In 2010, many programs that are for sale have a "try before you buy" philosophy. This is akin to test driving a car. Some of these programs have a limited lifespan before self-deactivating. Others have a demonstration, or "demo" mode, where certain features do not work. These features only work in the fully purchased product. The Cinema 4D 11 Demo is a program that has limited features but no self-deactivating time limit. In order to unlock the programs full potential, however, a user must buy the software.
Saving Feature Disabled
In the demo mode, both Softpedia and Maxon Computer (the programmers of Cinema 4D 11) state that the "Save" feature is disabled in the demo version. You can create, experiment around, and thoroughly understand the program. However, to save your work, the fully functional version must be purchased.
Resolution
The resolution is set at 640 by 480 pixels for animations. This produces a very grainy looking picture. This is a limitation of both the demo and full working versions. If higher resolutions are required, other programs may have higher resolution settings.
System Limitations
Your system must meet the minimum requirements in order to run the software. the requirements are 1024 megabytes of RAM (random access memory), and have a processor that runs at least 2 gigabytes per second. You must have a DVD ROM drive, and Quicktime 7 installed. If your system does not meet these requirements, Cinema 4D 11 will not function correctly.
NET Rendering
In the demo version, the NET Render module is not included. You may not be able to render multiple files across a network rendering system. Bear in mind Maxon stated that the NET Render function is only for animations. Maxon computer has a workaround for not having NET Render, however. Maxon recommends using the Batch Rendering feature, which can render up to 10 files. You create scenes by using Batch Render from the Render menus. You specify the file path to your work by using the Job functions. Finally, click on "Render to Picture Viewer " to start working.
Maxon Cinema 4D is one of the premier 3D graphics and animation programs on the market. It has capabilities and functions that rival those of the legendary Maya and has been used in animated and live action movies and television programs. It is also widely used by the video gaming industry to do things like modeling and texturing. But before you can get into the more complex aspects of Maxon Cinema 4D, you might want to understand the basics of using a character within the program. For the following to work you must have Poser installed on you system.
Importing a Figure
While it is certainly possible for experienced users of Cinema 4D to create fully rigged and mapped characters entirely with the confines of the program, it is often better for beginning users to import figures from another program like Poser. To do this, in the menu select the "Plug-ins" item and click "Poser Object." Now go to the "Attributes" panel in the lower right corner and under "Object Properties" click on the "Browse" button. Open the Poser scene you want to use.
Once the figure is loaded, click on the "Create Materials" button, and Cinema 4D will automatically create materials for the figure matching those it had from Poser. You now have a fully rigged and pose able figure in Cinema 4D.
Controlling the Animation
The PoserFusion plugin that allows you to import a Poser scene into Cinema 4D also provides a Poser Object Properties panel in the "Properties" that allows you to adjust the attributes of the Poser scene you have imported, or replace it entirely with a different Poser file. It has various other options that improve the process of using the file in Cinema 4D, such as "Display Tracking," which gives you the option of previewing the Poser animation in a "Box" (or blocky) form that you play faster for editing. It also has the option to "Disable Animation" which will cause the Poser animation to freeze in a single frame while the rest of the Cinema 4D animation plays.
Dynamic Hair
The plug-in also allows users to use the Dynamic hair that Poser can produce. This type of hair is far more realistic than the old fashioned hair props previously used. It has several options for controlling the way this hair behaves and appears in Cinema 4D, such as the "Populate" control. When this control is turned off, only the "Guide" hairs for the Poser file show, which speeds up the process of working with the file. Then, when you are ready to render the animation, you simply turn this option back on. It also has a controls for adjust the "Hair Root Scale" and the "Hair Tip Scale," which can be raised if the hair is too thin. But remember that the higher you make these two settings the longer the render time will be.
Cinema 4D is a fantastic 3D modeling program available from Maxon for the Windows and Mac operating systems. You can create any object you'd like in Cinema 4D, complete with realistic rendering and animation. By using a blueprint and a few simple modeling techniques, you can build an accurate model of your favorite car in this program.
