# FAQ

Common questions about Skybox AI. Live prices: plans (opens new window). Feature matrix: Plan comparison.

# Plans and billing

# Is Skybox AI free?

Yes, there is a free evaluation with limited features. It is for trying Skybox AI, not for full production use.

Free evaluation includes a small monthly credit allowance and watermarked, preview-oriented output. It does not include Model 4, API access, a commercial license, or 3D export. Upgrade on plans (opens new window) when you need paid features.

# Do I own my skyboxes? Do I get a commercial license?

Per the Terms of Service (opens new window), you own the Assets you create with Skybox AI (to the extent applicable law allows). Ownership continues even if you later cancel.

A commercial license is included on paid plans (Essential, Standard, Business, and custom Enterprise). Free evaluation does not include a commercial license. Plan matrix: Plan comparison. In-app Licensing (profile menu) and the Terms are the legal source of truth.

# Which plan do I need for the API?

Standard includes API key access. Business and Enterprise are for products that generate at scale, with higher limits. Business also includes wallet billing so you can keep generating after included credits. Essential and free evaluation do not include API access.

Details: Plan comparison · Getting started.

# How do credits work?

Create and Remix cost credits by quality: Fast 1 · Standard 3 · Enhanced 6. Edit costs 1 credit. Image2Pano costs 3 credits.

Paid plans include a credit allowance. On Business, after included credits you can keep generating with a prepaid wallet and optional auto top-up.

Web app and API generations draw from the same account credit pool (and the same concurrency / pending caps). Every credit spent is listed on the Usage (opens new window) page. See Pricing and limits · Tool costs.

# What happens when I run out of credits?

On Essential and Standard, generation stops when your included credits are used up. Upgrade, wait for the next allowance, or move to Business if you need to keep going.

On Business, after included credits are used, generations draw from your prepaid wallet. If the wallet is empty and auto top-up is off, generation stops. If auto top-up is on, Skybox AI can refill the wallet when it drops below your threshold.

Details: Wallet · Auto top-up.

# Do unused credits roll over? How does annual billing work?

Monthly plans refresh the included credit allowance each billing cycle. Unused included credits do not carry over as an extra bank beyond that cycle’s allowance.

Annual subscribers receive 12× the monthly credit allowance once at the start of the year (not a monthly refill). Those credits can be used at any point during that year. Example: Essential 1200/yr, Standard 3600/yr, Business 6000/yr. Live prices: plans (opens new window).

Business wallet balance is prepaid dollars, separate from the included credit allowance. Manage credits and wallet under in-app Credits.

# Can I cancel, switch plans, or get a refund?

Manage plan changes and cancellation in the app under Billing / plans (opens new window).

Per the Terms of Service (opens new window):

Subscription and purchase fees are non-refundable, except where the Terms or the law require otherwise. We email a reminder 7 days before renewal so you can cancel before the next charge.
Cancel or downgrade in your account under Billing. You can use the plan until the end of the current term. The subscription does not renew.
Upgrade can take effect immediately (proration may apply). Downgrade of a yearly plan typically takes effect at the next renewal. Downgrading can remove features or capacity.
An invoice cannot be changed once it is issued.

Billing help: Support.

# What payment types do you accept?

List prices are in US dollars. At checkout, Stripe Adaptive Pricing can present and charge the amount in your local currency. Charges go through Stripe. The methods below are enabled; checkout shows the ones available for your country and device.

Method	Type	Where it appears
Cards (Visa, Mastercard, and other accepted brands)	Card	All regions
Korean cards	Card	South Korea
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Amazon Pay	Digital wallet	All regions
Cash App Pay	Digital wallet	United States
Alipay, WeChat Pay	Digital wallet	China
Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, PAYCO, Samsung Pay	Digital wallet	South Korea
Stablecoins and crypto	Digital wallet	All regions
Pix	Instant payment	Brazil
Bancontact	Authenticated bank debit	Belgium
EPS	Authenticated bank debit	Austria
iDEAL \| Wero	Authenticated bank debit	Netherlands

Renewal and Business wallet auto top-up charge the saved payment method.

An invoice cannot be changed once it is issued.

Purchase orders are for Academic institutions, multi-seat agreements, and Enterprise. Contact sales (opens new window) or support@blockadelabs.com.

Legal terms: Fees and Purchase Terms (opens new window).

# Do you offer academic licenses?

Yes. Academic is a self-serve plan for qualifying institutions (typically verified .ac email domains such as .ac.uk, and similar university / research domains).

