Why I’m Learning Cascadeur for My Project
Because of the project management challenges and the scope of what I’ll be delivering, I’ve decided to learn and incorporate a new animation software: Cascadeur. It’s an AI-powered tool that enables auto-posing during blocking and comes with physics assistance to help polish movement.
That said, just because it uses AI doesn’t mean it’s a shortcut to free animation. It still requires solid fundamentals: working with arcs, planning ahead, studying movement, posing carefully, and delivering dynamic body motion. None of that comes automatically—you still need to bring your own skills and knowledge to the table.
My decision is largely based on time limitations and the ambitious direction of the project. Animation is a huge part of my work, but the project isn’t strictly about on-screen content. I’m also thinking about installation, physical computing, and virtual reality. Because of this, it feels justified to use a tool like Cascadeur. It fits both the project management side of things and my career trajectory, since I don’t aspire to become a traditional animator.
Of course, learning new software comes with a curve. Some skills I already have are transferable, but getting familiar with a new workflow always takes effort. Still, I think it’s worth it, given my position, project aspirations, and the need to optimise production. In practice, Cascadeur should let me deliver results much more quickly than if I had to build everything in Maya.
For this project, I’ll also be documenting my workflow—through images, screenshots, and screencasts—so I can share the process of creating and refining the animations I’ll be using.
Overlap of animating in Cascadeur.
