Import from Blender
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- Import from Blender
This page describes the method of exporting 3d models from Blender to Cascadeur.
Note
The algorithm presented here only uses Blender’s built-in functionality. If you rely on third-party extensions, your methods of export may be different.
Export Formats and Settings
For import, you can use either FBX or Collada files.
It is recommended to use FBX format, as it is better supported by Cascadeur and less likely to cause problems during import. However, in rare cases these problems do occur, using Collada might help solving them.
For FBX export, use the default settings with minor alterations:
1. Forward should be set to -Z Forward.
2. Up should be set to Y Up.
This is required because Blender and Cascadeur have slightly different coordinate systems: in Blender, the Z axis is the one facing up, while in Cascadeur, it is Y.
With these settings, your character should work in Cascadeur without issues.
Importing Sample Scenes
If you are importing animation made with sample scenes included in Cascadeur, you'll also need to enable the Automatic Bone Orientation parameter:
Without it, the joints in the character's skeleton won't be properly aligned:
The same animation with Automatic Bone Orientation disabled (left) and enabled (right).
Importing animation with default settings causes issues. Enabling Automatic Bone Orientation fixes these issues.
This issue is native to Blender. It only applies to sample scenes, custom characters should work without issues.
Exceptions
Sometimes you might encounter models that work fine when exported to Cascadeur, but display issues when brought back to Blender.
This is caused by the incorrect scale of the top object in the joint hierarchy, which in turn happens because of the way Blender handles FBX export, namely object scaling:
If the top object in the Joint hierarchy has its Local scale parameters set to 100 (instead of 1.0),
exporting this character back to Blender will lead to the issue shown above.
This issue too is native to Blender and arises due to the way it handles FBX file format.
What to do about it should depend on your goals:
-If you only need animation (to render it, for example), the issues with the joints can be ignored.
-If you need your character to have a properly functioning skeleton, the best option is to use alternative importing methods such as third-party add-ons.