Greetings, dear Cascadeur Blog readers! 
 
My name is Kaan Şahin, and I'm a 3D Animator. Interestingly, I studied Urban Planning during my university years. This choice was inspired by my childhood, when my mom and I used to play SimCity together—a memory I cherish deeply, as she is no longer with us. I was fascinated by the idea of ​​urban planning areas. Before joining my current team, Demonsoft Games, I also worked as a freelance graphic designer. Growing up as a gamer during the golden age of the game industry has significantly shaped my gaming preferences and cultural perspective. 
 
At Demonsoft Games, we are a small yet passionate team of four core members: two developers, one animator (me), and one narrative & game designer. However, as you can imagine, being a small team means we all wear multiple hats. For instance, I created an alphabet for our game's universe, while our narrative & game designer handles sound design alongside other responsibilities. We're based in Antalya, Türkiye, and like the voice actors who support us, we were working on a voluntary basis. 
 
 

Although we haven't published any games yet, we're brimming with ideas and determined to bring them to life. Our shared passion for rich storytelling and unique gameplay elements has kept us together for over two years, despite having no budget for a long time until now. Our game, Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero, has been in development since November 2023. 
 
ETERNITY'S ECHO: PATIENT ZERO  
A Daring Leap with Rayne Williams 
 
Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero takes you to a desolate gas station in Winona, Arizona, right off the iconic Route 66. It's an FPS, horror-thriller, and story-driven game where you step into the shoes of Rayne Williams, a DIB Agent sent to uncover the truth behind the mysterious events unfolding at this remote location. 
One of the features that sets our game apart is the invisible enemies we call "DVs" (short for Dimensional Visitors). These creatures come in various forms, each with unique abilities and behaviors. Let's focus on one of them: the "Spectral." Spectrals are invisible—you can't see them unless you use a UV light source. 
That's where the "Spectragase" comes in. It's a gun attachment that functions like a flashlight but emits UV light instead. With it, you can spot Spectrals lurking in the dark. But here's the tricky part: Spectrals might not see you, but they can hear you. And if you shine your UV light on them for too long, they'll get agitated.
 

 
This creates a "play your way" experience. You can either hold your breath and sneak past them or go in guns blazing with resonance bullets from your special DIB weapon. 
And what is the DIB, you ask? It's the Dimensional Investigations Bureau, 
 

As Rayne Williams, you possess a unique ability called PGR (Psyche Gifted Restructuring). Thanks to this, Rayne can't truly die. PGR is a substance found in certain individuals' blood, and its levels determine their special abilities and power. 
In gameplay terms, when you “die,” you actually return through something we call “echoes.” Think of echoes as mystical portals pulsating with energy, bridging the gap between life and eternity.
 




ANIMATING WITH CASCADEUR 
 Like Imagining, but Sometimes You Just Have to Hit the “F” Button

I found myself diving into 3D animation thanks to this project. To be honest, I'm not a long-time professional animator. I've used other programs in the past, but Cascadeur quickly became an essential tool for us. Its frequent updates and user-friendly features made it the perfect fit. 
I've always admired stop-motion films and small animation projects. Cinematics and cutscenes—basically anything involving animation—have fascinated me. There's one animation in particular I can't get out of my head: in Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 Jedi Outcast, every time you ignite or deactivate your lightsaber, Kyle does this casual little spin with it, like it's a fidget toy. That animation has been living in my mind rent-free for years. 
I initially started with 2D animation, and soon after, I found myself creating dead body poses in 3D just for fun. That's when our lead developer suggested, “You should definitely try Cascadeur.” And honestly, that's where everything changed. 
Together, we developed a system called “ARC” (Animation Recreation Component), utilizing Cascadeur and Unreal Engine 5. This system allows us to adjust animations simultaneously by combining code-based adjustments in Unreal Engine with keyframe editing in Cascadeur. Additionally, we occasionally used the motion capture from video feature to enhance our animations. Our lead developer also says, "You never realize how much you need Cascadeur until you start using it." And I agree with him. Here he is, lying on the ground as my mocap actor.
 

 
While animating, I love adding small details that reflect the story or specific situations—things like "almost Tarantino-like" gestures, quirky dialogues, and absurd behaviors. These little tweaks are a must for me. Cascadeur has been a huge help in this regard, especially with features like Auto Posing, easy-to-use interval editing, motion capture from video, animation unbaking, auto physics, and ragdoll (a new feature at the time, but one that proved invaluable). These tools allowed me to add the subtle touches that make animation feel alive and unique. 

 
CASCADEUR DISCORD  
Capeless Heroes 
 
During this journey, I'll admit that I hit a few roadblocks while using Cascadeur. But thanks to the supportive community on their Discord, I was never truly alone. A special thanks goes to @sdueq for his quick responses. The people on Cascadeur's Discord are not only kind and helpful but also incredibly resourceful. Overall, it's sincerely the best use of Discord I've ever experienced. 
 
Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences with Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero and Cascadeur. I hope you found this journey as exciting as I did! If you're curious about our game or Cascadeur, feel free to reach out or dive into the Cascadeur community—you won't regret it. 
 
CONCLUSION 
Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero has been in development since November 2023, and we're continuously working on exciting new features, including additional enemy types, levels, and animations. If you'd like to support us, please consider adding our game to your wishlist on Steam. 
Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Have a great day! :) 
 
>> Visit the Steam Page of Eternity's Echo: Patient Zero