Import FBX/DAE
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- Import FBX/DAE
Cascadeur works with FBX and DAE files, so you can import your work from other software.
The following types of objects can be imported:
- 3d meshes
- Joints
- Joint animations
- Textures (separately)
Import External Objects
1. Open a scene.
2. Select Add Fbx/Dae → Add model from the File menu.
3. Select a file (in FBX or DAE format) containing the model.
The model should appear on the scene
Import Meshes
Sometimes, you might want to use different meshes for several identical skeletons. To do this:
1. Select a skeleton you need.
2. Select Add Fbx/Dae → Add model to selected from the File menu.
3. Select a file containing the model
The model from the file will be attached to the selected skeleton.
Repeat the procedure for every skeleton you want to use.
Import Animations
There are several ways to import animation into Cascadeur.
Animation
Hot key: Shift + S
The most basic option. It import animation data to the scene and applies it to the character.
1. Check that your animation has the same joint hierarchy as the model.
If this is not the case, use the Animation to selected objects option (see below).
2. Select File → Import Fbx/Dae → Animation.
3. Select a file (in FBX or Collada format) containing the animation.
After this, the animation will be applied to the frames you've selected:
The program will automatically create key frames for every frame of imported animation (even if the Timeline is shorter than the animation itself).
Animation to Selected Frames
You can also add animation only to certain frames:
1. Select an interval on the Timeline.
2. Select Import Fbx/Dae → Animation to selected frames from the File menu.
3. Select a file (in FBX or Collada format) containing the animation.
After this, the animation will be applied to the frames you've selected:
Every frame of the imported animation is converted to a key frame.
Animation to Selected Objects
Another option is to import animation only for selected objects. It can be useful when, for example, you have several character in the scene, or if you'd like to apply animation only to specific parts of the characters.
1. Switch to the Joint Mode:
2. Select the joints you'd like to apply animation to.
3. Select Import Fbx/Dae → Animation to selected objects from the File menu.
This method is recommended to use when your character and animation have different hierarchies. For example, if the character hierarchy is imported with some sort of 'root' object (this often happens with characters from game engines):
In a case like this, simply importing animation won't work (you'll get an Import failed error), but Animation to selected objects would work without issues.
Import Scenes
1. Open an empty scene.
2. Select Import Fbx/Dae → Scene from the File menu.
3. Select a file (in FBX or Collada format) containing the scene
The scene should be appended to your current scene
Note: Scenes are imported with animation
Import Textures
To add a texture to a model:
1. Switch to the Mesh Mode.
2. In the Viewport, select a mesh
3. Click the Bind texture button
4. Select the image file containing the texture.
Png, bmp, tga and jpeg image formats are supported.
After this, the texture should appear on the model
To remove a texture from a model:
1. Select the mesh.
2. Click the Unbind texture button
After this, the texture should be removed from the model
Animated Textures
You can also import animated textures. There are two ways to do this:
First, you can import a video file as a texture.
To do this:
1. Select File → Import → Reference video.
2. Select a video file.
Currently, only the .mp4 files are supported.
After this, a plane containing the video should appear in the scene.
This option is only intended for setting up animated references. It won't work with character models.
So if you'd like to apply an animated texture to a character, you should follow a different set of steps:
1. Prepare a sequence of images named something like this:
tex_000.png, tex_001.png, tex_002.png and so on.
2. In Cascadeur, switch to the Mesh Mode.
3. Select a mesh.
4. Click the Bind texture button.
5. Select every file you want to use for your animated texture.
After this, the texture should be applied to the model. One file of the sequence is equal to one frame of animation
Common Problems
Incorrect Scale
If a model is imported with an incorrect scale, this can be fixed in two ways:
You can scale the model manually, using the Scale manipulator
Alternatively, you can select the main joint and enable the Local Scale option in the Outliner window (on the Transform panel)
Error in pasting animation or timeline data
Make sure that your imported animation and the model in the scene have the same skeleton hierarchy (the set of joints).
Incorrect Import from Unreal Engine
If you are experiencing problems trying to import animation from Unreal Engine to Cascadeur, please consult this page.
See Also
Joint Limit and How to Deal With It