Lychee Gen Q&A: Your Questions Answered
It has been one week since Lychee Gen officially launched, and we have received many reactions, questions, and discussions. It’s exciting but with so much happening, some important information is getting lost along the way. That’s why we’re creating a Q&A article: a single place to find answers to the most common questions and to highlight the improvements we have made.
We’ve done our research, talked with creators, and listened to the conversations. So here it is... everything you need to know, all in one place.
Q1. Where does the training data come from?
It is important to understand where the AI learned from and, as an artist, to ask whether your own creations could be used or copied without your consent. The short answer is no. Lychee Gen was trained in collaboration with a trusted third-party provider that maintains full and verifiable documentation of every data source.
How was the AI trained? The model was trained using two public 3D libraries: Objaverse and ShapeNet. These are open collections where creators share their work under clear licenses, such as Creative Commons, or for research purposes. They are the same resources used by universities and research labs worldwide.
How it works: The AI does not copy models. It learned the principles of 3D form, such as what makes something organic or how surfaces work, and then creates entirely new geometry. It is like learning anatomy to draw an original character, not tracing someone else's art.
How artists are protected: All dataset licenses are strictly respected, and safeguards prevent any reproduction of protected content. No private or proprietary files were ever included in the training process.
About copyright: The real issue often lies in the source. For example, when an image from a well-known license appears on Google, that content may already be protected by copyright. A generation tool simply reproduces what it is given; it does not decide whether the material is protected. This is why Lychee relies only on compliant and privacy-respecting solutions that never train on user data. Your work and your privacy remain safe. If you ever have any doubts, you can send a report to contact@mango3d.io for investigation.
Important Lychee Statement
Q2. How can you support artists while launching AI generation?
Many of you are worried that AI could replace creators, and you wonder why Lychee chose to go down this path. For us, Lychee Gen is a productivity tool, not a replacement for artists. As mentioned earlier, the protection and respect of creators’ rights are at the heart of what we do. Lychee Library, launched in 2024, was created to protect and showcase original creations. Lychee Gen was then built with two clear goals in mind:
- Goal 1: Open 3D modeling to everyone: Not everyone wants to become a professional 3D artist, but many want to create models for personal projects or hobbies. Lychee Gen makes that possible. Of course, the results will never reach the level of professional artistry and that’s the point.
- Goal 2: Speed up professional workflows with a creator assistant: We talked with professional creators to understand where they lose time. The answer was clear, at the early blocking stage. Many already use base meshes, mannequins, or primitives to speed up this phase. Lychee Gen takes that same principle and pushes it further it helps artists skip repetitive steps so they can focus on the creative part: refining, detailing, and expressing their unique style. Just like AI became a productivity tool in writing, design, or coding it helps professionals work faster, not replaces what they do. Lychee Gen is a tool that handles the repetitive, technical steps, so artists can focus on the creative part.
Note: Before launch, we consulted with a few creators and moved forward based on their feedback. In hindsight, we should have taken more time to include everyone affected by this decision. After seeing the constructive feedback and open discussions within the community, we are now prioritizing dialogue and focusing on the development of the Creator Assistant, a productivity tool designed to help artists work faster while keeping full creative control.
Important Lychee Statement
- Lychee Library remains creator-made, with zero AI content.
- Prioritizing the development of the Creator Assistant in close collaboration with creators and ambassadors.
- Working on policies and a reporting system to prevent the misuse of artists’ work.
NEW! We are working with creators to build a Creator Assistant in Lychee Gen Use case: A creator used LycheeGen to explore ideas for a statue. They generated a few poses and concepts until one felt right. Then they produced a basic mesh for the character, a generic glider, and a damaged building to serve as the base. By combining these elements, the artist could experiment freely with composition and structure before committing to a final design. This workflow shows how creators use Lychee Gen to sketch ideas in 3D, stay flexible during the early creative phase, and avoid locking into a single concept too early.
Q3. We're exhausted by AI everywhere. Are you just chasing AI hype for profit?
