Reference Manual
CINEMA 4D Programming Team Christian Losch, Philip Losch, Richard Kurz, Tilo Kühn, Thomas Kunert, David O’Reilly, Cathleen Poppe. Plugin Programming Sven Behne, Wilfried Behne, Michael Breitzke, Kiril Dinev, Per-Anders Edwards, David Farmer, Jamie Halmick, Richard Hintzenstern, Jan Eric Hoffmann, Eduardo Olivares, Nina Ivanova, Markus Jakubietz, Eric Sommerlade, Hendrik Steffen, Jens Uhlig, Michael Welter, Thomas Zeier. Product Manager Marco Tillmann. QA Manager Björn Marl.
MAXON Computer End User License Agreement NOTICE TO USER WITH THE INSTALLATION OF CINEMA 4D (THE “SOFTWARE”) A CONTRACT IS CONCLUDED BETWEEN YOU (“YOU” OR THE “USER”) AND MAXON COMPUTER GMBH ( THE “LICENSOR”), A COMPANY UNDER GERMAN LAW WITH RESIDENCE IN FRIEDRICHSDORF, GERMANY. WHEREAS BY USING AND/OR INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE YOU ACCEPT ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IN THE CASE OF NON-ACCEPTANCE OF THIS LICENSE YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO INSTALL THE SOFTWARE.
including copies stored on a computer and that the other person agrees that the terms of this agreement remain valid and that his acceptance is communicated to the Licensor. (2) You are obliged to carefully store the terms of the agreement. Prior to the transfer of the Software you should inform the new user of these terms.
The user is obliged to immediately inform the transport agent in writing of any eventual damages in transit and has to provide the licensor with a copy of said correspondence, since all transportation is insured by the licensor if shipment was procured by him. 8.
or for North and South America to: MAXON Computer, Inc., 2640 Lavery Court Suite A, Newbury Park, CA 91320, USA. or for the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to: MAXON Computer Ltd, The Old School, Greenfield, Bedford MK45 5DE, United Kingdom. We will also be pleased to provide you with the address of your nearest supplier.
Contents CINEMA 4D............................................................................................................ ii MAXON Computer End User License Agreement................................................ iii 1. Getting to Know CINEMA 4D............................................................................3 Important Notes .................................................................................................................................... 3 OpenGL.........................
Scene Cameras..................................................................................................................................... 36 Link Active Object................................................................................................................................ 37 Editor Camera...................................................................................................................................... 37 Projections .................................................
Biovision BVH Import........................................................................................................................... 85 CINEMA 4D XML Export ...................................................................................................................... 86 DEM Import ......................................................................................................................................... 86 DXF Export............................................................
4. Workflow....................................................................................................... 131 Asynchronous access to parameters ................................................................................................. 132 Selection rays..................................................................................................................................... 132 Smartpointer ............................................................................................
7. Objects Menu ................................................................................................ 169 Attribute manager settings ............................................................................................................... 170 Coordinates ....................................................................................................................................... 171 Object Properties...................................................................................
Sweep NURBS ............................................................................................................................... 232 Caps and Rounding ...................................................................................................................... 237 Troubleshooting tilted contour splines......................................................................................... 237 Bezier NURBS ..................................................................................
Cameras........................................................................................................................................ 309 Camera Object .............................................................................................................................. 309 Depth Of Field .............................................................................................................................. 313 Adjusting the camera interactively ......................................
Deformers .................................................................................................................................... 397 Bend.............................................................................................................................................. 398 Bone.............................................................................................................................................. 400 HyperNURBS and bones...........................................
Stereo ........................................................................................................................................... 472 DTS 5.1.......................................................................................................................................... 472 DDS EX 6.1 .................................................................................................................................... 473 SDDS 7.1.......................................................
9. Selection Menu ............................................................................................. 513 Selection Filter ....................................................................................................................................513 Select Tool ..........................................................................................................................................513 Object tab...............................................................................
Attribute manager settings ............................................................................................................... 549 Edge To Spline ................................................................................................................................... 550 Project ............................................................................................................................................... 550 Round ........................................................
Randomize ......................................................................................................................................... 619 Reset System...................................................................................................................................... 621 Align Normals .................................................................................................................................... 623 Reverse Normals ..........................................
Render To Picture Viewer................................................................................................................... 654 Batch Rendering ................................................................................................................................ 655 Make Preview..................................................................................................................................... 656 Render Settings .....................................................
Object Manager................................................................................................................................. 732 Material Manager .............................................................................................................................. 732 Timeline ............................................................................................................................................. 733 F-Curve Manager..............................................
Look At Camera ................................................................................................................................. 768 Metaball ............................................................................................................................................ 768 Motion Blur........................................................................................................................................ 769 Phong ...................................................
Generate UVW Coordinates............................................................................................................... 792 Assign UVW Coordinates................................................................................................................... 793 Fit To Object, Fit To Image, Fit To Region .......................................................................................... 794 Adapt To Object Axis, Adapt To World Axis, Adapt To View ...................................
Shader Properties .............................................................................................................................. 859 Types of noise .................................................................................................................................... 862 Gradient............................................................................................................................................. 863 Using gradients..........................................
Simple Turbulence ............................................................................................................................. 916 Starfield ............................................................................................................................................. 916 Stars................................................................................................................................................... 917 Sunburst ..........................................
Mixing textures.................................................................................................................................. 964 Putting a label on a bottle................................................................................................................. 967 Different materials for the hull, caps and rounding .......................................................................... 967 19. Timeline ........................................................................
Sound Properties .......................................................................................................................... 999 Key Properties............................................................................................................................. 1000 New Track > Time....................................................................................................................... 1000 Why Time curves are useful .......................................................
Rename Object ............................................................................................................................1019 Search Active Object....................................................................................................................1019 Fold All, Unfold All.......................................................................................................................1019 Bake Object.........................................................................
Grid............................................................................................................................................. 1036 Velocity ....................................................................................................................................... 1036 Curves Menu .............................................................................................................................. 1036 Custom Tangents ...................................................
File Menu.................................................................................................................................... 1073 Edit Menu................................................................................................................................... 1074 Layout Menu .............................................................................................................................. 1074 View Menu .................................................................
ObjectList.....................................................................................................................................1131 Selection ......................................................................................................................................1131 Tag ...............................................................................................................................................1132 Set Driven Keys ...............................................
Red, Green, Blue .........................................................................................................................1148 Grayscale ....................................................................................................................................1148 View Menu ................................................................................................................................. 1149 Fit To Size .................................................................
1 Getting to Know
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 3 1. Getting to Know CINEMA 4D Important Notes OpenGL CINEMA 4D starts in OpenGL mode. If you experience OpenGL problems, quit CINEMA 4D and restart CINEMA 4D with the Shift key held down until the splash screen shown below has closed. Hold down Shift while CINEMA 4D starts to activate software shading mode. CINEMA 4D will then start in software shading mode. Once the program has loaded, experiment with the OpenGL options in the preferences.
4 • CHAPTER 1 Installing QuickTime We recommend that QuickTime is installed on your system. QuickTime makes additional image formats available to CINEMA 4D and in addition allows you to render QuickTime movies. You can download the QuickTime installer from www.apple.com/quicktime. What’s New in R9 If you’ve used a previous version of CINEMA 4D, you’re no doubt itching to know what’s new. In these pages you’ll find a brief description of some of the key new features in R9.
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 5 Tweak mode Editing objects is faster than ever with the new tweak mode. When putting the finishing touches to models, you often need to edit a point here, an edge there, a polygon there. The advantage of tweak mode is that it’s like you are working in the point, edge and polygon modes all at the same time: you can edit points, edges and polygons without having to keep changing the mode. Enhanced modeling toolset Many of the existing modeling tools are now non-modal.
6 • CHAPTER 1 Highlighting The new highlighting mode clearly shows you what you’re selecting, be it an object axis, point, edge or polygon. Further, selected polygons become tinted, ensuring that you can always see what’s selected and what isn’t. Dockable Context Menus All context menus can now be docked directly into the interface. Ideal for all those tools that you use most often. Improved Open GL Performance Open GL is now better than ever.
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 7 Improved Axis Stems, New Axis Bands You can now drag an axis stem to constrain movement, scale or direction to that axis (previously you could drag the axis handle to do this but not the stem). Using the viewport settings you can now add axis bands that when dragged will constrain the direction to a plane. Menus The main menu has been restructured for improved clarity. For example, commands from the old Edit Surface submenu have been moved to the Functions menu.
8 • CHAPTER 1 Intelligent Cached Shadow Maps Shadow maps are cached when you render the first time and are reused for subsequent renders to speed up render times. Intelligence is built into the cache to detect situations when the maps need to be recalculated such as when the light’s settings have been changed. Control Over Strength of Fresnel Reflections A new setting allows you to control the strength of Fresnel reflections for better looking glass and so on.
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 9 Template.c4d If the CINEMA 4D root folder contains a scene named ‘Template.c4d’, this is loaded during startup and all the settings defined there become effective. Quitting CINEMA 4D File > Quit quits the program. If any unsaved changes are detected, a dialog asks you if you wish to save these before quitting. Clicking on Cancel in this dialog returns you to the program.
10 • CHAPTER 1 CINEMA 4D supports the middle, fourth and fifth mouse buttons. You can incorporate these buttons into short-cuts using the Command manager. middle mouse button MMB fourth mouse button MX1 fifth mouse button MX2 Hotkeys 1 to 7 To use a hotkey, hold down the key and drag the mouse.
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 11 The CINEMA 4D GUI is freely configurable. You can create your own icon palettes (including folded icons) and edit the menus. You can define various layouts and switch between them freely. For example, you may find it helpful to create a layout for modeling, a layout for texturing and a layout for animation since these tasks use different managers. A further powerful feature is that plugins can be integrated into the GUI and make use of its features. Example modeling layout.
12 • CHAPTER 1 Example animation layout. The fastest way to switch layouts is to click the topmost icon of the left tools palette. Choose the desired layout from the list of freely configurable layouts and menus that appears. You can add your own layouts to this list. To switch to one of the other preset layouts, click the topmost icon in the left-hand toolbar and choose the desired layout from the list. A Quick Tour This section guides you through the GUI as it appears when you first start CINEMA 4D.
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 13 Windows Each manager has its own window. You can place windows freely or dock them into CINEMA 4D’s main window. In the default layout, most managers are docked. If you change the size of a docked window, the surrounding windows are resized automatically. To undock a window, click on its pin icon and choose Undock. To re-dock the window, drag-anddrop its pin icon onto the main window. A black line will indicate the insertion position.
14 • CHAPTER 1 Modules and plugins can now be added directly to the main menu, including their submenus. If, for example, you install the Dynamics or MOCCA modules, their menus will no longer appear in the “Plugins” menu. These modules will be available in the main menu. So, if you can’t find a plugin, try looking in the main menu. Load Presets Now, when presets are loaded, sub-directories will also be displayed, which speeds up navigation and improves the overview.
GETTING TO KNOW CINEMA 4D • 15 In addition, you can enter math operators into text boxes. See the appendices. View panel The View panel is a collection of up to four viewports and is the heart of the program. This is where you build and animate your 3D models. Object manager The Object manager contains all your scene’s elements (objects). You can group objects hierarchically. For example, you can make a leaf a child of a branch and the branch a child of a tree.
16 • CHAPTER 1 Content Browser The Content Browser tab has been added to the standard layout. The simplified view is available by default. In the image above, every available preset is shown. Coordinate manager You can use the Coordinate manager for precision modeling or manipulation. For example, rather than scale an object in the view panel, you can enter the exact size in the Coordinate manager. As with all numerical text boxes, you can also enter mathematical operators.
2 Views and Viewports
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 19 2. Views and Viewports You can open as many view panels as you like. Each view panel has its own display settings. A view panel can display up to four viewports (views of a scene), each with its own display settings. Viewport icons When you orbit the camera, it usually rotates around the selected object’s origin; however, if you hold down Ctrl at the same time while you orbit the camera, the camera will rotate around its own origin instead.
20 • CHAPTER 2 Edit Menu Undo View / Redo View Each viewport has its own Undo View/Redo View functions (the Undo/Redo functions of the main window do not affect editor cameras, i.e. those in viewports). The short-cut for Undo View is Ctrl+Shift+Z. For Redo View, use Ctrl+Shift+Y. Film Move, Film Magnify, Film Zoom The arrows point in exactly the same directions before (left) and after (right) using the Film Move and Film Zoom commands.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 21 Zoom In, Zoom Out Here you can zoom in and out. Frame commands Hold down the Shift key when using the following short-cuts to zoom all views instead of the active view only: Frame Selected Elements (“S”), Frame Active Objects (“O”) and Frame Scene Without Camera/Light (“H”). Frame Selected Elements The camera will move so that the selected elements (e.g. objects, polygons) fill the viewport and are centered.
22 • CHAPTER 2 Configure, Configure All The following conventions apply when using the viewport settings: All options and parameters in bold are saved globally; they apply to all views and will be used each time you restart CINEMA 4D, create a new scene or open a file. All other options and parameters are saved in the scene file. Local options and local parameters affect the active view or selected views only.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 23 Display tab These settings mostly control how active and inactive objects will be displayed in the viewport. Title Here you can change the view’s name. This is the name displayed in the viewport provided Projection is enabled on the HUD tab in the viewport settings. Active Object Shading, Wire These settings define the display mode used for active objects.
24 • CHAPTER 2 Normals If you enable this option, surface normals will be displayed in the viewport for the selected polygons. Each normal is displayed as a small auxiliary line perpendicular to the polygon’s surface. By convention, the direction of a normal represents the direction of its polygon.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 25 If this option is enabled, the front and back faces of the selected polygons will be colored pink and blue respectively. Tinted Poly Normals If you have enabled Tinted Poly Selection in, for example, the perspective view and you want to hide the yellow normals that usually appear, disable this option. The normals will still be displayed in the other views. Isoline Editing Isoline Editing enabled (top) and disabled (bottom).
26 • CHAPTER 2 Deformed Editing A cube deformed by a Bulge object with Deformed Editing disabled (left) and enabled (right). In versions of CINEMA 4D prior to R9, when you edited a polygon object that was being deformed by a deformer, the polygon object would revert to its undeformed state as soon as you changed to point, edge or polygon mode. Now CINEMA 4D allows you to edit polygon objects while they are still in the deformed state — simply enable the Deformed Editing option.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 27 Rotation Bands Rotation Bands enabled (left) and disabled (right). Here you can choose whether either rotation bands or spherical handles are displayed for the selected objects when the Rotate tool is selected. Sel.: Bounding Box, Sel. : Wireframe, Children Here you can define how active objects and their children should be displayed in the viewport: in wireframe, with a bounding box or both.
28 • CHAPTER 2 Filter tab Almost any type of element that can be displayed in the viewport can be switched on or off here on the Filter tab. The options are self-explanatory except for the following: N-gon Lines N-Gon Lines disabled (left) and enabled (right). Each n-gon will be internally triangulated for rendering or animation. You can display these triangles in the viewport by enabling this option.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 29 Multi-Select Axes This refers to the small object axis that appears for each selected object when multiple objects are selected. Scene This refers to scene objects such as the Floor object and Sky object. View tab Projection You can use this setting to change the projection type (e.g. to Perspective, Bird, Dimetric).
30 • CHAPTER 2 Backface Culling You can select this option to switch on backface culling. Backface culling hides an object’s concealed points and edges. If you disable backface culling, you will still see objects behind other objects in wireframe display mode. Safe Frames Render Action Safe Safe frames are areas that will be in full view when played back on the target medium. Render Safe If this option is enabled, the boundaries of the film format are shown in the viewport.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 31 Action Safe, Size If this option is enabled, a frame appears in the 3D viewport to mark out the region in which it is safe for action to take place so that it will be in full view when played back on the target medium (monitor, TV screen, cinema screen). To adjust the size of the frame, enter a new percentage value into the Size box. The percentage is based on the film format that is selected in the render settings.
32 • CHAPTER 2 Band Position, Band Size These parameters control the position and size of the axis bands. The axis bands are the bands that appear in the viewport when the Move tool or Scale tool is selected (provided Axis Bands is enabled on the Filter tab). The axis bands enable you to move or scale along a plane. Point Handle Size Point Handle Size set to a low value (left) and high value (right). Here you can define the size of the object points that are displayed in point mode.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 33 Back tab This allows you to place a background picture in a planar view for use as a modeling aid. For example, suppose you are building a model of a car — you can load scale diagrams of the car into the top, right and front views and use the diagrams to help you model the car accurately. The picture will be zoomed automatically when you zoom the view. Back Image Click the three dots button and use the file selector that opens to choose the background picture.
34 • CHAPTER 2 Transparency (OpenGL only) Defines the transparency of the background picture. Alpha Mode (OpenGL only) If the background picture has an alpha channel you can use this setting to specify how the alpha channel should be evaluated. None The alpha channel is ignored. Normal Uses the alpha channel to mask (i.e. hide) parts of the picture. Invert Same as Normal except swaps around which parts are masked and which are displayed.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 35 Major Lines Every nth The grid contains major interval lines that stand out from the others by their darker color. With this option you can choose how often these interval lines should occur. Dynamic Grid If the Grid Spacing of the world grid is too large in relation to the object, this can result in jumps when moving it or its elements. In such cases use a lower Grid Spacing value.
36 • CHAPTER 2 HUD tab Information Here you can choose which types of data informatino will be displayed in the HUD. Controls These settings allow you to adjust the look and feel of the HUD (its colors and transparency). Cameras Menu Each viewport has its own independent camera, called the editor camera. The editor camera is active by default, but you can create and activate your own cameras. Unlike the editor camera, your own cameras are shown as objects in the Object manager.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 37 Link Active Object Choose this command to view the scene from the origin of the active object. Your view will point in the direction of the object’s Z-axis. This command can be useful, among other things, for checking which objects a light source can 'see'. Keep in mind that in some display modes your view may be blocked by the active object’s surfaces. Editor Camera This command activates the editor camera. Projections Here you choose the projection mode for the camera.
38 • CHAPTER 2 Left: The YZ view. Right: The ZY view. Front: The XY view. Back: The YX view. Top: The XZ view. Bottom: The ZX view. Military: X:Y:Z = 1:1:1. Frog: X:Y:Z = 1:2:1. Bird: X:Y:Z = 1:0.5:1. Gentleman (left): X:Y:Z = 1:1:0.5. This is a popular choice for architecture. Isometric (center): A popular choice for technical subjects (e.g. machinery). The X:Y:Z format is 1:1:1. Dimetric (right): Similar to Isometric, but with an X:Y:Z format of 1:1:0.5.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 39 Display Menu On this meny you’ll find display-related options such as the shading mode. To switch on realtime antialiasing, enable the Antialiased Lines option on the OpenGL Shading page of the preferences. Level Of Detail Choose from Low, Medium or High. The setting affects the level of detail (LOD) shown for objects that support LOD. The lower the setting, the faster the display.
40 • CHAPTER 2 Default Light This command opens the Default Light manager. Using this manager you can quickly light the selected objects from any angle. Simply click-drag the shaded sphere to set the lighting to the desired angle (the display mode will change to Quick Shading automatically). To reset the default light to its original angle, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on the shaded sphere. If your scene contains lights, the default light will be ignored when you render.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 41 can be combined with the modes: Wireframe Isoparms Box Skeleton Test the various combinations to discover a wealth of possibilities! Gouraud Shading The highest quality display mode for viewports. All objects are shaded with smoothing and light sources are taken into account. The redraw rate is affected most by processor speed and graphics card speed — the faster your CPU and graphics display card, the faster scenes will redraw.
42 • CHAPTER 2 Lines The Lines mode allows the complete display of the polygon mesh including hidden lines. The lines are colored by the textures. Wireframe The wireframe mode draws lines on the objects if combined with a mode that allows this such as Gouraud Shading (Lines). Isoparms This mode displays isoparm lines for objects that use them such as NURBS objects. Other objects such as polygon objects will be displayed in wireframe.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 43 CINEMA 4D knows the direction of a surface by looking at its surface normal. If the surface normal points towards the camera, the surface is a front face. If the surface normal points away from the camera, the surface is a backface and is not drawn when Backface Culling is enabled. Figure 1 demonstrates the backface principle. Figure 1. Figure 2. By convention, the normals should point outwards from their surfaces, as in Figure 1.
44 • CHAPTER 2 Color Diffusion Luminance Transparency Bump Alpha Specular In the Object manager, you can use a Display tag to switch RTTM on or off for each object (File > CINEMA 4D Tags > Display). Use Textures enabled in the Display tag (Attribute manager). Keep in mind that RTTM is only an approximation of the rendered result. RTTM may differ significantly, especially with large objects that extend towards the horizon. RTTM supports multiple textures.
VIEWS AND VIEWPORTS • 45 To activate the X-ray effect, enable this option. If the active object is a polygon object, it will become semi-transparent so that you can see its concealed points and edges. This is particularly helpful with polygon-based modeling, since it enables you to see concealed surfaces in the Gouraud shading and quick shading modes. Stacked Materials This option controls how multiple alpha maps on the same object are displayed in the viewport.
46 • CHAPTER 2 Views Here you can switch between the single-views and the all-view mode. You can change each view’s projection type via its Cameras menu.
3 Configuration
CONFIGURATION • 49 3. Configuration CINEMA 4D has hundreds of commands and a freely configurable GUI. This means that there are many settings also. To keep CINEMA 4D easy to use, the settings have been placed in various, relevant parts of the program. This chapter shows you where to find these settings and how to use them. Configuration Dialogs Preferences These settings control the general behavior of CINEMA 4D. For example, you can change the background color used by viewports.
50 • CHAPTER 3 Browser settings Here you can control the display of thumbnails in the Browser such as the size of the thumbnails and the file formats shown. To access the browser settings, choose Edit > Preferences from the Browser’s menu. The browser’s settings are saved when you save the scene. Snap settings These settings control the behavior of snapping. The snap settings are available for various tools and will appear in the Attribute manager when one of these tools is selected.
CONFIGURATION • 51 Windows Arranging You can load a previously saved layout or revert to the default layout at any time using the Window > Layout submenu. To change the position of a window, drag the window’s pin icon to the new position. A dark line will appear while you drag to indicate the new position. Left, a layout for modeling: large viewport and various modeling commands on palettes. Right, a layout for texturing: a vertical Material manager and a large Object manager.
52 • CHAPTER 3 Re-sizing Before moving the window’s edge. After moving the window’s edge. To change a window’s width or height, first move the mouse pointer to a window border; the mouse pointer changes to a double arrow to indicate the direction — vertical or horizontal — in which you can drag the border. Drag the border to re-size. The neighboring windows are re-sized automatically to make room. Undocking You can insert a window or a icon palette into an undocked window to form a new GUI group.
CONFIGURATION • 53 Undocked windows are fully functional. The advantage of docked windows is automatic justification when you re-size a window. Docking New windows are undocked by default. To dock a window, drag its pin icon to the docking position. A dark line will appear while you drag to indicate where the window will be inserted. To test the docking feature, first add a new view panel by choosing Main menu: Window > New View Panel.
54 • CHAPTER 3 If you drop the tab onto a pin, it is inserted after the pin’s tab. If you drop the tab onto a tab, it is inserted before the pin’s tab provided you released the hand icon on the left half of the tab; otherwise, it will be inserted after the tab. You can use the icon palettes as tabs as well. Converting tabs to windows To convert a window displayed as a tab to a freestanding window, drag the tab’s pin slightly to the left and release the mouse button.
CONFIGURATION • 55 Creating a new icon palette A new, empty icon palette. To create a new, empty icon palette, do one of the following: Choose Window > Layout > New Icon Palette (main window). Click any window’s pin (top-left corner of window) and choose New Icon Palette from the pin’s menu. Right-click (WIndows) or Command-click (Mac OS) an existing icon palette to open the icon palette’s context menu. From this menu, choose New Icon Palette.
56 • CHAPTER 3 Add a command to the new palette. Left to right: Icons only; text only; icons & text. Changing the sequence To move a command to a different position in the palette, drag the command to the new position (a dark line indicates the insertion position). Icons or text? Enable the Icons option to display the commands as icons; enable the Text option to display the commands as text; enable both options to display text and icons for the commands.
CONFIGURATION • 57 Vertical or horizontal? Choose Transpose to toggle between vertical and horizontal alignment of commands. Rows and columns The value you select for Rows/Columns defines the number of rows or columns used for a palette. If Transpose is set to Vertical, this setting refers to the number of columns or, if Transpose is set to Horizontal, the number of rows. Think of this as the number of lines.
58 • CHAPTER 3 Next, disable the Edit Palettes option. Click and hold down the mouse button on the visible command. The folded palette appears. Either release the mouse button and select the desired command or position the mouse pointer over the desired command before you release the mouse button. Note that the visible command is also a hidden command. If the Lock Icon command of the context menu is disabled, the visible command will be the most recently selected command.
CONFIGURATION • 59 To dock a palette window, enable the Edit Palette option, click on the palette double separator and drag and drop the separator to the desired position. The Command Manager The Command manager lists all of the commands that are available in CINEMA 4D. Use this manager to drag and drop commands onto custom palettes or submenus. You can also use the Command manager to define short-cuts.
60 • CHAPTER 3 You can allocate a short-cut (for example, press Ctrl+B to open the Render Settings dialog) to any command. Use the Command manager to allocate the short-cuts. You can also use the Command manager to define a second short-cut for the same command. This can be useful when two keys are common alternatives for a particular command. For example, the Delete and Backspace keys are both short-cuts for the Delete command.
CONFIGURATION • 61 Assigning a short-cut hierarchy (main) and calling the short-cut (inset). Click in the second Assign box and press two or more keys one after the other. A tilde (‘~’) will be placed between the keys. Click the green tick.
62 • CHAPTER 3 Use the Menu manager to edit submenus and drop-down lists. You can also add new submenus. The Menu manager and the Command manager enable you to configure CINEMA 4D’s interface freely to the way you like to work. The menus CINEMA 4D has more than a dozen menus. Use the drop-down list at the top of the manager to choose which menu is shown in the list. Submenus are prefixed with Submenu. To open or close a submenu, double-click it.
