Tencent Hunyuan3D review: the pay-as-you-go AI 3D modeler with open weights
Answer in brief: Tencent Hunyuan3D is the best AI 3D modeler for developers who want pure usage-based pricing. On Tencent Cloud, a standard Professional generation costs 25 credits, about $0.34 to $0.38 prepaid, with no subscription. Versions 3.0 and 3.1 cost the same, and new users get 200 free credits. Tencent also publishes Hunyuan3D 2.1 as open weights you can run yourself. Watch the defaults: the API generates 500,000 faces unless you set a lower count, and the open licence excludes the EU, UK and South Korea. This is independent research from Tencent's billing docs, API docs and GitHub repository; we did not test it hands-on.
Verdict: the developer's metered 3D engine. Pick Hunyuan3D to build 3D generation into an app at a predictable per-call price, or to self-host.
Three ways to use Hunyuan3D
- Creator site (Tencent HY 3D). When it launched globally, Tencent announced 20 free generations per user per day. We found no public paid creator price table.
- Tencent Cloud API. Professional generation in Normal, Sketch, LowPoly and Geometry-only modes, plus a faster Express mode for text or image. Optional multi-view images, PBR materials and a custom face count. Versions 3.0 and 3.1 are both selectable.
- Open weights (Hunyuan3D 2.1). A 3.3B-parameter shape model and a 2B-parameter PBR texture model, with code, weights and training code on GitHub and Hugging Face.
Who Hunyuan3D fits best
- App and agent developers who want per-call billing without a seat licence.
- High-volume pipelines that benefit from volume credit packs.
- Research and self-hosting teams with GPUs who want to fine-tune an open model.
Why developers love it
- Clear per-call prices. Professional Normal or Sketch costs 25 credits, LowPoly 30, Geometry-only 15 and Express 15.
- Volume discounts. Prepaid packs run from $15 per 1,000 credits ($0.015 each) to $1,350 per 100,000 ($0.0135), valid for one year. Postpaid is $0.02 a credit.
- A free start. A one-time package of 200 API credits per user, valid for a year.
- Fine control. Face count can be set from 3,000 to 1,500,000.
- An open model you can run anywhere. Tencent says 2.1 supports macOS, Windows and Linux. It needs about 10 GB of VRAM for shape, 21 GB for texture or 29 GB for both. The community has built ComfyUI and Unity integrations.
Know these limits
- High default face count. The API defaults to 500,000 faces, far too many for most game props, so set FaceCount yourself.
- Options add up. Multi-view input, PBR and a custom face count each add 10 credits. With all three, a Professional generation costs 55 credits, about $0.74 to $0.83 prepaid.
- Licence territory. The Hunyuan3D 2.1 Community License does not apply in the EU, UK or South Korea, and adds terms for licensees above one million monthly active users. Tencent claims no rights in outputs you generate under it.
- Hosted terms. We did not find model-specific output-rights terms for the hosted 3.x service; check them before shipping.
- Hard-to-read pages. The Tencent Cloud product page and the creator app did not render for our reader; prices come from Tencent Cloud's billing documentation (updated May 2026).
Tencent Hunyuan3D pricing
| Package | Price | Per credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 credits | $15 | $0.015 |
| 10,000 credits | $145 | $0.0145 |
| 50,000 credits | $700 | $0.014 |
| 100,000 credits | $1,350 | $0.0135 |
| Postpaid | Usage | $0.02 |
Best Hunyuan3D alternatives
- Tripo: a prepaid API at $0.20 to $0.30 per textured model.
- Sloyd: a prepaid API from $12, with polycount and quad options.
- Microsoft TRELLIS.2: an MIT-licensed open model to self-host.
Tencent Hunyuan3D FAQ
How much does Hunyuan3D cost per model?
A standard Professional generation costs 25 credits, about $0.34 to $0.38 with prepaid credits or $0.50 postpaid. Multi-view, PBR and custom face count each add 10 credits.
Is Hunyuan3D open source?
Tencent released Hunyuan3D 2.1 with full model weights and training code under the Tencent Hunyuan 3D 2.1 Community License, which excludes the EU, UK and South Korea. The hosted 3.0 and 3.1 models are available through Tencent's services.
Is there a free Hunyuan3D tier?
Yes. Tencent Cloud gives each user a one-time 200-credit package valid for one year, and Tencent announced 20 free daily generations on its creator site.
Sources
- Tencent HY 3D Global billing overview
- Tencent Cloud SubmitHunyuan3DTask API
- Tencent global launch announcement
- Hunyuan3D 2.1 on GitHub
- Hunyuan3D 2.1 licence
- TechArcade Hunyuan3D review (October 2026)
Independent research, updated 9 November 2026. No hands-on testing claims.
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