Charios
Charios is a browser-based tool for making 2D character animations by applying motion-capture clips to layered character art.
What Charios is
Charios is a browser-based tool for making 2D character animations by applying motion-capture clips to layered character art. It detects separate opaque regions in an image and exports body parts as transparent layers for rigging. Characters use a fixed 17-bone humanoid skeleton, and users can retarget the bundled motion clips or supply .bvh or .fbx files. A 3×3 preview grid shows nine clips together for checking animation. Exports include animated GIFs, PNG sequences, JSON, Unity prefabs, Godot scenes and Unreal Engine actors, bundled for download in the browser. Charios says character art stays in the browser during export. The editor needs a modern desktop browser with WebGL 2; on mobile, projects can be viewed and animation previewed. The free plan allows three active projects, 30 credits per month and 13 bundled mocap clips. Pro costs $20/month, Studio costs $45/seat / month, and Lifetime costs $50 one-time.
Good
- Separates image body parts into transparent layers
- Supports bundled clips and .bvh or .fbx files
- Previews nine animation clips at once
- Exports to GIF, Unity, Godot and Unreal formats
- Free plan includes three active projects
Watch out
- Desktop editor requires WebGL 2
- Mobile supports viewing and previews only
- Free plan is limited to three active projects
Who it suits
Charios is aimed at indie game developers, solo artists and animators, game-jam teams, and marketing or design teams. It suits people working with 2D character art who need motion-driven animation exports.
Verdict
Charios combines image layering, motion retargeting and multiple game-engine exports in a browser editor. The free tier provides a limited starting point, while paid plans add more project capacity and credits.
Plans and prices
From Charios's own pricing page, checked 30 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 3 active projects · 30 credits/month · 13 bundled mocap clips · community support · $0/forever |
| Pro | $20 a month | Unlimited projects · 500 credits/month · PNG sequence + JSON export · email support · $20/month |
| Studio | $45 a month | 2,000 credits/month per seat · unlimited projects · shared asset library · audit log · priority support · $45/seat / month |
| Lifetime | $50, paid once | Every Pro feature forever · 500 monthly credits · 5,000 signup bonus credits · 25% discount on top-up packs · $50 one-time |
The facts
Each one read from Charios's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Animation preview
- The 3×3 anim-check grid displays nine clips at once for checking a character's animation.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Audience
- Charios describes its audience as indie game developers, solo artists and animators, game-jam teams, and marketing or design teams.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Automatic layering
- The tool detects alpha islands in an image and exports body parts as transparent layers ready to rig.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Data controls
- Users can delete their account and projects from the dashboard or email Charios to request a data export.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Export processing
- Exports are bundled and downloaded in the browser; the page says character art does not leave the browser during export.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Integrations and exports
- Exports include an animated GIF, Unity prefab, Godot scene, or Unreal Engine actor.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Mocap
- Users can retarget bundled motion-capture clips or bring their own .bvh or .fbx files.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Project limit
- The Free plan includes three active projects; Pro and Studio list unlimited projects.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Charios is a browser-based 2D character animation tool that applies motion-capture clips to layered character art.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Rigging
- Charios uses a fixed 17-bone humanoid skeleton and assigns character sprites to bones.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Security and storage
- The privacy policy says account and project metadata is stored in Supabase Postgres and uploaded PNGs in Cloudflare R2, scoped per user via row-level security.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- Charios lists community, email, and in-editor bug reports as support channels, and says email responses arrive within 24 hours on business days.checked 30 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Device support
- The editor requires a modern desktop browser with WebGL 2; mobile supports project viewing and animation preview only.checked 30 Sep 2026
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