CONFIGURATION • 63 Move Up, Move Down, New Submenu Use these commands to move the selected menu entry one position up or down the list and insert a new submenu above the selected entry. You can add commands or further submenus.
64 • CHAPTER 3 Configuring the quick access You can freely configure the quick access groups and choose which commands they contain: choose Windows > Layout > Menu Manager. In the Menu manager, set the drop-down list to M_GLOBAL_POPUP. Configure the quick access the same way you would a normal CINEMA 4D menu. The Pin’s Menu Each manager has a pin that you can click to open a menu. Earlier we explained how to use the pin to arrange managers.
CONFIGURATION • 65 Other Managers can still be displayed over a Manager in full-screen size by using the conventional keyboard shortcuts (e.g. SHIFT + F3 for the timeline). These Managers will again be hidden when you switch back to the Manager that is currently displayed in full screen mode. You will find the “Full Screen” command in the Command Manager (p. 57 in your CINEMA 4D reference manual). Of course you can set your own custom keyboard shortcut for this command.
66 • CHAPTER 3 Make Tab Converts the window or manager to a tab. Hide Window Title Hides the window title to free up the display space it normally takes up. New Icon Palette Creates an empty palette. Use the Command manager to drag and drop commands into the palette. Close Closes the manager. To open the manager again, choose its name from the main Window menu. Preferences To reset the preferences to the factory settings, delete the file named ‘CINEMA 4D.prf’ in CINEMA 4D’s Prefs folder.
CONFIGURATION • 67 Common Language Chose a language for CINEMA 4D’s interface from the installed language sets. After quitting and relaunching CINEMA 4D, all messages, menus and dialogs will change to the new language. Scheme Choose one of the installed schemes from this drop-down list. Adapt Thread Priority If you enable this option, the system assigns a higher priority, i.e. more computing time, to CINEMA 4D than to other applications that are also running.
68 • CHAPTER 3 Graphics Tablet, Use Hi-Res Coordinates If you experience problems when using a graphics tablet with CINEMA 4D, enable the Graphics Tablet option. If you still experience problems and you’re using the latest driver for your tablet, disable Use Hi-Res Coordinates to use the tablet in mouse mode. Although you’ll lose some of the tablet’s resolution, you should barely notice the difference.
CONFIGURATION • 69 Render Threads Use this drop-down list to set the number of render threads (the number of render lines in the viewport or Picture Viewer). On single-processor systems, there is little point in using several threads because this may reduce render performance and the threads may be assigned different portions of render time (unequal distribution in the viewport).
70 • CHAPTER 3 So, why should I suddenly worry about gamma values? This wasn’t the case with earlier versions of CINEMA 4D (prior to 9.5)... Well, that’s not really 100% true – earlier versions also saved images with gamma values, only the values were automatically set to 2.2 for PCs and 1.8 for Macs. What on earth is gamma anyway? The gamma value defines the degree to which the brightness settings will be displayed. A bright pixel can be rendered darker, for example, depending on the gamma value.
CONFIGURATION • 71 Macintosh (Mac OS only) Exchange CTRL <–> COMMAND-key CINEMA 4D uses the Ctrl (Control) key as the default modifier key. The Command key is used for simulating the right mouse button (Command-click). If you want it to work the other way around, enable this option. Deny Power Cycle Disables the power cycle on the Macintosh. Interface Dialogs Use Style to control the order of the OK and Cancel buttons in dialogs.
72 • CHAPTER 3 Activating Manager Windows with the Mouse Sets the delay with which a Manger window will be made active once the cursor has been placed over it (without clicking!). Any available keyboard shortcuts will also be available once a given Manager window is active: “Shortcut” active: immediately “Shortcut” deactivated: once the Manager window is active If “Delay” has been deactivated, you must click on the Manager you want in order to activate it.
CONFIGURATION • 73 Colors Using the settings on this page, you can change the color of nearly all GUI elements in CINEMA 4D. Live Refresh The colors are changed in realtime. If this causes your system to slow down, disable the option and the color will be changed after you’ve released the mouse button. RGB Define the color of the GUI element using RGB sliders. Bitmap Enables you to load a 2D image as a background for the interface.
74 • CHAPTER 3 Viewport Options CINEMA 4D shades (i.e. draws) the objects in the viewport using one of two modes: Software Shading or OpenGL Shading (you’ll find options for these two modes on the Software Shading and OpenGL Shading pages). In Software Shading mode CINEMA 4D uses its own fast, optimized viewport shading engine. In OpenGL mode your graphics card’s OpenGL feature accelerates viewport shading (provided your card supports OpenGL). Which mode is fastest depends on your hardware setup.
CONFIGURATION • 75 Redraw Limit With some complex scenes, you may be unable to move objects smoothly in the viewports with full shading due to hardware limitations such as processor speed. To help resolve this issue, CINEMA 4D estimates how long it will take to refresh the viewports. If the estimated time exceeds the redraw time limit specified here, a faster display mode will be used automatically. For example, Quick Shading will be reduced to Wireframe.
76 • CHAPTER 3 Smart Live Selection Some OpenGL cards do not support Smart Live Selection and will display errors. If this option is enabled, live selection under OpenGL is accelerated — only the selected polygons or points are redrawn, rather than the entire screen. Textures Use Textures You can work more smoothly in the viewports if you disable this option. This option defines whether textures can be displayed in the viewport. This setting is applied globally, i.e. it affects all viewports.
CONFIGURATION • 77 Extensions These settings enable you to optimize OpenGL for CINEMA 4D. The best settings depend on your system’s hardware and drivers. Try each option to find out which settings work best. Active Object Plane, Highlight Plane These options speed up the movement of objects and refresh rate of the highlight plane (the yellow highlighting that appears when the mouse pointer is over polygons in polygon mode).
78 • CHAPTER 3 - Omni, Spot, Distance and Parallel lights - Color, Brightness - No Diffuse option, No Specular option - Up to eight lights are supported Materials - Specular, inc. Width and Height - Specular Color - Texture in the Color channel with Specular highlights Shared Textures If this option is enabled, OpenGL will load a single texture for all views. Otherwise, a separate texture will be loaded for each view (this will use more memory but is more compatible).
CONFIGURATION • 79 Rotate Quads disabled (left) and enabled (right). With some graphics cards it’s the other way around. Software Shading Textures Use Textures You can work more smoothly in the viewports if you disable this option. This option defines whether textures can be displayed in the viewport. The setting is applied globally, i.e. it affects all viewports. You can define this option separately for each viewport using the viewport settings, which apply to the active viewport only.
80 • CHAPTER 3 Colors Use this page to define the colors used in the viewports. Select the element whose color you want to change from the list and pick the new color using the sliders or system color dialog. You’ll see either three color sliders or a color table depending on the Color System setting on the Units page. The color preview is displayed to the left of the sliders. If you click on this color box, the system color dialog will open.
CONFIGURATION • 81 Save Particles Suppose you’ve saved a scene containing particles in which the time slider is past frame 0. When you next load the scene, the particle stream must be generated to match the current frame, slowing down the loading process. If you enable this option, the current particle data is saved when you save the scene. This speeds up the loading time for the scene (but increases the file size).
82 • CHAPTER 3 Allplan Export Stadium by Mike Batchelor. The new Allplan Export plug-in allows you to export almost any type of geometry from CINEMA 4D to an XML file that can be loaded in Allplan. Allplan 2005 or higher is required. Save Selected If this option is enabled, only the selected objects in the Object Manager will be exported. If the option is disabled, all objects will be exported. The plug-in exports geometry only. Other objects such as lights and cameras will be ignored.
CONFIGURATION • 83 Optimize, Tolerance In general, leave Optimize enabled. It has the same effect as the Optimize command on the Functions menu: Points in the same or similar position will be merged into a single point. This helps to prevent mesh problems in Allplan. The Tolerance value defines how close points must be in order to be merged. Clear Degenerated Polygons Degenerated polygons can cause problems in Allplan, therefore leave this option enabled.
84 • CHAPTER 3 Allplan Export Limitations The following limitations apply when exporting objects: In Allplan each object is limited to a maximum of: 10,922 points. 32,767 edges. 8,181 polygons. You can check the number of points and polygons for the object using the Structure Manager (Windows > Structure Manager) or Object Information command (right-click the object and choose Object Information).
CONFIGURATION • 85 3D Studio Import / Export Scale This option is for import and export. Determines whether and by how much 3DS files are scaled when they are loaded or saved. Adapt Textures This option is for import only. Only the name is changed. You still need to convert the image. 3D Studio does not support as many graphics file formats for textures etc. as CINEMA 4D. Its main format is TIFF.
86 • CHAPTER 3 CINEMA 4D XML Export CINEMA 4D XML is a standardized language for file exchange. This export is mostly of interest to plugin developers because it allows a better integration of extensions into the file. For more information on this file format, visit www.xml.org. DEM Import DEM files are often used for landscapes. Scale Determines whether and by how much DEM files are scaled when they are imported.
CONFIGURATION • 87 DXF Import CINEMA 4D can correctly interpret the following elements: SOLID, 3D FACE, LINE, POLYLINE, CIRCLE, ARC, POINT and TRACE. All three-dimensional data is read in accurately. All documented POLYLINE combinations as well as height and elevation data are supported. The same is true of element coordinate systems, layer names and various line thicknesses. Scale Determines whether and by how much DXF files are scaled when they are loaded.
88 • CHAPTER 3 Align Normals CINEMA 4D assumes that all surfaces of an object are uniformly aligned. This is not necessarily the case with DXF files. If adjacent surfaces are differently aligned, their normal vectors point in different directions. During rendering, this can result in unwanted color jumps. CINEMA 4D uses this option to re-align adjacent surfaces to the same direction. Triangulate Polygons DXF files may contain three-dimensional polygons.
CONFIGURATION • 89 Export Textures When enabled, all texture information is saved for all objects. This includes creating UV coordinates for each object. Adapt Textures Only the name is changed. You still need to convert the image. DirectX uses mainly the PPM (portable pixel map) graphics format, but also BMP (Windows bitmap). CINEMA 4D does not recognize the former, which means that textures need to be converted. This can easily be done using most image editors.
90 • CHAPTER 3 FBX Import / Export Kaydara’s FBX file format (www.kaydara.com) is supported by most major 3D applications, including of course Kaydara’s MOTIONBUILDER software. FBX files are capable of storing not only geometry but also texture data and animation data including PLA. FBX Import Settings CINEMA 4D’s FBX import filter supports the main settings. If you import an FBX file that contains multiple takes, a dialog will appear allowing you to select which take to load.
CONFIGURATION • 91 Cameras Cameras are supported including the roll channel and FOV. The cameras will be imported as child objects of a Null object, thus allowing camera roll to be animated. Camera switchers will be converted to Stage objects with a corresponding animation track.
92 • CHAPTER 3 Materials and textures Materials will be imported and converted to the corresponding CINEMA 4D channels. If a mesh has multiple materials, a selection will created for each material and the selection will be assigned to the mesh. Markers Markers will be converted to Null objects with a corresponding color.
CONFIGURATION • 93 Bones and relative rest pose FBX files that were saved using an older version of MOTIONBUILDER contain so-called relative rest poses for the bones. This means that no specific rest pose can be generated in this format (which is why MOTIONBUILDER cannot convert these files; bones saved in earlier versions than MOTIONBUILDER 3.2 will be maintained in this format). In this case, the importer will try to generate a possible rest pose based on the animation data of mesh and bones.
94 • CHAPTER 3 Open the scene in MOTIONBUILDER. Open a Navigator window. Expand the character’s tree. Double-click on the Gaulix character. On the Character Settings tab, do the following: - Disable the Active option to disable the character constraint. - If necessary, enable the Active option again. Save your corrected scene. “This will update the TRS values of the nodes of Gaulix with the ones in the character constraint.
CONFIGURATION • 95 For rotation and scale keys: Value Threshold 0.1% 0.00000001 1% 0.000001 10% 0.0001 100% 0.01 So with 10%, rotation and scale keys that deviate by less that 0.0001 are considered to be identical. The threshold values for translation keys are one hundred times greater than those for rotation and scale.
96 • CHAPTER 3 Coordinate system CINEMA 4D uses the left-handed coordinate system. On export, the scene will be converted to the right-handed coordinate system and the mesh will be adapted to take the differences between the coordinate systems into account. Parametric objects Parametric objects will be exported as polygons. Bones Bones will be converted to skeleton nodes.
CONFIGURATION • 97 Null objects added as parents to lights on import will be removed automatically on export. Materials and textures FBX supports the following material properties: color, luminance color, specular color, specular width and height, reflection, transparency and environment color. The FBX format allows textures in the color channel only. Shaders are not yet supported. Enable the Embed Textures option to embed the textures in the FBX file.
98 • CHAPTER 3 Key filters for translation, rotation and scale These parameters have the same functions as previously described for FBX import. Illustrator Import If you want to make a 2D vector graphic such as a company logo three-dimensional, import it in the Illustrator format and extrude it using an Extrude NURBS. Vector graphics from other programs such as Macromedia Freehand and CorelDraw can also be imported if saved in Illustrator format.
CONFIGURATION • 99 Scale Determines whether and by how much LightWave files are scaled when they are loaded. The default value is 10 (LightWave uses a smaller construction scale than CINEMA 4D). Textures If enabled, texture information is also loaded. Lights Light source information is also loaded when this option is on. Split Selections LightWave supports double sided polygons. When opening such an object, CINEMA 4D creates double polygons, which may lead to rendering artifacts.
100 • CHAPTER 3 QuickDraw 3D Export Scale Determines whether and by how much QuickDraw 3D files are scaled when they are saved. Save Textures If this option is enabled, objects are saved with their textures (including UV coordinates if present); otherwise, objects are saved with basic color information only (i.e. without textures). Maximum Size You can use any size of texture provided your system has sufficient memory. However, in general avoid large textures since they add to the loading time.
CONFIGURATION • 101 STL Import / Export The STL format is mostly used in the field of rapid prototyping to design moulds. The geometry is described as triangles. Scale Determines whether and by how much STL files are scaled when they are imported or exported. Shockwave 3D Export Output Quality Geometry Controls the quality of the exported mesh. Values less than 100% reduce the number of polygons.
102 • CHAPTER 3 Shader Texture Size Materials with procedural shaders are converted to textures. This value defines the size of these textures. Note that volume shaders look different when converted to textures. Create Neighbor Mesh Data (For HyperNURBS) Enable this option to allow subdivision surfaces and the Toon shader to be used when the file is imported into Macromedia Director. If you don’t need this functionality, disable the option for a smaller file size (about 15% to 25% less).
CONFIGURATION • 103 Texture Export Options Enable the option for each material channel that you want to be exported: Export Alpha, Color, Environment, Luminance, Specular Color, Diffusion and Transparency. Keep in mind that Shockwave handles environment and specular textures differently. Light Options Light Sources Choose the export mode for light sources. Do Not Export means lights are not exported. No Fall-Off means lights are exported without fall-off.
104 • CHAPTER 3 Sample Frequency Controls the accuracy of animation, defined as the number of keyframe groups per second. For example, if you set Sample Frequency to 15, 15 keys will be created for each position, scale and rotation track. Avoid using values higher than the scene’s Frame Rate (Edit > Project Settings) since this will add to the export time without improving the accuracy of animation. Options Show Preview To open multiple previews, choose File > Export > Shockwave 3D multiple times.
CONFIGURATION • 105 Light source conversions Lights are converted as follows: CINEMA 4D light source Shockwave 3d conversion Omni Spot (Round) Parallel Round Spot (Round) Parallel Square Spot (Round) Parallel Directional Distant Directional Tube Omni Area Omni Environment, Fog Environment objects are converted to ambient lights. Fog is not supported. Light fall-off Shockwave 3D does not support clipped lights.
106 • CHAPTER 3 Director Camera Director does not support multiple cameras. Only one camera is available, named ‘defaultView’. If there is no camera in your CINEMA 4D scene named ‘defaultView’, a camera is exported automatically that shows the current view. Camera Animation To export a camera animation for playback in Director, in CINEMA 4D change the camera’s name to ‘defaultView’.
CONFIGURATION • 107 The environment texture is projected differently in Shockwave. Blur strength and blur offset are ignored. Shockwave does not support: mesh animation, the No Specular option of lights and premultiplied alpha textures. Shockwave does not support the following material channels: Reflection, Fog, Bump, Glow, Displacement and Illumination. Shockwave does not support the addition of materials on an object — the right-most material (as seen in the Material manager) is used.
108 • CHAPTER 3 When exporting to UZR, three files are written: the UZR file containing the 3D data; an HTML file containing the applet window as well as, if desired, JavaScript controls; and the Java applet file ‘uzrviewer.jar’ that is required to view the model in the browser. Filter Properties Texture Texture Format Defines the format of the exported texture. Progressive DCT streams the texture data. JPEG includes the texture as a JPEG file.
CONFIGURATION • 109 Integrating UZR files in HTML When editing the UZR filename, keep in mind that it is case sensitive. Like standard image files, UZR files can be included in HTML web pages. To view the 3D model with a browser, the Java applet file ‘uzrviewer.jar’ must be provided. If you export to UZR, an HTML file is written. This file can be edited manually and the following parts are of special interest.
110 • CHAPTER 3 bgcolor Defines the color of the applet background. Enter any desired color value (e.g. #FFFFFFF for a white or #000000 for a black background). s_cameras Defines the text of the applet’s context menu item that lists the available camera positions. If this parameter is not set, the default value ‘Cameras’ is used. s_lights Defines the text of the applet’s context menu item that lists the available light sources. If this parameter is not set, the default value ‘Lights’ is used.
CONFIGURATION • 111 Controlling the UZR browser display When the HTML file is opened, the UZR file is automatically loaded into the applet window. The streamed data is displayed bit by bit until all data is downloaded. If you enable the Generate Javascript Controls option during UZR export, a table containing the JavaScript controls is included in the exported HTML file, directly under the applet window code.
112 • CHAPTER 3 VRML 1 Export Scale Determines whether and by how much VRML 1 files are scaled when they are saved. Format VRML is a text format. To facilitate manual editing of the file, this option carries out automatic formatting on the entire text file during export. Backface Culling This option enables an attribute on all exported objects that switches off drawing of the non-visible sides of all objects in the web browser. This gives a much faster display.
CONFIGURATION • 113 VRML 1 Import Scale Determines whether and by how much VRML 1 files are scaled when they are loaded. Optimize Hierarchy If Optimize Hierarchy is enabled, the scene structure is optimized once the VRML1 file has been loaded. Superfluous dummy objects are removed and the object hierarchy is optimized. This creates a clearer overview, helping you to work more quickly. Import Normals The mesh exported by some NURBS modeling applications tends to be prone to software shading errors.
114 • CHAPTER 3 VRML 2 Export Scale This is for specifying whether and to what degree VRML 2 files are scaled when they are saved. Format VRML is a text format. To facilitate manual editing of the file, this option carries out automatic formatting on the entire text file during export. Backface Culling This option enables an attribute on all exported objects that switches off drawing of the non-visible sides of all objects in the web browser. This gives a much faster display.
CONFIGURATION • 115 Maximum Size VRML 2 provides two options for making textures available to their objects. The first option is identical to the one used in CINEMA 4D: a reference to the texture file is saved along with the VRML scene. If you want to go with this option, specify the value 0. The second option integrates the graphics data directly into the VRML 2 file. Since the texture is written uncompressed, in text format, a texture of 1000x1000 pixels quickly reaches a file size of 4MB.
116 • CHAPTER 3 Wavefront Import / Export Factor This specifies whether and to what extent Wavefront files are scaled during import and export. Import Normals See ‘VRML 1 Import.’ Material Preview Here you can customize the material previews that are displayed in the Material editor and Attribute manager. Default Size Defines the size of the preview in the Material editor and Attribute manager.
CONFIGURATION • 117 Memory Limit Defines the maximum amount of memory CINEMA 4D assigns to calculating animated previews.
118 • CHAPTER 3 Units Display Units Values are displayed together with their unit of measurement by default. If this option is disabled, the unit of measurement is not displayed. Use HPB System You may find this option useful if you are an experienced animator. If this option is disabled, the active object rotates about its local axes or the world axes when you use the mouse. However, when you play back the animation, the object may not rotate as planned.
CONFIGURATION • 119 If you set the basic units to Pixel, the unit of measurement will not be specified. It is then up to you to decide how to interpret the values.
120 • CHAPTER 3 Color Chooser These settings allow you to specify which type of color chooser will appear in CINEMA 4D in the various places of the program where you can select colors. Color System CINEMA 4D, Color System BodyPaint 3D You can specify two color choosers: one for parts of the program relating directly to CINEMA 4D such as the Material manager and one for parts relating directly to BodyPaint 3D such as the Color manager.
CONFIGURATION • 121 Quick Storage, Mixing Panel 1. Quick Storage, 2. Mixing Panel. Quick Storage Enable this option to display a row of color swatches where you can store frequently used colors. To save the active color to the quick storage area, do one of the following: Drag and drop the active color’s preview onto a swatch in the quick storage row. Ctrl-click on a swatch in the quick storage area. Mixing Panel Enable this open to display the mixing panel.
122 • CHAPTER 3 The HSV sliders, RGB sliders and text boxes will react to one other in realtime. The enhanced color table (Color System set to Enhanced Color Table) gives you a quick way to choose colors and adjust their saturation and brightness. Click on the table and drag to adjust the color. The sliders — including those for saturation and brightness — will update in realtime. The preview for the color will also update in realtime. To open the computer system’s color chooser, click the preview.
CONFIGURATION • 123 Typical output devices for color are printers, imagesetters and computer screens. The first two use the subtractive method of color mixing (CMYK) and will not be part of our discussion here. Most important for CINEMA 4D is the additive method of color mixing, which is the one used for representing colors on monitors. CINEMA 4D characterizes all colors using three numerical values. Two different color models are used, which you can easily toggle between.
124 • CHAPTER 3 Figure 3 (left): The colors that can be displayed can be represented in a 3D coordinate system. Figure 4 (right): Less technical than RGB, and better suited to painters and artists, is the HSV system. The color pigments for the screen dots have been selected in such a way that when equal parts are added they result in a white that comes close to what the human eye perceives as a pure white.
CONFIGURATION • 125 XPresso Colors / Gui These two pages give you access to the XPresso editor’s GUI settings. You can configure the XPresso editor freely, from the size of the ports to the colors that are used. Project Settings These settings apply to the active scene. To access these settings, choose Edit > Project Settings from the main menu or Edit > Project Settings from the Timeline’s menu. Frame Rate You can also set a frame rate in the render settings.
126 • CHAPTER 3 Minimum This defines the starting frame for animation tracks in the Timeline. You can enter a negative or positive value. A negative value can be useful if you want particles to be generated so that the stream is already in a state you want to render by frame 0. This value is decreased automatically when you drag a sequence past its boundary in the Timeline. Maximum This defines the last frame for animation tracks in the Timeline.
CONFIGURATION • 127
4 Workflow
WORKFLOW • 131 4. Workflow There are many features in CINEMA 4D that help you to work more quickly, i.e. improve your workflow. These include: To move, zoom or rotate a camera, use the icons at the top right of the viewport (drag the desired icon). The fourth, right-most icon toggles the active view panel between single-view and all-views. Define shortcuts for the commands you use the most. Also, create an icon palette and populate it with the commands.
132 • CHAPTER 4 To choose which objects are displayed in the Timeline, drag and drop the objects from the Object manager into the Timeline. Drag and drop functionality is extensive. For example, you can drag-and-drop to reference objects. If you’re not sure if a particular drag and drop feature is supported, try it.
WORKFLOW • 133 In the viewport, position the mouse point over the object you want to select. Click multiple times to cycle through the objects hit by the selection ray. To select multiple objects, hold down Shift while you select each object. To remove an object from the selection, Ctrl-click the object. When you drag a material onto objects that overlap in the viewport, you can then choose which obvject receives the material.
134 • CHAPTER 4 Multiple selection You can select multiple objects. In the Object manager, Shift-click each object that you want to select. To remove an object from the selection, Ctrl-click the object. You can also select the points, edges or polygons of multiple selected objects. Multiple selection is especially useful when used with the Attribute manager. For example, suppose you want to set several objects all to the same height.
WORKFLOW • 135 Reset Layout Resets the layout to the factory settings. This is especially useful if you’ve accidentally altered the layout and want to return to the default or if you need to contact technical support by phone (so that our technicians can advise you based on the standard layout). Remember to save your customized layout if necessary before you reset it. Use the Save Layout As command. Save As Startup Layout Saves the current layout in a special file.
136 • CHAPTER 4 template.cat During startup, CINEMA 4D checks its root folder for a file called ‘Template.cat’. If the file is present, it is loaded into the Browser automatically. This can be useful, for example, when you are working on a large project and wish to have all the associated textures and/or scenes available immediately after startup. In this case, create a catalog that shows all the required files then save the catalog in CINEMA 4D’s root folder under the name ‘Template’ (CINEMA 4D appends ‘.
WORKFLOW • 137 Click on the graph to create each point. The first two points are locked to the right and left edge of the graph respectively. Further points can be placed freely on the graph. To move a point, drag it to the new position. To delete a point, drag it out of the graph. To add a point to the selection, Shiftclick the point. Function graph settings Click the triangle next to the graph to access the function graph settings.
138 • CHAPTER 4 Linear, Square ... See ‘Default Points’, above. User Allows you to enter a formula to create the graph, such as ‘4*x’. ‘x’ represents the variable. Maximum, Minimum These commands move the points to the maximum or minimum value. Flip, Mirror These command mirror the curve vertically (Flip) or horizontally (Mirror). Copying and pasting function graphs You can copy and past the curve from one function graph to another.
WORKFLOW • 139 The HUD You can record keys directly in the HUD using the circles next to the parameter names. You can drag the Frame element (bottom right) to move forwards or backwards through the animation. The term ‘Head-Up Display’ (HUD) has its origins in aviation. In an aircraft, the HUD refers to the projection of readings onto a windscreen that enables the pilot to see them without looking down.
140 • CHAPTER 4 Using the HUD To add object parameters to the HUD: In the Attribute manager, select the parameters. (To select all the parameters, choose Select All from the context menu). Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) one of the selected parameters and choose Add To HUD from the context menu. You can adjust the parameters directly in the HUD. Click-drag a parameter to adjust its value. In the case of parameters that have drop-down menus, click the parameter to open its menu.