Subscribe on plans (opens new window) for a fixed monthly or 1-year Academic subscription. Use your institutional email to verify — a personal Gmail or similar is not enough.

Feature set, credit allowance, and live prices are on the Academic card on plans (opens new window). For purchase orders, multi-seat lab deals, or non-standard domains, Contact sales (opens new window) or support@blockadelabs.com. Details: Academic licenses.

No. Accounts are non-transferable. One person uses one account. The login, credits, and API key stay with that person. Account and login.

# Are you releasing team accounts?

Team accounts are planned. That is an invite onto one Business account, not a way to hand your login to someone else. Members on Business.

# Models and tools

# How long does a generation take?

Quality	Model	Typical time
Fast	Model 3	About 15 seconds
Standard	Model 4	About 60 seconds
Enhanced	Model 4	About 120 seconds

Times vary with load and queue. Model 4 is on Standard and Business. It is not on Essential or free evaluation.

# What is the difference between Model 3 and Model 4?

Model 3 is the widespread production model (Fast quality, about 15 seconds typical). Model 4 is the latest quality model: Standard about 60 seconds typical, Enhanced about 120 seconds typical. Model 4 is on Standard and Business. It is not on Essential or free evaluation.

More: Models · Quality · Prompting.

# Does Model 4 support remix?

Yes. Use the same POST /api/v1/skybox call. Send a Model 4 skybox_style_id and variant_id. remix_imagine_id, remix_collection_id, control_image, init_image, and the hash fields are accepted. On Model 4 the source is read as Depth or Softlines. init_strength is the Model 3 color dial. horizon_shift is −20 to 20 on both models. Model 4.

The same seed with the same settings produces a similar image. variant_id is a setting, so Standard and Enhanced are separate runs.

# Are Edit and Image2Pano on the API?

Edit and Image2Pano are web app tools. The API covers generate, remix, batches, and export. Web: Edit · Image2Pano.

# What are Create, Remix, Edit, and Image2Pano?

Tool	What it does	Credits
Create	New skybox from a text prompt and style	1 / 3 / 6 by quality
Remix	Restyle an existing skybox or upload while keeping structure	1 / 3 / 6 by quality
Edit	Add or remove content in a region of an existing skybox	1
Image2Pano	Turn a flat or partial image into a full 360° panorama	3

Web how-tos: Create · Remix · Edit · Image2Pano. Best practices: Guides. Full table: Tool costs.

# Exports and engines

# Can I download my generations without a subscription?

No. Free evaluation is a preview. It does not include downloads.

Downloads require a paid plan. Resolution and formats depend on that plan.

API access is gated to plans that include it: Standard, Business, and Enterprise. Essential and free evaluation do not include the API.

# What can I download? What resolutions?

Completed skyboxes export to JPG / PNG (equirectangular), HDRI (.hdr / .exr), and on Model 3 also cube map and depth. Max resolution depends on plan and model (for example Essential tops out at 4K; Standard up to 8K; Business up to 16K where the model supports it). Model 4 is natively 4K.

Full matrix: Skybox exports · Plan comparison.

# Are Video Preview and GLB still available?

Video Preview (portrait, landscape, square) is a short clip of an existing skybox for sharing or review, not generative video. Video Preview and GLB (3D mesh) are deprecated from October 31, 2026 and will no longer be available after that date. Prefer JPG / PNG, HDRI, cube map, or depth for lasting pipelines. See Skybox exports.

# Can I use Skybox AI with Unity, Unreal, or Roblox?

Yes. Export equirectangular / HDRI / cube / depth assets into your engine, or generate in the editor with the official Unity package (2.0.3). That package stays pre-Model 4. Model 4, batches, and current export options follow the API. Unreal has a third-party community plugin on the SDK page. Formats: Skybox exports. API: Getting started.

# API and developers

# Where do I get an API key? Can I put it in my game or website?

Create keys at skybox.blockadelabs.com/api (opens new window) on a plan with API access (Standard or higher).

Call the API from your backend (or an official server-side SDK). Do not put the key in frontend JavaScript, mobile apps, game clients, or public repos. Prefer the x-api-key header. See Security.

Yes. Credits, concurrency, and pending caps are per account. The web app, your backend, and any clients that hit your backend all share that pool. Details: Concurrency.

# Do Skybox AI plan limits cap spend in my app?

No. Your plan limits how many generations can run at once. It does not cap what you spend.

