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Workflow: 2D Assets to 3D Generative Renders

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tintwotin edited this page Jul 9, 2026 · 5 revisions

Workflow: 2D Assets to 3D Generative Renders

This guide outlines a hybrid pipeline combining standard 3D scene composition in Blender with generative AI utilizing Pallaidium and FLUX.2 Klein. You will learn how to convert 2D assets into 3D, build a 360° lit environment, compose shots in the Video Sequence Editor (VSE), extract depth maps, and use multi-image reference prompting to achieve character-, location-, and light-consistent results.

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Table of Contents

  1. Prerequisites & Add-ons
  2. Phase 1: 2D to 3D Asset Creation
  3. Phase 2: Environment & Lighting Setup
  4. Phase 3: Shot Composition & Depth Mapping
  5. Phase 4: AI Rendering with Pallaidium

Prerequisites & Add-ons

Before you begin, ensure you have Blender installed along with the following add-ons, tools, and models:

Blender Add-ons & Tools:

  • Asset_Generator-2D-3D: For converting flat images to 3D meshes. GitHub Link
  • AutoRetopo: For optimizing the generated 3D meshes. GitHub Link
  • HDRI Strip to 3D Environment: To convert image strips to halfdomes or HDRI environments. GitHub Link
  • HDRI Sun Aligner: For automatic light alignment. GitHub Link
  • Pallaidium: The core generative AI interface for the VSE. GitHub Link

AI Models & LoRAs:

  • Base Model: FLUX.2 Klein 9B (via Pallaidium)
  • Depth LoRA: refcontrol-FLUX.2-klein-9B-reference-depth-lora HuggingFace Link
  • 360 Panorama LoRA: flux-2-klein-9b-360-panorama-lora HuggingFace Link

Phase 1: 2D to 3D Asset Creation

First, we need to turn our flat 2D character generations into usable 3D stand-ins for our scene.

  1. Import 2D Images: Generate or import your 2D character assets with transparent backgrounds.
  2. Convert to 3D (Pixal3d): Process your 2D images through Pixal3d to generate the initial 3D geometry. Pixal3d is heavily preferred here over other methods as it currently yields the best quality and volume interpretation for flat images.
  3. Optimize Geometry: The initial 3D conversion will likely have dense or messy topology. Select your new 3D assets and use the AutoRetopo add-on in Blender. This will automatically remesh the models, optimizing them for viewport performance and ensuring clean geometry for depth map extraction later.

Phase 2: Environment & Lighting Setup

Next, we will generate our background and automatically match the Blender lighting to the scene.

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  1. Generate 360 Environment:
    • Open the Pallaidium panel in the VSE.
    • Load the flux-2-klein-9b-360-panorama-lora.
    • Generate an equirectangular panoramic image of your desired environment (e.g., a playground in suburbia on a sunny day).
    • Upscale: Use Pallaidium's built-in Nvidia upscaler (set to Upscale 4x) to increase the resolution of your environment texture for high-quality backgrounds and reflections.
  2. Setup the Environment:
    • Select the upscaled 360 image strip in the VSE.
    • With the strip selected, use Strip > the HDRI Strip to 3D Environment add-on.
    • Note: You can convert this strip into either an HDRI Environment or a Half Dome. You must set it up as an HDRI environment so that the light data is broadcast into the scene.
  3. Align the Lighting:
    • With the HDRI environment active, use the HDRI Sun Aligner add-on. This tool requires the HDRI data to detect the light angle (the brightest point in the sky) and will automatically align Blender's Sun light to match. This instantly creates realistic, cohesive shadows for your 3D assets.
    • Optional: Once the sun is aligned, you can switch the background to a Half Dome if you prefer having standard physical geometry for the background in your viewport.
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Phase 3: Shot Composition & Depth Mapping

Now we compose the actual shot and extract the depth data the AI needs to understand the spatial relationship of the characters.

  1. Compose the Scene: Place your remeshed 3D character assets and any props inside your scene. Position your 3D camera to frame the shot.
  2. Setup VSE Scene Strips:
    • Go to the Video Sequencer.
    • Go to Add > Scene to insert your 3D scene as a strip in the sequencer.
    • Ensure your scene strip is pointing to the correct active camera you just framed.
  3. Extract Depth Map:
    • With the Scene strip active, use Klein Schematics to convert the scene strip into a Depth Map representation.
    • This creates a black-and-white depth pass (visible in the preview) that will serve as the skeletal foundation (Image 1) for the final AI render.

Phase 4: AI Rendering with Pallaidium

This is where everything comes together. We will feed our original 2D assets, our new depth map, and our background into Pallaidium using FLUX.2.

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1. Gather Input Strips

You need to import your original 2D assets back into the VSE as reference strips. You can easily find the file paths for these original 2D images via the Material properties of your 3D assets. Import them as image strips alongside your depth map and your 360 background strip.

2. Configure Pallaidium Inputs

In the Pallaidium side-panel under Input Strips, use the strip picker (eyedropper tool) to assign your strips in this exact order:

  1. First Input (Base Image 1): The Depth Map strip generated by Klein Schematics.
  2. Ref Image (Image 2): The first character 2D asset strip (e.g., the Punk Girl).
  3. Ref Image (Image 3): The second character 2D asset strip (e.g., the Man in Army Jacket).
  4. Ref Image (Image 4): The 3D scene/environment strip.

3. Setup LoRA & Settings

  • Under the LoRA settings in Pallaidium, ensure the depth LoRA (refcontrol-FLUX.2-klein-9B-reference-depth-lora) is loaded.
  • Set the Base model to FLUX.2 Klein 9B.
  • Ensure dimensions match your desired output (e.g., 1920x1024).

4. The Prompt

Because we are using multi-image referencing, we must explicitly tell the model how to interpret Inputs 1, 2, 3, and 4. In the Pallaidium prompt box, enter the following (adapted to your specific scene):

insert the punk girl form image 2 into the right character of depth map of image 1 and the man in army jacked from image 3 into the left charcter of depth map of image 1, do not change the looks or features of the characters in image 2 and image 3. background is a playground in suburbia on a sunny day. Use the location, background and settings from image 4.

5. Render

  1. Click Add to Queue (or Add Job).
  2. Click Start.

💡 Pro-Tip for Consistency: Generative AI natively has slight variations. To ensure strict character consistency, you may need to render a couple of batches (Batch Count > 1 or 3 in Pallaidium settings) and pick the frame that most perfectly matches the facial features and clothing of your original 2D assets.

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