WORKFLOW • 141 General information The HUD tab in the viewport settings allows you to choose which types of information will be displayed in the HUD. To access the viewport settings, from the viewport’s menu, choose Edit > Configure. Double-click the Frame Time parameter and enter a value to jump directly to another frame. You can change some of the general information parameters directly in the view. To do this, doubleclick the parameter and enter a new value into the text box that appears.
142 • CHAPTER 4 Always: always. Lock To View: in the window from which this option was enabled. Render: in the rendered image (provided that Render HUD is enabled in the render settings, on the Options page). Display Object Displays the object name in front of each parameter. Name Displays the parameter name. Widget Displays a triangle that you can click to open or close parameter groups. In the case of individual sliders, the triangle displays or hides the slider.
WORKFLOW • 143 Layout Here you’ll find numerous options that control the arrangement of multiple selected parameters within a parameter group. Group Remove Removes the parameter group from the HUD. Absolute Locks the HUD element to its current on-screen coordinates. If you then change the size of the view, the HUD element will stay in the place where you locked it. Follow Locks the HUD element relative to the object’s position. If you then move the object, the HUD element will move with it.
5 File Menu
FILE MENU • 147 5. File Menu Common Saving Files Since Murphy’s law states that files should always be deleted just before you really need them, maybe you should put some thought into securing your projects. The application can crash and you can lose the scene you were just working on. Or an error can occur on the hard drive when saving the scene and all your work will be irrevokably lost.
148 • CHAPTER 5 New This command opens a new document and makes it the active (current) document. Until you save the new document and give it a name, the title bar of the document window will show ‘Untitled’. If you have several documents open, you can switch between them using the main Window menu. Open This command loads a file (a scene, a material, etc.) from a storage device (such as a hard disk) into memory and opens it in a new document window.
FILE MENU • 149 Close Closes the active document. If it contains any unsaved changes, a dialog opens to check if you want to save the scene before closing it. Close All Closes all open documents. If any documents contain unsaved changes, a dialog opens to check if you want to save the scene before closing it. Save This command saves your document without first opening the file selector. The scene is saved using the name chosen when you selected the Save As command (i.e.
150 • CHAPTER 5 Save Incremental Each time a file is saved using this function, a new file will be created, numbered sequentially in ascending order. An unlimited number of copies can be saved (at least until your hard drive is full). If a file name is sequentially numbered, e.g. “xxxxx001”, this number will automatically be recognized and subsequent files named accordingly (“xxxxx002”, xxxxx003”, etc.). Save All This function saves all open documents.
FILE MENU • 151 3D Studio R4 (.3DS) Common data format under DOS/Windows. 3D Studio was the predecessor to 3D Studio MAX. The last freely available file format is release 4; the MAX data format is not available to other manufacturers. In principle the MAX format is not generally readable since MAX (like CINEMA 4D) uses parametric objects, which are useless without their associated specific algorithm.
152 • CHAPTER 5 UZR (UZR) A format suitable for 3D streaming. VRML 1 (WRL) The Virtual Reality Modeling Language enables you to create platform-independent three-dimensional representation of objects and scenes for the Internet. It has also proved useful as an exchange format for CAD programs, since it contains more file information than the often-used DXF format. VRML 2 (WRL) Version 2 of the standard format for three-dimensional graphics files on the Internet enables you to display animation sequences.
6 Edit Menu
EDIT MENU • 157 6. Edit Menu The Edit menu contains some of the most frequently used commands in CINEMA 4D such as Undo and Redo; hence, you’ll find these commands on most of the local Edit menus. Besides giving details of these commands, this chapter also explains the significance of the internal buffers and the drawing pipeline. Understanding how these features work will help you to avoid and/or solve various issues.
158 • CHAPTER 6 Throughout the process, the buffer content itself is not altered — nothing is deleted. This enables you to restore the changes with the Redo command. Use Undo to move backwards through the undo buffer (i.e. the changes) and Redo to advance through the buffer. Although nothing is deleted from the buffer, the buffer’s size must be prevented from taking up too much memory. This is the purpose of Undo Depth in the preferences — it specifies the maximum number of actions that can be undone.
EDIT MENU • 159 Undo (Action) This function differs from the conventional Undo command in that it ignores selection actions. Undo (Action) undoes the last change that did not involve selection. Why does the command ignore selection actions? Suppose you’ve scaled an object and used ten selection actions to select points in various locations. You then decide that the object is too large and want to restore it to its original size.
160 • CHAPTER 6 The size of the clipboard is determined by the size of the data stored there. For example, if you copy an 18MB object, the clipboard will use 18MB of memory. You may want to purge the clipboard to free up memory, especially before you render. To purge the clipboard, cut a null object. The null object wastes only a few bytes. Cut Deletes the selected objects or elements from the current scene and copies them (including materials) to the clipboard.
EDIT MENU • 161 Selection Select All Selects all objects in the scene. Deselect All Deselects all objects or elements. If the Points tool is active when you invoke Deselect All, all the points of the selected object will be deselected. Similarly, if the Polygon tool or Edge tool is active, all polygons or edges of the selected object will be deselected. Select Children Adds the children of the selected object(s) to the selection.
162 • CHAPTER 6 The order in which actions are processed is what we refer to as the ‘pipeline’ — actions take place one after the other, as though they are flowing through a pipe. Since the whole process determines what is ultimately drawn on the screen, the entire concept is termed ‘the drawing pipeline’. Be aware of the drawing pipeline so that you can predict the outcome of applying several functions simultaneously.
EDIT MENU • 163 Evaluation order Expressions are evaluated from left to right as they appear in the Object manager. First the parent object is evaluated, then the order continues along the hierarchy tree; to display this tree, open the entire structure for a complex object group by choosing Objects > Expand Object Group in the Object manager. The objects are evaluated from top to bottom in the order you see them. Use Generators Generators are objects that create temporary hierarchical structures.
164 • CHAPTER 6 Evaluation order Deformers are evaluated starting with the child objects, then evaluation moves up the hierarchy tree; to display this tree, open the entire structure for a complex object group by choosing Objects > Expand Object Group in the Object manager. The objects are evaluated from top to bottom in the order you see them. The following example clarifies why the evaluation order for deformers and generators begins with child objects.
EDIT MENU • 165 The drawing pipeline is evaluated each time you perform a new action in CINEMA 4D. Although this appears to be an overhead, it makes it possible, for example, to apply a Target tag expression to an object then see it move automatically as you move the target object around in a viewport. You are able to work with objects live. Settings Project Settings These are local settings that apply to the active project only. For details on these settings, look up ‘project settings’ in the index.
7 Objects Menu
OBJECTS MENU • 169 7. Objects Menu On the Objects menu, you’ll find not only a rich variety of object types for building all kinds of shapes, but also objects that allow you to add sound, lighting and more to the scene. Image © Benedict Campbell.
170 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Basic Properties All objects have the same Basic Properties apart from a few objects that don’t have the Enabled and X-Ray options (for these object types — such as the Null object — the options are irrelevant). Name Here you can enter a name for the object. Visible In Editor Controls whether the selected objects are visible or invisible in the viewport. Visible In Renderer Controls whether the selected objects are visible or invisible in the renderer.
OBJECTS MENU • 171 Shaded Wire Mode, Shaded Wire Color You can define a custom wireframe color for the object that will be used when the object is inactive.
172 • CHAPTER 7 Object Properties These properties and other object-specific properties are described later in this chapter, in the entries for the various types of objects.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 173 Primitives All primitives on the Objects > Primitive menu are parametric, i.e. they are created from mathematical formulae using a number of preset values. A consequence of this is that such an object is initially simply a mathematical abstraction and is not editable. In plain language, this means that primitives have no points or surfaces that you can manipulate. For example, you cannot edit a primitive using the Magnet tool, because the Magnet needs points to pull on.
174 • CHAPTER 7 In Figure 1, the cylinder’s Phong shading (i.e. smoothing) is on (left), off (center) and on but with the Angle reduced to stop the shading spilling over the edges (right). Figure 1. From left to right: Phong shading onbut no angle limit, Phong shading off, Phong shading on with low angle limit. Figure 2. In Figure 2, the curved cylinder on the left has four segments, the one in the center has 16 segments and the one on the right has 72 segments.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 175 Cone This command creates a cone, whose base lies in the XZ plane (but see below). The Cone object is more useful than it first appears. For example, you can quickly create a drop of water by adjusting a few parameters. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Top Radius, Bottom Radius These values define the cone’s top radius and bottom radius The top radius is set to 0 by default, i.e. the top of the cone ends in a single point (see illustration, left).
176 • CHAPTER 7 Height Segments Defines the number of subdivisions of the object in the lengthwise direction. Rotation Segments Defines the number of subdivisions of the object along the circumference of its cross-section. The greater this value, the smoother the cone appears. From left to right: cone with Rotation Segments set to a low value (left), medium value (center) and high value (right). Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the cone’s initial orientation in space.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 177 Cap Segments Sets the number of subdivisions of the caps in a radial direction. The subdivision along the circumference of the caps is set from the value defined in Rotation Segments. Fillet Segments If you have chosen to fillet the top or bottom of the cone, use Fillet Segments to define the degree of filleting. The greater the value, the finer (or more rounded) the fillet becomes. To chamfer, set Fillet Segments to 1.
178 • CHAPTER 7 Slice Slice Enable Slice to show a slice of the cone only. Enter the angles for this slice into the From and To boxes. Various From and To settings. Regular Grid, Width The Regular Grid option is only available when Slice is enabled. By enabling Regular Grid and entering a value into the Width box you can control the subdivisions within the plane of section of the sliced object. Small values produce a fine subdivision while larger values result in a coarse structure.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 179 The handles of the cone primitive. Additional handles of the cone primitive. If you enable the fillet options, two further handles appear for controlling the upper and the lower rounding. Drag handles 4 or 5 to change the width of the fillet or drag handles 6 or 7 to change the height of the fillet. Cube This command creates, by default, a cube whose sides are parallel to the coordinate axes of the world system.
180 • CHAPTER 7 Segments X, Segments Y , Segments Z These values control the cube’s number of subdivisions in the X, Y and Z directions. Separate Surfaces If this option is enabled and you make the cube editable, a separate object will be created for each side of the cube. This can be useful if you want to edit each side separately. You can only select this option if Fillet is disabled. Fillet, Fillet Radius, Fillet Subdivision To fillet (i.e. round) the object’s edges, enable the Fillet option.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 181 Interactive editing The cube has three handles. Drag handle 1 to change the width (X), handle 2 to change the height (Y) or handle 3 to change the depth (Z). To re-size the cube interactively in the viewport, drag its handles. Additional handles of the cube primitive appear when Fillet is enabled. If you enable the Fillet option, three further handles appear. Drag handles 4, 5 or 6 to change the fillet radius.
182 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Radius, Height These values define the basic dimensions of the cylinder. Height Segments Changes the number of subdivisions of the object in the lengthwise direction (cylindrical part only). Rotation Segments Defines the number of subdivisions of the object along its circumference. The greater this value, the smoother the cylinder will appear. Cylinder with different Rotation Segments settings.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 183 Caps Caps Enable this option to add caps to the top and base of the cylinder. Otherwise, the cylinder is hollow. Caps enabled (left) and disabled (right). Cap Segments Defines the number of subdivisions of the caps in a radial direction. The subdivision along a cap’s circumference is defined by Rotation Segments. Fillet, Radius Assuming that the cylinder has caps you can use this option to apply a fillet or chamfer to the join between the cylinder body and the caps.
184 • CHAPTER 7 Fillet Segments With Fillet selected you can choose the degree of the roundness with this option. The higher the value the smoother the join will appear; enter a value of 1 to achieve a chamfer. In the picture is a rounded cylinder. To the left is a chamfer, then a rough fillet and, on the right, a high-value, smooth fillet. The roundness can be set as high as the cylinder’s radius — the caps will then be hemispherical. From left to right: Fillet Segments set to 1 (a chamfer), 3 and 10.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 185 Regular Grid, Width The Regular Grid option is only available when Slice is enabled. By enabling this option and entering a value into the Width box you can control the subdivisions within the plane of section of the sliced object. Small values produce a fine subdivision while larger values result in a coarse structure. This subdividing only affects the face (the plane of section) of the slice.
186 • CHAPTER 7 Inner Radius, Outer Radius The value for the outer radius defines the overall size of the disc. A value for the inner radius of greater than zero generates a perforated disc. The inner radius can be no larger than the outer radius. Disc Segments, Rotation Segments Disc Segments gives the radial subdivision, Rotation Segments the subdivision along the circumference. Discs with different subdivisions.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 187 Different disc cutouts. Interactive editing The disc has two handles. Drag handle 1 to change the outer radius or handle 2 to change the inner radius. The handles of the disc primitive. Plane This command creates a quadrangle in the XZ plane, which is divided into further quadrangle surfaces.
188 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Width, Height Define the size of the plane. Width Segments, Height Segments You can set the level of subdivision separately for the width and height. This is especially useful when you intend to convert the plane to polygons and edit it further. The more segments you use, the more smoothly you’ll be able to apply tools such as the Magnet. Differently subdivided, deformed planes.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 189 Interactive editing The plane has two handles. Drag handle 1 to change the width or handle 2 to change the height. The handles of the plane primitive. Polygon This command creates a single polygon — a triangle or rectangle — in the XZ plane. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Width, Height Define the size of the polygon. Segments Enables you to change the degree of subdivision of the object.
190 • CHAPTER 7 Triangle Enable this option to create a triangle polygon out of triangular shapes, rather than a square polygon out of square shapes. Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the polygon’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Interactive editing The polygon has two handles. Drag handle 1 to change the width or handle 2 to change the height. The handles of the polygon primitive.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 191 Radius Use this to define the size of the sphere. Segments Defines the degree of the subdivision of the sphere. The sphere is divided along its latitude and longitude. However, like any other parametric object, until you convert a sphere into a polygon object with Make Editable, a sphere is always generated by calculation, no matter by how much you subdivide it. Original sphere (center), segments set to 6 (left) and original sphere made editable (right).
192 • CHAPTER 7 Interactive editing The sphere has one handle. Drag handle 1 to change the radius. The handle of the sphere primitive. Torus This command creates a torus (solid ring) in the XZ plane. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Ring Radius, Ring Segments With these values you define the size and the subdivision of the ring. The ring is a notional circle running round the center of the pipe. Pipe Radius, Pipe Segments Specify the size and the subdivision level of the pipe.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 193 Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the torus’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Slice Slice, From, To Enable Slice to show a slice of the torus only. Enter the angles for this slice into the From and To boxes. Different torus cutouts.
194 • CHAPTER 7 Regular Grid, Width The Regular Grid option is only available when Slice is enabled. By enabling this option and entering a value into the Width box you can control the subdivisions within the plane of section of the sliced object. Small values produce a fine subdivision while larger values result in a coarse structure. This subdividing only affects the face (the plane of section) of the slice. Use this option only if you intend to process the object further after slicing it.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 195 Radius Defines the object’s radius and the cap’s radius. Height The overall height of the capsule including the caps. Height Segments The number of subdivisions of the capsule in its lengthwise direction (cylindrical part only). Cap Segments Defines the number of subdivisions of the cap in a radial direction. The subdivision along the cap’s circumference is given by Rotation Segments. Rotation Segments The number of subdivisions of the capsule around its circumference.
196 • CHAPTER 7 Slice Slice, From, To Enable Slice to show a slice of the capsule only. Enter the slice angles into the From and To boxes. Regular Grid, Width The Regular Grid option is only available when Slice is enabled. By enabling this option and entering a value into the Width box you can control the subdivisions within the plane of section of the sliced object. Small values produce a fine subdivision while larger values result in a coarse structure.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 197 Oil Tank This creates a cylinder along the Y-axis with curved caps. By adjusting the parameters many different objects can be made, such as rivets. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Radius Defines the object’s radius. Cap Height This controls the cap curvature. A value of 0 produces flat caps. You can set values up to the same value as the Radius. For hemispherical caps, set the Cap Height to the same value as Radius.
198 • CHAPTER 7 Rotation Segments The number of subdivisions of the oil tank around its circumference. The greater this value, the more rounded the oil tank appears. Oil tanks with different segment values. Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the oil tank’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Slice Slice, From, To Enable Slice to show a slice of the oil tank only. Enter the angles for this slice into the From and To boxes.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 199 Regular Grid, Width The Regular Grid option is only available when Slice is enabled. By enabling this option and entering a value into the Width box you can control the subdivisions within the plane of section of the sliced object. Small values produce a fine subdivision while larger values result in a coarse structure. This subdividing only affects the face (the plane of section) of the slice.
200 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Inner Radius, Outer Radius Adjust these values to change the size and the wall thickness of the tube. Rotation Segments The number of subdivisions of the tube around its circumference. A large value means a smoother tube with more faces. Tubes with different segment values. Cap Segments Defines the number of subdivisions of the cap in a radial direction. The subdivision along the cap’s circumference is given by Rotation Segments.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 201 Height Segments The number of the tube’s subdivisions in the Y direction. Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the tube’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Fillet, Segments, Radius To fillet (i.e. round) the object’s edges, enable the Fillet option. Segments defines how fine the fillet appears, while Radius is the radius of the curvature. The more segments you specify, the smoother the fillet.
202 • CHAPTER 7 Regular Grid, Width The Regular Grid option is only available when Slice is enabled. By enabling this option and entering a value into the Width box you can control the subdivisions within the plane of section of the sliced object. Small values produce a fine subdivision while larger values result in a coarse structure. This subdividing only affects the face (the plane of section) of the slice. Use this option only if you intend to process the object further after slicing it.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 203 Size These values give the object’s dimensions in the X, Y and Z directions. Different pyramids. Segments The number of subdivisions applied to all surfaces. Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the pyramid’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Interactive editing The pyramid has three handles.
204 • CHAPTER 7 Platonic This command creates a Platonic primitive. Several predefined shapes are available. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Radius This value gives the size of the circumscribing sphere inside which the object is placed. All corner points of the object will touch the surface of this sphere. Platonic object placed into the circumscribing sphere. Segments The number of subdivisions applied to all surfaces.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 205 Type Here you can choose from a list of predefined Platonic objects. Tetrahedron, Hexahedron, Octahedron, Dodecahedron, Icosahedron and C60-Buckyball. Interactive editing Platonic objects have one handle. Drag handle 1 to change the radius. The handle of the Platonic primitives.
206 • CHAPTER 7 Figure This command creates a dummy figure. Naturally, the figure is not intended for use as final output (for that, take a look at the excellent figures on the Objects > Object Library menu). Rather, the figure can act as a stand-in to represent your characters before you have built them. The figure is also included to help you learn IK — choose Functions > Make Editable to convert the Figure primitive to a full hierarchy complete with anchors and Kinematics tags with angle restrictions.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 207 The handle for the figure primitive. Landscape Use this command to create a landscape in the XZ plane — from craggy mountains to gentle slopes. Fractals are used to generate the landscape. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Size These values define the object’s dimensions in the X, Y and Z directions.
208 • CHAPTER 7 Width Segments, Depth Segments These values define the number of width and depth subdivisions. The more segments you use, the finer the structure. Both segment values set to 10 (left), 50 (center) and 100 (right). Rough Furrows, Fine Furrows Change how craggy the landscape with these values. Low values result in gentle hills, high values produce rough mountains. In the following illustrations, the Rough Furrows value was increased from left to right.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 209 Sea Level This sets the height of the sea. The higher the value, the further the landscape slips into the sea. With 100% Sea Level, you have total flooding and nothing more than a simple plane. Different sea levels (from left to the right: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%). Water levels with borders not at sea level (from left to the right: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%). If you disable Borders At Sea Level, you will see a rather different result.
210 • CHAPTER 7 Plateau with borders not at sea level (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%). Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the landscape’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Multifractal If you disable this option, CINEMA 4D will use a different algorithm for generating the landscape. In general, leave Multifractal enabled for natural landscapes. Landscapes with multifractal on (left) and off (right).
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 211 Spherical Enable this option if you want to wrap the landscape to form a globe. The radius of this globe is defined by half of the width value (the first Size value). The height of the landscape above the surface of the globe is taken from the height value (the second Size parameter). Spherical disabled (left) and enabled (right). Interactive editing The landscape initially has three handles.
212 • CHAPTER 7 Relief This command creates an object in the XZ plane that is similar to the landscape primitive. However, in this case an image is used instead of fractals to generate the height. The relief map interprets the different grayscales within the image as altitude values. If you choose a color image, the grayscale is formed from the average value of the red, green and blue components of the bitmap picture.
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 213 Size These values define the object’s dimensions in the X, Y and Z directions. Width Segments, Depth Segments The values define the number of width and depth subdivisions of the surface. The more segments you define, the finer the structure. Reliefs of different subdivisions (on the left 10, centre 50, on the right 100). Bottom Level This defines the height of the notional sea. The greater this value, the further the landscape slips into the sea.
214 • CHAPTER 7 Orientation Choose a value from this drop-down list to set the relief map’s initial orientation in space. This gives you a quick way to turn the object on its axis. Spherical Enable this option if you want to create a globe. The radius of this globe is defined by half of the width value (the first Size value). The height of the relief above the globe’s surface is taken from the height value (the second Size value). Figure 1: Spherical disabled (left) and enabled (right).
OBJECTS MENU • PRIMITIVES • 215 Interactive editing The relief initially has three handles. Drag handle 1 to change the width (X), handle 2 to change the height (Y) or handle 3 to change the depth (Z). If you enable Spherical, only two handles appear. Drag handle 4 to change the globe’s radius (half the width — the first Size value). Drag handle 5 to change the height of the elevation (height - the second Size value). The handles of the relief primitive. Alternative handles for the relief primitive.
216 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 217 NURBS On the NURBS menu, you’ll find some of CINEMA 4D’s most powerful modeling objects, including Extrude NURBS (for 3D logos etc.) and HyperNURBS (for any type of model, especially smooth shapes, such as characters). NURBS objects are generators, meaning they use other objects to generate their surfaces. NURBS enable you to create surfaces quickly and easily using simple curves or objects.
218 • CHAPTER 7 HyperNURBS is the most powerful modeling tool in CINEMA 4D and is ideal for character animation. Image © Yoichi Mimura. HyperNURBS objects are also well-suited to animation. Complex objects can be created using a relatively low number of control points. To animate these objects — perhaps using PLA or Soft IK — you animate these control points. This is a far quicker and easier process than, for example, using PLA to animate a character that has over 100,000 polygons.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 219 Make the source object (termed the cage) a child of the HyperNURBS object. HyperNURBS object and cage object visible (left) and only cage object visible (right). Attribute manager settings Object Properties Use this page to specify the subdivision level for shading within the editor (i.e. the viewport) and for the renderer. The higher you set the resolution, the smoother the object becomes, but the more memory it uses and the slower it renders. Figure 1.
220 • CHAPTER 7 Figure 2: Use point and edge weighting to further refine your HyperNURBS models. In Figure 2, a cube (left) has been made a child of a HyperNURBS object to produce a sphere (center). Edge and point weighting has then been applied to produce a complex shape (right). Weighting enables you to refine HyperNURBS models without having to add new points and is especially useful for creating hard edges or points.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 221 Weighting HyperNURBS models You can weight HyperNURBS models in one of two ways: interactively, or manually using the Live Selection tool. Interactive weighting Select the elements (i.e. points, edges or polygons) that you want to weight. Hold down the period key (‘.’) and drag left or right to set the weighting for the selected elements. The more weight you apply, the harder the surface will try to reach it.
222 • CHAPTER 7 To weight selected edges, hold down the period key (‘.’) and drag. To weight selected edges and all points connected to them, hold down the period key and Shift-drag. To weight selected edges and their shared points, hold down the period key and Ctrl-drag. Polygon mode Selected polygon. ‘.’ + drag. ‘.’ + Ctrl-drag. To weight all points and edges of the selected polygons, hold down the period key (‘.’) and drag.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 223 A polygon should have one neighbor only per edge, otherwise the surface will tear. Sometimes you can repair a torn surface with the Optimize command from the Functions menu. Here two polygons overlap each other on the left side of the object — as a result, the polygon on the right has more than one neighbor and the surface is torn. Only connected polygons are rounded. To see which polygons are connected, select a surface, then use Selection > Select Connected.
224 • CHAPTER 7 Hold down Shift at the same time to add to the selection or Ctrl to remove from the selection. As soon as you release the 9 key, you’ll be returned to the previous tool — ideal for quickly changing the selection while in the middle of using a polygon tool such as Extrude Inner. HyperNURBS and n-gons An n-gon smoothed by HyperNURBS R7 (left) and normal HyperNURBS (right). You’ll find two types of HyperNURBS on the Objects > NURBS submenu.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 225 Extrude NURBS The Extrude NURBS object extrudes a spline to create an object with depth. The extruded object appears as soon as you drop the spline into the Extrude NURBS in the Object manager. You can also use splines to cut out holes. If, for example, a single spline object has two segments (an outer circle and an inner circle), the inner circle will be interpreted as a hole. CINEMA 4D detects hole splines automatically.
226 • CHAPTER 7 Flip Normals Flips (i.e. reverses the direction of) the normals of the Extrude NURBS. Usually, CINEMA 4D will point the normals in the correct direction. However, with open contours it is not possible for CINEMA 4D to know which way they should point. In this case, you can control the direction of the normals, either by changing the direction of the spline or by enabling the Flip Normals option. This option does not effect the caps, since their normals are always calculated correctly.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 227 A profile spline. The result — a wineglass. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Angle Here you define the angle through which the spline is to be rotated. 360° is one complete revolution. Subdivision Defines the number of subdivisions along the rotation. Isoparm Subdivision Defines the number of isoparms used to display the Lathe NURBS when the isoparm display mode is active. Movement Movement is the longitudinal distance from the beginning of the lathe to the end.
