Name: Uthana Text-to-Motion VQ-VAE V1 Text-to-3D Animation API
Brand: magicapi
SKU: api-magicapi-generate-3d-character-animation-uthana-text-to-motion-vqvae-v1
Availability: InStock
Author: API Market

Shashank Agarwal

# 🕺 Text-to-3D Character Animation API (Uthana Text-to-Motion VQ-VAE V1)

## Overview
Uthana Text-to-Motion VQ-VAE V1 is a model from Uthana that generates 3D character animation from a text prompt. Describe a motion in `prompt` and pick one of the built-in character rigs; the API returns one animation file in FBX or GLB format.

This model has no motion length or seed field; Uthana Text-to-Motion Diffusion V2 offers both. Each request returns the URL of one file.

## Features
- **Text to motion**: describe the movement in plain language, for example "a person walks forward, stops and takes a bow".
- **Built-in characters**: `character` is required and selects the rig the motion is generated for: `Tar`, `Ava`, `Manny`, `Quinn`, `Y Bot`.
- **File formats**: `output_ext` is required and selects `fbx` or `glb`.
- **Frame rate**: `fps` is required and selects `24`, `30` or `60` frames per second.
- **Animation only or with mesh**: `no_mesh` is `true` by default, which returns the animation only; set it to `false` to include the character mesh.
- **Foot inverse kinematics**: `foot_ik` is on by default.
- **No length or seed control**: this model has no motion length or seed field, so the length of the motion cannot be set.

## Use Cases
1. **Game prototyping**: generate placeholder character motions to block out gameplay and cutscenes.
2. **Previsualization**: try out character actions for animation and film scenes before keyframing or motion capture.
3. **Motion reference**: produce a quick 3D reference of an action to study in a 3D tool.
4. **Content pipelines**: create many short character motions from text descriptions in a script.

## Visual Examples
### Example Input
Prompt: "A person walks forward confidently, stops, and takes a graceful bow."

Other fields: `character` `Manny`, `output_ext` `glb`, `fps` `24`, `no_mesh` `false`. `foot_ik` was left at its default (on).

### Example Output
The output is a 3D animation file (GLB or FBX, set by `output_ext`), not an image or video, so there is no preview picture. Open the file in a 3D tool or game engine that imports GLB or FBX to play the motion. The example request returned one GLB file of about 9.2 MB for the Manny character, with the mesh included because `no_mesh` was `false`.

## Input Parameters
| Field | Type | Required | Default | Allowed values | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `prompt` | string | Yes |  |  | Describe the desired motion |
| `character` | string | Yes |  | `Tar`, `Ava`, `Manny`, `Quinn`, `Y Bot` | Character rig the motion is generated for |
| `output_ext` | string | Yes |  | `fbx`, `glb` | Output file type |
| `fps` | integer | Yes |  | `24`, `30`, `60` | Output frame rate (frames per second) |
| `no_mesh` | boolean | No | `true` |  | When true, the file contains the animation only; when false, it also contains the character mesh |
| `foot_ik` | boolean | No | `true` |  | Enable foot inverse kinematics |

## Pricing
- **Pay As You Go (PAYG) pricing**: you only pay for what you use.
- **Price**: $0.625 per API unit.
- **1 API unit = 1 output animation file.** Each request returns one file, so each successful request costs $0.625.
- Every `fps`, character, file type and mesh setting is billed the same.
- The example request above cost $0.625.
- **Failed or cancelled predictions are not billed.**
- **GET requests to check prediction status** are free and don't count toward API unit usage.
- **No monthly subscription fee.**

## API Documentation

### Base URL
All API requests go to: `https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/generate-3d-character-animation-uthana-text-to-motion-vqvae-v1`

### Authentication
Send your api.market API key in the `x-api-market-key` header:
```
x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY
```

### Asynchronous Processing
**IMPORTANT**: This API is asynchronous. The flow is:
1. Send a POST request to `/predictions`. A successful request returns **201 Created** with a prediction `id` and a `status` of `starting` or `processing`.
2. Poll GET `/predictions/{id}` with that ID.
3. Keep polling while `status` is `starting` or `processing`.
4. Stop when `status` is `succeeded` (read `output`), `failed` or `canceled` (read `error`).

A polling interval of 1 second and an overall timeout of 600 seconds (10 minutes) work well.

### Endpoints

#### Create a Prediction
```bash
curl -X POST "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/generate-3d-character-animation-uthana-text-to-motion-vqvae-v1/predictions" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "version": "b55f150b40822f3bcc2fbc7924dbf6c89c516382599e8ca27f6896e0dade30b8",
    "input": {
      "prompt": "A person walks forward confidently, stops, and takes a graceful bow.",
      "character": "Manny",
      "output_ext": "glb",
      "fps": 24,
      "no_mesh": false
    }
  }'
```

Response (201 Created):
```json
{
  "id": "a79smvhjcnrmr0d17g5bwq5jhg",
  "version": "b55f150b40822f3bcc2fbc7924dbf6c89c516382599e8ca27f6896e0dade30b8",
  "status": "starting",
  "created_at": "2026-10-14T20:11:03.792Z"
}
```

#### Check Prediction Status
```bash
curl -X GET "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/generate-3d-character-animation-uthana-text-to-motion-vqvae-v1/predictions/{id}" \
  -H "x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY"
```

Response when the prediction has finished (200 OK):
```json
{
  "id": "a79smvhjcnrmr0d17g5bwq5jhg",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "output": "<URL of the generated .glb file>",
  "error": null,
  "created_at": "2026-10-14T20:11:03.792Z",
  "started_at": "2026-10-14T20:11:04.792Z",
  "completed_at": "2026-10-14T20:11:30.792Z"
}
```

`output` is a single URL string pointing to the generated 3D animation file, in the format chosen with `output_ext`. `<URL of the generated .glb file>` stands for that URL; the example file is too large to host on this page. Download the file promptly and store your own copy.

