Introduction to Cinema 4D R14, Part 1

Tim Clapham takes you through this introductory course for Cinema4D. Aimed specifically at new users to the application Tim will cover the fundamental techniques and principles for working with the software. Throughout the course, Tim will be using Cinema4D release 14, however users with alternative versions of the software should have no problem following along as most of the subjects covered are applicable to alternative versions.

Starting with a basic foundation of the application working principles, Tim builds upon this over the following weeks. Covering the use of parametric models, polygonal and point modelling, shader and material creation, building expressions with Xpresso, lighting, texturing and rendering your projects. The course also includes the creation of a short animation which will be rendered using multipass and exported to After Effects for completion.

course syllabus

This class will take you through the basic skills needed to work with C4D. We will explore the layout, viewports and menus. After this class you should have a solid understanding of the different managers that we will use throughout the course and the general workflow required to work with the application.

We model a cocktail shaker with splines and Loft. A martini glass with Splines and a Lathe. Cocktail Umbrella using parametric objects and Array object. Finally assemble all the objects using Xrefs.

Modelling a car wheel with sub-division surfaces. This class covers polygonal and point modelling, exploring various tools such as extrude, knife and bridge as well as various methods of selecting, such as loop, belt and fill selections.

Working with the Cinema4D material system. Using the material manager, organizing materials with layers. Applying materials to objects using various projection types. Restricting materials to polygon selections. Working with bitmaps and shaders. Creating basic glass and brushed metal materials.

Lights and Cameras. Discussing the various lighting options available. Working with falloff, shadows, visible & volumetric lights. Working with the C4D Camera object including an overview of the physical camera options and creating a depth map.

Creating expressions with the node based Xpresso system. Introducing the Xpresso interface. Using Set Driver / Set Driven to automatically create Xpresso. Adding User Data to objects and linking into Xpresso. Streamlining projects by automating workflow with expressions.

Introducing the MoGraph Module. Working with the various Cloner modes, Linear, Radial, Object and Grid Array. Building a Card Wipe. Random Clone Weight. Blending Parametric Objects. Exploring the various Falloff types.

Part 1 of a 3 week project. Working with Illustrator Artwork. Introducing animation, recording keyframes, auto key framing, keyframe selections. Working with the timeline and F-Curve manager.

Part 2 of a 3 week project. Linear Workflow and Color Profiles. Creating some basic materials for our logo. Lighting and reflection map. Adding an animated background using MoGraph Cloner and Effectors. Using MoGraph Color Shader

Part 3 of a 3 week project. Working with object buffers. Multipass rendering with linear workflow. Exporting 3D data to After Effects. Using Parent Child relationships with Render Settings. Importing the render passes and 3D Data into After Effects for further enhancements.