228 • CHAPTER 7 If you want to create several threads, set the Angle parameter to a large value such as 1800° for five revolutions and increase the Movement value so that the threads do not overlap. Scaling Scaling determines the final scale of the spline. The spline is scaled with respect to the origin of the local axis system of the NURBS object. Flip Normals Flips (reverses the direction of) the normals of the Lathe NURBS. CINEMA 4D will usually point the normals in the correct direction.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 229 The original splines. The splines in the Loft NURBS. You can use a single spline with a Loft NURBS to create a surface. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Mesh Subdivision U This gives the number of subdivisions in the U direction, i.e. along the circumference of the crosssection. If you are using open splines, the number of subdivisions generated matches the Mesh Subdivision value exactly.
230 • CHAPTER 7 Isoparm Subdivision U Defines the number of isoparms used to display the Loft NURBS when the isoparm display mode is active. Organic Form If this option is disabled, the Loft NURBS lines pass directly though the spline points and the distances between the lines adapt to the spline points, resulting in a very tight form.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 231 Adapt UV enabled (left) and disabled (right). Subdivision Per Segment You can use this option to choose whether the mesh subdivision is divided evenly over the entire length of the object or evenly per segment (a segment is the section between one spline and the next). Enabling this option gives you more control over the object’s appearance when splines are close to one another.
232 • CHAPTER 7 Flip Normals Flips (i.e. reverses the direction of) the normals of the Loft NURBS. Usually, CINEMA 4D will point the normals in the correct direction. However, with open contours it is not possible for CINEMA 4D to know which way they should point. In this case, you can control the direction of the normals, either by changing the direction of the spline or by enabling the Flip Normals option. This option does not effect the caps, since their normals are always calculated correctly.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 233 Banking enabled (left) and disabled (right). Banking allows you to use arbitrary 3D paths. However, it is not suitable for a precise sweep since the contours may break up, depending on the path. If the Banking option is disabled, the following applies: the contour spline is rotated for each subdivision so that on the one hand its Z-axis is always tangential to the path spline and on the other hand its X-axis is parallel to the XZ plane of the path spline.
234 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Isoparm Subdivision Defines the number of isoparms used to display the Sweep NURBS when the isoparm display mode is active. Scaling Determines the size of the contour at the end of the path. The contour is 100% at the start of the path and the size is interpolated in between. Rotation Defines the rotation about the Z-axis that the contour has passed through by the time it reaches the end of the path. Growth Defines the size of the sweep.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 235 Parallel Movement If this option is enabled, the contour is swept in a parallel manner (i.e. it is not rotated at all). Banking If Banking is enabled, the contour spline will lean into the curves of the path spline (CINEMA 4D will calculate the banking by considering the curvature of the path). The initial banking angle is set to the average plane of the path spline, which is calculated from the position of the path’s spline points.
236 • CHAPTER 7 Constant Cross Section This option is enabled by default. It is ignored if a rail path is used. It causes the contour spline to be scaled at hard edges in order to maintain a constant thickness throughout the sweep. The following star-shaped path illustrates the effect. Constant Cross Section enabled (left) and disabled (right). Keep Segments This setting is only used if you have changed the value for Growth. Its effect is, by and large, only noticeable with animated growth.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 237 Flip Normals Flips (i.e. reverses the direction of) the normals of the Sweep NURBS. Usually, CINEMA 4D will point the normals in the correct direction. However, with open contours it is not possible for CINEMA 4D to know which way they should point. In this case, you can control the direction of the normals, either by changing the direction of the spline or by enabling the Flip Normals option.
238 • CHAPTER 7 Bezier NURBS The Bezier NURBS differs from the other NURBS in the sense that it does not require any objects. Bezier NURBS stretches a surface over Bezier curves in the X and Y directions. The control points for these curves pull on the surface like small magnets (apart from the edge points, to which the surface is fixed). The Bezier NURBS is perfect for smooth, curvy surfaces such as car wings, nose-cones and sails.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 239 Closed X enabled. The part of the closed surface formed by choosing Closed X, Closed Y will generally not intersect with itself if all control points corresponding to the outer edges of the original surface have unobstructed lines of sight to each other, with no control points or surfaces in the way. If you change the subdivision, the Bezier NURBS is reset to its starting state. Therefore, ensure you have enough subdivisions before you start.
240 • CHAPTER 7 Start Steps Here you enter the number of subdivisions for the rounding at the start of the object. Start Radius Determines the radius of the rounding at the start of the object. End Steps The number of subdivisions for the rounding at the end of the object. End Radius The radius of the rounding at the end of the object. Fillet Type Choose the shape of the rounding from this drop-down list.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 241 Hull Inwards / Hole Inwards The examples below demonstrate rounding inwards and rounding outwards. Hole Inwards refers to hole segments — it is ignored if the spline has no hole segments. Constrain This setting determines whether the object’s dimensions are preserved or whether the object should be inflated by the rounding.
242 • CHAPTER 7 Keep the following in mind when rounding with the Constrain option enabled. The pictures below demonstrate this issue. The top picture shows the initial contour. Rounding the contour with a small radius produces the desired result (center picture). The final picture shows what happens if the rounding is set too high. CINEMA 4D cannot detect inappropriate settings for you in this case. It is up to you to use a sensible rounding radius.
OBJECTS MENU • NURBS • 243 Restricting a material to an invisible selection — in this case, the rounding at the front of the text. Apply a material to the start cap by using the Selection box (Texture tag). For example, type in ‘C1’ to apply the material to the start cap (use a capital C).
244 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 245 Splines Spline Object This command creates an empty spline object. Like the Polygon object, it is recognizable on screen only by its origin and axes. You can use this object for the construction of your own splines. Curves Splines are primarily a sequence of vertices, connected by lines, lying in 3D space. The shape of these connecting lines (straight or curved) defines the interpolation.
246 • CHAPTER 7 The spline is always created in the view of the active viewport. Bezier splines, B-splines, Cubic splines and Akima splines will be created on the construction plane in the perspective view or on the world planes of the remaining views. With a Freehand spline drawn in the perspective view, the spline will be created on the plane that is perpendicular to the camera direction. In all other views, the Freehand spline will be created on the world planes.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 247 On the left is a correct arrangement of splines and on the right we see spline segments arranged in an incorrect order. A spline object can be composed of any number of segments. However, all segments of a spline must have the same settings, e.g. they should be either all open or all closed and all have the same kind of interpolation.
248 • CHAPTER 7 Choose Structure > Edit Spline > Break Segment. The connection to the previous segment is now broken. Add further vertices. All new vertices now belong to the new segment. You can create further segments. If a spline consists of several segments, then new vertices are always created from the active vertex. If no vertices are active, then new vertices are generated at the last-created segment.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 249 Akima This spline type creates a soft curve between vertices. The interpolated curve always passes directly through the vertices. Overshooting does not happen with this type of curve. Akima interpolation adheres very closely to the path of the curve directly between the vertices but, because of this, it can sometimes appear somewhat hard. If this is not required, you should use Cubic interpolation. B-Spline This kind of spline also creates a soft curve between the vertices.
250 • CHAPTER 7 In the previous illustrations all tangents lie horizontally. Now let’s rotate the tangent of the upper point through 180° so that the left tangent end point lies on the right, the right on the left. You can see the result in this illustration. You can change the lengths of the tangents separately from each other. To do this, Shift-drag a tangent end point. You may set different tangent directions on the right and on the left of the vertex.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 251 If the tangents of two neighboring points have zero length, the segment that runs between the vertices will be linear. Thus, you can mix linear segments with curved spline shapes. If you double-click on a Bezier vertex with the Move, Scale or Rotate tool active, a dialog opens that allows you to accurately enter both the position of the vertex (in the spline’s object coordinates) and the position of the tangent end points (relative to the vertex) numerically.
252 • CHAPTER 7 None This method of interpolation locates points only at the vertices of a spline, using no additional intermediate points. You cannot enter values into the Number or Angle boxes. For B-splines, the vertices, and therefore points, might not be located on the spline curve. Natural This interpolation type first locates points at spline vertices. In the case of B-splines, points are located at positions on the spline curve closest to the spline vertices.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 253 Create Spline (Curves) The Spline object allows you to quickly create new splines from scratch. However, for some shapes this approach can be clumsy and unnecessary. For this reason CINEMA 4D includes spline curves. These are interactive tools that remain active until you select another tool, such as Move. You can thus create any number of these splines without the need to select the command each time.
254 • CHAPTER 7 Bezier, B-Spline, Linear, Cubic, Akima Using these commands, you can create the exact type of curve you require. Choose the desired spline type. Point editing mode is activated automatically. Click to create each point. Once you’ve added the desired points, either click the starting point to close the curve or press Esc to exit the mode. You can then edit the spline in the usual way (drag to move a point; Ctrl-click to create a new point, etc.).
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 255 Attribute manager settings Common properties Some of the spline settings are present for each type of primitive. These common properties are described in this section. Properties that are specific to certain types of spline primitive are described later in this chapter, in the individual entries for the primitives. Plane Use this drop-down list to define in which of the three planes (XY, XZ, ZY) the spline primitive is to lie.
256 • CHAPTER 7 Arc This command creates arc elements. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Type With this option you choose the circle element to be used in your arc. Choose from Arc, Sector, Segment and Ring. Arc, Sector, Segment and Ring Radius Defines the circle radius from which the circular element is to be created.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 257 Inner Radius If you set Type to Ring, this defines the inner radius of the ring. Start Angle, End Angle Using these two values you can define the start and end point of the arc element. 0° defines the value as the positive X-axis, 90° the positive Y-axis, 180° the negative X-axis, etc. These examples assume you are working in the XY plane, as mentioned earlier. Plane With this drop-down list you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created.
258 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Radius By default the Circle command creates a circle with a radius of Radius. Ring, Inner Radius If the Ring option is enabled, either circular rings or ellipse rings are created. Here the internal radius of the ring is given by Inner Radius. For ellipse rings this value is the internal radius along the ellipse’s X axis. The inner length along the Y-axis is automatically calculated from the outer ellipse’s dimensions.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 259 Reverse Enabling this option will reverse the point order of the spline. Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index. Helix This command creates a helix — a spiralled, spring-like spline.
260 • CHAPTER 7 Helix with 4 revolutions (left) and 3.5 revolutions (right). For example, if the start angle is 0° and the end angle 720°, the helix makes two complete revolutions. If the helix begins at 180°, there will be only 1.5 revolutions. You can enter calculations into the boxes. In the above example you might use 4*360 instead of 1440. For the avid mathematician, the number of spiral threads is the results of the formula: (EndAngle – StartAngle) / 360°.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 261 Subdivision The creation of a helix is based on a formula. The smoothness of this formula is defined by Subdivision. Helix with five subdivisions (left) and 100 subdivisions (right). Plane With this drop-down list you choose in which of the three planes the helix is created. Reverse Enabling this option will reverse the point order of the spline. Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced.
262 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Radius The n-Side object is created within a bounding circle. Radius defines the size of this initial shape. Sides This value defines the number of sides for the n-Side spline. Rounding, Radius Enabling Rounding to round all corners by the Radius value. Plane With this drop-down list you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 263 Reverse Enabling this option will reverse the point order of the spline. Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index. Rectangle This command creates a rectangle. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Width, Height These values define the size of the spline primitive.
264 • CHAPTER 7 Reverse Enable this option to reverse the rectangle’s points (but not the rectangle itself). Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index. Star This command creates a star.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 265 A star, based around two circles. Twist Use this to twist the points of the star around its own shape — ideal for saw blades. Enter a value from –100% to +100%. A value of 0% represents the basic, star-like position. From left to right: Twist set to –50%, 0% and 75%. Points This value defines the star’s number of points. Plane With this drop-down list you choose in which of the three planes (XY, XZ, ZY) the star is created.
266 • CHAPTER 7 Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index. Text You can add letters, characters and any other piece of text using this type of spline. Simply choose a font and type the text into the spline’s Text box. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Text Enter the text into the Text box.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 267 When moving scenes that use Text objects from one computer to another, keep in mind that if the font used is not installed on the target computer, the spline outline will be lost as soon as changes are made to the object. To avoid such problems, make the spline editable (Functions > Make Editable). Font, Font button Use the drop-down list and button to choose between TrueType or PostScript Type 1 fonts.
268 • CHAPTER 7 Separate Letters Enable this option. Now choose Functions > Make Editable. A new object is created that has a separate spline child object for each letter of the text. The object axes of the separate letter splines are placed at the baseline of the chosen font. This option is especially useful when you want to arrange text (the separate letters) along a spline. Plane Choose in which of the three planes the text is created.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 269 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Texture Click the three dots button to open a file selector. Use the file selector to choose the picture that will be converted to splines. Click the black arrow left of the filename box to open the picture’s preview. Keep in mind that only pure black (RGB 0/0/0) is interpreted as a solid background — all other colors will be bordered with a line. The larger the source image, the better the results will be.
270 • CHAPTER 7 Tolerance This defines the smoothing of the conversion. The higher the value, the smoother the contour appears. However, more and more detail will also be lost. The smaller the value, the more detail of the original picture will appear in the result. However, this can lead to staircase-like jaggies at the spline’s edges. Different tolerance values affect the accuracy of the spline. Plane With this option you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 271 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Type Choose a shape from Diamond, Kite, Parallelogram and Trapezium. Various 4-Sided objects (Diamond, Kite, Parallelogram and Trapezium).
272 • CHAPTER 7 a, b, Angle Depending on your choice of 4-Sided object, these values have different meanings as demonstrated in the illustrations below. The parameters a and b for the diamond. The parameters a and b for the kite. The parameters a, b and angle for the parallelogram. The parameters a, b and angle for the trapezium. Plane With this option you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created. Reverse Enable this option to reverse the spline’s points.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 273 Cissoid Creates various mathematical curves. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Type Choose a shape from Cissoid, Lemniscate and Strophoid. The Lemniscate results from a special calculation, using a technique known as Cassini curves. Cissoid, Lemniscate and Strophoid. Width This value defines the overall size of the curve.
274 • CHAPTER 7 Tension This will only affect the Cissoid and Strophoid types. With the Cissoid, the larger the value you enter, the more the two arcs are pulled together on both the left and the right of the axis of symmetry. Increasing the Tension value on the Strophoid object has a similar effect to when used on the Cissoid. The arcs are pulled up further as the value is increased. The loop also becomes narrower. Various Cissoid objects with tension values of 50, 6 and 2.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 275 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Teeth Defines the number of teeth for the cogwheel. Inner Radius, Middle Radius, Outer Radius The overall size of the cogwheel is defined by Outer Radius, while Inner Radius defines the depth of the teeth. For avid mathematicians: Depth of teeth = (outer radius – inner radius). The third value, Middle Radius, gives the height at which any bevel will start to take effect (see Bevel below). The three radii of a cogwheel.
276 • CHAPTER 7 From outer to inner: Bevel set to 0%, 50% and 100%. Plane With this option you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created. Reverse Enable this option to reverse the spline’s points. Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index. Cycloid This creates a sort of rolling curve.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 277 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Type With this option you choose the kind of rolling effect you want the curve to adopt. The basic cycloid is the rotating curve of a circle (radius R) along a straight line. The epicycloid is the rotating curve of a circle (radius r) that moves outside of a second (usually) larger circle (radius R). The hypocycloid is the rotating curve of a circle (radius r) that moves inside a second (usually) larger circle (radius R).
278 • CHAPTER 7 R = 2, a = 2. R = 2, a = 1. R = 2, a = 4. With the basic Epicycloid, the observed point P (that forms the curve) is on the radius of the outer circle (a = r). With the shortened Epicycloid, it is on the inside of the outer circle (a < r), and with the extended Epicycloid it is outside (a > r). The examples below illustrate some of the curves that are possible. R = 4, r = 2, a = 2. R = 3, r = 1, a = 1. R = 4, r = 1, a = 1. R = 4, r = 3, a = 3. R = 8, r = 2, a = 1.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 279 Special cases arise when the both circles are set to the same radius value (known as Pascal’s curve). If, in addition, point P is on the radius of the outer circle (a=r), the result is known as a Cardioid. (See the illustrations below.) R = 2, r = 2, a = 1. R = 2, r = 2, a = 3. R = 2, r = 2, a = 2 (cardioid). With the basic Hypocycloid, the observed point P (that forms the curve) is on the radius of the inner circle (a = r).
280 • CHAPTER 7 Start Angle, End Angle These values define the start and end positions of the rolling circle. There is a small, but crucial, difference between the Cycloid, Hypocycloid and Epicycloid values. For Cycloid, you simply define the values for the start angle and the end angle of the rotating circle. With Epicycloid and Hypocycloid, you define the values for the start and end points on the fixed circle.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 281 Attribute manager settings Object Properties X(t), Y(t), Z(t) Enter a mathematical command, with dependant variable t, for each of these directions. Tmin, Tmax Specify the definition range here. Samples Using this value you can define how many vertices between Tmin and Tmax are to be created. The value you enter will specify how many times a spline will be divided (note: it will always calculate one vertex more than the value you input).
282 • CHAPTER 7 In the following illustration is a standard sine wave with a definition range of –1 to +1. Below it we see the same command but this time with a range of –2 to +2. In both cases, the number of steps was set to 10. The same curve using various ranges for t. As you increase the range of values that t can take, you may need to increase the Samples value in order to keep the curve smooth. Cubic Interpolation Enable this option to keep down the number of vertices.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 283 Plane With this option you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created. Reverse Enable this option to reverse the spline’s points. Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index. Examples A curve generated by the parametric equations X(t)=100*cos(pi*t), Y(t)=100*sin(pi*t), Z(t)=100*exp(0.
284 • CHAPTER 7 Curve generated by X(t)=100*sin(t)/t, Y(t)=100*log(t), Z(t)=100*sin(t), t=0.5...15: The curve in the 3D view. The curve in the front (XY view). The curve in the top (XZ view). Curve in the right (ZY view).
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 285 Various parametric equations: The splines in a Sweep NURBS with a rectangle as a contour spline and (right) additionally in an Atom Array . Flower This command creates a flower-shaped object.
286 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Inner Radius, Outer Radius The inner radius defines the size of the inner area from where the petals begin to grow. The petals extend from the inner to the outer radius. Petals This value gives the total number of petals. Plane With this option you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created. Reverse Enable this option to reverse the spline’s points.
OBJECTS MENU • SPLINES • 287 Profile Attribute manager settings Object Properties Type Here you choose the profile shape. Height, b, s, t The relevance of the individual parameters can be seen in the following illustrations.
288 • CHAPTER 7 Plane With this option you choose in which of the three planes the spline primitive is created. Reverse Enable this option to reverse the spline’s points. Intermediate Points, Number, Angle These interpolation settings define how the intermediate points of the spline are produced. For more information on these settings, look up ‘interpolation, spline’ in the index.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 291 Special Modeling Tools Null Object The null object might well mutter to itself “I cannot do anything, I’m a nothing!” And it would be right ... almost. If you call this function, CINEMA 4D creates an empty axis system in the 3D space. The object contains neither points nor surfaces and cannot be edited in the normal way. So what’s the point of the null object? Well, the null object can have other objects placed within it.
292 • CHAPTER 7 The use of a null object gives the desired result. The null must point in the same direction of the object and the object must be made a child of the null. Now the object can be rotated correctly, using the null as the coordinate system for rotation. Correct rotation behavior through the use of a null object. In addition, some tools that rely on a particular orientation of an object in 3D space (such as Rotate and Duplicate) profit from the use of a parental null object.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 293 Radius Defines the radius of the shape that represents the null. Aspect Ratio Defines the shape’s height as a ratio of height:width. For example, to make the pyramid shape twice the height of its width, set Aspect Ratio to 2. Orientation Defines the orientation of the shape. Choose from Camera, XY, ZY and XZ. With the Camera setting, the shape will face the camera in all active viewports.
294 • CHAPTER 7 Figure 1: A “perfect” polygon. Figure 2: The quadrangle is no longer a rectangle. However, all the points are on the same plane — the quadrangle is still planar. Figure 3: Point B has been moved into the depth plane. Now, the polygon is non-planar. Figure 4: The angle at point B is greater than 180° — the polygon overlaps itself. Figure 5: All the points for this polygon are on a line. Figure 6: Polygons in CINEMA 4D have their own coordinate system.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 295 N-gons In versions of CINEMA 4D prior to R9, a polygon was limited to having three or four corner points. Now, a polygon may have any number of corner points. An n-gon (pronounced ‘en-gon’) is simply a polygon that has more than four corner points. An n-gon is a polygon that has more than four corner points. N-gons can help to simplify the polygon modeling process.
296 • CHAPTER 7 Thanks to n-gons (right picture), it is now much easier to recognize, select and work with the actual cuts. N-gons change your workflow. Instead of having to clean up the mesh after each cut, you can now leave the clean-up stage until the end of the modeling process. But why do you still need to clean up the mesh if n-gons are so wonderful? N-gons are one of the most powerful features in the 3D modeler’s toolbox.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 297 Here, triangles are responsible for the poor quality of the mesh. Array Object The Array object (Objects > Modeling submenu) creates copies of an object and arranges them in a spherical form or wave form. The wave (amplitude) can be animated. The original object must be a child of the array. The copies are placed around the array object’s origin.
298 • CHAPTER 7 Amplitude The maximum movement in the Y direction. Frequency Use this setting to determine the rotational wave velocity. Array Frequency The Array Frequency defines the number of waves. Atom Array Object You’ll find the Atom Array on the Objects > Modeling submenu. It creates an atom-like structure from each of its child objects. All object edges are replaced with cylinders and all points are replaced with spheres.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 299 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Cylinder Radius Defines the radius of the cylinders that are placed between object points. Sphere Radius Defines the radius of the spheres that are placed at each object point. Subdivisions Defines the number of subdivisions for the cylinders and spheres. You may need to increase this value to ensure smooth edges depending on how close the camera is to the atom array.
300 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Most of these settings are available in High Quality mode only. Boolean Type Four Boolean modes are available: A Union B, A Subtract B, A Intersect B and A Without B. A Union B: Object A is merged with object B. A Subtract B: Object B is subtracted from object A. A Intersect B: The volume of intersection is shown. A Without B: This is similar to A subtract B, but it is not a genuine Boolean operation.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 301 High Quality disabled (left) and enabled (right). There is, however, a disadvantage to the High Quality mode: when applied to complex objects, it may take longer to generate the result. Create Single Object If you convert the Boole object to polygons (Functions > Current State To Object), this option controls whether a single object is created or multiple objects (one for each object involved in the Boolean).
302 • CHAPTER 7 Optimize Points This parameter is only available if Create Single Object is enabled. If the Boole object is converted to polygons (Functions > Current State To Object ), points within a set distance of each other are merged to a single point. Enter the desired distance into the box. In the example, the Boole has been applied to the top-right and bottom-right objects. The following settings were used. Left: Create Single Object disabled. Center: Create Single Object enabled.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 303 In addition, three commands are available for the Instance object. To reach these commands, click the triangle next to the Reference Object box. Clear Removes the reference to the original object. Show In Manager Scrolls the Object manager if necessary to make the original object visible. Select Element Selects the original object. An instance object is a special duplicate of an object that does not have its own geometry.
304 • CHAPTER 7 You can use parametric spheres, splines (all types) or polygon objects with the Metaball object. In the case of polygon objects, each point is interpreted as a sphere. Splines have a special feature — you may use a second spline to control the hull’s thickness. This second spline must be a child of the first spline and also must be of the same type (you might want to copy the first spline). You can use a particle emitter with a metaball object. The original circles.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 305 Render Subdivision Defines the number of subdivisions that are rendered. The subdivision is specified in distance units. This means that you should lower the value to increase the number of subdivisions and meshsmoothness. Increasing the value will reduce the number of subdivisions. You should choose a low setting here (e.g. 5), so that the surface is rendered smoothly.
306 • CHAPTER 7 Symmetry Object The Symmetry object works with geometry and splines only, not with lights, cameras and so on. The Symmetry object (Objects > Modeling) is especially useful when polygon modeling symmetrical (or nearly symmetrical) objects such as faces. Model just one half of the object and the other half is generated automatically. Once you’ve finished modeling one side you might want to make the Symmetry object editable to convert the generated half into polygons.
OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 307 To mirror more multiple objects, group the objects together and make the group a child of the Symmetry object. Construction Plane Object The world grid is the default construction plane. The disadvantage of the world grid is that it cannot be moved or rotated. When you create a construction plane, the world grid is switched off. The construction plane (Objects > Modeling submenu) is an aid to object placement.
OBJECTS MENU • CAMERAS • 309 Cameras Camera Object You can add as many cameras to the scene as you wish. When you create a new camera (Objects > Scene > Camera), the camera will adopt the position and focal length of the active view. When placing and aligning a camera, CINEMA 4D uses the camera’s coordinate system. The X-axis and Y-axis define the focal or film plane, and the Z-axis is the direction in which the camera is pointing.
310 • CHAPTER 7 The camera model used in computer graphic programs corresponds to a pinhole camera of infinite sharpness. Therefore CG focal length is to be understood only as a simulation and corresponds in no way to a physical model. Short focal lengths give a wide-angle view and are ideal for a good overview of the whole scene. They do, however, distort objects in the scene — a particularly striking effect is that of a very short focal length.
OBJECTS MENU • CAMERAS • 311 Film Offset X, Film Offset Y FilmOffseX t FilmOffseY t Suppose the CINEMA 4D camera worked like a traditional film camera, with images being recorded onto photographic film one after the other. Now imagine if additional image information could be recorded by moving this film along the X and Y-axis (beyond the strip of film in the example). This is exactly what these parameters do.
312 • CHAPTER 7 For the example, the scene was been split into four pictures. The camera’s Film Offset X and Film Offset Y were animated over four frames as follows. First frame: Film Offset X / Y = 0% / 0% Second frame: Film Offset X / Y = 100% / 0% Third frame: Film Offset X / Y = 100% / -100% Fourth frame: Film Offset X / Y = 0% -100% The result is four separate images that you can piece together in an image editor.
OBJECTS MENU • CAMERAS • 313 Near Clipping Use this setting to define the distance of the clipping plane from the camera (see previous image). Show Cone If this option is enabled, the viewing volume is displayed in the 3D viewport as a green pyramid. Depth Of Field If you own the separately available Advanced Render module, then when you output a Depth multi-pass channel, the Depth Of Field settings described here are used rather than Advanced Render’s Depth Of Field settings.