### Status Codes
- **201 Created**: prediction created (POST `/predictions`). This is the normal success response.
- **200 OK**: prediction details returned (GET `/predictions/{id}`).
- **400 Bad Request**: invalid input, for example a missing `character` or `fps`, or an `output_ext` that is not `fbx` or `glb`.
- **401 Unauthorized**: missing or invalid API key.
- **404 Not Found**: no prediction with that ID.
- **429 Too Many Requests**: rate limit exceeded.
- **500 Internal Server Error** or **503 Service Unavailable**: temporary server problem; retry later.

## Rate Limits

All plans allow 10 requests per second. Requests above that return `429 Too Many Requests`; back off before retrying and honour any `Retry-After` header. Polling a prediction with GET is free but still counts toward the per-second limit, so poll every 1 to 5 seconds rather than in a tight loop.

## Error Handling
- Check the HTTP status code of every request and read the response body for the error message.
- A prediction can also end with `status` set to `failed`; the `error` field then explains why. Failed predictions are not billed.
- Retry 429, 500 and 503 responses with exponential backoff. Fix the input before retrying a 400.

## Implementation Guide
### Example Code

#### JavaScript
```javascript
const apiKey = "YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY";
const baseUrl = "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/generate-3d-character-animation-uthana-text-to-motion-vqvae-v1";

async function createAndWaitForPrediction(input) {
  const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/predictions`, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "x-api-market-key": apiKey
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ version: "b55f150b40822f3bcc2fbc7924dbf6c89c516382599e8ca27f6896e0dade30b8", input })
  });

  if (response.status !== 201) {
    throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status} ${await response.text()}`);
  }

  const prediction = await response.json();
  return pollForResults(prediction.id);
}

const delay = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));

async function pollForResults(predictionId) {
  const maxTimeout = 600000;
  const pollInterval = 1000;
  const startTime = Date.now();

  while (Date.now() - startTime < maxTimeout) {
    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/predictions/${predictionId}`, {
      headers: { "x-api-market-key": apiKey }
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status} ${await response.text()}`);
    }

    const prediction = await response.json();

    if (prediction.status === "succeeded") {
      return prediction.output;
    }

    if (prediction.status === "failed" || prediction.status === "canceled") {
      throw new Error(`Prediction ${prediction.status}: ${prediction.error || "Unknown error"}`);
    }

    await delay(pollInterval);
  }

  throw new Error("Prediction timed out after 10 minutes");
}

createAndWaitForPrediction({
  "prompt": "A person walks forward confidently, stops, and takes a graceful bow.",
  "character": "Manny",
  "output_ext": "glb",
  "fps": 24,
  "no_mesh": false
}).then((output) => console.log(output));
```

#### Python
```python
import time
import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_MARKET_KEY"
BASE_URL = "https://prod.api.market/api/v1/magicapi/generate-3d-character-animation-uthana-text-to-motion-vqvae-v1"

def create_and_wait_for_prediction(input_data):
    headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json", "x-api-market-key": API_KEY}
    response = requests.post(
        f"{BASE_URL}/predictions",
        headers=headers,
        json={"version": "b55f150b40822f3bcc2fbc7924dbf6c89c516382599e8ca27f6896e0dade30b8", "input": input_data},
    )

    if response.status_code != 201:
        raise Exception(f"API error: {response.status_code} {response.text}")

    return poll_for_results(response.json()["id"])

def poll_for_results(prediction_id):
    max_timeout = 600
    poll_interval = 1
    headers = {"x-api-market-key": API_KEY}
    start_time = time.time()

    while time.time() - start_time < max_timeout:
        response = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/predictions/{prediction_id}", headers=headers)

        if response.status_code != 200:
            raise Exception(f"API error: {response.status_code} {response.text}")

        prediction = response.json()

        if prediction["status"] == "succeeded":
            return prediction["output"]

        if prediction["status"] in ("failed", "canceled"):
            raise Exception(f"Prediction {prediction['status']}: {prediction.get('error') or 'Unknown error'}")

        time.sleep(poll_interval)

    raise Exception("Prediction timed out after 10 minutes")

print(create_and_wait_for_prediction({
    "prompt": "A person walks forward confidently, stops, and takes a graceful bow.",
    "character": "Manny",
    "output_ext": "glb",
    "fps": 24,
    "no_mesh": False
}))
```

## FAQ
- **Which characters can I animate?**
  - One of the built-in rigs set by `character`: `Tar`, `Ava`, `Manny`, `Quinn`, `Y Bot`. The field is required.
- **Which file formats can I get?**
  - FBX or GLB, chosen with `output_ext`. The values are case sensitive: this model accepts `fbx` or `glb`.
- **Does the file include the character model?**
  - Only when `no_mesh` is `false`. With the default `true`, the file contains the animation only.
- **Can I set the length of the motion?**
  - No. This model has no length field. If you need to set the length, use Uthana Text-to-Motion Diffusion V2, which has `motion_length`. The price is the same for every result.
- **Is the 201 response from POST an error?**
  - No. 201 Created means the prediction was accepted. Use the returned `id` to poll GET `/predictions/{id}` until `status` is `succeeded`, `failed` or `canceled`.
- **What if my prediction fails?**
  - Failed predictions are not billed. Read the `error` field, adjust the input and try again.

## Contact Us

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can reach out to us through the embedded chat on the bottom right corner of the page or send an email to hello@magicapi.com.


Turn a text description into a 3D character animation file (FBX or GLB) with Uthana Text-to-Motion VQ-VAE V1. $0.625 per animation, pay as you go.