404—GEN Blender Add-on

Version: v0.14.2 (Released May 2026)

Overview

The 404—GEN Blender Add-on is a decentralized, AI-powered toolset designed to generate production-ready 3D Meshes and 3D Gaussian Splats (3DGS) natively in Blender.

Project Repo | Website | X

Core Components

• 3D Generation: A text or 2D-to-3D asset generation engine.
• Splat Editing: Geometry and Shader Node trees that allow users to view and edit Gaussian Splats natively in Blender.
• Mesh Conversion for 3DGS: A specialized texture baking and mesh generation pipeline optimized for 3D Gaussian Splats.

🔑 API & Access: Features personal API key integration for uninterrupted service, with credit top-ups managed directly via gen.404.xyz.

Software Requirements

• Blender 4.5+ (Download Here)

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Installation

Step 1: Download the Add-on

Download the latest release ZIP file from Gumroad. Do not unzip the file.

Step 2: Install via Blender Preferences

1. Open Blender and navigate to Edit ➡️ Preferences ➡️ Add-ons.
2. Click Install from Disk... in the top right corner.
3. Select the downloaded addon ZIP file and click Install Add-on.

Step 3: Enable and Install Dependencies

1. Check the box next to 404—GEN to enable it.
2. Expand the add-on dropdown menu.
3. Click [Install Dependencies].
4. Review the Privacy Notice and click [Accept].

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Usage Guide

Step 1: Access the Interface

Press N on your keyboard (or click the small arrow in the viewport) to expand the sidebar panel and select the 404 Tab.

1. Generating from a Text Prompt

1. Type your description into the Text Prompt Field.
2. Click [Generate].

💡 Best Practices: Describe a single object or character. Avoid generating complex multi-object scenes or entire rooms at once. Read more in the Prompts Guide.

2. Generating from a 2D Image Prompt

1. Click the Open Image folder icon.

2. Select your 2D source image and click [Generate].

   

💡 Best Practices: Use high-resolution images (up to 1024x1024 max) featuring a clean, isolated object on a solid white background.

3. Viewport Shading Setup

To view the generated material properly in Object or Edit mode:

• Press Z to open the Shading Menu and select Material Preview (or press 2).

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Personal API Keys

By default, the 404—GEN Blender Add-on uses a public, shared API key. This means you might encounter rate limits during peak hours, even if you haven't generated much yourself.

For Uninterrupted Access:

1. Sign Up: Head to gen.404.xyz and create an account via Email, GitHub, or Discord.
2. Add Credits: Top up your account balance to power your generations.
3. Generate Your Key: Create a personal API Key in your web dashboard.
4. Link to Blender: Paste the key into the API field located under Edit ➡️ Preferences ➡️ Add-ons ➡️ 404—GEN.

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Mesh Conversion for 3DGS

Once a Gaussian Splat is generated, the Splat Display Settings and Mesh Conversion dropdown menus will become available.

Splat Display Settings Reference

Setting	Description
Opacity Threshold	Filters out fully or partially transparent ellipsoids. Elements below this threshold are hidden.
Display Percentage	Controls the percentage of total Gaussian Splat points displayed in the viewport.
Min Detail Size	Controls the density of the generated mesh. Lower values yield higher geometric detail.
Simplify	Decimates and smooths the final extracted mesh. Higher values produce lighter, smoother meshes.
Angle Limit	Adjusts the UV unwrapping angle constraint. Lower this value if the final texture exhibits black or missing artifacts.
Texture Size	Sets the resolution of the baked texture maps in pixels (e.g., 2048).