Generate a short video on your own GPU
Run the publisher’s Wan2.1 1.3B text-to-video path at its recommended 480p setting and check the rendered clip.
Before you begin
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Software
- Python, PyTorch, Wan2.1
- Hardware
- The publisher gives an RTX 4090 offload example for the 1.3B checkpoint. Other GPUs need a separate memory and runtime check.
Sources and files
Publisher installation and generation commands Wan2.1 1.3B weightsChoose a model for this task
The steps below use the recommended model. Alternatives have their own package and command; open their model pages before switching.
The workflow
Prepare Python and a supported GPU
Use a Python environment with PyTorch 2.4 or later and a compatible CUDA GPU. The publisher’s single-GPU 1.3B example uses model and text-encoder offload on an RTX 4090.
Get the official inference code
Clone Wan’s repository and work inside the new directory.
git clone https://github.com/Wan-Video/Wan2.1.gitInstall the repository dependencies
From inside the Wan2.1 directory install the requirements listed by the publisher.
pip install -r requirements.txtDownload the 1.3B checkpoint
Install the Hugging Face CLI, then download the Wan-AI/Wan2.1-T2V-1.3B repository into ./Wan2.1-T2V-1.3B. The publisher’s README links the correct checkpoint.
Generate a 480p test clip
Use the publisher’s 1.3B flags for 832×480, CPU text-encoder offload, and guide scale 6. Replace the example prompt after the first successful run.
python generate.py --task t2v-1.3B --size 832*480 --ckpt_dir ./Wan2.1-T2V-1.3B --offload_model True --t5_cpu --sample_shift 8 --sample_guide_scale 6 --prompt "Two anthropomorphic cats in comfy boxing gear and bright gloves fight intensely on a spotlighted stage."Check the video result
Confirm the command completes and produces a playable video clip. Stay at 480p until you know the memory and quality behavior of your machine; the publisher recommends 480p for this 1.3B model.
When it doesn’t go to plan
Keep --offload_model True and --t5_cpu enabled, close other GPU apps, and start at the official 832×480 example size.
Confirm the downloaded repository is inside Wan2.1-T2V-1.3B under the working directory and that --ckpt_dir matches that folder.
The model behind this workflow
Wan2.1 · 1.3BWill it run on your machine?
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