Helmsay's desktop app runs on 64-bit Windows. Linux and macOS builds are not shipping yet.
Windows installer: coming soon. The signed installer is not published yet. This is not a download link.
Helmsay itself is light. You do not need a 16 GB graphics card to download it, open it, or use it. The heavy requirements come from the optional tools Helmsay connects to.
Free tools such as TRELLIS run on your PC, and you pay nothing for each model.
Minimum:
Paid services such as Meshy or Tripo do the heavy work on their servers.
Minimum:
Helmsay's own cloud rendering is optional. It will be sold later as render-minute packs, and it is coming soon.
The free AI tools run on your PC, so the graphics card has to hold the model. Paid services such as Meshy and Tripo run that work on their servers. Your graphics card then only has to run Helmsay, Blender, and Unity.
The Helmsay app is listed first. Open a group to see the other tools. Helmsay opens without Blender, Unity, or the VRChat SDK. A step that uses one of them needs that program installed on your PC.
The program you download. It needs Windows 10 version 1903 (build 18362) or Windows 11, 64-bit, and a 64-bit processor. It does not require a set number of processor cores.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, with OpenGL 3.3 for the 3D preview.
Memory: 8 GB
Disk: 10 GB free
Rigs the model. Helmsay opens it when a step needs it.
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 400 series or newer, AMD Radeon HD 7000 series or newer, or Intel Broadwell or newer. 2 GB of video memory.
Memory: 8 GB
Disk: —
Builds the VRChat project. Install it with Unity Hub.
Graphics card: Any DirectX 10, 11, or 12 card from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. Video memory: not published.
Memory: 8 GB
Disk: —
Packs the avatar for VRChat. You install it with VRChat Creator Companion. Windows 10 is fully supported. Windows 11 may work, and VRChat has not fully tested it.
Graphics card: Any DirectX 10, 11, or 12 card from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. VRChat does not publish its own card list. It asks for a PC that meets Unity's requirements. Video memory: not published.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Optional speech recognition on your PC. Helmsay's default size is the small model.
Graphics card: About 2 GB of video memory for the small model. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel: not published. It can run on the processor instead.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Optional help inside the app. It answers questions on your PC.
Graphics card: Any, or none. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel: not published. It runs on the processor when no graphics card is used.
Memory: —
Disk: About 2 GB for the model file. A minimum is not published.
Draws the concept art on your PC. It is the free choice for stylized looks.
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series, or an equivalent NVIDIA card, with 8 GB of video memory, on Windows. AMD: a compatible card with 16 GB of video memory, on Linux. Intel: not published.
Memory: 16 GB
Disk: —
An alternate 3D model that runs on your PC.
Graphics card: 6 GB of video memory for the shape, or 16 GB for the shape and the texture. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel: not published.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Builds the 3D model on your PC. This is the free 3D tool. Microsoft tests it on Linux. The Windows setup is not fully tested.
Graphics card: NVIDIA, with 16 GB of video memory. AMD is not supported. Intel: not published.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Turns a long avatar description into clear instructions for the other steps.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Writes and rewrites prompts on OpenAI's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Turns your speech into text on Deepgram's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Draws a detailed reference picture on Black Forest Labs' servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Builds the 3D model on Tripo's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Builds the 3D model on Meshy's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Adds a skeleton to a Tripo model on Tripo's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Draws the concept art on Helmsay's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on Helmsay's servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Builds the 3D model on Helmsay's servers.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on Helmsay's servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
Writes prompts, and it can look at a reference picture. The free tier is enough to try it. A paid tier also exists.
Graphics card: Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers.
Memory: —
Disk: —
A paid Blender add-on that builds a detailed skeleton. It runs inside Blender.
Graphics card: —
Memory: —
Disk: —
Blender's built-in tool for building a skeleton. It runs inside Blender.
Graphics card: —
Memory: —
Disk: —
Paints realistic textures, such as skin, cloth, and metal.
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super or Quadro RTX 4000, or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or Radeon Pro W5700, with 8 GB of video memory. Intel: not published.
Memory: 16 GB
Disk: 30 GB on an SSD
Paints textures by hand inside Blender. It runs inside Blender.
Graphics card: —
Memory: —
Disk: —
A paid shader with extra effects for a VRChat avatar. It runs inside Unity.
Graphics card: —
Memory: —
Disk: —
A free cartoon shader for a VRChat avatar. It runs inside Unity.
Graphics card: —
Memory: —
Disk: —
A free, lighter cartoon shader for a VRChat avatar. It runs inside Unity.
