Cascadeur to get dedicated Unreal Engine Live Link plugin
AI-assisted animation app Cascadeur is to get a new dedicated Unreal Engine Live Link plugin.
Development of the plugin, which will enable users to stream animation data from Cascadeur into Unreal Engine in real time, is being part-funded by a $50,000 grant from Epic Games.
Create animations based on real-world physics, aided by AI-based tools
Launched in 2019, Cascadeur is intended as an artist-friendly alternative to conventional animation software for game development, motion graphics or visual effects work.
Although it has standard tools for rigging, posing and animating characters, its unique selling point is a set of AI-assisted, semi-automated toolsets, speeding up animation workflow.
Once generated, animations may be exported the FBX, Collada or USD format for use in other DCC applications, or game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
New dedicated plugin supersedes the current ‘temporary’ Unreal Engine live link
Cascadeur already has a live link to Unreal Engine, released last year with Unreal Engine 2024.3.
Enabling the feature – which Cascadeur developer Nekki describes as “a temporary solution” – means that any changes made in one application are automatically reflected in the other.
The new plugin will “go much further, by syncing complete animation sequences from Cascadeur with Unreal Engine in real time, [removing] the need for manual exports”.
Development is being part-funded by a $50,000 Epic MegaGrant, Epic Games’ long-running program of grants to Unreal Engine games and related projects.
Previous MegaGrants have been awarded to a number of CG software developers, including Maxon and Reallusion – and, most famously, to Blender.
Price, system requirements and release date
Cascadeur’s Unreal Engine Live Link is in development. Nekki hasn’t announced a release date.
The current version of the software, Cascadeur 2025.2, is compatible with Windows 10+, Ubuntu 20.04+ Linux and macOS 13.3+.
For users earning under $100,000/year, Indie subscriptions cost $12/month or $96/year. Pro subscriptions cost $49/month or $396/year and add advanced features.
Both are rent-to-own plans, with users qualifying for a perpetual license after one year.
There is also a free edition, which is not licensed for commercial use, and saves animation in its own .casc file format, making it impossible to use in other DCC apps.
Read more about the Unreal Engine Live Link plugin on the Cascadeur blog
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