Blueprints And View Ports
Begin by finding a blueprint for a car you'd like to model. A good place to start is The-Blueprints.com. This site features hundreds of detailed blueprints of cars of all makes and models. It is important to choose a blueprint that includes images of the front, back, top and sides of the vehicle. Save the blueprint to your computer, bring it into an image editing program, and separate each view into its own file. Save each image as a .jpeg, and name them accordingly (i.e. top.jpeg, side.jpeg).
Open Cinema 4D, create a new project, and press "F5" to open up all of the view ports. Within each view port, click the "Edit" menu, followed by "Configure." This will create new configuration boxes in the attribute manager. Click the "Browsing" button on the right side of the "Image" attribute and choose the .jpegs you've saved to your hard drive. You'll want the top view, side view, front view and back view each in their own view port. Change the "Rotation" attribute of each image to make sure that they're all facing in the same direction.
Modeling the Car
Create a Symmetry object (from the menu just above the word "Filter") and a Polygon object (from the Objects menu). Drag the Polygon object onto the Symmetry object in the Objects Editor. Select the Polygon object, enter Point Mode using the menu on the left of your screen, and create a new point by clicking the "Structure" menu, followed by "Add Point." Decide where you'd like to start modeling the vehicle; for most people, this will probably be the front or rear bumper. Control-click anywhere on the blueprint to add a point. Continue by adding more points along the outlines of your blueprint. If you accidentally put a point in the wrong place, you can move it simply by selecting it and dragging the arrows that protrude from it. You don't need to add an excessive amount of points; just follow the general curve of the lines, and Cinema 4D will "connect the dots" for you.
Note that you'll only have to model one half of the car. The Symmetry object you originally created will fill in the opposite half for you automatically. After you've modeled the points for one small section of the car, click the "Structure" menu, followed by "Bridge." This will connect your points with polygons.
Cinema 4D is a powerful, versatile 3D animation program produced by Maxon. It is available for the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. The software features an intuitive interface that will be navigable for beginners, while offering a bevy of advanced tools for experienced users. One such tool is the bone deformer, allowing you to create organic animations with everyday objects.
Getting Started
Open up Cinema 4D and create a new project. Click the "Primitive Objects" button and make a cylinder. Using the Attributes Manager found in the lower right portion of your screen, select the cylinder and give it three height segments and three rotation segments. Next, choose the cylinder in the Object Manager and press "C" to make the cylinder editable. Be sure that Polygon mode is enabled and use the Live Selection tool to select the upper third of the object.
With the top portion of your object selected, click the Selection menu, and then "Set Vertex Weight." In the following dialogue box, enter a value of 100 and change the Mode to "Set," then click OK. The top portion of your cylinder should now be yellow, with the bottom area red. The yellow area indicates where the bone deformer will have an effect. If you'd like, you can resize the parameters of the upper section of your cylinder, increasing the total area of yellow.
Using The Bone Deformer
From the Deformer menu at the top of your screen, choose "Bone Deformer." By default, this will create a bone on the Z axis. Since your cylinder is aligned vertically, you'll need to change its alignment to the Y axis. This can be done by clicking the Coordinates menu within the Attributes Manager and entering 90 as the RP value.
In the Objects Manager, click "Bone" to select it. Next, use the Attributes Manager to change the length of the bone. You'll want the bone to fill up the entire length of the yellow portion of the cylinder. This may take a bit of trial and error in order to find the correct length value. Now you'll need to combine the bone and the cylinder together by dragging the bone over the cylinder in the Object Manager, selecting "Bone," and clicking "Fixation" in the Attribute Manager.
Right-click "Bone" in the Object Manager and choose "Cinema 4D tags" followed by "Restriction." Choose the vertex map in the Object Manager. This will tell the bone that you only want it to interact with the vertex weight of the yellow portion of your cylinder.
