How 3D generation is metered and the free-plan premium allowance
HIIE's two 3D paths are metered differently. Here's what each costs and what the free plan includes.
The HIIE Engine: flat, low-cost, no count cap
The HIIE Engine — the server-side build123d service — is Camelia's default and preferred CAD tool. Every generation runs the full vision quality loop (generate, gate, render snapshots, visually inspect, refine) and produces real B-rep STEP, STL, and GLB outputs. It has no monthly count cap; each user-visible generation meters a small flat rate (about 10 credits), so iterating stays cheap.
Meshy premium: 75 credits, 2 free-plan generations per month
The premium Meshy text-to-3D path debits 75 credits per generation (the actual provider cost plus a small buffer). The free plan includes 2 premium generations per month, counted across all your projects, enforced server-side, and tracked in a generation registry.
Failed jobs don't cost you
A failed or timed-out premium job does not consume your monthly allowance, and its 75-credit debit is refunded automatically. Only successful generations count.
Bring your own Meshy key
If you connect your own Meshy key under Connections, premium generations run on your own Meshy account: no credits are debited (the run posts as a $0 usage row in your ledger) and the monthly count cap doesn't apply.
Practical guidance
Do your exploration and dimensioned work on the HIIE Engine, and spend premium generations when you want a realistic, textured, print-ready model of the finished object.