# Atlas and 404: Our Application Layer for Decentralized 3D Intelligence #### The Vision 404 is building toward Large Spatial Models. Understanding how objects exist and relate in 3D space is something current AI struggles with. It's the missing capability between language models that understand text and systems that can actually interact with the physical world. These models will define the next era of AI innovation. To build toward this vision, Subnet 17 runs 3D AI competitions. Miners compete to build the best models - submitting code that generates meshes, gaussian splats, and procedural assets. Validators evaluate those models for quality, speed and structure. Over time, this produces not just 3D data but the systems and frameworks for spatial manipulation, composition, and physics-aware generation. These competitions build on each other, creating continuously improving models that expand AI's ability to generate digital worlds and understand / interact with the physical world. They are also commodities. #### The Commodification of Intelligence 404's competition framework uses open-source submissions to ensure that miners build atop each other, accelerating innovation amid constantly increasing competition. As a result, the subnet pays per innovation rather than per output, and incentivizes miners to optimize speed, cost, and quality to survive. This type of hyper-competitive framework creates a fundamentally different trajectory than centralized AI platforms. On a centralized platform, quality improves when the company invests in R\&D. Speed improves when they optimize infrastructure. And prices increase over time as the platform captures margin. On 404, quality improves because miners compete to win. Speed improves because generation time is a competitive advantage. And costs decrease over time as decentralized compute scales and miners optimize for their own efficiency. | Metric | Centralized Platforms | 404 (SN 17) | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | | **Quality** | Improves with R\&D budget cycles | Improves continuously (miners compete daily) | | **Speed** | Improves slowly with infrastructure investment | Improves fast (speed directly affects rewards) | | **Cost** | Increases over time (margin capture) |

Decreases over time
(competition + scale)

| | **Innovation** | Limited to internal team | Global (open to anyone) | The role of 404 is to direct that intelligence into work that both 1) can provide value today and 2) can further our vision of building Large Spatial Models. Competitions range from generating raw data in the form of gaussian splats, meshes, and procedural representations, to spatial editing, composition and physics aware generations. The longer 404 runs, the more diverse and expansive the tech stack becomes. Over time, this expansion addresses the needs of 3D generation (content creation tools, world models and game engines, robotics and digital twins), and the effects compound. 404 will become the default 3D generation layer for the internet: the cheapest, fastest, highest-quality infrastructure available, improving every day through open competition. Not because we're the only option, but because the economics of decentralized competition compound in ways centralized platforms cannot match. #### AI Innovation → Real World Adoption Such an expansive vision requires a balance between innovation-oriented competitions and real usage proof points. Market usage data becomes a key component, as adoption, revenue, and achievements serve as indicators for current and future viability of these models. Within the creative industries, adoption is a key signal of future success, driving both feedback to improve AI models and competitive advantages to drive revenue. Midjourney (a 2D AI company) provides a clear case study. By providing a free product, they gained adoption with individual content creators - first generating insights required for development, then building network effects that allowed them to earn $50 million when they later moved to a subscription model. 404 follows a similar path and as such, we make extensive efforts to ensure our tech is not locked to any single interface. Developers, studios, and creators can access the network however fits their workflow with a limited amount sample generations to lower the barrier to entry: **Unity Plugin** The first decentralized 3D model generation integration for Unity as an official Verified Solution - [Unity Asset Store](https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/generative-ai/404-gen-3d-generator-311107).

**Blender Add-on** Our most popular open source integration - [Blender Marketplace](https://404gen.gumroad.com/).

**Web App** Our lowest barrier to entry - [Web Generator](https://gen.404.xyz/). **Direct API** For developers building custom integrations. [*Atlas*](https://atlas.design/) *is our own custom integration.* #### Atlas If 404 is open infrastructure, why build Atlas? Because enterprises need more than raw generation. They need production-ready pipelines. #### The Two-Layer Stack We believe AI technology needs to exist at two distinct layers:

		Cover image
The Intelligence Layer	404 (Subnet 17) — where models compete, improve, and generate 3D assets through decentralized incentives.
The Application Layer	Atlas — where those capabilities become products that enterprises and creators can actually use.

