Win 3D generations (STL, 3MF) by playing Tetris: Timelapse Studio’s crazy bet

The concept: completed lines against 3D models

Timelapse Studio’s AI 3D Studio turns a text description or photo into a printable 3D model, which you can then edit, paint, cut and export in STL or 3MF. Each AI operation consumes credits. Rather than just selling those credits, the workshop made a crazy bet: to win those who play Tetris the best.

The principle is in one sentence: you play directly on the site, your best score of the week enters the ranking, and the first three receive credits on their account the following Monday. No purchase, no draw: only the score counts.

How to participate

1. Open the game. In the Pricing section of the home page, click the “Win Credits by Playing Tetris” button, or follow this link directly to the game..
2. Create a free account if you don't have one yet, then confirm your email address. Only one account per person is allowed.
3. Play as much as you want. The games are free and unlimited. Only your best score of the week is retained in the leaderboard, so a bad game never penalizes you.
4. Check the leaderboard during the week to find out where you are, and raise a game if another player overtakes you.

The game works on the computer, on the keyboard, on the phone, on the finger, so you can play a game from your desk, then try to improve your score in transport: it is always the same account, and always the best score of the week that is retained.

An example of a week

You play three games on Monday night and get a good score in the second. On Wednesday, you play again five times without doing better: nothing changes, your score on Monday remains that of the leaderboard. On Saturday, a longer game takes you to the front. On Sunday at 23:59, the leaderboard is frozen; on Monday, it is raised and, if you are on the podium, your credits automatically arrive in your account.

Rules and Weekly Ranking

The contest runs per calendar week, at Paris time:

• Period of play: from Monday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59. The ranking is raised every Monday, then a new week begins.
• Score retained: only your best score of the week, regardless of the number of games played.
• Wins: 1,000 credits for the first, 500 for the second, 100 for the third, paid automatically to the account on Monday.
• Scoring: If two players have the same score, the one who reached it first wins.
• Conditions: free account, email address confirmed, one account per person.

Scores verified by the server

In order to keep the ranking correct, each game is checked by the server: the sequence of the pieces is replayed to check that the announced score has actually been obtained. An impossible score is discarded from the ranking. No need to try to modify the game: only a real game counts.

Orders and scale

The scale is that of the classic Tetris: 100 points for 1 line, 300 for 2, 500 for 3 and 800 for 4 lines at once, multiplied by the current level. The level increases by 1 every 10 lines. In addition, 1 point per square traveled in rapid descent and 2 points per square in immediate fall.

What Credits Are Worth: STL and 3MF Generations

A 3D model generation consumes on average about 40 credits, between 20 and 60 depending on the complexity of the part. Here is the order of magnitude of each gain:

Credits earned are used just like other credits in the Studio: generate a model from a text or a photo, retouch it, paint it, then export it to STL or 3MF for your printer or for a print in the workshop. They are not convertible into money.

With 25 generations, there is enough to carry out several projects: a series of supports and cases described with their dimensions (see 3D modeling by AI), or a figurine carved from photos and then painted in colour (see from the photo to the 3D figurine). Before printing, the checklist prepare a STL or 3MF file you will avoid unpleasant surprises.

Start a game now

Tips for making a better score

The scale strongly rewards multiple lines and high levels. Some principles to take advantage of:

• Shoot all four lines at once. Four separate lines earn 4 100 points, four lines at once earn 800 points, multiplied by the level. Build a flat stack by keeping a free column on one edge, and wait for the right bar to fill it.
• Keep the pile low and steady. A covered hole is expensive: you have to clear all the lines above to reach it. Better to put a piece a little less well than create a hole.
• Use immediate fall. Each square crossed in fall brings 2 points, against 1 in rapid descent. Over a long game, these points add up, and the fall saves time.
• Last to level up. The level multiplier increases every 10 lines: a line is worth much more at level 8 than at level 1. Surviving for a long time counts as much as placing each piece well.
• Enjoy the break. The P key allows you to blow without losing your game.
• Replay without fear. Only the best score of the week counts: each new game is one more chance, never a risk.
• Play early in the week. With the same score, the first to reach it wins. A good score on Monday is better than the same score obtained on Sunday night.

Why this crazy bet?

Tetris and 3D printing have more in common than it seems: in both cases, it is a question of stacking layers and organizing volumes in a limited space. Arranging pieces on a print bed or cutting a large object into a kit requires the same sense of space as inserting an L-shaped piece in the right hollow.

For Timelapse Studio, the contest is also a way to make the Studio discover in a different way. Many people are hesitant to try a 3D generator by AI because they do not know what they could do with it. Earning credits by playing gives a good reason to test the generation from a text or a photo, retouching, painting and exporting STL or 3MF, without spending a euro. And for the regulars of the Studio

If you are still hesitant between an AI generator and classical modeling software for your projects, the comparative AI 3D generator or CAD software will help you choose.