AI-assisted 3D animation software with physics-based tools for creating realistic character animations, featuring AutoPosing, AutoPhysics, and mocap cleanup capabilities.
AI-assisted 3D animation software with physics-based tools for creating realistic character animations, offering a free tier for sub-$100K earners and paid plans from $199/year.
Cascadeur is a standalone AI-assisted 3D character animation tool developed by Nekki Limited, free for individuals and teams earning under $100K annually, with paid Pro ($199/year) and custom Studio tiers for commercial use. It combines neural-network-driven posing, physics simulation, and motion-capture cleanup in a dedicated animation environment that integrates with Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, and Unity via FBX, DAE, and USD interchange.
The core AI toolset includes AutoPosing, which generates full-body poses from a handful of control points using a neural network trained on human biomechanics; AutoPhysics, which evaluates and corrects balance, momentum, and center-of-mass across an animation; and Animation Unbaking, which converts baked per-frame mocap or game-engine data back into editable keyframe curves. Video Motion Capture rounds out the AI features by extracting skeletal motion from ordinary reference footage without specialized hardware.
Cascadeur's physics layer sets it apart from general-purpose DCCs. Animators can visualize and edit center-of-mass trajectories, tweak ballistic arcs for jumps and falls, and preview fulcrum forces in real time. These tools were originally built for Nekki's own fighting-game franchises (Shadow Fight, Vector), which required thousands of hand-tuned combat animations that had to feel physically grounded.
The Quick Rigging Tool accepts characters from Mixamo, Character Creator, or custom meshes and generates animation-ready rigs with IK/FK support in minutes. Secondary-motion systems automatically layer overlap, follow-through, and soft-body effects onto clothing, hair, and accessories, reducing manual polish time.
Cascadeur is used by studios such as VRFx Realtime Studio and creators like Corridor Digital for VFX production and game animation pipelines. Its Discord community has over 10,000 members, and the software has been downloaded by animators across indie game development, film pre-visualization, and academic programs. Development continues at a rapid pace, with frequent feature releases expanding AI capabilities and format support throughout 2025 and 2026.
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Neural network-powered posing system that intelligently positions a full character rig from minimal control-point input, trained on human biomechanics to produce anatomically plausible results.
Use Case:
Create natural character poses quickly, animate complex hand gestures and finger movements, speed up blocking passes for action sequences.
Physics-based analysis system that evaluates existing animations for balance, momentum, and center-of-mass plausibility, then suggests corrections to make movement feel physically grounded.
Use Case:
Enhance mocap data with realistic physics, correct balance issues in hand-animated sequences, validate action choreography against real-world dynamics.
AI system that converts baked frame-by-frame animations into clean, editable keyframe curves, restoring artistic control over previously locked-down motion data.
Use Case:
Clean up mocap data for easy editing, convert game engine animations for modification, restore editability to legacy animation assets.
Streamlined character rigging system that automatically generates functional rigs with IK/FK support from imported meshes, compatible with Mixamo and Character Creator characters.
Use Case:
Rapidly rig custom characters for animation, set up characters from Mixamo or Character Creator, prepare models for physics-based animation workflows.
Computer vision system that extracts skeletal movement data from reference videos without specialized hardware, converting ordinary footage into editable animation curves.
Use Case:
Extract animation from reference footage, create animations based on real performances without mocap hardware, supplement studio capture with on-location video references.
Automatic systems for generating realistic secondary animation effects including overlap, follow-through, and soft-body dynamics on clothing, hair, and accessories.
Use Case:
Add realistic clothing movement to character animations, create convincing hair and accessory dynamics, reduce manual polish time on secondary motion.
Free
$199/year
Custom per-seat (contact sales)
Ready to get started with Cascadeur?
View Pricing Options →Download Cascadeur for free from cascadeur.com, install on Windows/Mac/Linux, follow the built-in tutorials to learn AutoPosing and physics tools, then import your character via FBX or use a Mixamo-compatible rig to start animating.
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Cascadeur has continued to expand its AI tooling in 2026, with ongoing improvements to AutoPosing accuracy, broader Video Mocap support, and enhanced USD pipeline integration for Unreal Engine 5 workflows.
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