Solo and small-team game devs hit the same wall: you can code the game, but every character and prop needs a 3D artist. AI can now get you from a concept image to a rigged, game-ready model in minutes. Here is the full pipeline I’d use for prototypes, game jams and even shipped indie games, with the engine settings that matter.
Disclosure: the Image to 3D and 3D Rigger tools used here are part of JollyAI, my own site.
- Concept: one clean, full-body image per asset.
- Image to 3D: textured GLB (optionally Blocky / voxel, optionally Animate it).
- Rig: 3D Rigger for body, fingers, face and tail/hair bones, exported for your engine.
- Import: GLB for Godot and the web, FBX “Export for Unity/Unreal” for those engines.
- Cost: free previews; a $3.99 Day Pass downloads a game jam’s worth of assets.
The Pipeline at a Glance
| Step | Tool | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Concept art | Any AI image model (Krea 2 / Qwen 2.1 on JollyAI) or your own drawing | PNG, full body, plain background |
| 2. 3D model | Image to 3D | Textured GLB |
| 3. Rig | 3D Rigger | FBX or GLB with humanoid bones, optional face shapes |
| 4. Animate | Your engine, mocap, or CC0 animation packs | Clips retargeted onto the humanoid rig |
| 5. Optimise | Blender (decimate, texture resize) if needed | Mobile- or web-ready asset |
Step 1: Concept Images That Convert Well
- One asset per image. Full body. Front or three-quarter view.
- Plain background, arms slightly away from the body.
- Keep a consistent style across your cast: reuse the same prompt template and just change the character.
- For props (chests, weapons, vehicles), shoot them at a slight angle so depth is visible.
Step 2: Image to 3D
Upload each image to Image to 3D. Use Blocky / voxel style for low-poly or voxel games (voxel guide), and Animate it if you want a quick rigged character straight away. Check the 360° preview from all sides before downloading. Full guide: Image to 3D online.
Step 3: Rig for Your Engine
In 3D Rigger, check the AI-placed joint dots, add finger bones, face shapes (for dialogue scenes) and tail or hair chains, then open Advanced options > Export for and pick Unity, Unreal or Blender. The FBX then uses that engine’s axes and scale, and bone names follow a standard humanoid layout. Full walkthrough: auto rig a 3D model online.
Prototype your whole cast this weekend. Free previews; a $3.99 Day Pass covers 25 generations plus rig downloads for 24 hours.
Start with Image to 3D →
Step 4: Import Into Your Engine
Godot 4
- Drop the .glb into your project; Godot imports it as a scene with its Skeleton3D and AnimationPlayer.
- Use “New Inherited Scene” to add collisions and scripts without touching the import.
- Voxel look: set the material texture filter to Nearest.
Unity
- Use the FBX from 3D Rigger (Export for Unity). In the Rig tab set Animation Type: Humanoid and Apply.
- Any humanoid animation clip now retargets onto it through an Animator Controller.
- For GLB props, install a glTF importer package such as glTFast.
Unreal Engine 5
- Import the FBX (Export for Unreal) as a Skeletal Mesh.
- Create an IK Rig for it and use the IK Retargeter to borrow animations from the UE5 mannequin or your mocap.
- Static props can come in through the built-in glTF importer.
Polygon and Texture Budgets
| Target | Rough triangle budget per character | Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile / web | 5k to 20k | 1024 px |
| PC indie | 20k to 60k | 2048 px |
| Hero character, close-ups | 60k+ | 2048 to 4096 px |
AI models can be heavier than you need. 3D Rigger already reduces very heavy meshes to 120k triangles; for mobile, run Blender’s Decimate modifier and resize the textures before export.
Licensing Checklist Before You Ship
- Use your own concept art or AI images you have the rights to. No copyrighted characters or real people without permission.
- Use animations you own, mocap you recorded, or clearly licensed (e.g. CC0) packs. Check the terms of any animation library before reusing its clips outside its own tool.
- Check each storefront’s current AI-content disclosure rules (Steam, for example, asks developers to disclose AI-generated content).
What You Get With PRO (and the Cheaper Options)
| Free | Day Pass | PRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $3.99 for 24 hours | $14.99/month for the first 50 members, locked for 12 months (then $19.99) |
| Generations | 1 per day | 25 | 50 per day |
| AI video (MiniMax H3: text, image and reference to video, with sound) | – | Up to 3 | Up to 10 per day |
| AI images (Krea 2, Qwen 2.1) and image editing | – | Yes | Yes |
| Image to 3D (with Animate it and Blocky / voxel) | Watermarked 360° preview | GLB download | GLB download |
| 3D Rigger (body, fingers, face, hair) | Free preview | FBX + GLB download | FBX + GLB download, 10 rigs a day |
| Text to voice | Generate and listen | Generate and listen | Generate and download |
Why the bundle is good value for game devs: concept art, 3D models, rigs, NPC voice lines and a trailer clip all come from one $14.99 plan, instead of five separate tools. Game jam weekend? Take the $3.99 Day Pass.
FAQ
Are AI 3D models good enough for a real game?
For prototypes, jams, stylised and voxel games: yes. For close-up AAA-style heroes, use them as a base and clean up in Blender.
GLB or FBX?
GLB for Godot, the web and Blender. FBX (with the engine preset) for Unity Humanoid and Unreal.
Can I make enemies and creatures, not just humans?
Two-legged creatures rig well; four-legged animals aren’t supported by 3D Rigger yet, but you can still generate them as static or Animate-it models.
Final Thoughts
The art bottleneck for small game teams is mostly gone. Concept image in, rigged GLB or FBX out, and your engine handles the rest.
Make your first game-ready character. Free daily preview, no install.
Open JollyAI Image to 3D →
JollyAI is my own tool. Download with a Day Pass ($3.99) or PRO ($14.99/mo for the first 50 members).