Table of Contents
Introduction
In the digital era, visual effects have emerged as a potent medium for communication, with an unprecedented demand for high-quality and captivating imagery. AI Image Generators, such as Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion, PromeAI, Midjourney, and Dalle 3, are at the forefront of this visual revolution. These tools harness the power of artificial intelligence to transform simple text prompts into intricate and detailed images, offering artists and creators a new canvas for their imagination.
Stability AI has gained notoriety for its groundbreaking “Stable Diffusion” technology, which not only generates high-resolution images but also expands the realm of creative possibilities. These AI-driven platforms are reshaping the way we think about digital art and design, providing users with the ability to bring their most abstract ideas to life with stunning visual fidelity.
What is Stability AI?
Stability AI is a company at the forefront of developing open-source generative AI models. Their flagship product, Stable Diffusion, has garnered widespread popularity for its text-to-image model that produces high-quality images from simple text prompts.
The vision of Stability AI is to foster equitable and fair access to generative AI, believing in its potential to transform various industries, from food and beverage to education.
Beyond its flagship, Stability AI is continuously developing and refining other generative AI models for applications in imaging, text generation, music creation, 3D object design, coding, and biotechnology.
Their open-source models are accessible to everyone, and the company provides comprehensive documentation and tutorials to help users get started on their creative journey.
Stable Cascade: A Leap Beyond SD with Enhanced Performance and Flexibility
On February 24, 2024, Stability AI has unveiled its new text-to-image model, Stable Cascade, built on the Würstchen architecture, which allows for straightforward training and fine-tuning on consumer-grade hardware. Official tests reveal that Stable Cascade not only outperforms its predecessors but also delivers superior results compared to SDXL. The model’s details are publicly available on GitHub, though it’s licensed for non-commercial use only.
Distinguished from the Stable Diffusion series, Stable Cascade comprises three models: Stage A, Stage B, and Stage C. Stage A is a VAE model, while Stages B and C are diffusion models. Each stage handles a distinct phase of image generation, with the output of one model serving as the input for the next, embodying the “cascade” effect that gives the model its name.
Stable Cascade supports a variety of functions, including image generation from text, image variants, inpainting/outpainting, Controlnet, Lora, and high-definition upscaling. Utilizing a smaller latent space for training and inference compared to other SD models, Stable Cascade offers faster inference speeds and more efficient training. This flexibility may position it to evolve into a new ecosystem, following in the footsteps of Stable Diffusion and Stable Diffusion XL.
Official GitHub Homepage: https://github.com/Stability-AI/StableCascade
Stability AI’s Leap in 3D Modeling: Introducing TripoSR
On March 5, 2024, Stability AI and Tripo AI collaboratively unveiled the TripoSR 3D generation model, a groundbreaking innovation that can produce high-quality 3D models in less than a second.
VAST, the pioneering startup behind this technology, has recently completed the development of its universal 3D model, Tripo 3D AI. Leveraging VAST’s extensive preliminary research in AI algorithms and training on a vast database of billions of parameters of high-quality native 3D data, Tripo has set industry benchmarks in quality, speed, and success rate of generation. Currently, Tripo 3D AI can generate textured 3D models in just 8 seconds, with the capability to export models for further editing and adjustments. Since its introduction in December 2023, Tripo has been capable of generating 3D mesh models from text or images within 8 seconds and refining them to near-handcrafted quality within 5 minutes, both geometrically and materially.
The inference of TripoSR requires minimal computational power, to the extent that it doesn’t even necessitate a GPU, significantly reducing production costs and making it commercially viable. The weight model allows for commercial use, further expanding its potential applications.
In terms of performance, TripoSR outperforms other models by creating detailed 3D models in a fraction of the time required by others. Tested on Nvidia A100, it can generate preliminary quality 3D outputs (textured meshes) in approximately 0.5 seconds, surpassing other open-source image-to-3D models like OpenLRM.
Technically, the preparation of training data involved various rendering techniques that closely mimic the distribution of images in the real world, significantly enhancing the model’s generalization capabilities. A carefully curated high-quality subset of the Objaverse dataset, licensed under CC-BY, was used for training. The base LRM model was also subjected to several technical improvements, including channel optimization, mask supervision, and a more efficient cropping rendering strategy,
The code for the TripoSR model is now available on Tripo AI’s GitHub, and the model weights are available on Hugging Face. Please refer to our technical report for more details on the TripoSR model.
Stability AI and Morph AI Collaborate to Revolutionize Video Creation with MorphStudio
On February 28, 2024, Stability AI made a significant announcement on their official social media accounts, revealing a partnership with Morph AI, a leading text-to-video company. This collaboration has resulted in the development of MorphStudio, an all-in-one AI video creation tool designed to revolutionize the traditional video production process. MorphStudio offers creators a streamlined interface to generate, edit, and post-produce videos, with the ability to select and optimize each shot using AI models for the best possible outcome.
Morph AI, established in April 2023, specializes in the development and community application of text-to-video technology. They have been instrumental in helping users rapidly generate their ideal short videos through their proprietary model technology. In May 2023, Morph AI launched the world’s first AI video generation product open to the public for unrestricted testing, marking a milestone in the accessibility of AI-generated video content.
This innovative tool promises to drastically reduce the time and cost associated with video creation, providing a significant advantage over conventional production workflows. Additionally, the partnership between Stability AI and Morph AI has fostered a creative community where creators can share and build upon video templates, allowing others to view, replicate, and edit new videos based on existing creative works.
MorphStudio has already begun inviting users for an internal beta test and is scheduled to open for public testing on March 15.