A living 3D VRM desktop companion — voice & text chat, custom animations, props, and memory-backed personality on your screen. Import VRMs, Pal Engine Cloud or local AI, Photo Booth, and the character store.

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Early Access Software

Get involved with this software as it develops.

Note: This Early Access software is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to use this software in its current state, then you should wait to see if it progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“We’re releasing in Early Access to gather player feedback and build community while continuing development, community members will be actively helping us improve the application.

This approach helps us create a more polished, user-focused product that benefits both developers and users.

Approximately how long will this software be in Early Access?

“We anticipate that Pal Engine will remain in Early Access for approximately 6 to 18 months, depending on the feedback we receive from our community and the complexity of the features we plan to implement. This timeframe allows us to refine existing functionalities, introduce new features, and ensure a polished experience for our users. We are committed to maintaining transparency throughout this process and will provide regular updates on our progress.

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full version of Pal Engine aims to expand upon its current features by introducing:

- A scriptable behavior system (JSON-based).
- Mood-based facial expression system.
- Optional free movement on desktop during idle mode.
- Voice interaction support.
- Multi-language interface (currently English-only).
- Performance presets (Low, Balanced, Ultra).
- Improved VRM support & compatibility.
- Chat UI improvements: image uploads, copy/export, dark mode.

Please note that while these enhancements are planned, we cannot guarantee their exact implementation or timeline. Development is ongoing, and features may evolve based on user feedback and technical considerations.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Pal Engine is actively evolving with regular updates. The current version includes core features such as VRM avatar integration, AI chat functionality, and customizable UI. Upcoming updates aim to enhance performance, expand VRM support, and introduce new AI models. We are committed to refining the user experience based on community feedback.”

Will this software be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes - we’ll start with a lower Early Access price and increase it gradually as we add meaningful content and polish. This is a fair way to reward early supporters and reflects the growing value of the application.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Feedback from users is key. We’ll gather input through Discord, Contact Forms, Social Media, and quick-feature polls. Every month we’ll review suggestions and share what’s next—making sure the community shapes Pal Engine together.”
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About This Software

Pal Engine — Your Living 3D Desktop Companion

Pal Engine puts an expressive 3D VRM character on your desktop — always on top, draggable across monitors, and built to feel like company, not a chat tab.

What makes a character? The VRM model is appearance. The AI model is an agentic assistant. What ties them into your character is what you configure: name, gender, personality, interests, recent chat history (configurable limit for local models), stored memory facts, and custom animations you can describe so the AI knows when to use them.

Import custom VRM characters, add Mixamo FBX or VRMA animations, and attach custom props (Three.js objects supported in-app — not an outfit or wardrobe system). Talk by text or voice with Pal Engine Cloud or local AI (LM Studio, Ollama). Speech-to-text and text-to-speech (Piper, Kokoro, plus integrations) keep conversations hands-free when you want them.

Double-click your character for the overlay menu (with customizable keybindings). Drag and drop anywhere, snap to screen corners with customized snap animations, and react through body-part interactions that play animations. Browse the character store — official Pal Engine characters, community-shared content, and easy VRoid Hub import for eligible models. Photo Booth helps you compose sweet art shots of your companions.

Pal Engine is in Early Access. Development focuses on better communication between you and your character — finer AI behavior, richer context, and more expressive reactions. We need time and your feedback to get there.

Key Features

Characters & content

  • Custom VRM character support (built-ins, store, local import, VRoid Hub)

  • Character store — Pal Engine official, community catalog, VRoid integration

  • Personal details per character: name, gender, personality, interests

  • Recent chat history (configurable for local models) and stored memory facts

  • Custom animations — Mixamo FBX or VRMA; describe them so AI knows when to play them

  • Custom props — attach Three.js objects (props, not outfits or wardrobe slots)

Desktop presence

  • Frameless always-on-top character window

  • Drag and drop placement, multi-monitor, scale / rotate / fine-tune

  • Snap to screen corners with customized snap animations

  • Character overlay menu on double-click — quick actions with customizable keybinding

Chat & AI

  • Full client chat + overlay mini-chat

  • Pal Engine Cloud AI chat

  • Local AI — LM Studio, Ollama, and compatible setups

  • Chat history sync with your Pal Engine account

  • Ongoing work: smarter behavior, animation-aware replies, richer memory use

VIP cloud tools (active subscription)

  • Pal's Web Access — grounded web search in cloud chat (VIP members)

  • Pal's Canvas — simple AI image generation in cloud chat (VIP members; intentionally lightweight, not a full art-studio replacement)

  • Standalone VIP tool modals — optional context from chat history or character personality

  • Coming soon: web search and image generation for local AI integrations (LM Studio, Ollama, and compatible setups)

Voice

  • Voice chat with visual voice orb (listen / think / speak)

  • Speech-to-text (local)

  • Text-to-speech — Piper, Kokoro, and optional integrations

  • Per-character voice assignment & preview

Interaction & animation

  • Body-part click reactions — assign animations to head, hands, etc.

  • Mixamo-style actions, idles, dances, talking animations

  • Random idle & random dance pools per character

  • Facial expressions with presets and per-animation assignments

  • Ambient companion activity when not in active chat (behavior layer)

Photo Booth

  • Stage characters with backgrounds, props, lighting, and poses

  • Capture showcase art of your companions

Integrations (early)

  • Third-party app communication prototype — developers can start building tools that talk to Pal Engine

Platform

  • Steam sign-in, Pal Points, store & catalog

  • Community feedback drives the roadmap

What's next (Early Access roadmap)

We're also working on web search and image generation for local AI integrations (coming soon), plus longer-term plans: work assistant via MCP, smart-home control, opt-in desktop vision, Live2D support (26Q3), desktop wallpaper mode (26Q4), Mac & Linux, and more.

Pal Engine, your desktop with personality

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Pal Engine offers an optional AI chat powered by Google Gemini, letting your 3D desktop companion respond with personalized, real-time conversations. Each character has its own personality and memory, creating unique interactions. Built-in content filters block harmful or copyrighted outputs.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64bit / Windows 11 64bit
    • Processor: Intel Core i5-8250U 1.6GHz / AMD Ryzen 3 3300U
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
    • Network: Broadband Internet connection
    • Storage: 4 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: A GPU or a CPU with integrated GPU is required for operation. SSD Recommended
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64bit / Windows 11 64bit
    • Processor: Intel Core i5-11400 2.6GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce RTX 3060 / AMD Radeon RX 6600 / Intel Arc A750
    • Network: Broadband Internet connection
    • Storage: 8 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: A GPU or a CPU with integrated GPU is required for operation. SSD Recommended

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