Choose an Anam Avatar Model

Choose a Cara avatar model for live conversations and set its model name in Anam Lab or the API.

For new integrations, use Cara-4.1 Express (cara-4.1-express). Choose it in Anam Lab or set avatarModel in your persona configuration through the API.

Avatar models control the persona’s facial animation and lip sync. They are separate from the voice and language model you choose for the conversation.

Available models

Cara-4.1 Express

Set avatarModel to cara-4.1-express for the latest release. It brings more expressive animation and better adherence to Director Notes, including custom performance styles and cues that change the avatar’s delivery during a conversation.

Cara-4.1 Express is available on all plans and supports both landscape and portrait video.

Cara 4

Set avatarModel to cara-4 to keep using the previous stable Cara 4 release. Existing integrations can continue using this model.

Cara 4 Latest

Set avatarModel to cara-4-latest to try the latest avatar model from our research. The model it selects is subject to change and may be unstable. We do not recommend it for production.

For production, choose a released model by name, such as cara-4.1-express.

Cara 3

Set avatarModel to cara-3 for existing avatars or integrations that need the previous generation. Cara 3 supports landscape video only and does not support Director Notes.

Select a model through the API

Add the model name to your persona configuration when creating a persona or creating a session token:

{
  "avatarModel": "cara-4.1-express"
}

This is one field in your persona configuration; keep your existing avatar, voice and language model settings.

If you omit avatarModel, Anam uses the saved persona’s model or chooses a model supported by the avatar. Set it explicitly when you need a particular release.

Video output

Model	Landscape (default)	Portrait
Cara-4.1 Express	1152x768	768x1152
Cara 4	1152x768	768x1152
Cara 4 Latest	1152x768	768x1152
Cara 3	720x480	Not supported

To request portrait output, set videoWidth to 768 and videoHeight to 1152 in sessionOptions. Supply both fields together. See Video options for the full configuration and crop behavior.

Use an existing avatar

Your avatar must support the model you request. If the API rejects the combination, choose a compatible avatar or create a custom avatar. Changing the model name does not regenerate an avatar.

Test the model with your avatar before updating a production integration.