What is Cascadeur?
Cascadeur is a 3D character animation tool that uses AI autoposing, inbetweening and physics to speed up keyframe animation for game and film animators. It is developed by Nekki, the studio behind the Shadow Fight games, which first built it as an internal tool for its own fight animations. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Cascadeur keeps the animator in control while removing the slow parts of keyframing. AutoPosing lets you move a few control points and have the rest of the body follow naturally, AI inbetweening fills the motion between keyframes, and AutoPhysics adjusts trajectories, balance and secondary motion so jumps and falls look physically correct. It can also clean up motion capture and generate common motions. Animators use it for game combat, cutscenes, indie films and prototyping before handing animations to a game engine or other 3D software.
Main Features
- Poses a full character from a few control points with AI AutoPosing.
- Generates in-between frames from keyframes with AI inbetweening.
- Corrects balance, trajectories and secondary motion with AutoPhysics.
- Simulates falls and impacts with ragdoll physics.
- Cleans up and edits motion capture data.
- Exports to FBX, DAE, USD and glTF on paid plans.
How to Get Started with Cascadeur
- Download Cascadeur from cascadeur.com and create an account.
- Import a rigged character or use a sample character.
- Set a few keyframes using AutoPosing.
- Turn on AI inbetweening and AutoPhysics, then export the animation.
Cascadeur Pricing
The Free version is for non-commercial use, limited to 300 frames and 120 joints per scene with export to Cascadeur's own format only. Indie costs $19 per month or $96 per year for commercial use under $100,000 annual revenue with FBX and DAE export. Pro costs $49 per month or $396 per year with all export formats, and yearly plans unlock a perpetual license.
Who Should Use It?
- Game animators creating combat and movement animations.
- Indie developers without a mocap studio.
- 3D artists producing short films and cutscenes.
- Animation students learning body mechanics.
- Studios cleaning up motion capture data.
Cascadeur Alternatives
- DeepMotion: turns video into motion capture in the browser
- Move AI: markerless mocap from phone cameras
- Rokoko Vision: free video-based mocap for quick tests
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cascadeur free?
Yes, Cascadeur has a free version for non-commercial use with limits on frames, joints and export formats. Commercial use starts with Indie at $19 per month.
What is Cascadeur used for?
Cascadeur is used for keyframe animation of 3D characters, especially action and physics-heavy motion. Game studios and indie developers use it for combat, jumps and falls.
Can Cascadeur export to Unity or Unreal?
Yes, through FBX and other formats on paid plans. Indie exports FBX and DAE, and Pro adds USD and glTF.
Cascadeur vs DeepMotion: which is better?
Cascadeur is better for hand-crafted keyframe animation with physics help, while DeepMotion is better for quickly turning video into motion. Many animators combine captured motion with Cascadeur cleanup.