Image generation can be used to produce normal maps, a back of the napkin test was able to do it first try in 5 image generation calls, that may get down to 2, with "ai greenscreening". So we start with ai prompts at the top of the pipeline. We get normals and masks, of fictitious/ethereal 3d assets. This is a new resource, but the lack of actual 3d assets will have effect across the whole art pipeline.
Assume the start of the process is a pair of normal and a mask.
ai greenscreening - 2 (mask): you ask an image gen ai for "change the background to $randomhex", twice, then process it into a mask; original algorithm ai greenscreening - 5 (uv+mask): you ask for a "textureless 3d model", get human approval, then itterate on the model to be lit from top, bot, left, right, same random colors