use of 3D technology, here’s a startup from Assam, all set to disrupt the industry with its innovation that’s going to make the creation of 3D models as easy as pie.

My3DMeta has built a proprietary AI/ML solution that can instantaneously convert 2D images into 3D models in real-time. These models are scalable, accurate, affordable, and interoperable, which give them a striking edge over their market counterparts. A user can convert 2D images into 3D models in real-time and export the models to virtually any platform without having to incur an additional expense.

My3DMeta doesn’t confine itself to being a 3D model generator alone but has positioned itself as a one-stop platform for everything that has to do with 3D models. The platform offers a wide collection of 3D characters, pets and accessories for users to purchase. It further enables users to store all their 3D content in one place for efficient 3D asset management.

Apart from the interoperability of the 3D models, what gives My3DMeta a cut above the rest is the jaw-dropping accuracy of its 3D models. While most of the existing players have either limited themselves to the creation of toon replicas or 3D models with far-fetched resemblances to real characters, My3DMeta has carved a niche for delivering highly detailed, photorealistic 3D models with more than 90% accuracy. This could be attributed to its smart inception move in 2016 to start off as a company – My3DSelfie – that crafted personalized 3D figurines from photographs with 90% accuracy, eliminating the need for real object scanning. Seven years into the business, the startup collected millions of data points to build the largest library of 3D human and pet models, as told by the founder, Harsha P Deka. By feeding these data points into machine learning, the startup has built a sturdy AI algorithm, which results in the astounding accuracy of the 3D models, created in record-breaking time.

In 2022, My3DSelfie was renamed as My3DMeta and thus began the works to give shape to a comprehensive 3D platform that would enable the creation of 3D models at strikingly reduced time, cost and effort.

“In the first year, it took us 70 hours to create a 3D model from the design process. In the fifth year, the time taken to create a model came down to 5 hours. And in our latest version under My3DMeta, we are converting 2D images into 3D models in real-time using AI, without compromising a bit on quality and accuracy,” says Harsha.

What’s more, while a 3D model for animation will not usually work in gaming, My3DMeta’s patent-pending version assures that its models are operable in any format and across any platform – be it for gaming, metaverse, animation, 3D printing, etc. All these factors come to play key roles in drastically reducing the price of these high-quality 3D models.

“My3DMeta makes 3D modelling scalable, accurate and super inexpensive. So, what you usually get for thousands of dollars will now be available for $20,” Harsha elucidates.

“What Canva did for 2D, we are going to do for 3D.” – Harsha P Deka

The My3DMeta platform is slated for a worldwide launch in April, which is expected to disrupt the 3D industry at large, making 3D modelling easier and cheaper than ever. In Harsha’s words, “Designers, whether skilled or unskilled, can use our platform to create 3D models and make money out of it. In short, what Canva did for 2D, we are going to do for 3D.”

The startup has already inked commercial partnerships and POCs with Sony, InMobi, Samsung, MetaSky, Metasimz, Epoch Gaming and CRED. It has also earned exclusive licenses for Prabhu Deva, Mohan Babu, Bob Ross and Charlie Chaplin.

Harsha’s experience and exposure to the 3D and animation industries since 2010 lent him a keen understanding of the challenges of the 3D industry, which motivated him to work on building a sturdy solution. A graduate of Computer Science from Carleton University in Canada, Harsha had earlier founded a startup, Myware Solutions Inc., that predominantly focussed on game development, multimedia and design, 3D modelling and VFX. The exposure gained in terms of skills, experience and networking through his startup, laid ahead a path for Harsha to realize a pathbreaking solution for the 3D industry. Making My3DMeta see daylight demanded a highly qualified team. Harsha left no stone unturned to convince and onboard industry experts with experience in chairing key departments in companies like Walmart, Google, Embibe and the like.

With AI and ML evolving into building blocks of innovations in the startup world today, Harsha’s advice to the youth aspiring to build AI-enabled products or platforms is to hone their expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, or look for a co-founder with the expertise and having first-hand experience of at least 5-6 years. Capital, being a key factor in developing futuristic technology, Harsha recommends getting enrolled in good technology accelerators, which can provide support both in terms of technology and seed money.

In fact, Harsha’s own endeavours to scale and transition from My3DSelfie to My3DMeta were supported in the initial stage by the incubators he was a part of. While being incubated under the first COHORT at Assam Startup in 2019-20, Harsha was awarded a MASI grant of Rs. 15 Lakhs by the Government of Assam. In the following year, he received a seed fund of Rs. 50 Lakhs from IIM Calcutta Innovation Park – the Implementing Partner of the Assam Startup initiative.

My3DMeta, with its futuristic innovation, is expected to open floodgates for microentrepreneurs and give rise to a large community of professionals looking to build a lucrative career in 3D design. And with a man from Assam being responsible for ushering this global disruption, the amount of inspiration the youth of the state will draw from this success story of My3DMeta would be unparalleled.