The difference between VRoid Studio and an AI 3D generator comes down to where you start and whether the finished 3D model can move. VRoid Studio is free software where you assemble a character by adjusting a ready-made base body and parts, then export it as VRM, a format for humanoid avatars, so it suits characters you want to move on stream or in VRChat. An AI 3D generator builds shape and color from a single drawing of yours, so it suits seeing your own art style and accessories in 3D. On Figmee, though, the result can't be exported as VRM and has no skeleton (bones), so it can't move as is.
This guide is for artists who want to turn a character they drew into 3D and are considering VRoid as one option. It compares the two and walks through how to choose based on what you want to do. Everything said here about VRoid Studio was checked on its official website on November 7, 2026.
Note: Figmee currently provides figurine-style images made from your illustrations, 3D model data (GLB / 3MF), and turntable videos of your 3D models. Ordering physical 3D prints is Coming Soon. Photos of real people, animals, objects or scenery, and images that look like photos, can't be turned into 3D.
What's the difference between VRoid and AI 3D generation?
VRoid Studio is a tool for building a character yourself; AI 3D generation makes a model from a drawing you already have. VRoid exports to a format designed for movement (VRM), while an AI-made model (on Figmee) is static shape-and-color data. Here are the main differences.
| VRoid Studio | AI 3D generation (Figmee) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A ready-made base body and parts. You shape them with sliders and paint the hair and textures | One drawing of yours (PNG, JPEG or WebP, up to 20 MB) |
| Characters you can make | Humanoid (VRM is a format for humanoid characters and avatars) | Whatever character you drew, humanoid or not |
| Export formats | VRM | GLB and 3MF (no VRM, FBX, OBJ or STL) |
| Bones and expressions | VRM can carry a standard humanoid bone structure and controls for expressions, blinking and mouth shapes | None (static shape-and-color data) |
| How your art style comes through | You build hair, clothes and textures on top of the base body and move it toward your design | Built from the colors, patterns and accessories in your drawing. The AI guesses at sides you didn't draw |
| Main uses | Using the character as an avatar in VRM-compatible apps, sharing it on VRoid Hub | Rotating it 360° to check the shape, turntable videos, editing in Blender, 3D printing data (3MF) |
| Cost | Free (per the official site). The iPad version now shows in-app ads, with a paid plan (VRoid Plus) that removes them | 5 tokens per 3D model; the first model on each account is free |
| Devices | Apps for Windows, macOS and iPad | A web browser (computer or smartphone) |
VRoid Studio's official site says you can make a character "just by choosing items, combining them, and adjusting parameters, without modeling from scratch," and that models you make "can be exported in VRM format" (source: VRoid Studio official site, in Japanese, checked November 7, 2026; our translation). It runs on Windows, macOS and iPad, and the official site says every version is free to use.
VRM is a glTF-based format that the VRM Consortium defined specifically for "humanoid characters and avatars." It standardizes a humanoid bone structure and facial controls such as joy, anger, sorrow and fun, blinking, and the mouth shapes for vowel sounds (source: VRM, "VRM features and contents", in Japanese, checked November 7, 2026). Figmee, on the other hand, saves only GLB and 3MF files and doesn't support rigging (adding bones so a model can move) or animation (Figmee Help, "What Figmee can't do").
Which one should you use to move a character on stream or in VRChat?
If your goal is to move the character on stream or in VRChat, VRoid Studio gets you there faster. VRoid exports VRM, and VRM comes with a shared set of rules for body movement, expressions and mouth shapes. Figmee's 3D models have no bones, so they can't move as is.
VRoid Studio's official site explains that you can upload what you make to VRoid Hub to share it, and use it in games and apps connected to VRoid Hub. Models you make can be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes; if you build with data from pixiv or third parties, you follow that data's license terms (same official site).
To upload a model you made in VRoid Studio or Blender to VRChat as your own avatar, you go through Unity and the VRChat SDK. VRChat's guide notes that the .vrm files VRoid Studio outputs aren't natively supported by Unity, and points to a community-made converter (VRMtoVRChat). It also says that the beginner-friendly avatar creation tools it lists let you make simple avatars without the SDK (source: VRChat Creation, "Creating Your First Avatar", checked November 7, 2026). For where people usually get stuck, see Can't Make a VRChat Avatar? A Beginner's Path, which goes through it stage by stage.
To make an AI-generated 3D model move, you'd need to add bones in an outside tool such as Blender, a step called rigging. For what that involves, see What Is Rigging?.
Which one should you use to see your art style in 3D?
If you want to see the colors, patterns and accessories from your drawing in 3D first, AI 3D generation is the better fit. Because it starts from your drawing, the details you drew, like clothing patterns, props and asymmetrical designs, are what the model is built from. The sides you didn't draw (the back and sides) and fine details are the AI's guesses, though, so they won't always match your drawing.
In VRoid Studio you can also move toward your own style by painting directly on the 3D model and its UV layout (the model's surface unfolded flat) and by shaping hair as if you were drawing it. Since you start from a base body, though, getting close to the shapes in your drawing is your own work. Characters that aren't humanoid, like animals, monsters or mascots, fall outside what VRM, a format for humanoids, is built around.
Figmee splits the process into two stages:
- Make a 3D image (figurine-style image): Upload your drawing, pick a quality level and generate. It uses 1 token for Standard, 2 for Pro and 3 for Max.
- Make the 3D model: Generate it from the 3D image you like. It costs 5 tokens per model, and the first model on each account is free.
