Overview

Cascadeur is desktop 3D animation software for character animation that uses AI and physics to make keyframe animation faster and more natural. It is used for game animation, previsualisation and prototyping, and for cleaning up motion capture. Its tagline is the easiest way to animate, and the site is available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

AI-assisted animation tools

Inbetweening uses AI interpolation to generate motion between your keyframes instantly. AutoPosing lets you get natural poses by moving fewer control points, as the AI positions the rest of the body. AI Motion Generation creates animation such as running, jumping, combat, acrobatics and idle cycles. AutoPhysics shows a physically accurate character double, so you can adjust secondary motion and inertia and see how a movement should look with real weight. Ragdoll is a procedural tool that makes characters react to impacts, falls and collisions.

Rigging and retargeting

Auto-rigging lets you drag and drop joints onto a character to generate the rig automatically for humanoids and quadrupeds. Quadruped support includes quick rigging, AutoPosing and one-click retargeting for cats, dogs, horses and other four-legged animals. Retargeting copies animation between characters regardless of skeleton structure and proportions.

Mocap cleanup and integration

Cascadeur includes tools to fix motion capture data, such as preventing foot sliding, knee pops and geometry penetration, adding weight with AutoPhysics and making edits with animation layers. Markerless mocap from video is also offered. UE Live Link streams animation directly to Unreal Engine with real-time updates, and the software works with common formats used by other 3D tools.

Pricing

The site offers a free trial through its Try for free button, plus a demo video. Check the website for current licence options and commercial terms.

Who it suits

Cascadeur suits game animators, indie developers, students and studios that need believable character motion without a full mocap setup.

Things to consider

AI and physics tools speed up the work but do not replace an animator's judgement about timing and performance. Check the licence tier if you will ship a commercial game. Expect a learning curve if you are new to 3D animation, and use the tutorials to get started.