Fixing FBX import errors

2025-10-22 09:44 UTC gpt-5-thinking Open in ChatGPT ↗

This usually isn’t “bad geometry” – it’s the bind/rest-pose and joint transforms getting interpreted differently by C4D’s FBX importer. A few things from Cascadeur rigs regularly trigger the candy-wrapper/waist collapse you’re seeing:

What typically causes it

Non-uniform scale or shearing on joints (or on the top rig node).
Any scale ≠ 1.0 anywhere in the joint chain confuses C4D’s Skin.
Bind pose ≠ frame 0 (or the mesh was bound in a different pose than the one the FBX reports as the rest pose).
C4D will try to “restore” to that pose and vertices shoot off or twist.
Unbaked constraints/IK so joints import with pre-rotations that C4D applies differently.
Different skinning method (Cascadeur/most DCCs export weights expecting Dual Quaternion; C4D’s default is Linear) which produces twists around shoulders/hips.

Quick fixes that usually work

In Cascadeur (before export)

Select the whole skeleton → Freeze/Reset transforms: make sure Scale = 1,1,1 on every joint and on the top rig node.
Put the character in the exact rest pose you bound with, on frame 0.
Export FBX with:
- Bake animation (no constraints)
- Add Skinning/Weights
- FBX 2014/2015 (these versions are the most reliable for C4D)
- Avoid “embed media”/extras.
If you scaled the character at scene level, apply the scale to the mesh and skeleton first, then re-export.

In Cinema 4D (after import)

In the FBX import dialog:
- Bake Samples (Animation)
- Up Axis = Y (or “Automatic”), Units = Automatic
After import, on each Skin deformer: enable “Dual Quaternion” (or “Preserve Volume” depending on your C4D version). This alone often removes the corkscrew twist.
On the Weight tag of the mesh: Reset/Restore Bind Pose (Commands → Reset Bind Pose). If it’s wrong, Set Bind Pose from the current frame (with the correct rest pose visible) so C4D stores the proper rest matrices.
Make sure no joint has non-uniform scale (inspect Coordinates manager). If you find any, zero it (1,1,1), then run Reset Bind Pose again.
If the top node imported with a rotation (e.g., -90° X), keep that transform on a parent null and don’t freeze it onto the skeleton; bake motion to joints if needed.

If it’s still mangled

Try exporting without animations first (rest pose only). If that imports clean, the issue is baked rotations/constraints—re-export with “Bake animation.”
Use a different FBX flavor: 2013 or 2014/2015 often behave differently in C4D.
As a last resort, pass through Blender: import FBX → Armature modifier tick Preserve Volume → export FBX (7.4 binary). C4D often reads that cleanly.

If you want, share which C4D version you’re on and I can give the exact menu names for the “Dual Quaternion” and bind-pose commands for that version.

Yep—“CAS” = Cascadeur. You can bake straight on export (easiest) or with the Baking tool. Do one of these:

A) Bake on FBX export (recommended)

Put the character in the correct rest pose at frame 0.
File → Export → FBX…
In the export dialog:
- Enable Bake Animation (sometimes shown as Plot/Bake animation to skeleton).
- Start/End: use From Timeline (or set a range).
- Sampling/Step: 1 frame.
- Enable Bake Constraints/IK (names vary by version; anything that says convert constraints to keys).
- Export Skeleton/Deform Joints only (don’t export controllers).
- FBX version: 2014/2015.
Export.

B) Bake first, then export

Select the character (controllers/joints).
Tools → Baking (or Windows → Tools → Baking depending on version).
Choose Bake to Keys (or Bake Result) with:
- Range = timeline, Step = 1, Include Constraints = On.
- Target = Skeleton/Joints (not controllers).
When done, File → Export → FBX… (you can leave “Bake Animation” on or off since it’s already baked).

Tips:

Make sure every joint (and the top node) has scale = 1,1,1 before export.
If you scaled the rig globally, apply/freeze it first, then bake+export.

If your Cascadeur version uses slightly different wording, tell me which one and I’ll map the exact buttons.

Short answer: you probably can’t. Cascadeur’s FBX exporter doesn’t expose a “version” dropdown—the file it writes is a recent 7.x flavor. If you don’t see the option, that’s because the app doesn’t let you change it.

Workarounds to get a different FBX flavor for Cinema 4D

Option 1 — Round-trip through Blender (reliable)

Import your Cascadeur FBX into Blender:
File → Import → FBX (leave defaults).
Export from Blender: File → Export → FBX (.fbx) and set:
- Path Mode: Copy (click the icon to embed textures if you have any)
- Apply Transform: Off
- Armature:
  - Only Deform Bones: On
  - Add Leaf Bones: Off
- Bake Animation: On (NLA Strips Off, All Actions Off, Sampling = 1, Simplify = 0.0)
- This writes FBX 7.4 binary (roughly the “2014/2015” flavor C4D likes).

Option 2 — Use Alembic if you just need baked motion

From Cascadeur, export FBX, import in Blender (or C4D), then export Alembic (.abc).
Alembic gives you a vertex cache (no rig), which avoids joint/pose issues entirely.

Option 3 — Legacy Autodesk FBX Converter

If you still have the old “Autodesk FBX Converter 2013/2016,” you can convert the file to 2013/2014. (It’s discontinued, so Blender is the safer route.)

If you tell me your exact C4D version (e.g., R21, S24, R25, 2023/2024), I can also point out the best FBX import settings/legacy importer toggle that tends to work with Cascadeur exports.