314 • CHAPTER 7 Front Blur, Rear Blur The settings determine the distance from the camera to the front and to the rear of the scene at which objects will become completely out of focus. Adjusting the camera interactively Although you can adjust the camera’s settings via the Attribute manager, the quickest way is to drag the camera’s handles in the viewport. To try out the camera’s interactive handles: Choose File > New to create a new, empty document.
OBJECTS MENU • CAMERAS • 315 There are two further, optional, planes that run parallel to the focal length plane — one in front and one at the back. These two planes (or just one of them) are available only if you select a depth of field (Front Blur, Rear Blur). At the center of each plane you’ll see another orange handle. Use this handle to shift the depth of field plane interactively along the camera’s Z-axis. Again, you can see these realtime adjustments in the viewport.
316 • CHAPTER 7 Animated camera and target. These two splines give you a very precise way to control the camera position and orientation. You can fine-tune the animation using the F-Curves of the two Position parameters (Align To Spline tags). Tips To ensure that the camera/null moves along the spline at a constant velocity, set the spline’s Intermediate Points to Uniform. For extra realism, try adding a slight amount of shake to the camera using the Vibrate tag.
OBJECTS MENU • CAMERAS • 317 Link Active Object You can view a scene through any object, not just through a camera. In the Object manager, select the object that you want to use as the viewport’s camera. In the desired viewport, choose Cameras > Link Active Object. Sometimes it’s useful to view the scene through particular objects.
318 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 319 Lighting Light Object When building a new scene in CINEMA 4D, a default light is used called the auto light. To change the default lighting setup for all future scenes, build a new scene that contains only the lights that you require for your default lighting and save this scene within the CINEMA 4D folder under the name ‘new.c4d’. This setup will be opened automatically each time you start a new CINEMA 4D scene.
320 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings General Color You can adjust the color of each of your lights using the slider controls and the text input boxes for each color element (RGB). You may change the color system (perhaps to HSV 0...255) using the dropdown list below the Color box. It is also possible to use the color sliders to achieve negative lighting effects, which is discussed in detail later in this chapter. Brightness This value controls the overall brightness of the light source.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 321 Visible Light Defines the visibility of the light in a scene. No Illumination If you need to see just the visible light and/or its lens effects without the light source actually illuminating objects, enable this option. Should you need your light sources for special effects (such as the exhaust gas of a jet engine) enable this box for faster rendering. Ambient Illumination Ambient illumination. Ambient illumination with Falloff enabled.
322 • CHAPTER 7 No Diffuse No Diffuse disabled. No Diffuse enabled. When No Diffuse is enabled, the color properties of an object are ignored by the light source; only specular surfacing is produced by the light. This can be useful for objects such as a golden signature, where you would like specular glints, but no lightening of the color properties.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 323 No Specular This bottle is lit by two light sources, causing more highlights to develop than you’d normally want. No Specular option is enabled for one light source only. Now the highlights are fine. When this option is enabled, the light source produces no specular highlights on your scene’s objects. Imagine you have a bottle on a table with two or more light sources in the scene. The bottle may show too many specular highlights, with the glass material looking too busy.
324 • CHAPTER 7 Memory Requirement (overview) Hard shadows and area shadows need memory-intensive raytracing calculations. As more objects are added to a reflection/refraction dependent scene, extra memory will be required. A soft-shadowed visible light needs a shadow map of at least (Resolution X * Resolution Y / 250) KB. Omni lights require six times as much memory for their shadow maps. When used with transparent textures (light maps), up to 20 times more memory may be needed.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 325 Parallel. Parallel spot (round/square). Area Omni An Omni light source acts like a real life light bulb — casting rays in all directions. Placing an Omni light in the center of your scene will illuminate your scene evenly. Spot & Square Spot Spotlights cast their rays in just one direction, which is along the Z-axis by default. Once created, they can be easily moved and rotated to light individual objects and specific areas of a scene.
326 • CHAPTER 7 Parallel spot (round/square) Parallel spotlights resemble the regular spotlight but do not have light cones to define falloff or distance. Instead, light rays are cast along cylinders and/or bars. The origin is important in defining which objects in a scene will be affected by this light. The radius of the spotlight can also be modified using the adjustment handles. Area As with Distant and Parallel lights, an Area light cannot be rendered as a visible light source.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 327 Image Copyright Holger Schömann. The above scene was lit using one Omni light, an Area light with Area shadow, and rendered using “Ambient Occlusion” ( Advanced Render module). The Area light is rectangular and was placed in the window opening. Types of shadow This section describes the different types of shadow you can select for the Shadow option on the General page. The Shadow page itself is described later in this chapter. Soft shadow. Hard shadow Area shadow.
328 • CHAPTER 7 None Select None if your light is to cast no shadow. This is a very helpful option in a scene with many lights, allowing you to turn on shadow-casting for the main lights only. Any real world photographer will envy you this option and its possibilities. Shadow Maps (soft) In reality all objects — whether they are trees growing in the wild, or a vase in a room — are lit by several partial light sources. The result of this is a gradual transition of light to shadow.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 329 Shadow Use the parameters on this page to fine-tune the scene’s shadow maps. You will now find an additional menu for defining shadow type. This menu corresponds to the menu of the same name located in the “General” tab, and has the same functionality. Density Adjusting this value will vary the intensity of your shadow. A value of 100% means the shadow has full intensity. With 50% your shadow will be half transparent and at 0% the shadow is invisible.
330 • CHAPTER 7 Transparency Transparency enabled. Transparency disabled. If shadow maps should take the transparency and alpha channels into account, enable this option. The calculation of transparent soft shadows is memory-intensive. An Omni light source can sometimes use six times as much memory as a spotlight, because six shadow map calculations must be computed compared to the spotlight’s single shadow map.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 331 The Shadow Map settings are available only when soft shadow is selected. When using soft shadows, CINEMA 4D initially sees the scene from the point of view of the light source and calculates the complete scene from this view. All objects seen in this view are interpreted as shadows for the scene. This results in Shadow Maps. Shadow Map assigns memory for each shadow map. The smaller the memory assignment, the more pixelated the shadow will appear.
332 • CHAPTER 7 Absolute Bias In general, leave this option enabled. If you disable the option, the distance of the shadow from the object depends also on the distance of the light source from the object — called relative bias. With relative bias, the further the light source is from the object, the further the shadow will be from the object. This behavior originated in CINEMA 4D R5 and is present for compatibility reasons when loading old scenes.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 333 You can change the size of the shadow map. The lower this value, the more pixelated the shadow becomes. If the parallel light cube boundary had a dynamic value, these pixels would appear to jump, since the shadow map would otherwise vary dynamically in its size. In order to prevent this, a fixed value is used and any such shadow jumps are eliminated. Outline Shadow This option results in a thin shadow outline instead of a full shadow.
334 • CHAPTER 7 Area Shadows Area shadows should preferably be used only when you have a little more time on your hands... The Area shadow’s shape can be controlled very precisely since the light source used to generate the Area shadow can be defined using the settings in the “Details” tab.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 335 Also, make a note of these rules of thumb: Quality can be improved the most by raising the “Maximum Samples” and “Accuracy” values, whereas 100% “Accuracy” won’t do you much good in combination with a very low “Maximum Samples” value. No matter which of the three settings you raise, render time will increase accordingly. If “Minimum Samples”=“Maximum Samples”, “Accuracy” will have no affect.
336 • CHAPTER 7 At top: Various “Accuracy” values; at bottom: various “Maximum Samples” values; top left: the shape that casts the shadow, lit by an Area light. NOTE: Anti-aliasing can also reduce graininess (type: “Best”, see chapter 13, p. 644 in your CINEMA 4D reference manual). This will also affect render times, so you might want to first find out to what degree it is necessary, if at all.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 337 Types of visible light This section describes the different types of visible lights you can select for the Visible Light option on the General page. The Visibility page itself is described later in this chapter. Visible. Volumetric. Inverse Volumetric. In nature, a light beam becomes visible when small particles such as dust, insects, smoke or fog are present in the air. For example, if a car headlight shines in fog, you’ll see its cone of light quite distinctly.
338 • CHAPTER 7 Inverse Volumetric Enabling the Inverse Volumetric function has the interesting effect of inverting your volumetric light — that is, the light is visible where the light cone would normally be in shadow. Imagine a company logo, behind which you have placed an Inverse Volumetric light source. This inverts the light’s volumetric effect, giving the impression that the light is radiating from the logo itself.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 339 Details Using the Details tab, you can access the individual properties of each of your light sources. Use Inner, Inner Angle Use Inner disabled. Inner Angle set to 0. Depending on the type of light you use, this will adjust either the Inner Angle (for a standard Spotlight) or the Inner Radius (for a Parallel Spotlight) of the light. Within the Inner Angle area, the luminosity value of the light source is 100%.
340 • CHAPTER 7 Outer Angle Adjusting this value will define how large the light will be in total. The Outer Angle value indicates the limits of the light source’s luminosity. Aspect Ratio Enables you to stretch and shear the shape of the light’s cone. The standard aspect ratio value is 1. For example, increasing the value to 2 will double the light cone’s height relative to its width. Similarly, decreasing the value to 0.5 will make the light cone only half as high as it is wide.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 341 In Figure 1, above, a series of pictures of a planet is illustrated, towards which a light is directed. You can clearly see how little the planet’s front and sides are lit using 0% contrast. The transition on this lit surface is not very soft; this surface contrast is not natural for planets. If you look at photographs of a planet you will see that the transition of its lit surface to its shadowed edge is hard — as illustrated further to the right in the series of pictures.
342 • CHAPTER 7 What are Area lights actually good for? Disc Cylinder A light source in the shape of a disc can, for example, be used when simulating the light emitted by a desk lamp or any other circular light source. The “Cylinder” light is similar to the “Line” light. Any diameter can be set. Rectangle Cube This setting can be used when simulating interior light, e.g. light shining through a rectangular window.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 343 Line Hemisphere A straight, linear light source (previously “Tube”), good for use in simulating neon tubes. This is the only Area light source that can render as visible or volumetric. “Hemisphere” is good for use in simulating outdoor lighting since its light is emitted in all directions, as the sky does in reality. Area lights offer very realistic lighting and, when used in conjunction with Area shadows, very realistic shadows (also results in longer render times).
344 • CHAPTER 7 The following settings will be made available for an Area light, for the creation of shadows (in the “Details” tab when “Area” is activated in the “General” tab’s “Shadow” menu): Area Shape Object Size X, Y, and Z A virtual area source strictly for the generation of the Area shadow will be assumed. Object If “Object / Spline” is selected in “Area Shape”, you can use any (polygonal) object or spline for the shape of your light.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 345 Falloff Angle Various falloff angles applied to an Area light emitting from right to left. This setting lets you regulate the light emitted by a “Disc” or “Rectangle” area light. With a maximum value of 180°, the light will emit around the Area light as it would from a hemispherical shape. The smaller the value, the more light will be removed from the edges. A value of “0°” represents the behavior in CINEMA 4D versions prior to R9.5.
346 • CHAPTER 7 Samples Top: Low sample value. Bottom: Higher sample value. It can occur that an Area light’s sample structure becomes visible (e.g. when using specular light, as in the example above). It will look like the surface is being lit by several light sources. If this happens, raise the value. You should also raise the value if the light dispersion is uneven (also when the “Add Grain” (Slow) option has been activated).
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 347 Add Grain (Slow) At top, a low “Samples” value; at bottom, a higher “Samples” value. This is another way in which to avoid the artifacting mentioned in “Samples” above. A grainy rendering will be used to eliminate any visible light source structures. The “Samples” value should be high enough to avoid an extremely grainy look. On the other hand, such a grainy look could be just what you want...
348 • CHAPTER 7 Show in Reflection Activate this option if you want to mirror an Area light in another object. Area lights with no actual area (surface), such as “Line” or splines, cannot be rendered. Visibility Multiplier Use this setting to adjust the brightness of a visible Area light or its reflection in another object. This option will only be available if “Show in Render” or “Show in Reflection” is active.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 349 In the examples below, you can see the different types of falloff, in this case in conjunction with an Area light. The small function graphs show the light’s intensity in relation to the distance from the light source. Kinks in the graph represent “Radius / Decay”. Different types of falloff. Inner Radius Within the Inner Radius there is no falloff. Up to this point, the brightness of the light remains constant.
350 • CHAPTER 7 Radius/Decay The range between the Inner Radius and the Radius/Decay is where the brightness of the source light changes from 100% to 0%. This Radius/Decay value indicates the maximum range that will be illuminated by the source light. Colored Edge Falloff Colored Edge Falloff disabled. Colored Edge Falloff enabled. This option is only available when using a spotlight with Use Inner Color enabled.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 351 Use Gradient A Spot light with a gradient. This option makes it possible to define several colors over the course of a gradient’s falloff. When active, this gradient overwrites the color defined in the “General” tab. Near Clip From = 90, To = 90. From = 90, To = 150. Enable Near Clip to restrict the illumination and visible light (if present) radially with an Omni light and linearly with all other light types.
352 • CHAPTER 7 Far Clip From = 300, To = 300. From = 220, To = 300. Enable Far Clip to cut off the light source’s illumination abruptly. To use Far Clip, once again two values are needed. This time the From and To values denote where the cut off begins, and where the light source will fully vanish. Again, the larger the difference between these two values, the softer the transition. Individual clipping ranges using an Omni light.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 353 Visibility Use Falloff, Falloff 100% Falloff. 0% Falloff. Falloff is the percentage reduction in the light’s density. The axial falloff of the visible light is set to a standard 100%. This means that from the origin of the light to its outer distance, the density of the visible light falls from 100% to 0%. So, if a value of 10% is entered into the Falloff box, the outside edge will be at 90% visibility. Enable or disable Use Falloff to switch falloff on or off.
354 • CHAPTER 7 Use Edge Falloff, Edge Falloff 100 % Edge Falloff. 0 % Edge Falloff. Edge Falloff is relevant only with Spotlight sources. The Edge Falloff determines how quickly the light’s density decreases towards the edge of the light cone. If you enter a value of 0% (or disable Use Edge Falloff), you will produce a very hard visible light. A value of 100% gives a more gradual falloff from the inside of the light cone to its outer edge, until it reaches 0%.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 355 Outer Distance, Relative Scale Between the Inner Distance and the Outer Distance the density of the visible light changes from 100% to 0%. When using spotlights, modify the scale of the Outer Distance value along each axis using the three Relative Scale text boxes. Sample Distance The Sample Distance is relevant for visible volumetric lights. Adjusting this value defines how finely the visible light’s volumetric shadow will be computed.
356 • CHAPTER 7 So why is volumetric lighting so time-consuming for the renderer? When a beam hits a light cone, it is not only the intensity of the light that needs to be computed. Additionally, for each part of the beam, CINEMA 4D needs to look for other objects within the light cone that might be casting shadows. So for every part of the beam of light, an extra raytracer ray needs to be initiated and emitted.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 357 To create a dark, dusty light, on the Visibility tab, set Brightness to a low value. In principle, you can use dust in conjunction with particles to create realistic fire and smoke. Dithering This produces irregularities in the visible light, which can help to prevent unwanted banding or contouring in the visible light source.
358 • CHAPTER 7 Use Gradient allows for much more flexible creation of color- and brightness gradients. “Use Falloff”, also in the “Visibility” tab, must be activated. NOTE: “Intensity” (“General” tab) will now also affect the brightness of the visible light! NOTE 2: If “Use Gradient” is not active, the gradient defined in the “Details” tab may not be used either. Additive Additive enabled. Additive disabled. Enable this option if you want to mix the light beam additively with other light sources.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 359 The area shadow is produced by a virtual Area light source (independently of the actual light source). The Area Shadow Width determines the size of this surface. The higher you set this value, the more the light is scattered and the softer the shadow becomes. However, as the value is increased, this adds to the render time, sometimes substantially so. Area Shadow Samples If you lower this value, the quality of the area shadow is reduced, but it is calculated more quickly.
360 • CHAPTER 7 Hard Turbulence. Wavy Turbulence. Octaves Only relevant for the Turbulence types above. The Octaves value determines the graininess of the noise. The higher the value, the grittier the appearance. Velocity Sets the speed of the irregularities. Brightness Using this you can raise the overall brightness of the irregularities. You can enter a negative percentage to reduce the brightness. Contrast Higher values increase the contrast of the noise, lower values reduce it.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 361 Visibility Scale These values determine the size of the irregularities in the X, Y and Z directions in relation to the scene’s absolute Cartesian coordinates. If the noise effect is too severe, try reducing these values. Illumination Scale Use this setting to define the size of the noise on lit objects. Lower values will result in rough noise, larger values will result in finer noise.
362 • CHAPTER 7 Glow To change the overall shape of the light’s glow, select a glow element from this menu of predefined light source glows. Default. CINEMA 4D R4. Wide-angle. Zoom. Hi-8. Camcorder. Searchlight. Artifact.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 363 Star 1. Star 2. Star 3. Purple. Flashlight. Sun 1. Sun 2. Grey. Blue 1. Blue 2. Red. Yellow-green 1. Yellow-green 2. Candle. Brightness Controls the global brightness of the glow. To increase the brightness, enter a value above 100%. To reduce the brightness, enter a value below 100%.
364 • CHAPTER 7 Aspect Ratio Modifying this value allows you to change the aspect ratio of the glow. The glow appears circular at its default size of 1. Smaller or larger values shrink or stretch the glow’s aspect to a horizontal or vertical ellipse. Edit Click the Glow Edit button to open the Glow editor. The Glow editor is described later in this chapter. Reflexes Select the desired reflexes from this menu of presets. Brightness Controls the global brightness of the reflexes.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 365 Reference Size When the Glow Distance Scale checkbox or the Reflex Distance Scale checkbox is enabled, this setting adjusts the distance value used to calculate the glow and reflex effects. The lower the value, the more distant (i.e. smaller) the effect appears. Increasing the value makes the effect appear closer. Lens reflexes normally have a constant size no matter how far away they are from the camera.
366 • CHAPTER 7 Reflex Distance Scale The same as Glow Distance Scale only for reflexes. If this option is enabled, the reflexes are scaled depending on their distance from the camera. The further away the reflexes are from the camera, the smaller they appear. Glow editor To open the Glow editor, on the Attribute manager Lens page (with a light source selected in the Object manager), click the Edit button in the Glow pane. Glows are a type of over-exposure to light.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 367 Glow properties Glow Glows consists of a stack of separately editable elements. The end result is the combination of effects from each element. Select which element you want to edit. Type Choose a type of glow type for the currently selected element. This defines the distribution of brightness for the element. Size Here you set the overall size of the glow element as a percentage of the screen’s size.
368 • CHAPTER 7 Color To set the color for the ring element, click the box to the right of Size. The color picker for your operating system will open. Pick the desired color. R This value defines the aspect ratio for the ring. A value of 1 results in a circular ring, whereas values greater or less than 1 produce a horizontal or vertical ellipse. Beam properties Beams Beams consists of a stack of separately editable elements. The end result is the combination of effects from each element.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 369 Other properties Thickness Defines the width of beams as a percentage. The lower the value, the narrower the beams will appear. Beams Defines the total number of beams. Up to 200 beams are allowed per light source. Breaks, Width You can add breaks to the beams by entering the number of breaks into the Breaks box. The breaks will be added to the gaps that already exist between beams. Use the Width parameter to control the size of the breaks.
370 • CHAPTER 7 Lens editor To open the Lens editor, in the Attribute manager, on the Lens page (with a light source selected in the Object manager), click the Edit button in the Reflexes area. Lens reflections, (termed reflexes), are caused by the focal image of poor quality lenses. The colored shape produced is an artefact of the lens surface, the shape resulting from the shape of the lens. Large apertures produce small reflections, small apertures produce larger ones.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 371 Position This value sets the positioning of the element on the screen. The axis on which all reflections lie travels through two points: the light source, and the center of the screen (which is also the center of the lens). Here the following values apply. 0% 50% 100% = light source = screen center = 2 x distance light source center Negative values place the reflections behind the light source. Size This value determines the size of the element.
372 • CHAPTER 7 Objects box Click the icons alongside any object in the Objects box to enable or disable illumination, specularity and shadows for that object. Enable the right-most icon if the object’s children should also be affected by the inclusion or exclusion. From left to right: Object icon, Illumination, Specularity, Shadows and Include Entire Hierarchy.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 373 Sun Light The sun light source is a special case of a light. It is a light source with its Type set to Distant and Shadow set to Hard (you’ll find both these parameters on the General page of the Attribute manager). Additionally, the sun light source has an expression tag that allows you to define the exact time of day, date and geographical position for the sun.
374 • CHAPTER 7 Sun tag In the Object manager, select the Sun tag to display its settings in the Attribute manager. Attribute manager settings Tag Properties Latitude Enter the latitude of the desired location, such as 51.3˚ for London, 40.4˚ for New York, 35.4˚ for Tokyo, 48.5˚ for Paris or 50.1˚ for Friedrichsdorf. Longitude Enter the longitude of the desired location. 0˚ runs through Greenwich, UK. Negative values are west of Greenwich, positive values east.
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 375 Time, Now Enter the local time for the sun light using the upper three Time boxes (from left to right: hours, minutes, seconds). Enter the date using the lower three Time boxes (from left to right: day, month, year). You can also set the date with the help of a calendar. To display the calendar, click the triangle next to the input boxes. Local summer time and other time zone corrections are ignored.
376 • CHAPTER 7 Making gels A gel (also known as a lightmap) is produced by assigning a material with a transparency map texture to a light source. The light’s colored areas are then filtered by this texture and colored in exactly the same way that a slide projector projects a still picture. For example, the striped-shadow effect of a Venetian blind can be simulated by assigning a black-and-white striped gel to a light object. You can assign as many gels as you wish to each light object.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 377 Particles Ever wanted to create shark-infested waters, an intergalactic fleet with hundreds of starships, or just some swirly cigarette smoke? CINEMA 4D’s particle system will do all of this for you, and much more, in a very easy and intuitive way. The optional Thinking Particles module enables you to create high-end, studio-quality particle effects directly within CINEMA 4D.
378 • CHAPTER 7 The particle stream can also contain mixed random particle objects (e.g. a variety of different birds). Simply drag the different objects into an emitter. These particles are then emitted in the same proportion. You can also use a metaball to achieve otherwise difficult effects, such as bubbling liquids. If the particles from an emitter are to be melded together into a metaball, the emitter must be a child of the metaball.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 379 Baking Particles Under certain conditions it may become necessary to use the Bake Particles command for particle streams. What does this mean? Under normal conditions particle streams are rendered dynamically and sequentially, i.e. the position of a particle in the next frame depends on its position in the previous one. But this can cause problems in two ways ... First of all let’s consider rendering within mixed networks.
380 • CHAPTER 7 Emitter Attribute manager settings Particle Tab Birthrate Editor Defines how many particles per second are to be created in the viewport. The particles are emitted randomly from the entire surface of the emitter. Birthrate Renderer Defines how many particles per second are to be created in the renderer. The particles are emitted randomly from the surface of the emitter. Visibility Defines how many of the particles should be visible.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 381 Seed Seed is used to create the pattern of the particle stream. If you copy an emitter, you’ll notice that both emitters generate exactly the same pattern. If you want each stream to be unique, set the Seed of each emitter to a different value. For example, a seed value of 1 will create a completely different stream than a seed value of 0. Lifetime Gives the length of time a particle will be visible.
382 • CHAPTER 7 Show Objects If this option is disabled, the particles will be displayed in the viewport as lines. The direction and length of each line indicates the direction of flight and current speed of the respective particle — the longer the line, the faster the particle. If this option is enabled, the particles will be displayed in the viewport as objects (provided you’ve made an object a child of the emitter).
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 383 Include Tab Drag the particle modifiers you want to include or exclude for a given emitter from the Object Manager into the Modifiers field of the “Include” tab. Modifiers General All particle modifiers (with the exception of Deflector and Destructor) can now assume diverse forms. In addition, it is now possible to decrease the Attractor’s strength (falloff), from the center point outwards, in conjunction with various functions over the course of defined radii.
384 • CHAPTER 7 Shape From left to right: Unlimited, Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Cone, Torus. Select the modifier’s shape here. Sweep From left to right: Torus, Sphere, Cone, Cylinder, each with different sweeps. Shapes that rotate symmetrically can be limited, e.g. a sphere with a Sweep value of 180° is a hemisphere. Radius Radius is the Torus’ ring radius. Exclusion The modifier strength only has an effect outside of the defined shape.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 385 Offset X / Y / Z This is where you move the modifier. The object’s origin remains in place. This should be used for radial forces such as the Attractor where the forces work in the direction of the object’s origin. In this way, the position of the modifier can be offset from the direction of the modifier’s strength. Dimension Y / Y / Z This is where you can vary the size of the modifier. This can also be done directly in the editor view using the Scale Tool.
386 • CHAPTER 7 The Attractor is a radially symmetrical gravitational force. With this modifier you can capture particles in a similar way that the sun captures individual planets. You can also create water whirls with this function. Outside of the range of the Attractor, the particles will move in a linear fashion. Particles inside the attractor’s bounding box are influenced by the attractor’s strength. The size of the bounding box does not influence the strength.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 387 A Deflector modifier deflects particles. A realistically animated billiard table could quite easily be created with just five deflectors (one for the surface plus four cushions). The emitter creates just one particle (a sphere for the ball) that never leaves the table, rebounding off the cushions. Beware of using fast moving particles with deflectors. Consider a simple particle moving at a high velocity of 200 units per frame.
388 • CHAPTER 7 Destructor The Destructor modifier enables you to destroy (i.e. remove) particles from the particle stream. Particles are affected by the destructor if the origin of their local axes lands within the boundaries of the destructor (the size of the particle object plays no part here). So that the destructor has a definite effect, i.e. destroys particles, it must have a minimum thickness greater than the distance covered per frame by the particles.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 389 Size The size of the Destructor modifier in the X, Y and Z directions. Friction Friction reduces the speed of the particles, even bringing them to a complete standstill. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Strength Gives the strength of the friction, which affects how quickly the particles are slowed down. The friction coefficient can also be a negative value, in which case the particles will be accelerated.
