CAREER: Mesh Renaissance: From AI Foundations to Interactive 3D Creation

NSF Award Search · 01002930DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $600,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Three dimensional models power modern technologies ranging from engineering and manufacturing to robotics and digital content creation, yet creating and modifying these models remains a difficult and time-consuming process even for experts. Even basic operations, such as selecting or editing parts of a shape, require complex tools and significant effort. As a result, scientists, engineers, and creators cannot easily generate or manipulate 3D content. This project seeks to remove these barriers by developing artificial intelligence technologies that fundamentally transform how people interact with 3D shapes. By enabling users to create and edit 3D objects through intuitive interactions such as language, images, and simple geometric selections, the project aims to make 3D modeling accessible to a much broader community. These capabilities will accelerate innovation across the many fields that depend on geometric data. The project develops new computational foundations for artificial intelligence systems that operate directly on meshes, the dominant representation of geometry in graphics, engineering, and simulation. The research will first establish a mesh foundation model that learns general geometric representations capable of supporting tasks such as segmentation, correspondence, and analysis across diverse shapes. Building on these representations, the project will develop multimodal algorithms that allow users to edit and transform meshes using text descriptions, images

Key facts

NSF award ID
2542757
Awardee
University of Chicago (IL)
SAM.gov UEI
ZUE9HKT2CLC9
PI
Rana Hanocka
Primary program
01002930DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Artificial Intelligence (AI), CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, EAST ASIA, OTHER, Cyber-Human Systems, GRADUATE INVOLVEMENT
Estimated total
$600,000
Funds obligated
$360,549
Transaction type
Continuing Grant
Period
06/15/2026 → 05/31/2031