A 429 means the queue is full (Standard 3 unfinished, Business 30). When one finishes, the next request goes through and the credits are spent.
Essential and Standard stop when the included credits are gone. Business then spends the wallet. With auto top-up on, Skybox AI refills that wallet and keeps charging.
A larger batch, or Enhanced (6 credits), spends faster. A public Generate button with no limit of your own can run up a large bill.

Your app can enforce its own limits with a few constants (the sample is one env flag). Disable that layer when Generate is not public or you already cap spend. On a public Generate path, keep it on: per-user / per-session / per-day, max batch, optional max quality, hard stop at your budget. Pattern: App generation limits.

# What are concurrency and pending limits?

Concurrency is how many generations can process at once. Pending is how many can be unfinished (processing or queued) at once. When the pending cap is full, POST returns 429.

Examples: Essential / Standard = 1 concurrent, 3 pending. Business = 2 concurrent, 30 pending. Higher needs Enterprise. See Pricing and limits · Errors.

# How do I know when a generation is finished?

Prefer Pusher (websocket) or a signed webhook (webhook_url). Polling GET /imagine/requests/{id} is fine for tests only and can hit rate limits. When status is complete, use file_url. Guide: Wait for completion.

# How do I timeout a generation if my user needs an output by a deadline?

Send max_wait (30–1800 seconds) on POST /api/v1/skybox when the user cannot wait. Omit it if they can. Timed-out jobs go to error and credits are refunded. Recommended: Fast 60s · Standard 120s · Enhanced 240s. 429 is the pending cap, not a timeout. Errors

# Can I remix from a Project via the API?

Yes. Pass remix_collection_id (your Project ID from the web app). Each request picks a random completed skybox from that Project as the remix source — useful for curated scene packs with programmatic variety.

Docs: Remix from a Project · History and projects.

# Account, privacy, and moderation

# Can I use Skybox AI from every country?

We endeavor to support as many jurisdictions as possible. Some countries enforce strict firewall rules on AI services. On those networks the web app and the API may not load. That is the local network, not an account or plan limit.

China is one known case. Skybox AI does not load there without a VPN.

Purchase and access are also unavailable where US sanctions prohibit them. A card from a sanctioned country can be declined even when the site loads. The Terms of Service (opens new window) govern this.

Outages on our side are on status.blockadelabs.com (opens new window).

# How old do I have to be?

The Terms of Service (opens new window) require you to be 18.

Use under 18 is allowed only under a commercial contract, with strict moderation in place. Contact sales (opens new window) or support@blockadelabs.com.

Skybox AI is passwordless: email magic link, Google, or X. Discord OAuth is not supported for login. Discord is for community and Support only. Details: Account and login.

# I don't have access to my account

Submit a request (opens new window) and choose I don't have access to my account. Use the email on the account so we can verify it. Have a previous receipt ready, with the date, amount, and payment method. Leave the full card number off the form. The same form is linked from the login page. Checks for a missing magic link or the wrong Google or X account are on If you can't log in.

# Where is my data hosted? Can I choose a region?

Free evaluation, Individual (Essential, Standard), and Business run in the United States. Non-US hosting and customer-chosen data residency are Enterprise only. See Data residency.

# Are my generations used to train your models?

On Business (and custom Enterprise), IP protection means your generations are not used to train our models. Essential and Standard do not include that plan feature.

See Plan comparison · Security.

# How do you handle privacy and security?

See Security and privacy for API keys, encryption, hosting, and contacts. Legal: Privacy Policy (opens new window) · Terms of Service (opens new window). Deletion requests: personaldata@blockadelabs.com.

# What content is allowed? How does moderation work?

Skybox AI is for creating environments. Prompts, uploads, and the pictures we generate have to follow the Terms of Service (opens new window).

A moderation system checks the imagery for Terms violations. We can reject a generation that breaks the Terms or does not meet our quality standard. A rejected generation shows a toast in the app. We can ban an account that tries to generate that content.

In practice:

Do not request or upload illegal, threatening, harassing, or exploitative content. Do not use the service for spam, scams, or attacks on the platform.
Do not upload material you do not have rights to use, including copyrighted works, trademarks, or someone else’s likeness without permission.
Do not try to bypass the moderation system.

If a generation looks wrong or abusive, report it via Support and include the Generation #ID when you can. The Terms are the legal source of truth. This answer is a plain-language summary.

# Help

# Where do I get help?

Support: email, Discord #support, and what to include when you contact us. Status: status.blockadelabs.com (opens new window).