390 • CHAPTER 7 Gravity The gravitational force acts in the negative Y direction only (unlike the Attractor modifier), which is indicated in the viewport by a yellow arrow. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Acceleration Defines the strength of the acceleration due to gravity. A negative value for Acceleration produces repulsion instead of attraction.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 391 Rotation Rotation imposes a velocity vector in the XY plane of the modifier that is always tangential to a circle whose radius connects the particle and the modifier’s Z axis. This rotation occurs around. The Z-axis of the Rotation modifier. For an interesting effect, place the modifier with its Z-axis parallel to the direction of the starting point of the particles. This will create a spiral-shaped helical movement.
392 • CHAPTER 7 Turbulence The Turbulence modifier continually assigns random velocities to the individual particles. Interesting effects can be made with an elongated modifier, resulting in twisting effects such as smoke. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Strength The strength of the turbulence.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 393 Wind Wind diverts and disrupts the particle stream in a particular direction. The wind’s direction is represented in the viewport as a fan with a yellow arrow that points in the direction of the wind. The speed at which the fan rotates in the viewport gives you an indication of the wind’s speed. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Wind Speed The strength of the wind. Examples Particle animation with light sources In this example, we’ll create a comet tail.
394 • CHAPTER 7 Visibility page Outer Distance = 10 m; Relative Scale Z (i.e. the third Relative Scale box) = 200%; Additive enabled. Next, choose Objects > Particle > Emitter to create an emitter. In the Attribute manager, change the following values (again, leave the values that are not listed set to their defaults): Particle page Birthrate Editor = 100; Birthrate Renderer = 100; Speed Variation = 50%.
OBJECTS MENU • PARTICLES • 395 Start by choosing Objects > Modeling > Metaball to create a Metaball object. Now edit the settings in the Attribute manager. As with the first example, only the values that you need to change are listed — leave the other values set to their default. Object page Hull Value = 70%; Editor Subdivision = 15 m; Render Subdivision = 5 m. Next, choose Objects > Particle > Emitter to create an emitter.
396 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 397 Deformers The deformer objects deform the geometry of other objects. You can use deformers on primitive objects, NURBS objects, polygon objects and splines. The deformer will affect its parent object and the hierarchy below that parent.
398 • CHAPTER 7 By default, all deformers in CINEMA 4D are represented in the viewport by a cyan cage. The cage and its handles represents how the deformation effect will be applied to the object. You can modify the deformer’s cage in several ways. The two most common ways are by dragging its handles in the viewport or by adjusting its values in the Attribute manager. The following sections on the individual deformer objects give more detail on the relevance of this cage and how it can be adjusted.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 399 Size You can use the three input boxes to change the deformer’s X, Y and Z dimensions. Mode There are three modes for bend deformation. Limited. Within Box. Unlimited. Limited The entire object is affected. Surfaces at a height between the top and bottom of the (undeformed) cyan box are bent and the other surfaces are translated if necessary to accommodate the bend. Within Box Surfaces within the (undeformed) cyan box are bent.
400 • CHAPTER 7 Keep Y-Axis Length If this option is enabled, the object keeps its original length. Bone Modeling characters and moving their limbs and clothes realistically is one of the most challenging and rewarding tasks in 3D. One approach is to divide the character object into several objects and apply inverse kinematics. A downside to this method is that it requires you to split the mesh at the joints, which causes splits in the character’s surface.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 401 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Null If this option is enabled, the bone becomes a null bone. You can use this null bone as a parent bone — in other words, as a parent axis system. Smart Bone Enable the Smart Bone option to apply a new bone algorithm. This algorithm is compatible with other 3D software and is also much faster. Once the option is enabled, a second option, Absolute Vertex Map, becomes available.
402 • CHAPTER 7 Function The function defines how loose or tight the bend at the joints should be. The bend function between two bones in a hierarchy is determined by the function setting of the topmost bone in the hierarchy. The function setting of the child bones has no effect. The higher the power of 1/r, the greater the pull on the surrounding points, as shown in these examples: Function 1/r^2 Function 1/r^10 The bend becomes tighter in the joint region with increasing power for the radius setting.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 403 Limit Range enabled, Minimum set to 35 and Maximum set to 95. The pictures above and below show how, in view of the original horizontal position of the bone: the volume within the Minimum distance is rotated but not distorted; the volume between the Minimum and Maximum distances is rotated and distorted; the volume outside the Maximum distance is not influenced at all. Starting object; plane with bone.
404 • CHAPTER 7 Fixation You can use this page among other things to define an irregular scale for a bone, e.g. to create irregular bone radii. Proceed with caution — the sub-systems will be distorted, which can lead to unexpected results. Fixed This option is primarily a visual feedback to indicate whether the bone has already been fixed. For example, disable the option to mark all bones which have yet to be fixed. Fix Bone Fixes the selected bones.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 405 Display “Normal” bone display (left) and proxy display (right). The Display tab allows you to display bones as boxes. Show Proxy Enable this option to display the bone as a box. Start Size, End Size Define the size of the box in the X, Y and Z directions. Start Offset, End Offset These values allow you to move the start and end of the box away from the bone’s position. Laying out a bones hierarchy In this section we’ll create a hierarchy for a HyperNURBS leg.
406 • CHAPTER 7 Choose Objects > Deformation > Bone to create a Bone object. Initially, the bone points in the direction of the Z-axis. You can rotate the bone by dragging the small orange handle at the tip of the bone. Change to the side view and position and rotate the bone to fit neatly inside the thigh (see Figure 1) with the orange handle in the region of the knee. To create the second bone (for the lower leg), we’ll pull it out of the thigh bone.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 407 Now each bone is surrounded by two capsule-shaped cages in the viewport. This looks a little confusing with the cages of all three bones shown on at once — that’s because all the bones are still selected. So in the Object manager, click the name of one of the bones to select it and display only that bone’s cages. You can enlarge or scale down the cages by dragging their orange handles.
408 • CHAPTER 7 Lastly, we need to fix the bones. In the Object manager, select the thigh bone (the topmost bone) by clicking its name. On the Attribute manager’s Fixation page, click the Fix With Children button to fix the bone and its children. (You can also fix bones by choosing Objects > Fix Bones in the Object manager). The Attribute manager’s Fixed option is now enabled, indicating that the bones are fixed. The position in which the bones are fixed is their starting position.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 409 Restricting bones using polygon selections or vertex maps In the previous section we used the Limit Range option to restrict the influence of bones. Bones can also be restricted using polygon selections or vertex maps (or Claude Bonnet maps if you are using the MOCCA module); in fact you can use polygon selections and vertex maps to restrict the effect of any type of deformation object.
410 • CHAPTER 7 Now for the really important part — the allocation of the Restriction tag to each bone. We can use multiple selection to assign a tag to each of the three bones in one go. In the Object manager, hold down Shift and click the name of each bone to select all the bones. Choose File > CINEMA 4D Tags > Restriction to add a Restriction tag to each bone.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 411 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Size You can use the three input boxes to change the deformer’s X, Y and Z dimensions. Mode There are three modes for bulge deformation: Limited, Within Box and Unlimited. Limited. Within Box. Unlimited. Limited The entire object is affected. Surfaces at a height between the top and bottom of the (undeformed) cyan box are bulged and the other surfaces are translated if necessary to accommodate the bulge.
412 • CHAPTER 7 Strength This is the strength of the bulge. To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport. Curvature This value affects the curvature of the bulge. The higher its value, the more curved the bulge. Fillet If this option is enabled, the deformation is softened near the top and bottom. Explosion FX With Explosion FX, you can quickly create and animate realistic explosion effects.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 413 Explosion Strength, Decay, Variation Strength defines the force used to accelerate the clusters. The value needed for a good effect depends on the size and density of the clusters. Use Decay to set a fall-off for the Strength. 0% means no fall-off, 100% means the Strength falls to 0 by the time it reaches the edge of the blast range. Use Variation to vary the Strength for each cluster.
414 • CHAPTER 7 Blast Range, Variation Object surfaces outside the Blast Range (red frame) are not accelerated by the blast. Use Variation to vary the Blast Range value. Surfaces accelerated within the blast range can continue travelling beyond the blast range: The blast position is shown here as a white line for illustrative purposes only — usually, the blast position is shown as a green frame. Cluster Thickness, Variation Enter a Thickness value here to give exploding clusters volume.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 415 Density, Variation Here, enter a density so that the weight of each cluster can be calculated and taken into account. Use Variation to vary the density of clusters. If you want the explosion to ignore cluster weight, set Density to 0. Cluster Type, Mask, Fix Unselected, Min Polys, Max Polys The Cluster Type defines how clusters are formed from the object’s polygons. Polygons Each polygon forms a cluster.
416 • CHAPTER 7 Disappear, Kind, Start, Duration Enable the Disappear option if you want the clusters to shrink and eventually disappear during the explosion. The Kind parameter controls whether the clusters disappear after a certain time (Time) or distance (Distance). You can enter the Start and Duration as a percentage of time or as a distance in meters. Gravity Acceleration, Variation The Acceleration defines the acceleration due to gravity. By default, this is set to Earth’s value of 9.81.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 417 This (blue) frame defines the area in which gravity has an effect. However, all clusters inside the blast range (red frame) will be affected by gravity regardless. Use Variation to prevent a perfect sphere of gravity. Rotation Speed, Decay, Variation Speed defines the speed of rotation of the clusters. A negative value reverses the direction of rotation. Decay controls fall-off for the Rotation value.
418 • CHAPTER 7 Twist, Variation Use Twist to twist the clusters about the Y-axis of the exploding object. Use Variation to vary the twist for each cluster. Explosion The Explosion deformer explodes an object into its constituent polygons. The recipient object explodes from the deformer’s origin. Drag the orange handle to control the state of the explosion interactively in the viewport. The Explosion object does not support vertex maps. To animate the explosion, animate the Strength parameter.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 419 Strength This value defines the state of the explosion. 0% is the start of the explosion, 100% is the end of the explosion. To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport (at the default value of 0%, the orange handle is at the Explosion object’s origin). Speed This value defines the speed of the polygons during the explosion. Angle Speed This value defines the angle through which each polygon rotates during the entire explosion.
420 • CHAPTER 7 Cube with 5x5x5 segments. The same cube with an FFD deformation. Attribute manager settings Grid Size You can use the three input boxes to change the deformer’s X, Y and Z dimensions. Grid Points X, Y, Z You can use the X, Y and Z values to define the number of grid points in the respective directions. Formula The Formula object uses mathematical formulae to deform other objects. Drag the handles to control the size of the deformer.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 421 Plane with 40x40 segments. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Size You can use the X, Y and Z values to change the deformer’s dimensions. Effect This value defines how the formula deformation should be applied. When using an effect other than Manual, each vertex is translated in the direction of the effect by an amount equal to the result of the equation. Manual You can enter separate formulae for the X, Y and Z directions.
422 • CHAPTER 7 Cylindrical The effect starts from the deformer’s Y-axis and travels radially along its X-axis and Z-axis. X Radial The effect starts from the deformer’s origin and travels along its X-axis only. Y Radial The effect starts from the deformer’s origin and travels along its Y-axis only. Z Radial The effect starts from the deformer’s origin and travels along its Z-axis only. d(u,v,x,y,z,t) This is where you enter the formula for all effects apart from Manual.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 423 Cube with 5x5x5 segments. The same cube with a melt deformation. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Strength This defines the state of the deformation. If set to 0%, there is no melting. If set to 100%, the object is fully molten. To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport. Radius Surfaces within the Radius setting will melt more slowly than the other surfaces. If you set the Radius to 0, the object will be completely flat.
424 • CHAPTER 7 Noise Scale The higher you set this value, the more irregular the surface becomes during the melt deformation. Polygon Reduction The Polygon Reduction deformer enables you to reduce the number of polygons of any CINEMA 4D geometric object and operates in a flexible and intuitive way.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 425 Polygon Reduction manages and diminishes the number of polygons in an object but it cannot take care of the exact number of points in the object. Using Polygon Reduction To apply CINEMA 4D’s polygon reduction to an existing object, proceed as follows. Choose Objects > Deformation > Polygon Reduction to create a new object in the root of the Object manager, named Polygon Reduction. Rename this object if you wish.
426 • CHAPTER 7 Mesh Quality Factor The value assigned here affects the final result of the optimization by determining how much fold-over checking is done; a low value reduces the number of checks made while the mesh is reduced, a high value increases the number of checks. You can enter any value between 0 and 20000; use a high value if you have a complex mesh with a high reduction strength, a low value should suffice for simple meshes and/or low reduction values.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 427 If this option is disabled, a different method is used for co-planar areas. As an example, create a cube with 50 segments along each side and then use Polygon Reduction on the cube, once with Co-Planar Optimization enabled and again with it disabled. You should find that the cube reduces considerably faster with the option enabled. Boundary Curve Preservation This option attempts to preserve the original surface continuity of the object.
428 • CHAPTER 7 Further usage advice Remember that Polygon Reduction acts as a deformer i.e. you place it within your object structure in the Object manager – it will reduce the polygons of its parent object and all its children. You can use Polygon Reduction on any geometric object (HyperNURBS, Object Primitive, Array etc.).
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 429 Hints and tips Quality first Using Boundary Curve Preservation always gives good results if you want to preserve the original mesh boundaries of non-manifold objects i.e. objects that are not entirely closed. For a manifold object (sphere, capsule, cube etc.) it makes no difference if this check is on or off since the algorithm detects manifold objects automatically and deactivates boundary checks if they are on.
430 • CHAPTER 7 In some rare cases the accumulative nature of these options can lead to the prevalence of some checks over others, with the result that no perfect decision for the reduction can be made. This can be observed in some special cases when the sliver check and/or the boundary check prevails over the fold-over check and so the final mesh shows some fold-overs.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 431 Here are some results generated with Polygon Reduction: A 3D head with 6,876 triangles, reduced to 3,437 triangles . The head rendered with 6,876 triangles, 3,437 triangles and 1,715 triangles. A 3D plane with 998 triangles (front) and 20,000 triangles (rear). The same 3D planes showing the object mesh. A reduced sphere with 528 triangles (front) and the original sphere with 8,448 triangles (rear).
432 • CHAPTER 7 An example of reduction applied to a non-manifold plane object with complicated boundaries. Shatter The Shatter deformer has no cyan box. The recipient object shatters into individual polygons, which then fall to the ground. Drag the orange handle (this may be difficult to see when the Strength is set to 0) to control the state of the shatter deformation interactively in the viewport. The shattered polygons will fall parallel to the Y-axis of the deformer.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 433 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Strength Defines the state of the shatter deformation. 0% is the start of the shatter effect (no shattering), 100% is the end (pieces shattered and lying on the ground). To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport. Angle Speed Defines the angle through which each polygon rotates during the entire shatter deformation.
434 • CHAPTER 7 Cube with 5x5x5 segments. The same cube with a shear deformation. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Size You can use the three input boxes to change the deformer’s X, Y and Z dimensions. Mode There are three modes for shear deformation: Limited, Within Box and Unlimited. Limited. Within Box. Unlimited. Limited The entire object is affected.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 435 Within Box Surfaces within the (undeformed) cyan box are sheared. Surfaces outside the box remain exactly where they are (they are unaffected). Unlimited The entire object is sheared. Strength This is the strength of the shear. To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport. Angle This value defines the direction of the shear. 0° corresponds to the deformer’s local +X-axis. Curvature This value affects the curvature of the shear.
436 • CHAPTER 7 Subdivided cube before deformation. Strength set to 70%. Strength set to 100%. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Radius Defines the radius of the sphere towards which the objects are being deformed. The deformed objects will have approximately the same radius as this setting if Strength is set to 100%. The Radius is shown in the viewport as a cyan frame. Strength Defines how closely the deformed objects match the size and shape of the Spherify object.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 437 To use the Spline deformer, draw a spline on the surface of the object that you wish to deform. You can do this in a number of ways: While you draw the spline, use the snap settings to snap the spline to the polygons of the nearby object. Draw a spline, switch to the Model tool and, with the spline selected, choose Structure > Edit Spline > Project. Choose a plane for the projection of the spline (so that the spline will ‘fall’ onto the object) and click OK.
438 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Original Spline Drag and drop the name of the original spline from the Object manager into this box. The original spline should rest on the surface of the object you want to deform. Modifying Spline Drag and drop the name of the new spline from the Object manager into this box. The Spline deformer calculates the difference in distance and shape between the splines and moves the points that are near the original spline accordingly.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 439 Radius Low Radius value. High Radius value. The Radius value defines the deformation distance at right angles to the splines. Use Length Enable this option if the two splines have a different number of points. The Spline deformer then spreads out the points internally to improve the accuracy of the deformation. Full Polygons Enable Full Polygons if artefacts appear when the object is deformed. Full polygons will then be taken into account rather than points only.
440 • CHAPTER 7 Spline Rail Spline Rail deforms polygon objects using up to four splines that define the target shape. Before Spline Rail deformation (left) and after (right). Create 1, 2 or 4 splines to form the target shape. The splines must be arranged in a particular way relative to a reference object, which can be the Spline Rail object itself or any other object in the scene. You’ll learn how to arrange the splines and how to assign the reference object in the following section.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 441 The deformation is directional. The splines should start at the -Z-axis direction of the reference object and end toward the +Z axis direction of the reference object. X Spline Top, X Spline Bottom These splines should also lie on the XZ plane of the reference object and should be as parallel as possible to the X-axis. One of the splines should be above the other and the splines should point in the same direction as the reference object’s X-axis or Z-axis.
442 • CHAPTER 7 Size Defines the size of the Spline Rail object. The object being deformed must be fully inside the Spline Rail object if you want the polygons to fit the splines completely. Scale Before Start, Scale After End When Mode is set to Unlimited, the deformation also affects polygons that are outside the cyan box. Use these two parameters to control the scale of the deformation outside the box.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 443 Hold down the Ctrl key and click to create the first point in the viewport. Ctrl-click and make a second point to create a diagonal line as shown in the picture below. In the Attribute manager, disable Close Spline on the Object page. This is very important. Double click on the spline’s name in the Object manager and name it Left.
444 • CHAPTER 7 In the Object manager, double click the Left.1 spline’s name and name it Right. Choose Objects > Null Object to create a null object. In the Coordinates manager, change P to 90. This rotates the Null object so that its Z-axis now points in the same direction as the Y-axis of the cube. We will use this null’s coordinates as the reference for our Spline Rail deformer in a moment.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 445 Choose Objects > Deformation >Spline Rail to create a Spline Rail object. In the Object manager, drag and drop the name Spline Rail onto the name Cube to make the Spline Rail a child of the cube. Click the name Spline Rail to select the deformer; this displays its settings in the Attribute manager.
446 • CHAPTER 7 Select the Spline Rail and move it along its Y-axis. The cube will be deformed by the two splines as you move the deformer. Switch to the 3D view if you wish to see the effect in 3D. As with all deformers, the Spline Rail can be animated using CINEMA 4D’s animation tools. Example You can also use the Spline Rail object to make surfaces follow splines. Taper This deformer narrows or widens objects towards one end.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 447 Cube with 5x5x5 segments. The same cube with a taper deformation. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Size You can use the three input boxes to change the deformer’s X, Y and Z dimensions. Mode There are three modes for taper deformation: Limited, Within Box and Unlimited. Limited. Within Box. Unlimited. Limited The entire object is affected.
448 • CHAPTER 7 Within Box Surfaces within the (undeformed) cyan box are tapered. Surfaces outside the box remain exactly where they are (they are unaffected). Unlimited The entire object is tapered. Strength This is the strength of the taper. To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport. Curvature This value affects the curvature of the taper. The higher its value, the more curved the taper.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 449 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Size You can use the three input boxes to change the deformer’s X, Y and Z dimensions. Mode There are three modes for twist deformation: Limited, Within Box and Unlimited. Limited. Within Box. Unlimited. Limited The entire object is affected. Surfaces at a height between the top and bottom of the (undeformed) cyan box are twisted and the other surfaces are translated if necessary to accommodate the twist.
450 • CHAPTER 7 Angle This value is the angle through which the recipient object is twisted. To change this value interactively, drag the orange handle in the viewport. Wind This deformer generates waves on an object. The wind blows in the deformer’s positive X direction. The wind deformer is animated automatically (click the animation toolbar’s Play button). Drag the orange handle on the Z-axis to change the amplitude of the waves interactively in the viewport.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 451 Amplitude This value scales the wave function in the Z direction, and the turbulence function in the Y direction. To change the value interactively, drag the orange handle on the Z-axis. Size This value scales the deformer in the X-axis and Y-axis. Increasing this value will have the effect of increasing the frequency of the waves. If the Flag option is checked, Size will also cause a more abrupt change in the size of the X-axis envelope.
452 • CHAPTER 7 If you have attached a flag to a rope, place the wind deformer in an object group with the rope and the flag. Then, both the rope and flag will move in the wind. Wrap In the viewport, you’ll see that the wrap deformer has a flat surface and a curved surface. The curved surface represents the part of the sphere or cylinder around which the recipient object will be wrapped. The straight surface represents the total area that can be wrapped around the curved surface.
OBJECTS MENU • DEFORMERS • 453 Wrap Cylindrical wrap. Spherical wrap. Determines whether the recipient is wrapped around a sphere or a cylinder. Longitude Start, Longitude End These angles define the horizontal span of the curved surface. If Start is set to 180° and End to 360°, the curved surface forms half of the cylinder or sphere in the horizontal direction. Latitude Start, Latitude End These angles define the vertical span of the spherical surface.
454 • CHAPTER 7 Tension This setting enables you to define the strength of the wrap effect. You can set values from 0% to 100%. You can animate the Tension to animate the wrap deformation. To wrap the object completely, set Tension for the first key to 0% and Tension for the second key to 100%. To reverse the wrap effect, swap the keys around.
OBJECTS MENU • MANAGING YOUR ENVIRONMENT • 457 Managing Your Environment Floor Object This command creates a Floor object. The floor always lies in the XZ plane of the world coordinate system, stretching to infinity in all directions (when you render). You may create as many floors as you need and use them all at the same time in CINEMA 4D. You could, for example, use multiple floors as pseudo skies on to which you can add cloud layers of differing transparency.
458 • CHAPTER 7 If you want to apply a texture (e.g. the 2D cloud shader) to the sky, you should use Spherical or Cubic projection. If the clouds appear too large, increase the repetition of the texture’s tiling and ensure Seamless is enabled. Do the clouds seem a little artificial? The possible reason for this is that the clouds have the same tiling in both the X and the Y direction.
OBJECTS MENU • MANAGING YOUR ENVIRONMENT • 459 You can use the Environment object with volumetric shaders. Plugins or the optional PyroCluster module can be used in this way to create effects such as smoke and fog. Simply apply the shader to the Environment object as a texture. Attribute manager settings Object Properties Environment Color Environment color can be useful for increasing the color contrast — for example, you can use it to introduce complementary colors into the scene.
460 • CHAPTER 7 Distance Environment fog fills the entire screen, stretching to infinity. Distance refers to the fog’s intensity by specifying the distance over which a light beam will lose its intensity completely. As the light loses intensity, the fog color is added.
OBJECTS MENU • MANAGING YOUR ENVIRONMENT • 461 The background picture might be a landscape, into which your scene will fit. For this you assign a material, with the required texture in its color channel, to the Background object. These images will be neither reflected by your scene’s reflective objects nor lit in any way by the scene. Nor will they change with any change of camera settings.
462 • CHAPTER 7 Stage Object The Stage object behaves like a movie director. It determines when a camera, an environment, a background and so on are used within an animation. For example, you can create many different cameras in your scene and use the Stage object to decide when to cut to a particular camera. You can also use the Stage object to switch between Sky, Foreground, Background, and Environment objects. You can animate the Stage object to change which objects are used over time.
OBJECTS MENU • MANAGING YOUR ENVIRONMENT • 463 Camera, Sky, Foreground, Background, Environment To assign an object to the Stage object, drag and drop a Camera, Sky, Foreground, Background or Environment object from the Object manager into the appropriate box. Selection Object When recording keys in autokeying mode, you can restrict the recording to specific objects by using a Selection object. Then, only those objects that are assigned to the Selection object can be animated.
464 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • SOUND • 465 Sound CINEMA 4D provides sound rendering within your scenes. Two different options are available: 2D Sound Rendering and 3D Sound Rendering. With 2D sound rendering you use the Timeline like a multi-track audio mixer (as in many video editing programs). You can create any number of sound tracks, assign WAV files to them and adjust the timing, the volume and the balance, depending upon your requirements. This procedure is suitable for synchronization (e.g.
466 • CHAPTER 7 Attribute manager settings Object Properties Show Cone And Falloff The cone defines the falloff range of the loudspeaker. With this option you can decide whether, in the viewport, the effective range (cone and falloff range) of the loudspeaker as well as the associated handles are displayed. This option is enabled by default. Disable the option to avoid cluttering up complex scenes.
OBJECTS MENU • SOUND • 467 With Inner Cone enabled, you can define an inner falloff angle (Inner Angle). Within a cone which has this angle as its vertex, the emitted sound has maximum volume; it then gently quietens, until it reaches the surface of the cone defined by the outer angle, where the volume is zero. The permissible values for the inner angle lie between 0° and 180°, but cannot exceed the value for the outer angle.
468 • CHAPTER 7 Mono Microphone This command creates a mono Microphone object. Microphones are used for the recording of emitted sound information. In order to create 3D sound data, you must use at least one Microphone object. The parameters of the Microphone object resemble those of the loudspeaker object. So you can define a conical effective range and regulate the falloff (and the sensitivity).
OBJECTS MENU • SOUND • 469 Show Cone And Falloff The cone defines the microphone’s pickup area. With this option you can define whether, in the viewport, the effective range (cone and falloff range) of the microphone, as well as its handles, are displayed. The option is enabled by default. Disable the option to avoid clutter in complex scenes. Outer Cone, Outer Angle Enable Outer Cone to limit the pickup area of the microphone within the cone defined by the Outer Angle.
470 • CHAPTER 7 Falloff, Inner Distance, Outer Distance The type of falloff is only effective between Inner Distance and Outer Distance. The optional falloff values of the microphone define the range of the pickup area. Additionally a type of falloff can be selected. Inner Distance and Outer Distance define the start and end of the falloff. The falloff controls how the sensitivity of the pickup is to decrease over distance. This shows the various types of microphone falloff, graphically.