Graphics card: —
Memory: —
Disk: —
| Tool | Free or paid | Where it runs | Graphics card | Memory | Disk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helmsay app itselfThe program you download. It needs Windows 10 version 1903 (build 18362) or Windows 11, 64-bit, and a 64-bit processor. It does not require a set number of processor cores. | Free | On your PC | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, with OpenGL 3.3 for the 3D preview. | 8 GB | 10 GB free |
| Blender 4.5 LTSRigs the model. Helmsay opens it when a step needs it. | Free | On your PC | NVIDIA GeForce 400 series or newer, AMD Radeon HD 7000 series or newer, or Intel Broadwell or newer. 2 GB of video memory. | 8 GB | — |
| Unity 2022.3.22f1Builds the VRChat project. Install it with Unity Hub. | Free | On your PC | Any DirectX 10, 11, or 12 card from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. Video memory: not published. | 8 GB | — |
| VRChat SDKPacks the avatar for VRChat. You install it with VRChat Creator Companion. Windows 10 is fully supported. Windows 11 may work, and VRChat has not fully tested it. | Free | On your PC | Any DirectX 10, 11, or 12 card from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. VRChat does not publish its own card list. It asks for a PC that meets Unity's requirements. Video memory: not published. | — | — |
| Claude APITurns a long avatar description into clear instructions for the other steps. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| OpenAI APIWrites and rewrites prompts on OpenAI's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| Gemini API (free tier)Writes prompts, and it can look at a reference picture. The free tier is enough to try it. A paid tier also exists. | Free | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| DeepgramTurns your speech into text on Deepgram's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| Whisper localOptional speech recognition on your PC. Helmsay's default size is the small model. | Free | On your PC | About 2 GB of video memory for the small model. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel: not published. It can run on the processor instead. | — | — |
| Qwen2.5-3B-InstructOptional help inside the app. It answers questions on your PC. | Free | On your PC | Any, or none. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel: not published. It runs on the processor when no graphics card is used. | — | ~2 GB model |
| FLUX.2 ProDraws a detailed reference picture on Black Forest Labs' servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| SDXL localDraws the concept art on your PC. It is the free choice for stylized looks. | Free | On your PC | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series, or an equivalent NVIDIA card, with 8 GB of video memory, on Windows. AMD: a compatible card with 16 GB of video memory, on Linux. Intel: not published. | 16 GB | — |
| TripoBuilds the 3D model on Tripo's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| MeshyBuilds the 3D model on Meshy's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| Hunyuan3D localAn alternate 3D model that runs on your PC. | Free | On your PC | 6 GB of video memory for the shape, or 16 GB for the shape and the texture. NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel: not published. | — | — |
| TRELLIS localBuilds the 3D model on your PC. This is the free 3D tool. Microsoft tests it on Linux. The Windows setup is not fully tested. | Free | On your PC | NVIDIA, with 16 GB of video memory. AMD is not supported. Intel: not published. | — | — |
| Tripo RigAdds a skeleton to a Tripo model on Tripo's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on their servers. | — | — |
| Auto-Rig ProA paid Blender add-on that builds a detailed skeleton. It runs inside Blender. | Paid | On your PC | — | — | — |
| RigifyBlender's built-in tool for building a skeleton. It runs inside Blender. | Free | On your PC | — | — | — |
| Substance 3D PainterPaints realistic textures, such as skin, cloth, and metal. | Paid | On your PC | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super or Quadro RTX 4000, or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or Radeon Pro W5700, with 8 GB of video memory. Intel: not published. | 16 GB | 30 GB on an SSD |
| Blender paintingPaints textures by hand inside Blender. It runs inside Blender. | Free | On your PC | — | — | — |
| Poiyomi ProA paid shader with extra effects for a VRChat avatar. It runs inside Unity. | Paid | On your PC | — | — | — |
| Poiyomi ToonA free cartoon shader for a VRChat avatar. It runs inside Unity. | Free | On your PC | — | — | — |
| lilToonA free, lighter cartoon shader for a VRChat avatar. It runs inside Unity. | Free | On your PC | — | — | — |
| Helmsay cloud imagesDraws the concept art on Helmsay's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on Helmsay's servers. | — | — |
| Helmsay cloud renderBuilds the 3D model on Helmsay's servers. | Paid | In the cloud | Any. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel cards all work, because the work runs on Helmsay's servers. | — | — |
— = the maker doesn't publish this number