Open Source Photogrammetry API

A production REST API that converts a single photo into a 3D mesh model using an Apache 2.0 licensed open-source reconstruction model. One HTTP call, one 3D file. The open source photogrammetry API delivers GLB or OBJ output at $0.010 per model — half the pay-as-you-go rate of Meshy. 5,000 free trial credits (7-day trial), no credit card required.

How the open source photogrammetry API works

Upload a JPEG, PNG, or WebP photo and receive a fully textured 3D mesh. The API reconstructs depth, geometry, and surface texture from a single image — no multi-angle capture or special hardware required. The underlying reconstruction model is released under the Apache 2.0 open-source license; PixelAPI hosts it as a managed inference API so you get production reliability without managing GPU infrastructure.

1. POST your image to https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/3d/generate
2. Receive a generation_id immediately
3. Poll GET /v1/3d/status/{id} until status=completed
4. Download your GLB or OBJ from output_url

Quick start — one API call

Sign up, copy your key from the dashboard, and POST your product image. The endpoint returns a generation id; poll until status=completed, then download your 3D model file.

curl -X POST https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/3d/generate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "image=@product.jpg" \
  -F "format=glb" \
  -F "texture_size=1024"
# Response: {"generation_id": "uuid", "status": "queued", "credits_used": 10}

# Poll until completed
curl https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/3d/status/UUID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
# Response: {"status": "completed", "output_url": "https://...", "files": {...}}

pip install pixelapi
---
from pixelapi import PixelAPI

client = PixelAPI(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
result = client.image_to_3d(
    image="product.jpg",
    format="glb",        # "glb", "obj", or "all"
    texture_size=1024    # 512, 1024, or 2048
)
result.save("product.glb")  # downloads GLB to disk

npm install pixelapi
---
import { PixelAPI } from "pixelapi";

const client = new PixelAPI({ apiKey: process.env.PIXELAPI_KEY });
const result = await client.imageTo3d({
  image: "./product.jpg",
  format: "glb",
  textureSize: 1024,
});
await result.save("product.glb"); // downloads GLB to disk

composer require pixelapi/pixelapi
---
<?php
use PixelAPI\Client;

$client = new Client(getenv("PIXELAPI_KEY"));
$result = $client->imageTo3d([
    "image"        => "product.jpg",
    "format"       => "glb",
    "texture_size" => 1024,
]);
file_put_contents("product.glb", $result->getBody());

gem install pixelapi
---
require "pixelapi"

client = PixelAPI::Client.new(api_key: ENV["PIXELAPI_KEY"])
result = client.image_to_3d(
  image: "product.jpg",
  format: "glb",
  texture_size: 1024
)
File.binwrite("product.glb", result.body)

go get github.com/pixelapi/pixelapi-go
---
import "github.com/pixelapi/pixelapi-go"

client := pixelapi.New("YOUR_API_KEY")
result, err := client.ImageTo3D(pixelapi.ImageTo3DParams{
    Image:       "product.jpg",
    Format:      "glb",
    TextureSize: 1024,
})
if err != nil { panic(err) }
result.Save("product.glb")

Pricing — half the cost of Meshy

Meshy pricing verified from docs.meshy.ai/en/api/pricing October 2026. PixelAPI per-model price is set at exactly half the cheapest verified rival rate per our pricing rule. Rival prices listed as "see pricing" were not independently verifiable at time of publish — check their pages directly.

What you get back

Common workflows

The open source photogrammetry API fits into these production workflows. Each links to a setup guide:

Integrations & SDKs

Comparison vs alternatives

Rate limits & error handling

20 requests/minute on the free trial, 60 on Starter, 120 on Pro, and 300 on Scale — with 3, 10, 20, and 50 concurrent jobs respectively. Exceeding the limit returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header. For 3D generation specifically, each job can take 30–90 seconds; the concurrent-jobs limit matters more than the per-minute rate. Recommended: submit jobs in batches matching your concurrent-jobs allowance and poll each one asynchronously.

# Python SDK — async batch with auto-retry on 429
from pixelapi import PixelAPI
import asyncio

client = PixelAPI(api_key="...", max_retries=4)

async def process(path):
    return await client.image_to_3d_async(image=path, format="glb")

results = asyncio.run(asyncio.gather(*[
    process(f"product_{i}.jpg") for i in range(10)
]))

Failures return HTTP 5xx with an error_message field. Credits are auto-refunded for any failed generation — you never pay for a broken mesh. The SDK raises a PixelAPIError with the same detail.

Frequently asked questions