OBJECTS MENU • SOUND • 471 Inverse Cubic Creates an extremely gentle falloff, which reaches maximum pickup sensitivity only briefly before Inner Distance. Stereo Microphone Use this to create a stereo microphone. Sound information for the left and right sound channels can be rendered automatically.
472 • CHAPTER 7 Stereo This ‘stereo’ microphone is not an object in the conventional sense, but a predefined group of objects containing two mono microphones. This function creates a group of objects that contains two conventional, spatially shifted mono microphones. Microphone_L (for the left stereo channel). Microphone_R (for the right stereo channel). You can make individual adjustments to the characteristics of both microphones (see ‘Mono Microphone’ earlier in this chapter). DTS 5.1 DTS 5.
OBJECTS MENU • SOUND • 473 The WAV files created with subsequent 3D sound rendering can be mixed later in an external sound program for the generation of surround sound data in the DTS 5.1 format. You can define individual values for the pickup characteristic etc. of all microphones (see ‘Mono Microphone’ earlier in this chapter). DDS EX 6.1 DDS EX 6.1 is a modern method from Lucasfilm TXH and Dolby Laboratories Inc.
474 • CHAPTER 7 The WAV files created with subsequent 3D sound rendering can be mixed later in an external sound program for the generation of surround sound data in the DDS EX 6.1 format. You can define individual values for the pickup characteristic etc. of all microphones (see ‘Mono Microphone’ earlier in this chapter). SDDS 7.1 SDDS 7.1 works, in principle, like Dolby Digital 5.1. Additionally, however, the number of center channels is increased from 1 to 3.
OBJECTS MENU • SOUND • 475 The WAV files created with subsequent 3D sound rendering can be mixed later in an external sound program for the generation of surround sound data in the SDDS 7.1 format. You can define individual values for the pickup characteristic etc. of all microphones (see ‘Mono Microphone’ earlier in this chapter).
OBJECTS MENU • OBJECT LIBRARY • 477 Object Library On the Objects > Object Library submenu you’ll find a useful collection of pre-built models, including some outstanding human characters made with CINEMA 4D’s HyperNURBS tool. Adding models to the object library You can add your own models to the Object Library menu. This gives you a quick way to add frequently used objects to your scenes.
8 Tools Menu
TOOLS MENU • 481 8. Tools Menu Move This tool lets you place the selected object or element anywhere in a viewport, subject to other options like snap, whether certain axes are locked, etc. When moving objects, CINEMA 4D distinguishes between the world coordinate system and the local object coordinate system. This distinction is especially noticeable when movement takes place in different axial systems and only the X-axis is activated, say.
482 • CHAPTER 8 To constrain movement to one axis only, drag the arrowhead at the end of the desired axis. This saves you from having to lock axes manually. You can also lock the movement to an axis by double-clicking the arrowhead for that axis, which will then turn yellow. You can then drag from any position in the viewport to move the object along the locked axis (you no longer need to drag the arrowhead itself). To change which axis is locked, click one of the other axis arrowheads.
TOOLS MENU • 483 Attribute manager settings Modeling Axis The modeling axis is designed to be used during the modeling stage. It works with polygon objects in the point, edge and polygon modes. The Modeling Axis tab is described here and is available for each of the following tools: Move, Scale, Rotate, Live Selection, Rectangle Selection, Freehand Selection and Polygon Selection.
484 • CHAPTER 8 Selected The center of the selected elements. This is the mode that was used prior to CINEMA 4D R9. Root The origin of the object that is at the root of the hierarchy. Parent The origin of the object’s immediate parent. Bounds The center of an invislbe bounding box that just fits the selected objects. You can offset the position of the modeling axis away from the bounding box center using the X, Y and Z sliders.
TOOLS MENU • 485 World, Object, Root, Parent The world axes, the object’s axes, the axes of the object that is at the root of the hierarchy, and the axes of the object’s immediate parent respectively. Normal The average direction of the normals of the selected polygons (the modeling axis points with its Zaxis). Camera The camera. Retain Changes If this option is enabled, the modeling axis will temporarily retain its position after being moved or rotated.
486 • CHAPTER 8 Snap Settings Look up ‘snap settings’ in the index. Scale When scaling objects, note that you can either use the Model tool or the Object tool. Use the Model tool when you are modeling scale and the Object tool when you are animating scale. For more details, look up ‘Object tool’ and ‘Model tool’ in the index. With this tool you can re-size the selected objects or elements.
TOOLS MENU • 487 The default size of the Y-axis in the object system is 1.0. For example, if you re-size the X-axis from 1.0 to 2.0, the object doubles in size along the X-axis. This results in a distortion of the object system, making precise construction more difficult since all local positions are now also distorted and no longer correspond to the length units of the world system. Therefore we recommend that you do not scale using the Object tool during the modeling process. Use the Model tool instead.
488 • CHAPTER 8 Rotate This tool rotates the selected objects or elements when you drag the mouse from an empty space within the viewport. When rotating objects, CINEMA 4D distinguishes between the world coordinate system and the local object coordinate system and you can choose to rotate in either system. As long as the object lies parallel to the axes of the world coordinate system you will not notice a difference when you rotate in either system.
TOOLS MENU • 489 The best way to understand the tumbling issue is to see it in action. The goal here is to tilt a cube and then animate the cube rotating about its Y-axis. It’s not as easy as it sounds! Choose File > New to start a new scene. Choose Objects > Primitive > Cube to create a cube. In the Coordinate manager, under Rotation, set B (bank) to 30° and click Apply to apply the angle to the cube.
490 • CHAPTER 8 Attribute manager settings Modeling Axis Look up ‘modexling axis’ in the index. Snap Settings Look up ‘snap settings’ in the index. Move, Scale and Rotate with mouse and keyboard Moving, scaling and rotating with the mouse To move, scale or rotate the selected objects without their children, hold down Ctrl while you drag. You can use the mouse for moving, scaling and rotating. A left/right drag manipulates the X-axis while a back-and-forth drag controls the Y-axis.
TOOLS MENU • 491 Result Action Move camera left/right/up/down 1 + drag Move camera forwards/backwards 2 + drag Zoom camera (changes focal length) 2 + right-drag (Windows) or 2 + Cmd-drag (Mac OS) Rotate camera (X and Y axes) 3 + drag Rotate camera (Z-axis) 3 + right-drag (Windows) or 3 + Cmd-drag (Mac OS) Move selected objects 4 + drag Scale selected objects (for animating) 5 + drag Rotate selected objects 6 + drag Scale selected objects (for modeling) 7 + drag
492 • CHAPTER 8 Auto Switch Mode This mode is designed for use with the Live Selection tool. Move the mouse pointer over a selected object’s elements (points, edges or polygons). When the mouse pointer is over an element, the element will highlight yellow. When you click the mouse, the mode will automatically switch to point, edge or polygon mode depending on whether the yellow highlighted element in a point, edge or polygon. Keep the mouse button held down if you want to select further elements.
TOOLS MENU • 493 3. Move the mouse pointer over the element that you want to tweak. When the element highlights yellow, drag the mouse to apply the tool to the element. You can tweak any type of object element — be it a point, edge or polygon — regardless of whether you are working in point, edge or polygon mode. A selection is not required, since Tweak mode is designed to tweak individual elements. Some of the modeling tools do not work in Tweak mode.
494 • CHAPTER 8 Although at first it may seem like you’re selecting parts of the smoothed object, it is in fact the cage elements that will be scaled, extruded and so on. Some tools such as Close Polygon Hole do not support this model. These tools will temporarily switch over to the conventional mode. The Use Isoline Editing mode will become active again as soon as you switch over to a tool that supports the mode.
TOOLS MENU • 495 Moving the camera To move the camera, select the Move tool and drag from an empty space within the viewport. To move the camera backwards or forwards, right-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) left and right. When moving objects you can choose which axis system you wish to use. Normally, this will have no effect, since the X, Y and Z symbols are all selected. However, if you switch certain axes on or off, you will observe that certain actions will show different results.
496 • CHAPTER 8 Object Select this tool when you want to move, scale or rotate an object during the animating stage only. If you want to move, scale or rotate during the modeling stage, use the Model tool instead. To move, scale or rotate the selected object, select the Move, Scale or Rotate tool from the Tools menu (or click the appropriate icon on the left toolbar) and drag from an empty space within the viewport.
TOOLS MENU • 497 If you are editing a Bezier spline and you select a point, the associated tangent will be displayed. You can edit the tangent’s ends by dragging them with the mouse. Holding down the Shift key allows you to edit them independently of each other. You can also edit a point by double-clicking on it. A dialog opens that allows you to enter a new position for the point. If you are using a Bezier spline, you can also edit the tangent values here.
498 • CHAPTER 8 To delete the selected polygons, use either the Delete command from the Edit menu or press the Del key or Backspace key. Object Axis Use the Object axis tool if you want to set move and rotation points for Inverse Kinematics or to align objects created with Duplicate or to create a Lathe NURBS object with a spline contour. The Object Axis tool enables you to modify the axes of the selected object without affecting the object’s points or polygons.
TOOLS MENU • 499 Model Select this tool when you want to move, scale or rotate an object during the modeling stage. To move, scale or rotate the selected object, select the Move, Scale or Rotate tool from the Tools menu (or click the appropriate icon on the left toolbar) and drag from an empty space within the viewport. You can also move, scale or rotate by entering new values for these parameters in the Coordinate manager or the Attribute manager.
500 • CHAPTER 8 Example Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Consider a scene with two objects, a (polygon) sphere and a cube (Figure 1). The cube is a child (subobject) of the sphere. The axial length of both objects is 1/1/1 (the default). Now choose Tools > Object to select the Object tool. Select the Sphere. In the Coordinate manager’s Size column, set the drop-down list to Scale and set X (Scale) to 2. As we would expect, both the sphere and cube become distorted, as illustrated in Figure 2.
TOOLS MENU • 501 Texture You can edit one texture at a time only. If multiple Texture tags are selected, the grid lines will not appear and cannot be edited. This enables you to edit the active texture. As soon as you choose this tool the texture of the object is shown and cyan grid lines appear. The mapping (i.e. the type of projection) is taken into account. The grid lines are drawn according to the type of projection chosen, e.g. spherical mapping is shown with a spherical cyan grid.
502 • CHAPTER 8 Figure 1. Figure 2. Inverse Kinematics Ensure that only one object is selected before using the Inverse Kinematics tool. If multiple objects are selected, the IK tool will be unable to move them. This tool enables you to move hierarchical objects interactively using inverse kinematics (IK). For example, you can grab the hand of an arm and move it to the required position. The arm will follow automatically, obeying any rotation restrictions you have applied to the joints.
TOOLS MENU • 503 CINEMA 4D’s Figure object is superb for learning IK. To see its Anchor and Kinematic tags, make the figure editable (Functions > Make Editable). CINEMA 4D’s Figure object is mainly included in CINEMA 4D to help you learn how to set up an IK figure. To create the Figure object, choose Objects > Primitive > Figure. Next, select Functions > Make Editable — this converts the figure into polygons with separate limbs, an existing hierarchy and all the tags you need to get started.
504 • CHAPTER 8 Multi-target kinematics With CINEMA 4D’s multi-target kinematics (MTK), you can use multiple targets for the same IK chain. For example, for a leg you might define targets for the knee, ankle and toe, as shown below. Multiple targets give you greater control. Kinematic tag. IK tag. The small crosses are the target objects for the IK limbs. These three target objects give you exact control over the IK chain. Let’s take a closer look at the IK chain (above right).
TOOLS MENU • 505 Knee Target belongs to the IK limb Lower Leg. This means the object axis of Lower Leg always tries to reach the position of Knee Target. It succeeds only as far as the IK constraints make it possible. So don’t over-exert the knee by putting Knee Target too far out of reach. For a smooth movement it is best to have the target objects within reach of the IK limbs. Joint is assigned the target object Joint Target. It enables you to control the position of the ankle.
506 • CHAPTER 8 The Axes Using these options, you can restrict movement, scaling or rotation to specific axes. For example, to allow movement along the Y-axis only, enable Y-axis and disable X-axis and Z-axis. Now, when you drag with the Move tool selected, the movement will be along the Y-axis only. Use the Coordinate System setting, also on the Tools menu, to choose whether the angles refer to the world coordinate system or the object coordinate system.
TOOLS MENU • 507 You may have come across the terms heading, pitch and bank in connection with aircraft. An aeroplane rotates left or right to change its heading; up or down to changes its pitch; and rolls to change its bank. When you are changing angles you may find it helpful to think of an aeroplane. Unlike HPB, XYZ rotations are non-commutative. In other words, the order in which you rotate the axes matters.
508 • CHAPTER 8 Consider this example Take an object whose angle system is initially 0/0/0. First make a rotation of 30° around heading, so that the X and Z axes of the object system are now rotated compared to the X and Z axes of the world system. Call these new axes X’ and Z’ (Y’ is identical to Y). A pitch of 20° now causes the object system to be rotated upward around the object system’s X’ axis. Z’ becomes Z’’ and Y’ becomes Y’’ (now X’ and X’’ are identical).
TOOLS MENU • 509 And finally... If this part of the chapter has seemed complicated, you’re right — it is! Angle systems are not easy to understand. However, CINEMA 4D is one of the few programs to fully integrate both object hierarchies and local coordinates. Other programs tend to compromise on functionality; either they do not have real object hierarchies, or they have a separate modeler and animator with limited integration, or they have difficulty in creating complex, hierarchical animation.
9 Selection Menu
SELECTION MENU • 513 9. Selection Menu Selection Filter To enable one option and disable all others, hold down Ctrl and, from the menu, choose the option you want to enable. Use this menu to choose which types of object can be selected in the viewport (by default, all object types are selectable). Enable an option to enable selection for that object type, or disable the option to prevent selection. You can still select objects in the Object manager even if their object types are disabled.
514 • CHAPTER 9 Object tab Enable the options for the types of objects you want to select. For example, to select all nulls and all bones (but no other types of object), enable Null and Bone and ensure the other options are disabled. Types of object not present in the scene will be ghosted. Suppose you have ten lights in your scene set to the same brightness and arranged around a car. You want to adjust the brightness because the render is too bright.
SELECTION MENU • 515 Tags tab Enable the options for the types of tags you want to select. Types of tag not present in the scene will be ghosted. Restrict to Active Objects Enable this option if you want to select like tags of the selected objects only, rather than all like tags in the scene. For example, suppose you have ten characters in the scene, each with many Texture tags, and you want to select the Texture tags of Bob and Lisa only. In the Object manager, or in the viewport, select Bob and Lisa.
516 • CHAPTER 9 Live Selection. Rectangle Selection. Lasso Selection. Polygon Selection. This group of selection tools — Live, Rectangle, Freehand and Polygon Selection — enables you to select points, edges and polygons in various ways. CINEMA 4D remembers the selection for each selection tool. When you return to a selection tool, that tool’s previous selection is re-selected. You can use the selection tools with polygon objects, splines and with some deformation objects such as the FFD object.
SELECTION MENU • 517 Polygon Selection This selection tool enables you to draw an n-sided shape to frame the elements that you want to select. The first click defines the starting point of the n-side and subsequent clicks define the n-side’s corners. To complete the n-side, click the starting point or right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS). Attribute manager settings Options Radius (Live Selection) This determines the radius of the Live Selection brush.
518 • CHAPTER 9 Another way to prevent polygons at the back from being selected is to switch on backface culling, which hides these polygons from the viewport. In addition, you can also hide polygons to prevent them from being selected using the Hide Selected and Hide Unselected commands from the Selection menu. Lastly, set an object’s top visibility dot to red to hide that object and to prevent its elements from being selected.
SELECTION MENU • 519 A new vertex map will be created when you paint unless an existing vertex map is selected in the Object manager. Therefore if you want to paint an existing vertex map, select this map in the Object manager before you paint the vertices with the Live Selection tool. If you own a graphics tablet, you can make the radius and strength dependent on the pen pressure by enabling the Pressure Dependent Radius and Pressure Dependent Strength options.
520 • CHAPTER 9 Falloff Here you can control how the effect falls off. You can choose from the same modes that are available for the Magnet tool, as well as a new type — Vertex Map — that uses a vertex map to define the falloff. Mode In clockwise direction starting from top left: the selected surfaces, Group mode, All mode, Center mode. The Mode defines where the radius starts. Choose from the following: Group: The radius starts from the center of each selected element group.
SELECTION MENU • 521 Modeling Axis Look up ‘modeling axis’ in the index. HyperNURBS Weights (Live Selection) Look up ‘HyperNURBS, weighting’ in the index. Loop Selection You can select loops in all three modes (point, edge and polygon) using this selection tool. What are loops? Loops are elements (points, edges or polygons) that are connected together in the shape of a loop.
522 • CHAPTER 9 Attribute manager settings Options Stop At Boundary Edges The option only makes sense in point mode or edge mode. If the option is enabled, the loop will stop at boundary edges, This results in an open point loop or edge loop. If the option is disabled, the algorithm will try to highlight a closed loop by ‘bending’ the loop around a boundary edge. Stop At Boundary Edges enabled (left) and disabled (center); Select Boundary Loop enabled (right).
SELECTION MENU • 523 From top to bottom: Ring Selection in polygon, edge and point mode. Outline Selection In polygon mode, this tool selects the edges that outline the selected polygons. Move the mouse pointer over the polygon selection. When the edges that outline the selection highlight yellow, click to select the edges — edge mode will be activated automatically. This tool selects the edges that outline the selected polygons.
524 • CHAPTER 9 Fill Selection In edge mode, Fill Selection creates a polygon selection from an existing edge selection (preferably closed). Move the mouse pointer over the edge selection. When the polygons for the selection highlight yellow, click to select those polygons — polygon mode will be activated automatically. Creating a polygon selection from a closed edge selection using Fill Selection.
SELECTION MENU • 525 If the Points tool is selected, the point selection is converted to a polygon selection. If the Edges tool is selected, the edge selection is converted to a polygon selection. If the Tolerant option is enabled, all neighboring elements are selected. Suppose you’ve selected a point on a Cube and you want to convert this to a polygon selection. If Tolerant is enabled, all polygons that use the point will be selected. If Tolerant is disabled, no polygons will be selected.
526 • CHAPTER 9 In this case, select at least one point, edge or polygon of the required segment and choose Select Connected. All points, edges or polygons connected to the selected element will then be selected as well. If you are in polygon mode, only connected polygons are selected; in edge mode only connected edges are selected; in point mode only connected points are selected. Grow Selection The initial selection. Adjacent polygons are now also selected.
SELECTION MENU • 527 This command shrinks the selection by deselecting all points, edges or polygons (depending on which mode you are in) at the edge of the selection. If the polygon is closed (for example, a sphere) and you select all polygons, you cannot shrink the selection since it has no edge. Hide Selected Hides the currently selected elements (points, edges or polygons). If you hide selected polygons, their points are hidden also.
528 • CHAPTER 9 To set or ‘freeze’ a selection: Select the elements (points, edges or polygons) that you want to freeze. If you want the selection to replace an existing frozen selection, select the frozen selection’s tag in the Object manager. Otherwise, ensure that no selection tags are selected. Choose Selection > Set Selection. Although you can freeze more than 10 selections per object, many commands operate on the first 10 only.
SELECTION MENU • 529 Hide Points/Edges/Polygons All elements of the frozen selection are hidden. Unhide Points/Edges/Polygons All hidden elements become visible. Set Vertex Weight This command is especially useful when working with deformation objects. You can use it to restrict a deformation object’s influence with precision. For example, you can use it so that a twist deformer twists the head of a figure only, not the entire body.
530 • CHAPTER 9 Mode Set means the weight in the Value box is assigned to the points. Brighten will cause the weight in the Value box to be added to the points. Darken will subtract the weight in the Value box from the points. To blend out the influence of a deformation object smoothly, create a ramp from yellow to red. The following picture shows such a ramp: the first row of points is set to 100%, the second to 50% and the third to 0%. There is a smooth transition from yellow to red.
10 Structure Menu
STRUCTURE MENU • 535 10. Structure Menu The Structure menu has various tools that allow you to adjust the structure of polygon objects and spline objects. Most of these tools are available in the point, edge and polygon modes. Any objects that you want to use with these tools must be editable. You can make objects editable by selecting them and choosing Functions > Make Editable. Usually, the Structure tools affect the selected points, edges or polygons only.
536 • CHAPTER 10 Attribute manager settings Each structure tool has up to three tabs of settings that you can adjust in the Attribute manager: Options, Tool and Snap Settings. The settings on the Options tab are different for each tool and are described later in this chapter, in the descriptions for each structure tool. The Tool tab settings are the same for each tool, as are the Snap Settings. The Tool tab and Snap Settings tab are described below.
STRUCTURE MENU • 537 Snap Settings Snapping works when moving elements but not when scaling or rotating them. Snapping gives you a quick way to accurately place objects in the scene. With snapping enabled, you can snap elements to other elements, e.g. one point can snap to another point, or a spline point can snap to the axis origin of another object.
538 • CHAPTER 10 Construction Plane This option is not linked to the Enable Snapping setting. This option allows you to enable and disable the use of a construction plane. Using a construction plane, you can constrain the creation of points and splines to a plane of your choosing. To create a construction plane, choose Objects > Modeling > Construction Plane. If no construction plane is present, the world grid (if enabled) is considered to be a construction plane.
STRUCTURE MENU • 539 Snap 2D Designed for use in the 2D viewports. In Snap 2D mode, the source point is snapped only if it is at same depth as the target point and within range of the target. In this case, depth is dependent on your selected viewport as follows: in the frontal viewport, the Z values of the elements must be equal; in the side viewport, the X values must be equal; and in the plan viewport, the Y values must be equal.
540 • CHAPTER 10 Point If this option is enabled, the source is snapped to the points of the active or other objects. All visible, polygonal objects and splines in the scene are considered. Because primitives have no points, they cannot be considered as snap targets for this option. Edge Points have higher snapping priorities than edges. With this option enabled, the source is snapped to polygon edges. All visible, polygonal objects in the scene are considered.
STRUCTURE MENU • 541 Spline With this option enabled, the source will snap to any part of a visible spline curve. Spline Grid If you enable this option, you can effectively use an existing spline as a snap grid and snap to the n th part of the spline, where n th part means the total length of the spline divided equally into n elements. You choose this value in the ‘Subdiv.’ box.
542 • CHAPTER 10 Scale If this option is enabled, the relative scaling factor changes only by the value entered here when scaling objects, point quantities, surfaces and so on. Rotate When this option is enabled, the chosen element can be rotated only in steps, as set here. Thus a value of 10° allows a rotation of the element in steps of 10°, 20°, 30° and so on. Texture This is a percentage that, when enabled, gives the increment by which you can move and scale textures.
STRUCTURE MENU • 543 Soft Interpolation This command is not available for B-Splines. Before. After. This command switches all selected points to soft interpolation. If no points are selected, all points of the splines are changed automatically to soft interpolation. Soft interpolation means that the tangents of the appropriate points are set to a standard length and direction. Equal Tangent Length This command can be applied to Bezier Splines only.
544 • CHAPTER 10 Before. After. While editing splines, by dragging with the Shift key held down, a tangent handle can be moved independently of its partner handle, forming a sharp corner at that point along the spline’s curve. If you change your mind later on and want to restore smoothness, you can do so using this command.
STRUCTURE MENU • 545 With this command, you can create a new spline segment. Select one of the points that you want to separate. After using Break Segment, you will have a new segment and all points on either side of the separated segment will become a new segment. If the selected points are not consecutive, a number of spline segments will be created, one for each of any consecutive points and one from the remaining points.
546 • CHAPTER 10 Move Down Sequence, Move Up Sequence These commands can also be applied to the polygons of a polygon object. As explained in the polygon coordinate system section, the Matrix Extrude tool uses this coordinate system for alignment and this depends on the order of the points of a polygon. You can change this order with Move Down Sequence or Move Up Sequence. These commands change the order of the points.
STRUCTURE MENU • 547 Radius defines the radius of the chamfer. If Flat is enabled, the chamfering is linear. Create Outline For best results, use a Linear or Bezier spline. Before. After. This tool also works interactively. Select the tool and drag left or right within the viewport to create an outline around the original spline. The entire spline is outlined. For best results, the spline’s points should be planar.
548 • CHAPTER 10 Cross Section The splines must be selected in the Object manager. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. With this interactive tool, you can create cross sections for a group of splines; we’ll refer to these as ‘rail splines’. Cross sections are always created at right angles to the current view. You should therefore select a view in which you can see the rail splines directly from the side. Figure 1 shows some splines before any cross sections have been created.
STRUCTURE MENU • 549 Attribute manager settings Constrain Angle Perhaps you would like to be able to draw the cross sections only in certain directions, rather than free-form. To snap the cross-section to particular directions as you draw it, define a Constrain Angle and hold down the Shift key while you drag. The value you enter in Constrain Angle is used to define the direction of the cross section, starting east (to the right) in the current view and working anti-clockwise.
550 • CHAPTER 10 Preserve Groups If this option is enabled, the elements are disconnected from the object in one piece (provided they were connected to begin with). If the option is disabled, the elements are separated from one other as well as from the object. Edge To Spline This command creates a spline from an edge selection. A spline (right) is created from the selected edges (left). Line Up For best results, use a Linear or Bezier spline. Before. After.
STRUCTURE MENU • 551 Using this command, you can project splines onto object surfaces. Consider a simple helix and a sphere. You can project the helix onto the sphere’s surface then, with a Sweep NURBS object, create a half-peeled orange skin. Project automatically converts procedural splines to editable splines. Please note that this step is not reversible (although you can, of course, use the Undo function). Each point of a spline is individually projected. If a point cannot be projected (e.g.
552 • CHAPTER 10 View Projects the points according to the current view in the viewport. If several projection possibilities exist for one point with this projection, the surface that lies the furthest away in front of the camera is selected. Above you can see the projection of spline text on to a plane with the projection viewed from another camera. XY, ZY, XZ Plane The spline is projected according to the selected plane (the points are moved perpendicular to the plane, onto the object).
