← Back to Blog
Meta’s SAM 3 & SAM 3D: The New Era of AI Segmentation and 3D Creation

Meta’s SAM 3 & SAM 3D: The New Era of AI Segmentation and 3D Creation

Meta just introduced two of the most impressive vision models of the year: SAM 3 and SAM 3D. These models redefine what’s possible in segmentation, object tracking, and 3D asset generation — and they are going to reshape how creators, video editors, game developers and marketers work. What used to take hours of masking, rotoscoping or modelling can now be done with a click or a simple text prompt.

What SAM 3 and SAM 3D are

SAM 3 is Meta’s newest version of its Segment Anything Model. It lets you segment objects in images or videos using a click or a natural language prompt. SAM 3D takes this one step further by generating full 3D objects from a single image — opening the door to rapid prototyping, AR scenes, game assets and product visualisation.

Both models keep the spirit of the original SAM project (fast, flexible, universal object segmentation) but dramatically extend the capabilities. SAM 3 brings precision, speed and video tracking. SAM 3D brings depth, geometry and real 3D modelling.

Deep dive: SAM 3 (Segment Anything Model 3)

SAM 3 is designed to “understand” an entire image or video and isolate anything you ask for — from the broad (“all people”) to the extremely detailed (“the fork on the left plate”). Here’s what it can do:

  • Click-to-segment precision: You click on an object — cup, plant, shoe, lamp — SAM 3 isolates it instantly with pixel-level accuracy.
  • Text-prompt segmentation: Type “bicycles”, “shirts”, “all chairs”, “blue objects”, “dogs”, “vegetables” — and SAM 3 selects every matching object across an entire image.
  • Granular detail on complex scenes: It can recognise thin objects (wires, utensils), transparent objects (glasses, bottles) and overlapping items in cluttered images.
  • Video object tracking: Select an object (ball, handbag, dancer, skateboard) in the first frame — SAM 3 follows it through the entire video.
  • Automated visual effects: Once tracked, you can automatically apply effects such as glow outlines, motion blur, background removal, emphasised colour, zoom-follow, magnification bubbles, or selective blur.

This dramatically cuts down the time spent rotoscoping or masking in tools like After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut. What used to take an hour can now take under a minute.

Deep dive: SAM 3D

SAM 3D brings an entirely new dimension: the ability to turn 2D photos into usable 3D objects.

  • Instant 3D reconstruction: Select an object in a single image — a chair, plant pot, guitar, sneaker, person — and SAM 3D outputs a textured 3D mesh.
  • Skinned human models: For people, it can generate bodies with skeletal rigs, meaning they can be animated immediately.
  • AR/VR scene building: Import the generated objects directly into Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender or WebAR.
  • Physical product prototyping: A designer can photograph an object on the table and instantly see it in 3D for iteration.
  • Free experimentation: Meta released an accessible “Segment Anything Playground” so creators can test SAM 3 and SAM 3D directly in the browser.

This is the closest we have ever come to a “single-image to 3D asset” workflow usable by non-experts.

How these models reshape creative workflows

SAM 3 and SAM 3D eliminate many tedious tasks across video editing, content creation, advertising, AR, gaming and product design. Instead of drawing masks, isolating objects frame-by-frame or manually modelling assets, creators can now focus on storytelling, design, and iteration.

Here’s how workflows change:

  • Faster editing: Editors no longer need manual rotoscoping. They click once, the tracking is done.
  • Consistent creative effects: A glowing outline around a dancer or athlete stays perfectly aligned throughout a clip.
  • Instant 3D asset creation: Game developers or AR teams can build scenes much faster — no more lengthy modelling or photogrammetry needed.
  • Cross-format content: One 2D photo → multiple 3D variations → instant product shots, turntables, AR previews, or e-commerce renders.
  • Prototype-to-production speed: Visual ideas can move from scribble → 2D photo → 3D object → animation in a matter of minutes.

Extensive real-world examples

Here are detailed examples showing how SAM 3 and SAM 3D transform real creative work.

1. Video editors & motion designers

  • Sports content: Select a football in frame one. SAM 3 tracks it across all 12 seconds of footage. Add a glowing trail effect, dynamic zoom follow, or freeze-frame highlights.
  • Dancers & performers: Track the performer, blur the background, add spotlight effects, or enhance motion trails — all perfect frame-alignment.
  • YouTube editors: Automatically isolate the presenter, apply stylised background, insert kinetic typography anchored to specific objects.
  • Documentary footage: Highlight objects of interest (e.g., endangered animals in a wildlife clip) without manually masking each frame.

2. AR/VR artists & game developers

  • Scene building: Photograph a room — select furniture items — convert them to 3D and instantly populate an AR interior demo.
  • Character prototyping: Snapshot a person, generate a rigged 3D body, animate directly in Blender or Unity.
  • Level design: Convert real objects like rocks, plants, props into 3D assets usable in game environments.

3. Marketing & e-commerce

  • Product turntables: Upload a product photo → generate a 3D model → export rotating video or AR preview.
  • Interactive ads: Turn a shoe or handbag into a 3D model customers can rotate in an ad or on a landing page.
  • Lifestyle image editing: Select the model’s outfit → isolate → recolour → replace → relight without reshooting.

4. Filmmakers & VFX

  • Rotoscoping at scale: A director selects a cyclist, SAM 3 tracks them for an entire street sequence, enabling background replacements or motion-enhanced effects.
  • Rapid previs: SAM 3D generates 3D props for previs scenes, enabling directors to explore cinematography before physical modelling.
  • Hybrid 2D/3D workflows: Combine SAM 3’s segmentation with SAM 3D’s mesh output to insert 3D-modified objects back into 2D scenes.

5. Research, robotics & computer vision

  • Open-vocabulary segmentation: Researchers can test algorithms by querying objects that weren’t explicitly labelled in datasets.
  • Object tracking for robotics: Robots can identify and track objects based on text (“grab the mug with the blue stripe”).
  • Dataset generation: Instantly create annotated masks or 3D models for training other AI systems.

Who benefits the most

These models offer huge value across industries:

  • Video editors & motion graphics artists — massively reduced rotoscoping time.
  • Game developers & AR/VR creators — rapid 3D asset pipelines.
  • Marketing & e-commerce teams — realistic 3D product representations.
  • Film & VFX studios — easier compositing and scene manipulation.
  • Researchers — rich segmentation and tracking capabilities for experiments.

Why this matters for the future of visual computing

SAM 3 and SAM 3D represent a shift from “AI as a helper” to “AI as a full creative partner”. These models automate the tedious, technically complex parts of visual production — masking, tracking, segmentation, 3D modelling — and free creators to focus on ideas and storytelling.

The implications are big:

  • Creatives spend more time creating, less time cleaning up frames.
  • 3D becomes accessible to non-experts.
  • New content formats become possible — interactive ads, AR-ready products, hybrid 2D/3D TikToks, dynamic effects at scale.
  • Cross-tool workflows unify — one object selection works across multiple apps and mediums.

Whether you're in media, marketing, gaming, or research, this technology opens new creative and technical frontiers. Now is the perfect moment to explore the Segment Anything Playground and see how SAM 3 and SAM 3D can change your workflow.