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Make a 3D concept map from your material

Open a PDF or describe a topic, and Scholarly's AI builds the key concepts into a labelled 3D scene, grouped by theme and sized by importance, so a strategy, a framework, or an onboarding topic reads at a glance in a deck or a video.

Sign up for freeHow 3D models work

Beta. A full AI build uses 1 AI Creation Credit, and you confirm it first. Small chat edits are free.

A labelled 3D model in Scholarly showing related concepts grouped by theme

Quick answer

What is a 3D concept map?

Updated October 2026 · 3D models are in Beta

A concept map built in space instead of on a page: concepts become labelled objects, related ideas cluster together, and size, colour, depth, and connecting lines show importance and hierarchy. In Scholarly, the AI builds one from your PDF or description as three.js code, and you preview the draft before applying it. You change the map by asking chat; there is no dragging concepts by hand.

Flat concept maps get crowded fast. Once a topic has thirty ideas, the lines cross and the page turns into a tangle. Depth gives clusters room: core ideas in the centre, supporting ideas around them, details further out, and a turntable view that shows each cluster in turn.

Built from your material. The AI reads your PDF, or what you describe in chat, and picks the concepts from it, so the map reflects what your source treats as important rather than a generic outline of the topic. It is an explanatory scene for showing people how ideas relate, not a diagramming canvas.

If you want a classic node-and-line map to print or hand out, Scholarly's 2D concept map and mind map tools are the better fit. The 3D version is for presenting a topic's structure: on a paid plan, export a 4K or transparent PNG for a slide, an 8-second 1080p turntable MP4, or a .glb that opens in PowerPoint and Keynote.

How it works

How to make a 3D concept map

A source, a request, and a draft you preview before applying.

  1. 01

    Open a source or start empty

    Open a PDF as a 3D model, or start an empty one and describe the topic in chat.

  2. 02

    Ask for a concept map

    For example "a 3D concept map of chapter 3, with the main idea in the centre". Confirm the build, which uses 1 AI Creation Credit.

  3. 03

    The AI builds the map

    Over a few minutes it picks concepts from your source, groups and labels them, and writes the scene in three.js.

  4. 04

    Refine by chatting

    Change a label's wording, a colour, or a size with free chat edits on an approval card. Undo brings back the previous version.

Use cases

What to map in 3D

Topics with many related ideas and a clear core.

Strategy and planning documents

Pillars and initiatives from a planning doc, grouped and sized for a leadership deck.

Certification domains

Exam domains as clusters, with the topics under each.

A paper's key concepts

The ideas a paper builds on, grouped by role: background, method, findings.

Frameworks and policies

A compliance framework or clinical guideline, its principles at the centre and the rules around them.

Onboarding topics

What a new hire needs to know, clustered by team or product area, exported for the onboarding deck.

Workshops and brainstorms

A list of ideas described in chat, grouped into themes you can show the room.

Try asking

Requests for concept maps

Tell the AI what sits at the centre and how to group the rest.

  • Make a 3D concept map of this chapter with the main idea in the centre.

  • Group the concepts into three themes and give each theme its own colour.

  • Draw lines between concepts that depend on each other.

  • Put definitions further out and core principles near the centre.

  • Here's my brainstorm list: (paste). Cluster it into themes.

  • Rename the cluster labels to match our team's terms.

Beta

What it can and can't do today

3D models are in Beta. A 3D concept map is an AI-built scene; here's what that means.

Works today

  • Builds from one PDF, or from what you describe in an empty model's chat.
  • Shows grouping, hierarchy, and importance with position, size, colour, and connecting lines.
  • Orbit and zoom, perspective, front, side, and top views, frame all, and a turntable.
  • On paid plans, export a 4K PNG, a transparent PNG, an 8-second 1080p turntable MP4, or a .glb file.

Not supported

  • Not CAD-accurate or engineering-grade. Models explain how something works; they are not measured designs.
  • No STL or OBJ export, and no 3D printing. Exports are images, a turntable video, and a .glb file.
  • No manual 3D editing tools: no sculpting and no dragging parts. You change a model by asking chat.
  • A model starts from one PDF or from an empty chat. For notes or slides, save them as a PDF, or describe the content in chat.
  • It's a Beta: preview every draft before you apply it, and check the labels before a model goes in front of a team.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does it draw lines between concepts?

Ask for them in chat. Because the AI writes the map as three.js code, it can draw lines between related concepts as well as leader lines to labels. If you need a printable node-and-line map, use the 2D concept map generator.

How is it different from a mind map?

A mind map branches out from one central idea; a concept map shows how many ideas relate. Scholarly's 3D models can take either shape. For a classic printable mind map, use the mind map generator.

Can I make one from several sources?

A 3D model opens one PDF. Combine your sources into a single PDF first, or describe the key points in the chat of an empty model.

How many concepts should a map have?

Fifteen to forty concepts usually reads best. A large topic reads better as a few focused maps than as one crowded scene.

What does it cost?

Signing up is free. A full build uses 1 AI Creation Credit; you confirm it first, it runs for a few minutes, and you preview the draft before applying it. Small chat edits are free, and exports need a paid plan.

Can I edit the map after it's built?

Yes, by asking chat. Small edits such as a label's wording, a colour, a size, or the background are free and appear on an approval card; adding or regrouping many concepts is a new build. There are no manual editing tools for dragging concepts, and Undo brings back the previous version.

Map a topic in 3D

Sign up, open a PDF or start empty, and ask for a concept map.

Sign up for freeHow 3D models work

Beta. A full AI build uses 1 AI Creation Credit; small chat edits are free. Exports need a paid plan.