Cascadeur works with various file formats that you can import from other software.

The following types of objects can be imported:

• 3d meshes
• Joints
• Joint animations
• Textures (separately)

Import FBX/DAE

1. Select Import → Fbx/Dae from the File menu.

2. The FBX/DAE Import dialog window will appear:

In this window, you can set up parameters that define the exact way of how a file should be added to the scene.

Presets

Here, you can select one of the predefined setting schemes, each one optimized for a particular task.
There are several available variants:

Add model is for importing the 3d meshes (without Joints) and attaching them to the Joints in the scene.
Add model to selected is same as the above, but it only attaches meshes to the Joints that are currently selected.
Animation is for importing animation data to the skeleton hierarchy present in the Cascadeur scene.
Animation to selected frames imports animation data to the skeleton hierarchy present in the Cascadeur scene and applies it to the frames that are currently selected on the Timeline.
Animation to selected objects also imports animation data, but applies it to the currently selected objects in the scene.
Model is for importing only the 3d meshes without animation attached to them.
Scene imports the entire Casacdeur scene.

IMPORT

This section contains settings that define how exactly should the model be added to the scene.

Import mode
Sets how the imported data should be added to the scene. There are two options:
Update means imported data is applied to existing objects (for example: animation to a model, or a model to a skeleton).
Add new means new objects are created (like a new model or an entire scene).

Import to selected joints
If this option is enabled, the model is applied only to the selected Joints.
Can be used when, for example, you need to use different meshes for several identical skeletons.

Import to selected interval
If this option is enabled, the imported animation is applied only to the selected part of the Timeline.

INCLUDE

This section contains settings that define what parts of the model should be added to the scene.

Animation
If this option is enabled, animation data from the imported file is applied to the current scene.

Meshes
If this option is enabled, the 3d objects from the imported file are added to the current scene.

Blenshapes
If this option is enabled, the blendshape data stored in the imported file is added with the imported 3d objects.

Settings

Fbx up axis
Sets the axis that should be considered the up axis when the FBX file is brought to the scene.
There are two options: Z and Y. By default, the Y axis is selected.

Adjust axis system on import
If this option is enabled, Cascadeur converts the coordinate system when a 3D model is imported to the scene: if the model has the Z axis pointed upward, the system is changed so the Y axis would be up.

There are three possible options for this parameter:
● Off means it is ignored and doesn’t affect anything.
● If it is set to Root, the axes are adjusted on the basis of the root object, i.e. the object with the highest position in the hierarchy.
● And if it is set to Deep, the root object is ignored, and the next object in the hierarchy is used instead. This can be used when, for example, when imported scenes display incorrect rotation.

Root is the default value.

Triangulate on import
If this is enabled, the imported model is triangulated: every polygon with more than 3 vertices is divided into a set of triangles.
Disabled by default.

Skip take time
If this is enabled, the animation is always loaded in its entirety, even when it exceeds the length of the take (otherwise, it is trimmed down to the take length).
Disabled by default.

Fbx compatibility version
The version of the FBX format used for export.
The default version is 2020.

Change start frame
If this option is enabled, you can specify the first frame of the imported animation. This can be used, for example, when the initial frames are empty (and thus not needed), or when you have multiple animations combined into one sequence.
If it is left unchecked, the animation is imported starting with frame 0.
Disabled by default.

Open first take
If this option is enabled, the first take (animation clip) is applied when the file is imported to the scene (if the file has multiple takes).
If it is disabled, you’ll get a list of all takes in the file and can manually select one of them.
Disabled by default.

Leave dialog open
If this is enabled, the import window is left open after the file is imported to the scene. Otherwise, it is closed.
Disabled by default.
 

Once you’ve finished setting the import options, click the Import button and choose the file you’d like to add into the scene:

Common Problems

The character has no textures

Currently, textures have to be applied separately.
Working with them is descibed in the Textures section of the Meshes page.

Incorrect Scale

If a model is imported with a wrong size - too big or too small - you’ll need to determine what causes the issues.
There can be a couple of reasons for this:

1. The most common one is the incorrect scale of the Root object.
Models are often parented to some kind of Root object. This object can be easily found in the Outliner, as it is at the top of the hierarchy:

When you select this Root object, go to the Object Properties panel, and find the Transform group of settings.
In this group of settings, there is the Local Scale parameter:

Normally, all three of its values should be equal to 1.

If they are not, this means the scale is distorted during import.
To fix this, you’ll need to adjust the scale in the software you’ve used to prepare the model:

1.1. Make sure the scale is correct.

1.2. Apply transformations.

1.3. If needed, change global scale and measurement units if they are different from Cascadeur.
In Cascadeur, one unit is equal to one centimeter, but in other programs, it’s not always like that. In Blender, for example, one unit is equal to one meter, and this might cause issues during import. To learn more about this, check the Preparing Blender Models for Export part of the Import from Blender page.

And once you set things up, this should fix the issue.

However:

2. If the scale is correct but the model isn’t, this means that there’s something wrong with the model itself.

The solution for this would be:

2.1. Inspect the model in the software you’ve used to prepare it.
Check if it is too small or too big.

2.2. In Cascadeur, scale the model to the size you need.

Error in pasting animation or timeline data

The Animation, Animation to selected frames and Animation to selected objects presets import and apply animation data to the exact skeleton hierarchies present in the current scene and the animation file.

Because of this, make sure to check if the conditions do meet:

1. Hierarchy
Make sure that your imported animation and the model in the scene have the same skeleton hierarchy (the set of joints).

2. Naming schemes
The animation may fail to import if the scene skeleton hierarchy’s joint order or naming scheme is significantly different.

3. Scaling
If the skeleton in the animation file has the same naming scheme, but different proportions, the animation may get imported incorrectly.

4. Root objects
The animation import can fail if the root objects (the first object in the skeleton hierarchy) in the scene and the animation file have different names, even though the rest of the joints are exactly the same. In that case, try selecting just the actual joint hierarchy of your character model and using the 'Animation to selected objects' preset.

5. If nothing helps
If the animation import continues to fail, import the animation data with the Scene preset into the current or new Cascadeur scene and compare the source and the target skeleton hierarchies. If their joint order, naming scheme or proportions are noticeably different, you may need to use the Retargeting tool to transfer animation between two different skeleton hierarchies.

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

Export FBX/DAE

Import Animation from Unreal Engine

Import from Blender