At the first stage, you can check whether your art style has held up and regenerate before moving on to the 3D model. If a generation fails, the tokens you used come back automatically. For the full process of turning an illustration into 3D, see How to Turn an Illustration into 3D.
| A good fit for | Not a good fit for | |
|---|---|---|
| AI 3D generation | Artists who want to see a character they drew in 3D right away, who draw non-humanoid characters, or who want to show their work in a turntable video | People who want to move the character on stream or in VRChat, or who need the back to match their design exactly |
| VRoid Studio | People who want to build a humanoid avatar by hand, who want to move it as VRM, or who want to start without spending money | People who want to make non-humanoid characters, or who want to see one drawing in 3D in a short time |
Can you combine the two?
Yes, but only in one direction: you use the AI-made 3D model as reference and build the character in VRoid Studio. You can't turn a Figmee 3D model into VRM inside Figmee or make it move there.
Here's how to use it as reference:
- Pick one full-body drawing facing mostly forward (about 5 minutes): PNG, JPEG or WebP, up to 20 MB.
- Make a 3D image on Figmee (about 2 minutes of hands-on time): It uses 1 to 3 tokens.
- Make the 3D model (about 1 minute of hands-on time): 5 tokens, and the first model on each account is free.
- Take screenshots from different angles in the viewer (about 10 minutes): The browser viewer lets you turn the model to the side and back, tilt it up and down, and zoom in close to the face.
- Pick a base body and parts in VRoid Studio and work toward the reference (depends on how much detail you add): Compare the hair silhouette, the thickness of the clothes and where the accessories sit.
Wait times for generation depend on how busy the service is. The back of the model is the AI's guess, so don't rely on it too much; where it differs from your own design, treat your drawing as the source of truth.
On April 23, 2026, VRoid Studio announced that it is developing a feature for showing reference images, such as your character illustrations, on screen while you model. It said it would announce the timing once decided (source: VRoid, "The future of VRoid Studio", in Japanese, checked November 7, 2026).
How should you think about cost and time?
VRoid Studio is free according to its official site (the iPad version has ads, plus a paid plan that removes them); what it really costs you is the time to assemble and paint the character. Figmee uses tokens: a 3D model costs 5 tokens (the first model on each account is free), and the hands-on part takes a few minutes.
VRoid Studio's official site says every version is free to use. In the April 23, 2026 announcement mentioned in the previous section, VRoid said it planned to add banner ads to the PC and iPad versions and to offer a way to hide them. Then, with v2.14.0 on June 29, 2026, the iPad version started showing in-app ads, and a paid subscription called VRoid Plus (1-, 3- and 6-month plans) launched to hide them. Watching a video ad hides ads for 120 minutes, and signing in with a pixiv Premium account gives the same features as VRoid Plus (source: VRoid Studio v2.14.0 release notice, June 29, 2026, in Japanese, checked November 7, 2026). The notice doesn't mention ads in the PC version. Check what the app itself says before you start.
Here's what Figmee uses in tokens (as of November 2026):
| What you do | Tokens | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus | You receive 5 tokens | Valid for 3 months after signing up; given only once per email address |
| Make a 3D image | Standard 1, Pro 2, Max 3 | Returned automatically if the generation fails |
| Make a 3D model | 5 per model (first model on each account is free) | Returned automatically if the generation fails. Downloading GLB or 3MF costs no extra tokens |
| Buy more tokens | $5.99 for 5 tokens | Valid for 3 months from your most recent purchase |
For what it costs to commission a 3D model that moves on stream, see How Much Does a 3D VTuber Model Cost?.
How do you decide if you're still unsure?
Answer these three questions in order. If you want the character to move, go with VRoid; if you want to see your drawing in 3D, go with AI; if you want both, look at it with AI first and then build it in VRoid.
- Do you want the character to move on stream, in VRChat or in VRM-compatible apps? If yes, build it in VRoid Studio or commission a model that moves; if you also want to check your art style in 3D first, go to question 3. If no, go to question 2.
- Do you want to see the colors, patterns and accessories from your drawing in 3D first? Is the character non-humanoid? If yes, AI 3D generation is the better fit.
- Do you want both: a character that moves, and a check of how your art style looks in 3D? If yes, look at it in 3D with AI first, then use that as reference to build it in VRoid Studio (see the steps in the previous section).
You don't have to pick just one. Seeing what your character looks like in 3D before you start makes it easier to decide on hairstyles and clothing shapes in VRoid.
Frequently asked questions
Can Figmee export VRM?
No. Figmee saves only GLB and 3MF files, and the models have no bones. To turn one into VRM and make it move, you'd need to add bones in an outside tool and set it up as an avatar.
Can I load my drawing into VRoid Studio and have it turned into 3D automatically?
The workflow described on the official site is choosing a base body and parts, adjusting them with parameters, and painting the hair and textures. It doesn't describe a feature that builds a model automatically from one drawing. A feature for showing reference images on the modeling screen was announced as in development on April 23, 2026.
Can I make a 3D model from a photo?
No. Figmee works from drawings, and it can't use photos of real people, animals, objects or scenery, or images that look like photos: generation stops and the tokens you used are returned automatically. A photo of your paper drawing taken with a smartphone, or a scan of it, works fine.
Summary
VRoid Studio is free software for assembling a character from a base body and parts and exporting it as VRM, and it suits characters you want to move on stream or in VRChat. AI 3D generation builds shape and color from one drawing, and it suits seeing your art style and accessories in 3D. A Figmee model isn't VRM and has no bones, though, so it can't move as is.
To make it move, use VRoid. To see your drawing in 3D, use AI. For both, use the AI model as reference and build in VRoid. Thinking about it in that order keeps the choice simple.
