Free trial
The homepage promotes a free trial through the plans page, allowing the animation toolset to be evaluated before choosing a paid plan. Exact trial length and limits are not stated on the homepage.
Learn moreCascadeur
AI-assisted 3D character animation with physics and keyframe tools
Advanced
What is Cascadeur?
Cascadeur is a 3D animation application for character work, combining AI inbetweening, AutoPosing, ragdoll physics, rigging and retargeting for humanoids and quadrupeds, plus mocap cleanup and motion generation, with a live link to Unreal Engine.
Cascadeur is a 3D character animation package built around a physics-aware keyframe workflow. Instead of posing a skeleton frame by frame and eyeballing balance, animators set a few key poses and let the software fill the gaps. AI inbetweening generates the motion between those keys, AutoPosing produces natural poses from a handful of control points, and AutoPhysics corrects a character's double so the result reads as physically plausible: weight, inertia and secondary motion can be tuned without hand-keying every joint. The toolset extends well past interpolation. A procedural ragdoll system makes characters react to impacts and simulate falls and collisions. Rigging is drag and drop for humanoids and quadruped animals such as cats, dogs and horses, and retargeting copies animation between characters with different skeletal structures and proportions. Full-body motion generation covers runs, jumps, combat, acrobatics and idle loops, which is useful for previz and prototyping before committing to a final pass. Mocap cleanup is a first-class workflow: correct foot sliding, knee pops and geometry penetration, lock contact points to the ground, then refine with animation layers. The audience is working animators rather than prompt writers. Indie game developers, studios handling mocap data, and film or previz teams all appear in the published use cases, alongside 2D artists moving into 3D and solo developers shipping full games. Because the AI runs locally, there are no token or credit limits on iteration, which suits people who refine until the motion feels right. Cascadeur sits alongside Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini and Unreal Engine rather than replacing them, with a live link that streams animation into Unreal Engine and updates in real time. Recent releases added animation layers and easing for non-destructive editing. The learning curve is real: this is a professional animation environment, and the physics-first approach rewards animators who already understand timing and weight.
How do you use Cascadeur?
1Choose a plan and install Cascadeur
Compare the available plans on the plans page and pick the tier that matches the work. The free trial lets you evaluate the animation tools before committing.
2Import or build a character rig
Bring in an existing character or use the drag-and-drop rigging to place joints on a humanoid or quadruped mesh. The rig generates automatically once the joints are set.3Block in key poses with AutoPosing
Move a small number of control points and let AutoPosing produce a natural full-body pose. Set the main keys for the action, then use AI inbetweening to generate the motion between them.4Add physical plausibility with AutoPhysics and ragdoll
Run AutoPhysics to correct the character against a physically accurate double, then tune inertia and secondary motion. Use ragdoll for impacts, falls and collisions.5Clean mocap or retarget animation
Fix foot sliding, knee pops and geometry penetration in captured data, then copy animation onto a different character regardless of its skeletal structure and proportions.6Send animation to Unreal Engine
Use the UE live link to stream animation directly into Unreal Engine for preview. Changes made in Cascadeur update in real time inside the engine.
Pros and cons
Pros
- AI inbetweening and AutoPosing cut down the number of keys needed for a readable pose-to-pose sequenceAI
- AutoPhysics and ragdoll tools give believable weight, falls and collisions without manual joint correctionAI
- Rigging and retargeting handle both humanoids and quadruped animals with different proportionsAI
- Mocap cleanup targets specific problems: foot sliding, knee pops and geometry penetrationAI
- Live link streams animation into Unreal Engine so edits update in real timeAI
Cons
- Professional 3D animation environment with a steep learning curve for newcomersAI
- Physics-driven results still need an animator's judgement and manual cleanup to look rightAI
- Published integration notes center on Unreal Engine and standard DCC pipelines, so other engines are less documentedAI
- Not a replacement for a full DCC suite: modeling, rendering and shot assembly happen elsewhereAI
- The AI motion generation covers common actions but not character-specific acting or nuanced performanceAI
How much does Cascadeur cost?
Integrations
Announced for Unreal Engine, Unity, Daz 3D, 3ds Max, Maya, Mixamo, Blender, Houdini and Cinema 4D. A live link streams animation into Unreal Engine with real-time updates. Detailed integration documentation is not summarized on the homepage.
Features
Cascadeur covers AI inbetweening, AutoPosing from fewer control points, AutoPhysics with a physically accurate character double, ragdoll impacts and collisions, AI motion generation for runs, jumps, combat, acrobatics and idles, drag-and-drop rigging and one-click retargeting for humanoids and quadrupeds, plus mocap cleanup and animation layers.
Frequently asked questions about Cascadeur
Does Cascadeur offer a free trial?
The homepage promotes a free trial through the plans page, allowing the animation toolset to be evaluated before choosing a paid plan. Exact trial length and limits are not stated on the homepage.How do you use Cascadeur?
The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Choose a plan and install Cascadeur 2. Import or build a character rig 3. Block in key poses with AutoPosing 4. Add physical plausibility with AutoPhysics and ragdoll 5. Clean mocap or retarget animation 6. Send animation to Unreal Engine.What platforms does Cascadeur support?
Cascadeur is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux.What does Cascadeur integrate with?
Announced for Unreal Engine, Unity, Daz 3D, 3ds Max, Maya, Mixamo, Blender, Houdini and Cinema 4D. A live link streams animation into Unreal Engine with real-time updates. Detailed integration documentation is not summarized on the homepage.What are the limitations of Cascadeur?
Professional 3D animation environment with a steep learning curve for newcomers. Physics-driven results still need an animator's judgement and manual cleanup to look right. Published integration notes center on Unreal Engine and standard DCC pipelines, so other engines are less documented.
Status
StatusActive
Views0
Outbound clicks0
Added10/22/2026
Platforms
WindowsMacOSLinux
Pricing
Free TrialPaid
