3DInkGen: Extending Traditional Ink-Painting Artistry with Generative 3D Creation for Novices

Ink painting, renowned for its aesthetics and historical significance, plays a vital role in global art. Further, 3D ink art extends this tradition into spatial forms, enriching digital media like animation and games. However, existing methods for 3D ink creation demand expertise in both 3D modeling and ink aesthetics, limiting novice participation and 3D ink application. Through formative research with four experts, including ink painting artists and 3D designers, we summarize the core challenge: how to preserve the expressive pattern of ink paintings while constructing 3D structures. To tackle this challenge, we introduce 3DInkGen, a system transforming 2D ink elements into editable 3D compositions. 3DInkGen follows a four-stage workflow: element extraction, form generation, 3D reconstruction, and style transfer. A user study with sixteen novices showed 3DInkGen lowers technical barriers and enables intuitive 3D composition. The four experts believe novice-created works captured the artistic style of ink painting while maintain 3D structure of elements.