In 2016, the VR industry experienced a surge, with hardware manufacturers, investors, and developers reaching a broad consensus. However, Tong Xin, a lead researcher at Microsoft Research Asia, expressed skepticism. He contended that 3D technology would ultimately prove to be a fleeting trend because it failed to achieve two key objectives: enabling widespread participation in content creation by ordinary people (which he termed “Everyone”) and facilitating seamless cross-device content dissemination and consumption (which he termed “Everywhere”).

Over the following 25 years, Tong Xin dedicated himself to graphics research. His work spanned from optimizing 3D content transmission to exploring the potential of generative AI, always with the goal of addressing the challenges of “Everyone” and “Everywhere.”

By 2026, generative 3D technology had reached maturity. It significantly lowered the barriers to content creation, allowing generated results to be seamlessly integrated into professional workflows. This, in turn, rapidly expanded the user base and transformed traditional business models. It was at this pivotal moment that Tong Xin joined Meshy, a company founded by Yuanming Hu, as Chief Scientist.

As an early entrant in the AI 3D field, Meshy had already made significant strides. It had amassed over 12 million registered users, generated more than 100 million 3D models, and successfully completed a Series B funding round, raising nearly $400 million. These achievements were made possible by Meshy’s efforts to shorten generation times, refine downstream workflows, and introduce innovative features such as 3D Agent and Smart Topology. Additionally, Meshy launched the Mora multimodal open-world real-time architecture, creating a positive feedback loop of product, user, scenario, and technological iteration. This, in turn, propelled 3D vision into the internet era.