Select "Bone" again in the Object Manager and use the Rotate Tool to rotate it. Your cylinder should now move seamlessly in conjunction with the bone. You can use this technique to create realistic animations in Cinema 4D.
Cinema 4D is a powerful 3D modeling and animation program available for Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. The software allows users to create professional three dimensional models within a clean, easily navigable interface, and packs a lot of advanced features that will be appealing to novices and power users alike.
Basic Interface Navigation
Begin by creating a polygonal object. To do this, simply click the "Cube" button in the top-middle of the screen. This object will serve as a point of reference as you learn to use the navigation tools. You'll notice four small buttons at the top-right of the viewing window. Click the first button and drag your mouse around on the viewing plane. You'll notice the camera move from side to side and up and down as you drag the mouse. Click the second button and drag on the viewing window again. This will zoom your camera in and out. Now try dragging your mouse after clicking the third button. This will rotate your camera view around the object you created. The fourth button will change the view. Clicking it will display four separate viewing windows, each with a different perspective on your object.
Managing Objects
Click the "Cube" button again, and use the drop-down menu to select a different object, such as a cylinder or sphere. You'll notice that your new object will be overlapping the cube you created earlier. Use the "Move" tool, found in the top-left area of the screen, and drag on one of the arrows connected to the second object. This will move it through space, away from the original cube.
Next, observe the Objects Manager, found in upper left side of your screen. This will display all of the objects you've created in a list. You can select any of these objects when you wish to modify or move them. Click on the second object you created, and use the "Rotate" button again. You'll notice that your camera rotates around whichever object you've selected.
Directly to the right of the "Move" tool you'll find the "Scale" button. Select this and drag the mouse around in the viewer. This will make your object larger or smaller, depending on the direction you drag. Next to the Scale Tool is the Rotate Tool. Choosing this will make some rings appear around the selected object. Drag on these rings to spin your object around in whatever configuration you desire.
One of the numerous plug-ins for Adobe's After Effects is a Cinema 4D add-on, which is used to import elements from Cinema 4D projects. It's complicated, but there are tons of tutorials online to help with the process.
Lynda's Lesson
Lynda.com has one of the more expansive tutorials for integrating 4D Cinema with After Effects. Authors Chris and Trish Meyer compile an hour and 27 minutes of video tutorials, some of which are available for free. The entire program covers steps from the basics of installing the plug-in to complex functions like multi-pass rendering and altering shadows.
Studio Daily
The "Studio Daily" website has tutorial videos for different video editing platforms. In June, 2007, the site featured a video tutorial that focused on using Cinema 4D and Body Paint in Adobe After Effects. The video is free to access and is available in both high- and low-resolution formats for easy streaming.
Tuts+
The "Tutorials Plus" website has an entire section dedicated to After Effects tutorials. Eddie Bogdanov wrote a helpful, 19-step guide to integrating Cinema 4D. The tutorial includes some good basic information on how to set up a Cinema 4D project and about how to import the files into your After Effects presentation.
Cinema 4D is a 3D modeling program available for Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X 10.6 and up. Sketch and Toon is a powerful technique that will allow you to take any 3D object you've modeled and give it a unique, hand-made appearance. You can use this technique to make your object look like it's composed of rough sketching, cell shading, watercolor, and more.
Basic Techniques
To activate the Sketch and Toon feature in Cinema 4D, first open a 3D model you'd like to work with. Next, open the "File" menu and click "Sketch Material." Click on the "Render" button above your viewing window, and your object will be given a basic Sketch and Toon appearance. By default, your object will be given a cartoon-like, cell-shaded appearance. Of course, there are plenty of options you can select and adjustments you can make to get your object looking exactly how you want it.
Tweaking The Appearance
Open the Material Editor. From here, you'll be able fine-tune the appearance of your Sketch and Toon object, and access a variety of menus based on your skill level and familiarity with Cinema 4D. Within the Material Editor, you can choose from Simple, Intermediate, and Advanced. Within the Simple menus, you can tweak settings like line thickness, distortion, opacity, and color levels. If you choose to unlock the advanced menus, your options become even more varied, including 3D transforms, overshooting, and more. Feel free to experiment with the settings in the Material Editor. Each time you make an adjustment, you'll have to click the "Render" button in order to view your changes. More complicated objects will take longer to render, though basic 3D models should only take a few seconds to complete on a modern computer.
