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Getting started

Want a cartoon character moving and talking in your web browser? You can have one on screen in about a minute, and you do not need to be a programmer. This page shows you the shape of it, then points you to a step-by-step guide for your exact computer.

Take a breath — this is the easy part. 🙂

💾 Remember when… you'd pop in a CD-ROM and a little assistant would wave hello? That's the feeling we're bringing back. (You can skip this box — it changes nothing.)

First, the simplest path

There are two levels, and you only need the first to see a character come to life:

  • Level 1 — see it run. A character on screen, talking with your browser's own built-in voice. Quick and easy. (This page.)
  • Level 2 — the real 1990s voice. The authentic original voice, with a little extra one-time setup. Totally optional — come back for it later. → The authentic voice

What "Level 1" looks like

Just four small beats — and the per-OS guide walks you through each one with no steps skipped:

  1. Install Docker. It's one free app that runs everything for you, so you don't have to install a pile of separate pieces by hand. (Don't worry about what it is — just install it like any other app.)
  2. Get the vivify project onto your computer (a download, or git clone if you know what that is).
  3. Run one command in a terminal, from the project folder: 
    docker compose up mash
    The first time, it builds things and takes a few minutes — that's normal. Leave it running.
  4. Open your browser to http://localhost:8090, drag a character file (a .acs file) onto the page, click an animation to play it, type a sentence, and hit Speak.

That's it — it's alive! 🎉 The character moves, shows its little speech balloon, and talks.

You supply your own .acs character files — vivify ships none. The Characters page explains what they are and where to get them. It's quick.

Now do it on your computer (the real steps)

Each guide is written for a total beginner, with every step spelled out. Pick yours:

Where to go next

  • Curious what this even is? → What is this? — Microsoft Agent explained from scratch, zero knowledge assumed.
  • Want the real, original voice? → The authentic voice — what it is and the one-time setup.
  • Which characters can I use? → Characters.
  • Hit a snag? → Troubleshooting, or the FAQ.
  • Hit a word you didn't know? → the Glossary, plain English for every term.
  • You're a developer? → For developers — embed vivify in your own app.

← Back to the documentation home