Roblox already uses over 250 different AI models, and players may soon get another one that can create just about anything from scratch.
Roblox is developing a new open-source generative AI tool, dubbed the 3D Foundational Model, the game platform announced at the Roblox Developer Conference on Friday.
The model will understand text, image, video, or 3D asset prompts, meaning users can drop in an existing 3D game asset and ask the AI to make something similar, change it, or expand upon it, for example. The model is being trained on 3D data provided by Roblox creators who opted in, the company tells PCMag. Roblox is also using open-source datasets and licensing some datasets to refine the model, which can generate 3D objects or entire scenes.
Roblox previously launched an AI assistant tool that can add textures and pull from preexisting assets to assemble scenes for players, while the upcoming 3D model generator will be able to make content from scratch. Over time, Roblox plans to add this model to the assistant tool.
Roblox will make its upcoming 3D Foundational Model open source -- and wants it to see wider adoption across the gaming industry. This means third-party game developers could change the model as needed, tuning it for specific purposes.
While generative AI tools could help speed up the game development pipeline and make more ambitious projects possible for indie creators, it's also been controversial because of its potential impact on game industry jobs for workers like environment artists, animators, and character designers. There's also been some debate around the value of open-source tech, and whether some open-source AI models from companies like Meta and Google even quality as such.
Ultimately, Roblox is trying to build what it calls "4D" generative AI, meaning that the AI can also create interactions between the 3D game elements. This means that animations between objects would be built-in, and the 4D tool could create dynamic environments with interactive objects that can move through game spaces.
Roblox has already been developing and implementing numerous AI tools across its game, seeing it as a way for players to more easily make content. The company has already launched over 250 different AI models, from texture and avatar tools to chat translation, to name a few. While these tools can help gamers generate more content, the AI features take some time to create objects and textures, meaning gamers may be waiting for anywhere from half a minute to many minutes for the tool to finish its creation. GenAI tools can also require a lot of computing power, and therefore can suck up shocking amounts of electricity.
Roblox also announced some technical improvements to its overall game experience on Friday. Its Harmony game engine tech is being developed on the backend to optimize interactions between a user's CPU, GPU, and RAM on their device, and make changes in response to a player's internet speeds. This means that Roblox game environments may be loading a lot faster, especially on devices like smartphones, in the near future. The company has already made changes to better Roblox performance on Android devices, improving average frames per second by 24%, making the gaming experience look and feel smoother overall.
"Optimizing for performance is something that permeates everything we do at Roblox," says Tian Lim, Roblox VP of creator and engine product. "Superior performance also empowers creators to experiment with bigger, bolder ideas that push the boundaries of what exists on the platform, from larger maps to servers with more players."
In the future, Roblox says it wants gamers to be able to join a 100-player open-world battle royale game -- and have it run seamlessly on a device with just 2GB of RAM. If this actually happens, gamers with older iPhones or budget phones could have some fun.