Applications
Sketch and Toon is an extremely useful tool for architects. A 3D model of a home or building can be rendered once to show detail and design, and rendered again with Sketch and Toon to simulate the appearance of an actual hand-drawn architectural sketch. The difference is that instead of laboring for hours over the sketch, you can simply render the model with Sketch and Toon and export the image as a JPEG, which you can then print or share online.
Graphic designers will also find a lot of uses for Sketch and Toon. You could create a 3D logo in Cinema 4D, and then use Sketch and Toon to dress up its appearance in a matter of seconds. The level of customization available with the advanced menus will give your creation a very unique look.
Cinema 4D is a 3D modeling and animation application offered by the Maxon Corporation. While the program itself is capable of rendering fully realized single images or animated sequences, some people prefer to create their models in Cinema 4D and then export them to another program for use. Fortunately, Cinema 4D has a range of model export options.
Getting Started
When you want to export a model out of Cinema 4D, you have to first access the particular file and model you want. This can be one you yourself created, or one that a colleague has sent to you. Once you have started the program, you go to "File" and choose "Open." In the dialog that appears, locate the file you want to export a model from and open it.
Export Options
Most 3D applications have the ability to import a wide array of file types. However, some will import certain ones that others might not. For this reason, if you want to export a model from Cinema 4D, you need to first determine what file types the target program you or someone else will be using accepts. One of the most commonly accepted file types is Wavefront OBJ.
The Method of Export
Exporting the model from the scene requires that you make it clear to the program just what part of the scene you want to export. For example, if the scene is of a car parked in front of a building, and you only want to export the car model, you must use the "Selection" tool (found at the top) to select only the car in the scene. If you don't do this, you will export everything in the scene. Then under "File" you choose "Export" and select the type you want to export to.
Plug-ins
In addition to the standard export options, some applications come with plug-ins that you can install to Cinema 4D so you can directly take a model or other aspects of a file from Cinema 4D to the host application. For example, E-ONs Vue Infinite comes with a plug-in that allows users to export an object, sky or an entire scene to Vue Infinite.
Adobe Illustrator is a graphics application that is vector-based, which makes it ideal for creating shape graphics that can be easily alter or expanded. One type of effect that can be created in Illustrator for websites related to technology, music or video games is beveled metal. This effect in Illustrator can be achieved be using different aspects of the program.
Shape
To create a beveled metal effect in Illustrator, the effect has to be applied to something. This means using the tools to create objects. For example, you might need a series of clickable buttons. These can be made using the Rectangular or Ellipse tool if you want something conventional, or the Pen tool for nonuniform metallic buttons.
Creating the Bevel
While not exclusive to metallic objects, a bevel effect adds a realistic depth that makes the metal effect more lifelike. In Illustrator, the creation of a bevel is easily accomplished using the 3D effects under the "Effects" menu. Once in the dialog, click "Preview" and choose the angle for the effect. You can then set the "Bevel," "Extrude Depth" and "Height" to your liking in the preview.
Metal Luster
The most important aspect of creating a metallic effect in Illustrator is to simulate the luster and appearance of metal. In Illustrator, there is no single function for creating this effect. Instead, you must use a trial-and-error approach. One way is to use the "Erode 6" SVG filter in combination with the "Inner Glow" filter under "Stylize."
Output
When you are saving a file you have applied a metallic bevel effect to, consider the uses to which it will be put. Something that is intended for the web need not be saved at a resolution greater than 72 dpi (dots per inch), while something being printed should be at least 300 dpi. In addition, if you intend to share the file with others who might make changes, it is best to save it as a SVG vector file because these can be infinitely expended with loss of resolution.