Table Of ContentCinema 4D R13
Cookbook
Elevate your art to the fourth dimension with Cinema 4D
Michael Szabo
BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
Cinema 4D R13 Cookbook
Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing
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First published: February 2012
Production Reference: 1310112
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.
ISBN 978-1-84969-186-4
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Cover Image by Michael Szabo ([email protected])
Credits
Author Project Coordinator
Michael Szabo Joel Goveya
Reviewers Proofreader
DaShawn L Hall Jonathan Todd
Rob Hancock
Indexer
John Keppel
Monica Ajmera Mehta
Kasper Rodil
Nqobizitha
Production Coordinator
Shantanu Zagade
Acquisition Editor
Wilson D'Souza Cover Work
Shantanu Zagade
Lead Technical Editor
Shreerang Deshpande
Technical Editors
Mohd. Sahil
Ankita Shashi
Naheed Shaikh
About the Author
Michael Szabo is a freelance motion graphics artist in Miami, FL who probably doesn't go
a day without opening Cinema 4D and using it for both business and for fun. As a kid, he was
always curious in moving images and his no-budget home movies inspired him to learn design
applications, such as Final Cut Pro, Motion, Photoshop, After Effects, and Cinema 4D on his
own, because they weren't going to magically start teaching themselves to him. He has always
been interested in learning new techniques and has always tried to design something better
than he did the day before. You can find him at http://www.bigmikedesign.com and on
Twitter at @bigmikedesign.
I'd like to thank my Mom and Dad for always giving me their full support and
encouragement. Neither of you have any clue what the heck a Cinema 4D is,
but there's no way I could have written this book without the both of you.
About the Reviewers
DaShawn L Hall holds a BFA in Animation, Minor in Art Education, and a Master of Arts in
Art Education with a concentration in Animation/Educational Media from the University of the
Arts. DaShawn is the owner, CEO, and Animation Director of Manneristic Studio a small up-
and-coming 3D animation studio. He is an Adjunct Graduate Faculty at Goucher College in the
Master of Digital Arts Program. He is also a full-time faculty at the Art Institute Online Division
in the Game Arts & Design and Media Arts & Animation Departments. He has been a 2002
and 2003 IGGRAPH presenter speaking about the topics of Virtual Reality in Art. He is a 2007
AVID & Movie Maker Magazine's Top 50 People's Choice Winner 30 Second Spot Winner.
He was an educational contributor and demonstration artist for MAXON Computers INC and
has presented at the National Association of Broadcasters Conference (NAB), the Game
Developer's Conference (GDC), SIGGRAPH, and the Ottawa International Animation Festival. In
2011, he was a presenter at the 2011 SLOAN Consortium International Conference on Online
Learning. In 2012, he will be the publisher of a number of comic book series through his
studio (http://www.manneristic-studios.com).
First and foremost, I thank God for the talent and knowledge that I have
been blessed with. Thanks to my mother and grandmother for always
supporting me in everything. Thanks to the best studio artists an animation
director could ask for at Manneristic Studios. Special thanks to Paul Babb
and the MAXON team for all their support for the past 13 years. Last but not
least, thanks to Alina Lewis, Srimoyee Ghoshal, and Packt Publishing for the
opportunity of being a technical advisor on this book.
Rob Hancock is a traditionally-trained Graphical and Technical Illustrator/Airbrush artist.
The natural progression was to computer graphics and then into 3D modeling and animation.
The first version of Cinema 4D was 5 XL, and from then on there have been upgrades. He
currently uses C4D for a wide range of Motion Graphics and Engineering Visualizations.
He has previously worked for Eckhard Design GmBH (Audi BMW and Porsche) and ODL (Oil and
Gas Sector Aberdeen), and he is currently employed at one of Scotland's leading Media and
Communications Agencies, AVC Media (http://www.avcmedia.com), while also running his
own visualization company, RH Visual Communications (http://www.rh-vis.com).
This is the first book that he had the pleasure of working on, and it has proved to be a
valuable and fulfilling experience with the amount of hard work put in by so many people; it
will benefit everyone who reads it. He has, however, provided bespoke C4D training courses.
I would like to acknowledge Roger Coombe a dedicated lecturer and friend
who gave me the perfect start on my career path; my father and lifelong
inspiration who I miss dearly; my wife Sarah and family who have supported
me throughout my career; and, of course, the developers of C4D who make
all the magic possible. Keep developing, guys!
John Keppel is a 3D artist and designer from Pennsylvania with a BFA from the Rochester
Institute of Technology. He has over 10 years' experience in 3D, with a focus on architectural
visualization, mainly with Maxon Cinema 4D. He is currently employed as the resident wizard at
Wild Blue Technologies in Green Bay, WI after being a full-time freelance artist for two years.
I would like to thank my family and friends, especially my parents who've
always supported me in my love of art.
Kasper Rodil has, for a number of years, used Cinema 4D as a primary tool in commercial
visual design productions and as a part of his creative toolbox in academic projects. He
currently holds an M.Sc. in Medialogy from Aalborg University and is currently employed at
Polytechnic of Namibia as a postgraduate Research Fellow. He specializes in visualization
techniques to conserve and use indigenous knowledge to teach young rural generations
through computer graphics. He is a strong believer in nurturing the creativity of the people
and that visualizations can leap barriers between people and cultures.
He wishes to thank his mother for her lifelong inspiration.
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Table of Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1: The Fundamentals 5
Introduction 5
Exploring the interface 5
Moving around in Cinema 4D 11
Meeting the managers 15
Setting keyframes 29
Utilizing the Content Browser 35
Adjusting the scale of your objects 38
Chapter 2: Super Modeling 41
Introduction 41
Working with primitives 42
Subdividing, selecting, and editing polygons 47
Creating from splines: Extrude NURBS 59
Using Lathe NURBS 65
Using Sweep NURBS 72
Modeling with Loft NURBS 76
Punching holes with Boole 81
Using the Atom Array tool 84
Best modeling advice—just go for it 89
Chapter 3: The Deformers 99
Introduction 99
Getting started with the Taper deformer 100
Animating with deformers: Bend 106
Custom italics with Shear 108
Over-animation with Squash and Stretch 110
