‍Introduction

The Rise In hackathon at Delhi Technical University (DTU) brought together a multitude of innovative teams eager to explore the world of Blockchain and Web3.

In this blog, we dive into the journey of one such team that participated in the hackathon, their groundbreaking project, and the valuable insights they gained along the way.

Project Overview: A 3D NFT Marketplace Powered by AI

The team undertook a mission to create an NFT marketplace tailored for 3D digital assets, offering a solution to a persistent problem in the NFT space. Instead of traditional NFT marketplaces where 3D models, games, and metaverse items get lost among other offerings, the team imagined a platform exclusively dedicated to transacting 3D NFTs. What truly sets this project apart is the integration of a text-to-3D generative AI system. This innovative system enables users to generate unique 3D model NFTs instantly by simply providing a text prompt describing the desired 3D asset. Under the hood, this generative model creates original 3D objects that match the provided description. 

The significance of this innovation lies in its ability to lower the barriers for creating diverse 3D digital content for NFTs. Creators can generate 3D assets without manual modeling, while buyers can acquire unique models that match their preferences. This project is a step towards the metaverse vision, developing an active 3D model NFT economy empowered by AI generation capabilities. During the hackathon, the team successfully built a functional prototype, showing the core ideas and opening up possibilities for future development.

‍

Meet the Team

The team comprised individuals with diverse roles, each contributing their unique expertise:

‍

• Abhisht Dixit - Team leader and project manager, responsible for developing the web platform backend and integrating blockchain technology into the NFT marketplace.
• Hemant Verma - The web3 expert, focused on implementing BNB chain integration and smart contract functionality for NFT transactions.
• Aditya Kumar - Specialized in designing and training the generative AI model for text-to-3D synthesis using deep learning techniques.
• Ishita Jain - Collaborated on building and enhancing the generative 3D model, while also working on the UI/UX design of the NFT marketplace frontend.
• Kumar Samyak - Contributed to presentations, front-end web development, and acted as a versatile team member bringing all the components together.

‍

The team's varied skills in web development, blockchain, machine learning, and design combined with Abhisht's leadership to create a functional NFT marketplace prototype integrated with AI for text-to-3D generation.

‍

Inspiration for Web3

The team's motivation to step into the web3 space originated from their fascination with emerging technologies like blockchain, crypto, and web3. They were captivated by the ideals of decentralization and the empowerment of users, which lie at the core of web3. Witnessing the creation of new applications and economic models built on this foundation, they were eager to join the movement. The possibilities of innovating in areas such as digital ownership, creator economies, and community governance inspired them to take the plunge into web3 development. The team particularly saw immense potential at the intersection of AI and web3, which is yet to be fully explored.

‍

Significant Technical Challenges

The team faced two major technical challenges during the project's development:

The BNB blockchain integration presented a major challenge. The team had to gain a deep understanding of the architecture and capabilities of BNB to utilize it for NFT marketplace transactions and smart contracts. Synchronizing the blockchain functions with the web platform required troubleshooting and improvement.

Training and optimizing the generative AI model for text-to-3D synthesis presented another major challenge. Creating high-quality 3D models based on text prompts demanded complex machine learning techniques capable of capturing 3D geometry. The team experimented with various model architectures and datasets before achieving satisfactory results.

‍

Valuable Lessons Learned

The journey of collaborating on this ambitious web3 project left the team with invaluable lessons:

• Abhisht - Emphasized the critical role of project planning and scope management, especially in emerging technology projects. Setting achievable goals was key.
• Hemant - Highlighted the importance of learning blockchain architecture and capabilities before diving into development. Detailed research upfront paid off.
• Aditya & Ishita - Realized that starting small and iteratively improving machine learning components produces better long-term results than repeatedly early on.
• Kumar Samyak - Discovered the critical nature of communication and collaboration within a diverse team. Keeping everyone aligned was essential.

‍

Advice for Aspiring Web3 Enthusiasts

Based on their experience, the team offered valuable advice for individuals or teams aspiring to undertake similar web3 projects:

• Clearly define the scope and set realistic milestones at the outset. Avoid overextending your capabilities with ambitious goals.
• Thoroughly research and understand the core technologies you'll be working with before diving into development.
• Start small, prove your concept's viability, and then scale up. Get a minimum viable product functioning end-to-end first.
• Leverage the unique strengths of each team member. Collaboration between diverse experts is crucial for ambitious projects.
• Documentation and communication are critical when innovating. Keep detailed notes on decisions and designs to keep everyone aligned.

‍

Conclusion

The team's journey in the DTU Blockchain and Web3 Hackathon demonstrates the incredible potential of web3 to redefine NFTs and create innovative solutions. Their project, a dedicated 3D NFT marketplace powered by AI, opens up new possibilities for creators and buyers in the digital asset space. Their story reflects the power of teamwork, research, and perseverance when diving into the web3 frontier. We applaud the team for their remarkable achievement and eagerly anticipate their continued exploration of the cutting-edge technologies at the heart of web3.