Getting Started

PowerImaginator adopts existing image generation and depth estimation models as a foundation for its 3D generative capabilities. These models require modern, powerful GPUs to run efficiently.

  • If you have a recent NVIDIA GPU or Apple Silicon device, you can set up a local server for free using the hardware you already own.
  • Otherwise, you’ll likely want a cloud-hosted server. This setup guide uses Modal, since it provides a generous $30 worth of credits for free every month. If you prefer to use Vast.ai, RunPod, or any other service, simply follow the local setup instructions inside your cloud instance, and use the IP address of the cloud instance as the Server URL in the client.

Set up your server

  • Install Git and uv.
  • Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS).
  • git clone https://github.com/PowerImaginator/powerimaginatorserver.git
  • cd powerimaginatorserver
  • uv sync

Running a local server

Note: Ignore these steps if you prefer to run a cloud server.

If you want to run the PowerImaginator server locally on your computer with a PyTorch-compatible GPU:

  • export POWERIMAGINATOR_API_TOKENS=password123 (or any password you prefer)
  • uv run fastapi run main_module/main.py

Running a cloud server

Note: Ignore these steps if you prefer to run a local server.

If you want to run PowerImaginator on Modal, follow these instructions:

  • Create an account: https://modal.com/signup
  • Click on the Secrets tab in the top navigation bar.
  • Click the Create new secret button.
  • Select the Custom type.
  • In the Name field, enter powerimaginatorserver-secrets
  • In the Environment variables table, set Key to POWERIMAGINATOR_API_TOKENS and Value to a password, or comma-separated list of passwords. We recommend choosing a strong password to protect your server from unauthorized access.
  • Click Done
  • Go back to Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS). Optionally cd powerimaginatorserver if you closed it after the previous setups.
  • uv run modal setup and follow instructions to authenticate your device with Modal.
  • uv run modal deploy modal_wrapper.py
  • Go back to your browser and click on the Apps tab on the Modal dashboard.
  • Click on entry in the Live Apps section.
  • Make a note of the endpoint URL. It should follow this format: https://your_username--powerimaginatorserver-entry.modal.run

Install the client app

Whew! You’re almost finished 🤩

Go to the powerimaginatorclient GitHub Releases page and download the top .zip archive (Windows) or .dmg bundle (macOS). Simply extract the ZIP file (Windows) or double-click the DMG (macOS) and drag PowerImaginator to the Applications folder.

A note for macOS users

When opening the client app, you’ll see a warning that the app has not been reviewed by Apple. This is normal (we don’t pay $99 every year to join their developer program) - simply follow these instructions to allow it to run. Important: please make sure you only download PowerImaginator from its official GitHub Releases page to avoid malware on other sites.

Congratulations! 🎉

You’re now ready to create 3D scenes with PowerImaginator! Simply launch the client app on your device, enter your server credentials, and click Connect.

  • If you set up a local server, leave the Server URL as http://localhost:8000, and then enter the API token you assigned to the POWERIMAGINATOR_API_TOKENS variable.
  • If you set up a cloud server, set the Server URL to the URL you noted in the final step (e.g. https://your_username--powerimaginatorserver-entry.modal.run) and enter the API token you assigned to the POWERIMAGINATOR_API_TOKENS variable when creating the secret.

If you enter the wrong URL or token, PowerImaginator will simply crash and exit. We will add proper error handling in the future, but for now, try checking the server-side output in your Python console or Modal logs to see if the client is able to initiate a connection.

Enjoy, and please chat with us on Discord or try hacking the source code from GitHub! If this is your first time using PowerImaginator, check out the video on our home page for a quick tutorial.