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Cascadeur Animation & Mocap Cleanup

Last Updated: 2026-04-30

Sources: - AdvancedSkeleton - "MetaHuman" — Body vs face export workflow - Rokoko - "UE 5.6 Face Mocap BREAKTHROUGH" — Facial mocap pipeline - Cascadeur Official Docs — Auto-posing, IK/FK, smoothing

Table of Contents

  1. Core Cleanup Workflow
  2. Import & Auto-Posing
  3. Filtering & Smoothing
  4. IK/FK Refinement
  5. Manual Keyframe Editing
  6. Export & Integration
  7. Tips & Pitfalls

1. Core Cleanup Workflow

Raw Mocap → Import → Auto-Posing → Smoothing → IK/FK Fixes → Manual Refinement → Export

Pipeline Order Matters

  1. Auto-pose first — Fix impossible positions before anything else
  2. Smooth second — Remove jitter while preserving intent
  3. IK/FK fix third — Correct limb placement
  4. Manual refine last — Polish details

2. Import & Auto-Posing

Import Formats

  • FBX — Universal, preserves skeleton hierarchy
  • BVH — Common mocap format, lightweight
  • Collada (.dae) — Less common but supported

Auto-Posing Features

  • Detect impossible poses — Joints beyond natural limits
  • Auto-correct — Snap to nearest valid pose
  • Physics-based — Cascadeur uses physics simulation for natural corrections

When to Use Auto-Posing

  • ✅ Mocap with joint popping or limb snapping
  • ✅ Impossible angles (elbows bending backward)
  • ✅ Initial pass on raw data
  • ⚠️ Don't over-rely — auto-pose can lose performance nuance

3. Filtering & Smoothing

Filter Types

Filter Use Case Strength
Gaussian General jitter removal Moderate
Butterworth Frequency-based filtering Precise control
Key Reduction Remove redundant keys Cleanup
Savitzky-Golay Preserve peaks while smoothing Advanced

Smoothing Workflow

  1. Select problematic curves — Not everything needs smoothing
  2. Apply Gaussian first — Gentle pass (sigma 2-5)
  3. Check result — Don't over-smooth (kills organic motion)
  4. Iterate — Multiple light passes > one heavy pass
  5. Manual curve adjustment — For timing refinement

⚠️ Pitfall: Over-Smoothing

  • Kills micro-expressions and natural variation
  • Makes motion look floaty and robotic
  • Always A/B compare with original

4. IK/FK Refinement

IK Corrections

  • Lock feet to ground during contact phases
  • Fix hand positions during interaction shots
  • Correct knee/elbow direction with pole vectors

FK Adjustments

  • Arc refinement — Ensure limbs follow natural arcs
  • Timing shifts — Offset keys for overlap and follow-through
  • Ease in/out — Adjust curve tangents for natural acceleration

Cascadeur-Specific IK/FK

  • Built-in IK/FK switching per body part
  • Auto-gesture features for quick pose fixes
  • Physics-aware adjustments maintain natural weight distribution

5. Manual Keyframe Editing

Essential Techniques

  • Stepped vs. smooth tangents — Use stepped for blocking, smooth for polish
  • Pose library — Save and apply common poses for speed
  • Ghosting/ONion skin — View previous/next frames for timing reference
  • Track view — Select and edit multiple curves simultaneously

Key Reduction Strategy

  1. Auto-reduce to every 2-3 frames
  2. Manually add keys at extremes and direction changes
  3. Let interpolation handle the rest
  4. Always verify on playback, not just curve view

6. Export & Integration

Export Format

  • FBX — Universal, bake all animation
  • Always bake animation before export (no dependencies on constraints/solvers)

Export Targets

Target Considerations
Unreal Engine Match skeleton, retarget to MetaHuman
Maya Import with namespace, verify joint mapping
Blender Check axis orientation (Y-up vs Z-up)
MotionBuilder Native FBX, best retargeting pipeline

Export Checklist

  • [ ] Bake all constraints and IK
  • [ ] Verify frame range
  • [ ] Check for negative scale values
  • [ ] Confirm joint hierarchy is intact
  • [ ] Test import in target application

7. Tips & Pitfalls

✅ Best Practices

  • Always work on a copy of raw mocap data
  • Use multiple light smoothing passes instead of one heavy pass
  • Compare with reference video frequently
  • Test in-engine early — what looks good in Cascadeur may differ in Unreal
  • Save incrementally — v1, v2, v3 so you can roll back

❌ Common Mistakes

  • Over-smoothing (kills organic motion)
  • Skipping auto-pose (working with broken base)
  • Not baking before export (broken constraints)
  • Mixing IK/FK without matching (pops and snaps)
  • Ignoring foot contact (sliding feet)