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About this mod
Because creating new animations for Skyrim today shouldn’t require a version of 3DS Max from way back when the dragons roamed the Earth.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
Allow me to introduce Cascadeur, the AI-powered animating software.
Let's use the program from the future to animate the game from the past.
Choosing the right version of Cascadeur for you
The program itself can be used for free, however the FBX export – a critical export step for making Skyrim animations – is locked to the paid tiers (Indie and up). So either you'll need a paid Indie/Pro tier subscription - or, if you don’t wish to toss a coin to Cascadeur's development team, you can still download version 2023.2 from their website: Cascadeur 2023.2.1 (direct link from their severs, or you can browse around their download section). This version supports FBX import/export on a Free Tier, but has two limitations: a joint limit for export (shouldn’t be a problem for single-actor animations; for paired ones, you might need to export FBX for both actors separately and reassemble the pair in Blender), and you can’t export animations longer than ten seconds (300 frames).
I’ve kept the archive version of the humanoid rigs for the 2023.2.1 in the Optional Files for that purpose, but all the updates and newer rigs are made for the most recent version.
With that out of the way…
How to use:
Easy peasy.
For the visual learners
In order for this to be even easier, I've recorded a small video:
https://vimeo.com/877221061
Please note how I've screwed up step 8 a little at 1:42, and accidentally de-selected the skeleton, so my first export failed with an error - don't be like me >_<
The rest of the procedure is correct, though.
What about paired animations for them kill moves?
Click File -> Import -> Scene and open the second file (or the same rig again). Reposition the actor using the blue crosshair. The export plugin will handle a paired animation in Blender like a chad.
I've written a small tutorial about paired ones here.
If you need to export separate HKX files, just select and export one actor at a time in either Blender or Cascadeur.
Animated objects?
Import the *.nif into Blender using PyNifly, export it to FBX with a scale of 0.01. Import this fbx to Cascadeur using the Import –> FBX -> Model.
Animate as needed.
It’s a good idea to delete the object prior to exporting the animation back to Blender, so the blender plugin doesn’t get confused about which armature to pick from. Locate it in the outliner window, right-click and press Select Branch, and then delete it.
Editing animations?
I've written a small tutorial here.
Supplementaryreading watching materials
A good overview video outlining Cascadeur's knobs, switches and cool tricks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKwDf5MH-LY
There's a number of ready-made rigs for creatures for Cascadeur on the Nexus:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/users/7316623?tab=user+files
A video on how to import animations from Mixamo (it works with a few minor tricks, I've tried it):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZHVubEDifk
AI-powered fake mocap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10XV2Wvqu_o
Credits
JGernandt for the fantastic animation exporter tool that I'm utilizing:
https://github.com/jgernandt/blender-hkx
Akira1364 for introducing me to Cascadeur
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/Akira1364/
Have fun!
Let's use the program from the future to animate the game from the past.
Choosing the right version of Cascadeur for you
The program itself can be used for free, however the FBX export – a critical export step for making Skyrim animations – is locked to the paid tiers (Indie and up). So either you'll need a paid Indie/Pro tier subscription - or, if you don’t wish to toss a coin to Cascadeur's development team, you can still download version 2023.2 from their website: Cascadeur 2023.2.1 (direct link from their severs, or you can browse around their download section). This version supports FBX import/export on a Free Tier, but has two limitations: a joint limit for export (shouldn’t be a problem for single-actor animations; for paired ones, you might need to export FBX for both actors separately and reassemble the pair in Blender), and you can’t export animations longer than ten seconds (300 frames).
I’ve kept the archive version of the humanoid rigs for the 2023.2.1 in the Optional Files for that purpose, but all the updates and newer rigs are made for the most recent version.
With that out of the way…
How to use:
- Download & install Cascadeur: Cascadeur (either the latest version or 2023.2).
- Download & install Blender: Blender (you’ll need it to export to Skyrim - I'm using version 3.6; compatibility with 4.0+ is unknown).
- Download this pack.
- Open Cascadeur & open the rig (*.casc file).
- Draw the rest of the … owl.
- When finished: File -> Export FBX -> Without Meshes, save your animation, and close Cascadeur.
- Open Blender: Install the zip add-on (Edit -> Preferences -> Add-ons -> Install button), turn on the newly installed add-on, and in its settings set the path to x:/yourpath/Blender plugin add-on/blender-hkx.exe from the add-on zip.
- File -> Import -> FBX in Blender: Pick the FBX exported from Cascadeur. It’s going to load a pile of triangles – that's normal. Make sure they are selected! (they must be orange-coloured, not grey).
- Switch to Pose mode: At the top of the window, make sure all the triangles are selected here as well (they should be blue), adjust the timing to match the keyframes at the bottom, click File -> Export -> Havok animation (*.hkx).
- In the new window: Set the Scale to 1.0, and both Skeleton fields to x:/<yourpath>/Blender/skeleton.hkx from my archive (you need to enter or copy the path manually, but it should save for next time). Click Export.
- Enjoy your new animation: Test it in-game, or check it out first with hkxposer or any other HKX preview tool.
Easy peasy.
For the visual learners
In order for this to be even easier, I've recorded a small video:
https://vimeo.com/877221061
Please note how I've screwed up step 8 a little at 1:42, and accidentally de-selected the skeleton, so my first export failed with an error - don't be like me >_<
The rest of the procedure is correct, though.
What about paired animations for them kill moves?
Click File -> Import -> Scene and open the second file (or the same rig again). Reposition the actor using the blue crosshair. The export plugin will handle a paired animation in Blender like a chad.
I've written a small tutorial about paired ones here.
If you need to export separate HKX files, just select and export one actor at a time in either Blender or Cascadeur.
Animated objects?
Import the *.nif into Blender using PyNifly, export it to FBX with a scale of 0.01. Import this fbx to Cascadeur using the Import –> FBX -> Model.
Animate as needed.
It’s a good idea to delete the object prior to exporting the animation back to Blender, so the blender plugin doesn’t get confused about which armature to pick from. Locate it in the outliner window, right-click and press Select Branch, and then delete it.
Editing animations?
I've written a small tutorial here.
Supplementary
A good overview video outlining Cascadeur's knobs, switches and cool tricks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKwDf5MH-LY
There's a number of ready-made rigs for creatures for Cascadeur on the Nexus:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/users/7316623?tab=user+files
A video on how to import animations from Mixamo (it works with a few minor tricks, I've tried it):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZHVubEDifk
AI-powered fake mocap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10XV2Wvqu_o
Credits
JGernandt for the fantastic animation exporter tool that I'm utilizing:
https://github.com/jgernandt/blender-hkx
Akira1364 for introducing me to Cascadeur
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/Akira1364/
Have fun!