This is the architecture that will lead to enterprise Subnet 17 adoption. 404 is infrastructure. Atlas is the interface. Together, they form a complete stack for bringing decentralized 3D intelligence to the world. #### What actually is Atlas? {% embed url="" %} Atlas is an orchestration layer that takes raw 3D generation from Subnet 17 and makes it production-ready - handling texture refinement, format conversion, and quality filtering through integration with other AI models. Game studios use it to generate assets at scale. At enterprise scale, no single model produces perfect results for every use case, and enterprises need a variety of solutions. For example, a gaussian splat may be visually stunning but require mesh LODs for gameplay, or a fast generation mesh may need 2D texture refinement for studio use. Atlas solves this by combining 404's outputs with other AI models in node-based workflows:

This broader enhancement pipeline integrates models beyond 404's core 3D generation, including 2D image, video, rigging, and animation models - ultimately making 404's outputs more valuable to enterprises. #### No White Labeling: Atlas showcases (and charges for) 404 When users generate assets through Atlas, they see that the generation is powered by 404. Transparency builds trust. When a professional studio discovers 404 through our Unity and Blender plugins they can move to Atlas to generate at scale using automated quality pipelines, format optimization, multi-model orchestration, and enterprise support. This value-add amplifies the professional use cases of 404. And paying customers on Atlas that use 404 will be paying 404 - Atlas isn't taking a cut of that revenue. Ultimately for 404 to succeed long-term, the technology needs to generate real revenue because it is truly State-of-the-Art and can win on its own output, speed, and visual fidelity - revenue from customers paying for value delivered. Atlas is designed to facilitate and scale that revenue path with enterprise customers. The model is straightforward: usage-based pricing. Customers pay per generation, per asset, per API call. #### Why Enterprises Choose 404 via Atlas There are other 3D generation options. Meshy, Tripo, Hunyuan, Trellis - the market isn't empty. So why would enterprises choose Atlas and 404? * Enterprise use cases balance quality with optimization and generation speed. 404 is the fastest high quality foundational model on the market today. * For mobile gaming assets and real-time generation this is a game changer and can welcome a new era of AI-native ["Living Games"](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/gaming/games-start-ups-developers-partners-innovating-with-gen-ai). * For use cases requiring maximum visual fidelity and/or mesh topology, Atlas enhances 404's outputs through multimodal orchestration. * Enterprise customers are wary of depending on a single AI provider and Atlas allows them to test with 404 before building and embedding a content creation pipeline around it. * Atlas's orchestration layer can be configured for customization of 404 at scale around specific use cases. * The pipeline can be tuned: different quality thresholds, different formats, different enhancement steps. This flexibility is hard to match with single-model interfaces. * Atlas is now a well-known web2 company, having launched the solution in [partnership with Google Cloud](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/08/18/3135265/0/en/Atlas-Partners-with-Google-Cloud-to-Power-the-Next-Generation-of-AI-Native-3D-Game-Development.html). * Atlas has existing customer relationships with major studios like Square Enix - One of the largest game publishers in the world. * This opens doors to enterprises that would be difficult for 404 to build without an application layer. > ### "Atlas's ability to seamlessly integrate with our highly customized workflows has been a game-changer." > > — Joseph Burnette, Technical Director, Innovation Technology Division, SQUARE ENIX This is a route to take our subnet 'mainstream' - not by asking enterprises to change how they operate, but by meeting them where they are. #### Why This Architecture Wins 404 stays focused on the hard problem: building the best decentralized competition system for 3D generation. Miner incentives. Validator infrastructure. Model evaluation. Network reliability. This is deep, technical work that requires singular focus. Atlas stays focused on the market problem: understanding what customers actually need, building products they'll pay for, navigating enterprise sales cycles, ensuring quality meets expectations. This is commercial work that requires different skills. Atlas exists to bring customers to 404. 404 exists to provide the intelligence that Atlas delivers. We're building both layers because we believe you need both to win at enterprise scale. #### What's Next The pieces are in place. * 404 will continue to evolve towards Large Spatial Models through innovating and commoditizing key 3D AI technologies. * 404's open infrastructure will facilitate a diverse ecosystem of builders creating games, world models, tools, AR/VR/XR, digital twins and other unique applications of immersive environments. * Atlas will focus on enterprise adoption of these technologies. The roadmap is a delicate balance of innovation, execution, research and showing real-world proof points via adoption, benchmarks and value. * 404 has millions of generated assets, a proven competition system, and active miners improving models daily. * Atlas has enterprise relationships, a working product, and customers ready to pay. * 404's technology has been demonstrated at GDC, the World Expo, Gamescom and the Venice Biennale. The question was never whether decentralized 3D generation could work. That's been proven. The question is whether it can become the spatial-reasoning foundation for the next wave of AI innovation on the scale of OpenAI and Anthropic - one that competes with these centralized players while maintaining the openness and incentive alignment that only decentralization can provide. We're building 404 to be that foundation.