We get multiple feedback saying you are tired of seeing it forced into every creative space, and you are wondering if we have good reason to go in it. Yes, we are a company. But if profit drove every decision, you would already be paying for all our products. Most of you use Lychee Slicer for free and we don’t plan to change anything. It's everywhere, often forced but when our own users are asking, we are not going to ignore a tool that actually helps when people are actively asking for it. We didn't add AI to chase hype. As the 3D printing world evolved and competitors launched similar tools, we received hundreds of requests from our own users and partners. As addressed in the previous questions two clear needs emerge, a time-saving tool for professional creators and accessibility for hobbyists to create custom models. Lychee Gen results impressed us, and we could not ignore the potential.
Important Lychee Statement
- Lychee Gen is optional for users who find it useful or interesting.
- The promotion of Lychee Slicer and Lychee Library will remain the same.
- Documentation will be provided to explain the goals and purpose of Lychee Gen.
Note: Lychee Gen exists for specific use cases. Lychee Slicer and Lychee Library remain completely unchanged.
Q4 - Is Lychee Gen separate from Lychee Slicer and Lychee Library?
If you are worried Lychee Gen might infiltrate or slow down the slicer and library you already use and trust.. it won't. Lychee Gen runs on a different platform, with a different team (3 web developers), working toward different goals. We deliberately didn't integrate Lychee Gen into the slicer. This keeps both products independent and focused. You can use one without ever touching the other.
Ongoing Development for Lychee Slicer
- Updates continue every 2 weeks with bug fixes and improvements
- Next update includes a new auto-support system (arriving days after beta testing completes)
- Emeraude Engine project still in active development years in the making, this will be our most advanced slicer ever, built on completely new technology.
Ongoing Development for Lychee Library
- New creator content and pre-supported models added weekly
- 100% original creations, zero AI content
Important Lychee Statement
- All three products receive equal attention in development and communication
- User feedback drives improvements across all tools (support tickets, Discord requests, internal sessions)
- Separate channels for each product so discussions stay focused
Q5 - What is our long-term commitment? Are we going to roll this back?
We are not rolling back, because we know how useful Lychee Gen is for many. However, we are listening carefully to feedback on how it should be developed and what information needs to be communicated. This launch has taught us a lot about how to develop this technology responsibly, and we are committed to getting it right.
Lychee is the world leader in resin printing software, but we're still a small company of 20 people across France, Belgium, and the US. We're not a multinational with billions in the bank. Every euro we earn goes back into development and innovation. We pay zero dividends. We hire locally, no outsourcing because we want real expertise on the team. Everything we've built, we built from scratch: our own algorithms, our own technology. That commitment to doing things right is what lets us deliver the best tools in the industry. Our mission has always been to make 3D printing accessible.
About original creators: We understand the fear. But what you need to know is that AI averages patterns. It has no soul. If you're an artist, that is your strength. Humans crave connection and belonging. AI will never replace the loyalty fans feel toward creators. They love their unique universes, their ideas, their distinctive touch. Everything AI can't replicate. We use AI tools and we also support hundreds of creators platforms. We wouldn't drop a single one because we love what they create the things that make them them.
Last note: What about Image-to-3D? This functionality has been requested and we see the potential, but it's significantly more complex when it comes to protecting creators' intellectual property. We are deliberately taking our time to develop stronger IP safeguards before we launch it.
Important Lychee Statement
- Feedback channels and conversations where you influence how Lychee Gen evolves as for Lychee Slicer and Lychee Library
- Monitoring and acting for intellectual property protections for creators within the tool
- Helping creators simplify their workflow while staying in control of their creativity.
We Respect Your Choice
We built Lychee Gen for a specific purpose: to help people who can't find what they want and wish to create something new, and to help artists accelerate their process while keeping full control of their artistic vision. Now that you have all the answers (this Q&A will be updated as needed), you can make an informed decision if you want to use Lychee Gen or not. Both choices are completely valid.