Cascadeur

What is Cascadeur?

Cascadeur is a standalone 3D software built to make creating character animations easier. It combines keyframe animation tools with features for cleaning up and editing imported animations, using AI-assisted and physics-based tools to speed up the process. It supports common file formats like .FBX, .DAE, and .USD, so it fits into existing animation workflows.

Eugene Dyabin originally created it as an internal tool for Nekki, a video game company founded by Dmitry Terekhin in 2002. An Early Access version came out in April 2021, with the full release following in 2022. The goal is to simplify animation production so animators can focus on artistic and choreographic details instead of repetitive tasks, using physics-based approaches and deep learning to make animations more realistic and efficient.

What is Cascadeur used for?

• Creating animations using keyframes
• Cleaning up and editing imported animations
• Automatically generating character rigs
• AI-assisted posing
• Controlling character fingers with smart controllers
• Achieving realistic motion with AutoPhysics
• Adding secondary motion for more lifelike animations
• Turning videos into animations
• Transferring animations between characters
• Making characters interact with their environment

Key features

• Quick Rigging Tool – drag and drop your character’s joints and the rig is generated automatically.
• AutoPosing – move the control points and the AI positions the body naturally, speeding up pose creation.
• Animation Unbaking – converts baked animations into editable ones by intelligently selecting keyframes for precise editing.
• Finger Controllers – smart controllers for finger movement, making hand gestures more expressive.
• AutoPhysics – produces realistic motion with minimal manual tweaking; suggested animations are shown on a green “ghost” of your character.
• Secondary Motion – adjust sliders to add subtle shakes or bounces to body parts.
• Video to Animation – transform videos into animations using Video Mocap, Animation Unbaking, and Fulcrum Motion Cleaning.
• Animation Transfer – move animations between characters in just two clicks.

Bottom line

Cascadeur is a focused animation tool for character work, combining AI-assisted posing, physics simulation, and cleanup utilities in one package. Its broad format support and rigging tools make it a practical addition to existing animation pipelines.