STRUCTURE MENU • 553 Split If you want to delete the separated part from the original object, you can choose Delete directly after Split since the selection is still active (this works only if you are in polygon mode). The Split function differs very slightly from the Disconnect function; the difference is that, when using Split, the disconnected surfaces leave a separate object behind. The original object is not changed. This tool can also be applied to splines.
554 • CHAPTER 10 Modes Polygon mode In polygon mode, new edges will be created in order to connect the point to its neighbors. When you add a point to an n-gon, the n-gon will be broken down into triangles to provide you with greater control over the mesh. Edge mode In edge mode, the edge will be broken into two edges in the place where you’ve added the point in order to connect the point to its neighbors. When you add a point to a quadrangle, the quadrangle automatically becomes an n-gon.
STRUCTURE MENU • 555 Edge Position After you’ve added a point to an edge, this parameter allows you to adjust the point’s position along the edge. Position World Gives the position of the point in world coordinates while you are adding the point. Adding points to splines The Add Point tool also works with splines. Proceed as follows: Select Objects > Spline Object. This creates an empty spline object with a preset Bezier interpolation.
556 • CHAPTER 10 Point mode, edge mode, polygon mode and the results (bottom). Modes Point mode In point mode, you can create polygons by defining new polygon edges. To define a new polygon edge between two points, drag and drop from one point to the other. A yellow preview will appear to indicate where the new polygon will be created. See also ‘Using Bridge in point mode’. Edge mode In edge mode, you can create a new polygon between two edges by dragging and dropping from one edge to the other.
STRUCTURE MENU • 557 Choose Structure > Bridge to select the Bridge tool. Drag from a corner of a selected polygon to the opposite corner on the other side (Figure 2). The original surfaces are connected together by four new surfaces. The original surfaces are deleted automatically, as necessary. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Bridge can also connect groups that have a different number of selected polygons, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4. Figure 5.
558 • CHAPTER 10 Choose Structure > Bridge to activate the Bridge tool. In the viewport, drag from the left point of the top row to the left point of the bottom row (Figure 7) and release the mouse button (a yellow line will appear between the two points while you drag). Now drag from the middle point of the top row point to the middle point of the bottom row and release the mouse button. The polygon is created (Figure 8).
STRUCTURE MENU • 559 The Brush tool works in all three modes (point, edge and polygon). When the Brush tool is selected, you’ll see a yellow sphere appear in the view. All of the object points that are inside this sphere will be affected by the tool. In most of the brush modes, the object point closest to the sphere’s center will be highlighted yellow. The yellow point will act as the center point of the brush effect.
560 • CHAPTER 10 Attribute manager settings Surface If this option is enabled, the brush will affect a surface-oriented area instead of the entire 3D space inside the yellow sphere. This is especially useful when modeling fine details. Falloff The falloff functions for the brush are the same as those for the Magnet tool. For information on these modes, look up ‘Magnet tool’ in the index. Strength This defines the strength of the brush effect. To invert the effect, hold down Ctrl while you paint.
STRUCTURE MENU • 561 The following brush modes apply to vertex map painting and editing (select the desired vertex map, otherwise a new one will be created). Paint: Paint the vertex map weighting. Blur: Blurs the weighting. Useful for smoothing out and preventing abrupt changes in the weights. Original vertex map (left) and the vertex map after being edited in Blur mode (right). Bleed: Takes the weighting from the center of the brush and spreads this value over the Radius.
562 • CHAPTER 10 Close Polygon Hole Closing a polygon hole. Poor old Meg from the Objects > Object Library menu has stumbled over a loose bit of carpeting and hit the floor with a thud. And now there’s a gaping hole in her forehead! But there’s no need for surgery — CINEMA 4D’s Close Polygon tool can soon patch up Meg to look as good as new. The Close Polygon Hole tool works in all three modes (point, edge and polygon). To use the tool, move the mouse pointer over the hole.
STRUCTURE MENU • 563 To create a polygon surface: In the viewport click once in each position where there should be a corner point. A yellow preview of the new polygon surface will appear, which will be updated as you add further new corner points. Do one of the following: - Click again on corner points, including the last or first created. - Change to another tool. - In the Attribute manager, click the Create Polygon button.
564 • CHAPTER 10 Create N-gon (left), Triangle Strip (center) and Quadrangle Strip (right) Here you can choose which type of polygon to create: N-gon A single polygon with as many corner points as desired. Triangle Strip, Quadrangle Strip If you want to create a strip of polygons, enable one of these options. The Shift and Ctrl keys will have no effect while you are creating strips. N-gon Subdivision This setting is available if Create if set to N-gon.
STRUCTURE MENU • 565 Edge Cut Edge Cut applied to the selected edges with Create N-gons disabled (center) and enabled (right). The new points can still be offset. The Edge Cut tool allows you to interactively subdivide the selected edges. You can adjust the parameters in the Attribute manager or in the viewport (in the viewport, Shift-drag to adjust Scale; Ctrl-drag to adjust Offset; Crtl-Shift-drag to adjust Subdivision). Edge Cut works in edge mode only.
566 • CHAPTER 10 Scale: If Subdivision is set to 2 or higher, you can use the Scale parameter to adjust the distance between the new points. The scaling takes place in the direction of the first point. Iron If your mesh looks too uneven, smooth it out using this virtual iron. The tool works in all three modes (point, edge and polygon). The Iron tool works by smoothing out the selection in areas where the angle between neighboring edges is equal to or greater than a threshold angle (‘Angle’).
STRUCTURE MENU • 567 Percent From left to right: the effect of increasing the Percent value. The Percent value defines the strength of smoothing. A value of 0% results in no smoothing at all, while a value of 100% produces maximum smoothing. Knife The Knife tool allows you to cut polygon objects and spline objects. The tool works in all three modes (point, edge and polygon). When you are cutting polygons, there are many parameters you can adjust to precisely control the cut.
568 • CHAPTER 10 Hole mode Hole mode allows you to cut a hole inside an individual polygon, which is highlighted in yellow. Click in each position where there should be a corner point, then click again on the first corner point to complete the cut. Plane mode This mode gives you an easy way to make cuts along a plane. You can make a single cut or even carve up the entire object. You can define the number of cuts and the distance between each cut. Loop mode The Loop mode enables you to subdivide edge loops.
STRUCTURE MENU • 569 Only Edges (all modes) If this option is enabled, only the edges will be cut. The polygons themselves will not be cut (provided Create N-gons is enabled). Visible Only (all modes) Enable this option to cut directly visible polygons only. Otherwise, polygons at the back of the object — or even other selected polygon objects out of sight behind the object — will be cut.
570 • CHAPTER 10 Coords, Plane (Plane mode) The cutting planes with Coords set to Camera. Here, with the Coords parameter, you can choose which coordinate system is used for the cutting planes: Local, World or Camera. With the Camera setting, the cutting planes will depend on the direction in which the camera is pointing (see illustration above). Use the Plane parameter to choose the cutting plane: XY, YZ or XZ.
STRUCTURE MENU • 571 Attribute manager settings Nearest Point If this option is disabled, the object(s) will be deformed if you click on a polygon and at least one point falls within the radius of influence from the mouse pointer. In this case, the point closest to the mouse pointer is selected. If the option is enabled, deformation of the object(s) will occur invariably.
572 • CHAPTER 10 Constant. Linear. Dome. Bell. Circle. Needle. Coords, X, Y, Z Here you can choose in which coordinate system (Object, World or Camera) and in which directions (and by how much) the magnet can pull in the X, Y and Z directions. For details on the Camera coordinate system, see the Coords entry for the Knife tool (look up ‘Knife tool’ in the index). Stength Defines the magnet’s strength of attraction/repulsion. Radius Gives the radius of the magnet’s range of influence.
STRUCTURE MENU • 573 Mirror Using the Mirror tool, points and polygons can be mirrored. This tool functions in point or polygon mode. In point mode, only the selected points are mirrored (without their surfaces). If no points are selected, all points are mirrored. In polygon mode, the selected surfaces are mirrored. If no surfaces are selected, all surfaces are mirrored. Mirror can also be applied to splines. The selected points are mirrored as a new segment. Mirror functions interactively.
574 • CHAPTER 10 Screen In this mode, the object is mirrored in the current projection plane. If you first click in the area of the upper or lower window border, you get a horizontal mirror axis. If you first click in the area of the right or left window border, you get a vertical mirror axis. Mirror Plane This mode is available for the world and the object coordinate system. Select the XY, ZY or XZ plane.
STRUCTURE MENU • 575 Duplicate Points If this option is disabled, the selected elements are simply mirrored. If the option is enabled, the selected elements are first duplicated then mirrored. This gives you a mirrored copy of all the selected elements. Duplicate Tag Selection If this option is enabled, existing frozen selections or vertex weight tags are used when mirroring.
576 • CHAPTER 10 All, X, Y, Z Here you can choose which axes will be affected. For example, if you want to change the X coordinate only of the selected points, set the X drop-down list to the desired mode and set the All, Y and Z dropdowns to Leave. If you want all three axes to be affected, set All to the desired mode. Leave The point coordinates will not be changed for the respective axis. Set Sets the point coordinates to the Val value along the respective axis.
STRUCTURE MENU • 577 Crumple (Radial) Displaces the points radially from the object origin. Coordinate System Object The Val value refers to the object coordinate system. World The Val value refers to the world coordinate system. Screen The set value refers to the virtual coordinate system of the current view. The screen coordinate system is the same as the (virtual) coordinate system of the camera, which is shifted to the place of the object axis. The XY plane is parallel to the projection plane.
578 • CHAPTER 10 If this option is enabled, each element may move inwards or outwards. With the option disabled, the elements will move outwards only. Slide Slide tool in point mode (left-most circle) and edge mode (right-most circle). The Slide tool allows you to slide points or edges over the mesh. The tool works in point mode or edge mode. A selection is not required. You can slide the point or edge no further than the next point or edge along.
STRUCTURE MENU • 579 Stitch And Sew applied to the selected edges. To use the Stitch And Sew tool, in point or edge mode select the edges that you want to join. Click and drag from the first edge to the other edge. While you drag, a yellow line will appear that connects the two edges. Release the mouse button to apply the change. If you hold down the Shift key at the same time, an n-gon will be created between the edges.
580 • CHAPTER 10 The selected polygon strip’s top row of points will be welded with the strip’s bottom row of points. You can modify the functionality using the Shift key and Ctrl key. If you hold down the Shift key at the same time, a new polygon will be created in the same place as the selected polygon strip. Or if you hold down the Ctrl key at the same time, the point rows will be stitched together at the position halfway between the point pairs.
STRUCTURE MENU • 581 Weld The Weld tool can weld several object points or spline points into a single point. Select the points that you want to weld together, choose the Weld tool and click on a point to choose where the welded point will be placed (you’ll see a yellow preview appear). If you click elsewhere instead of on one of these points, the welded point will be placed at the center of the selection (again, this is marked by a yellow preview).
582 • CHAPTER 10 Weight HyperNURBS You can weight HyperNURBS objects using this tool. For information on how to use the tool, look up ‘HyperNURBS object’ in the index. Bevel Negative values can be used to bevel inward. This tool enables you to bevel the selected points, edges or polygons. If no elements all selected, then all points, edges or polygons (depending on the mode) will be considered. To apply the bevel (Inner Offset and Extrusion), drag the mouse left or right.
STRUCTURE MENU • 583 Var (Extrusion) Var 0%. Var 60%. Varies the height of the extrusion. The value you enter is subtracted from 100% to give the start of the variation range. This option only has an effect if Preserve Groups (see below) is enabled. 0% - No deviation from the Extrusion value. 60% - All selected polygons are beveled between 40% and 100% of the Extrusion value. 100% - All selected polygons are beveled between 0% and 100% of the Extrusion value.
584 • CHAPTER 10 Above, you can see the problem that arises when starting with an Inner Offset value that is set too high. To remedy, set Inner Offset to a lower value. Var (Inner Offset) Var 0%. Var 60%. Varies the inner offset. This option will have no effect if Preserve Groups (see below) is enabled. 0% - No deviation from the offset value 60% - Edges of selected polygons are inwardly beveled between 40% and 100% of the Inner Offset.
STRUCTURE MENU • 585 Defines the number of subdivisions along the length of the bevel’s extrusion. This is especially useful when working with HyperNURBs, where extra subdivisions can help to create a more uniform crosssection for the bevel. Create N-gons If you have specified extra subdivisions for the bevel’s extrusion, but you don’t want to see the extra edges in the viewport, enable this option. Type Here you can specify the type of bevel that will be applied.
586 • CHAPTER 10 User Allows you to create a custom bevel shape using the spline graph. For details on how to use graphs in CINEMA 4D, look up ‘Function graphs’ on in the index. Preserve Groups Preserve Groups disabled. Preserve Groups enabled. If this option is enabled, the connected surfaces will stay together, provided they do not exceed the angle set under Maximum Angle relative to each other.
STRUCTURE MENU • 587 Edge mode In edge mode, the selected edges will be beveled by two new edges that head in opposite directions as you drag the mouse to increase the Inner Offset value. If Subdivision is set to 0, the edges will be connected by a planar polygon. If Subdivision is set higher than 0, the edges will be connected by the bevel shape defined by the Type setting.
588 • CHAPTER 10 Beveling in point mode (face mesh, left) and with Subdivision set to 0 and 3 (pyramids). As the face example above illustrates, the bevel tool is adept at removing poles (i.e. points that have more than four edges) and flattening out the tips of objects. Extrude This tool extrudes selected points, edges or polygons. If no elements are selected, all of the object’s elements will be extruded. To extrude interactively in the viewport, drag left or right within the viewport.
STRUCTURE MENU • 589 Var (Offset) Var 0%. Var 60%. Varies the length of the extrusion. This option is not available if Preserve Groups is enabled. The value you enter is subtracted from 100% to give the start of the variation range. 0% - No deviation from the selected offset value. 60% - All selected polygons are extruded between 40% and 100% of the Offset value. 100% - All selected polygons are extruded between 0% and 100% of the Offset value.
590 • CHAPTER 10 Create Caps (polygon mode) Enable this option to create a cap at the base of the extrusion. This gives you a quick way to create a closed volume. Edge Angle (edge mode) Here you can set the angle of the edge extrusion. You can also change the extrusion angle interactively in the viewport by holding down Shift during the extrusion. Edge Snap, Value (edge mode) If Edge Snap is enabled, the extrusion angle will be constrained to the Value setting.
STRUCTURE MENU • 591 Extruding edges To extrude the edges interactively, drag the mouse (this changes the Offset value, i.e. the length of the extrusion). With the mouse button still held down, you can Shift-drag to change the direction of the extrusion. If, at this point, you still keep the mouse button held down and release the Shift key and drag, you’ll change the Offset once more.
592 • CHAPTER 10 This tool operates in a similar way to Extrude. However, in contrast to Extrude, the selected polygons are extruded inwards or, optionally, outwards. To inner extrude interactively, drag left or right within the viewport. Attribute manager settings Maximum Angle If Preserve Groups is enabled, polygons not exceeding this angle to each other will stay together during the extrude inner. If the polygons exceed this angle, they will be broken apart.
STRUCTURE MENU • 593 Subdivision set to 0. Subdivision set to 3. Create N-gons Enable this option if you have defined subdivisions but want to avoid the additional edges between the original polygons and the inner extrude that this would normally cause. Preserve Groups Preserve Groups enabled. Preserve Groups disabled. If this option is enabled, the connected polygons will stay together during extrusion, provided they do not exceed the Maximum Angle relative to each other.
594 • CHAPTER 10 Matrix Extrude The Matrix Extrude tool is similar to Extrude, but with one difference: you can make as many extrusion steps as you want in one go. This is achieved by defining a relative value for move, rotation and size, which is then applied at each step. Matrix Extrude can be applied to polygons. The polygons are extruded individually — groups of surfaces are broken apart.
STRUCTURE MENU • 595 Keep in mind that the RAM used by the object can rise sharply when using Matrix Extrude — the hairy sphere example uses hundreds of times more RAM than a standard sphere. Attribute manager settings Steps Defines the number of extrusions for each polygon. Polygon Coordinates With Polygon Coordinates disabled, all of the cube’s polygons have been extruded in the same direction. Matrix Extrude depends on the polygon coordinates system if this option is enabled.
596 • CHAPTER 10 Rotate Use these input boxes to control the rotation of the extruded surface around the individual axes. For example, if you set the right-most box (which controls the banking) to 10°, the surface is rotated about its normal by 10° for each extrusion step. Variation This drop-down list enables you to vary the values of move, scale and rotate. None No variation is added. Initial The variation for each extrude step is defined once for each surface at the start of the extrusion.
STRUCTURE MENU • 597 Smooth Shift Smooth Shift is very similar to the Extrude tool. With Smooth Shift, however, the connected surfaces are extruded coherently. The direction in which the surfaces are extruded with Smooth Shift is determined not only by the normals of the selected surfaces, but also by the normals of the adjacent (unselected) surfaces. This makes it quick and easy to extrude lumps.
598 • CHAPTER 10 Subdivision Subdivision set to 0 (left) and 3 (right). The Subdivision value defines the number of subdivisions along the smooth shift extrusion. Create N-gons Enable this option if you have defined subdivisions but want to avoid the additional edges between the original polygons and the smooth shift extrusion that this would normally cause. Normal Move This tool is available in polygon mode only. Before. After.
STRUCTURE MENU • 599 Value The value for the move. Normal Scale This tool is available in polygon mode only. Before. After. Use this tool to scale selected polygons perpendicular to their normals. Use this tool interactively by dragging left or right within the viewport. You can also drive the tool with numeric input. Attribute manager settings Value The value for the scale. 100% means the surfaces are doubled in size. Normal Rotate This tool is available in polygon mode only. Before. After.
600 • CHAPTER 10 The selected polygons are rotated around their normals. The normals of each individual surface are used as the rotation axes. Use this tool interactively by dragging left or right within the viewport. You can also drive the tool with numeric input. Attribute manager settings Value The value for the rotation. Structure Context Menu You can quickly access various commands for points, edges and polygons from the context menu.
STRUCTURE MENU • 601
11 Functions Menu
FUNCTIONS MENU • 605 11. Functions Menu Make Editable CINEMA 4D’s primitive objects and spline primitives are parametric, i.e. they have no points or polygons and are instead created using math formulae and parameters. Since these objects have no points or polygons, they can’t be edited in the same way as normal polygon objects and splines. For example, you can’t select and move points, nor can you apply commands like Extrude and Create Outline.
606 • CHAPTER 11 Linear Mode Options Per Step This option defines whether the values for Position and Rotation apply from one object to the next or from the first object to the last. For example, suppose you have selected three spheres and set the Position Y value to 300. If Per Step is enabled, the first and second spheres will be 300 m apart; the second and third spheres will also be 300 m apart; and the first and third spheres will be 600 m apart.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 607 Scale Scaling with the origin at the object center (top) and away from the object center (bottom). Enable Scale controls if the objects will be scaled. Each object will be scaled towards or away from its origin. Therefore, ensure that each object’s origin is in the object’s center. The Scaling starts with the first object selected in the Object manager (this object stays the same size).
608 • CHAPTER 11 The spiral staircase in the example below was created by moving the origin away from the object center. A spiral staircase achieved by moving each object origin away from the object’s center. Circle Mode In this mode the selected objects are arranged along a virtual circle. Options Per Step Has the same function as previously described for the Linear mode. Position Enable, X, Y, Z The Enable option controls whether the selected objects should be arranged along the virtual circle.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 609 Radius Defines the radius of the virtual circle. Start, End These values define the start and end angles for the virtual circle. If Start and End are set to 0° and 360° respectively, the objects will be arranged at regular intervals along a full circle; the first and last object will be placed one on top of the other. Move You can specify an additional movement for the selected objects on top of the movement due to the circular arrangement and first object.
610 • CHAPTER 11 Along Spline mode In this mode you can arrange the objects along a spline. You can optionally specify a rail spline. Per Step Has the same function as previously described for the Linear mode. Position Enable, X, Y, Z Enable the Enable option to arrange the positions of the selected objects. Depending on in which directions you want the objects to be arranged, enable the X, Y or Z options.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 611 Scale Has the same function as previously described for the Linear mode. Rotation Enable Rotation Here you can enable rotation for the objects. The objects will then be arranged along the spline with the axis specified by the Align value tangential to the spline. Rail Spline You can use a rail spline to control the alignment of the objects. Drag and drop the rail spline from the Object manager into this box. The alignment axis is defined by Align.
612 • CHAPTER 11 Center This command centers objects in 3D space. It affects all the objects that are selected in the Object manager. The selected objects’ children are also affected. CINEMA 4D calculates the size of the object group; think of this as a three-dimensional cuboid which encloses the objects and imagine an axis system whose origin is at the center of this cuboid. This imaginary cuboid (Figure 1, below) is important in understanding the alignment options. Figure 1. Figure 2.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 613 Connect Using this command you can create a single object from multiple objects. For example, you might connect a fence consisting of hundreds of individual planks to form just a single fence object. Not only does the connected object take up less display space in the Object manager, it is also renders more quickly even though it has the same number of polygons. You can connect Polygon objects or Spline objects (not spline primitives, though — the splines must be editable).
614 • CHAPTER 11 Duplicate RAM-permitting, this function enables you to create as many duplicates of the selected objects as you wish. The function also lets you move, scale and rotate the duplicates and arrange them along a spline. Copies defines the number of duplicates that will be created. The duplicated objects will be placed inside a Null object named ‘*_copies’, where ‘*’ represents the name of the object that is being duplicated.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 615 Measure & Construction Measurement and interactive adjustment of the angle between two cubes. You can easily perform the following tasks using the Measurement and Construction tool — referred to as ‘M&C’ in the following: Measure the distances and angles between objects. Adjust the distances and angles numerically after taking the measurement. Store measurements in a Measurement object for use later on. To measure and change object distances: 1.
616 • CHAPTER 11 To move an object’s individual points, edges and polygons: 1. Select the appropriate tool (Points, Edges or Polygons). 2. Select the elements that you want to move. 3. Hold down both Shift and Ctrl and drag and drop a measurement line from the start to end of the distance that you want to measure. Create a second measurement line if you want to change the angle. 4. Adjust the Distance and Angle values.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 617 Attribute manager settings Options Selection The M&C tool allows you to store multiple measurements. A new measurement is created each time you click the New Measure button. Use the Selection drop-down list to choose which measurement is currently active and has its settings displayed in the Attribute manager. Show This option controls whether the active measurement is displayed in the viewport. New Measure See ‘Selection’, above.
618 • CHAPTER 11 Delete Measure Deletes the active measurement. Create Object This button creates a Measure object, which enables you to store measurements. The Measure object stores almost all options, parameters and measurements. See also ‘Selection’. To change a Measure object’s distance and angle values: 1. In the viewport or Object manager, select the objects involved in the measurement. 2. Choose the M&C function. 3.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 619 Usually, you won’t need to enter values here because they will be set automatically when you define the measurement lines. However, there is one option that you may need to set manually: if you set Mode to World, the corresponding object point will be defined as a fixed point in the world coordinate system. Among other things, this enables you to move two selected objects together.
620 • CHAPTER 11 Move The maximum values by which the objects may be moved. For example, values of (100,0,0) allow the objects to move by up to 100 units from their original positions in the X direction, but there will be no movement in the Y and Z directions. Scale The objects are scaled from their origins, therefore the position of the origin is important. The scaling can also be affected if any of the axes has been scaled independently of the object using the Object Axis tool.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 621 Reset System This command restores the object coordinate system. To understand this section, you need to be aware of the differences between the Object and Model tools (look up ‘ Model tool’ and ‘Object tool’ in the index). Normalize Axes Resets the lengths of the object axes to 1/1/1. Align Orthogonally Resets a distorted system to conventional perpendicular axes.
622 • CHAPTER 11 Make the cube a child of the sphere (drag -and- drop in the Object manager). In the Coordinate manager, ensure that Scale is selected (middle drop-down list). In the Object manager, select the sphere. Select the Object tool. In the Coordinate manager, set the X value for Scale to 2. In the viewport, select the cube and rotate it about its Z-axis. As you rotate the cube, it distorts (Figure 1, below).
FUNCTIONS MENU • 623 Choose Functions > Reset System and in the dialog that opens, enable Align Orthogonally and disable the other options in the dialog. Click OK to reset the cube’s axis system. Rotate the cube. The cube no longer distorts when rotated. Its axis system has been restored and is no longer distorted. However, it has not been restored to its normal size, since the Normalize Axes option was not enabled (Figure 3). Undo the last step. Choose Functions > Reset System.
624 • CHAPTER 11 Why change the direction of the normals? As described above, the direction of the normals defines the interior and the exterior of an object. This is important, among other things, for displaying an object in the viewport. Occasionally, when building certain objects, a situation can arise in which some polygons seem invisible. This can happen if backface culling is on and the reason is as follows.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 625 This function is similar to Align Normals. Here, however, the normals are reversed. If no polygons are selected, all the normals of a selected object are reversed. With an active selection only the normals of the selected surfaces are considered. Move Down Sequence, Move Up Sequence These functions are mostly used with splines; hence, you’ll also find these functions on the Structure > Edit Spline submenu.
626 • CHAPTER 11 Before Collapse (left) and after Collapse (right). Melt Before (left) and after (right) the Melt function has been applied to the selected points, edges and polygons. This function melts away the selected points, edges or polygons. Point mode Removes the selected points; polygons whose points were involved are converted to an n-gon. Edge mode Removes the selected edges; points that have become superfluous as a result (i.e. points that are no longer part of an edge) are also deleted.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 627 Polygon mode Removes the inner edges of selected polygon groups. The Melt function is useful during the modeling process only. When it comes to rendering or animation, there are no benefits to Melt because any n-gons created by the function will be internally triangulated. Optimize If you were to build an object from many individual triangles and quadrangles — by using the Connect function, say — very often some of the points and surfaces would be duplicated.
628 • CHAPTER 11 Points Specifies whether duplicated points are to be eliminated. Tolerance When eliminating points you may enter a tolerance value. If points are closer to each other than this value, then they are merged into one point; if the points are further apart than the value, they won’t be merged. If polygons become redundant (e.g. if all three corner points of the polygon occupy the same point), CINEMA 4D will automatically delete them.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 629 HyperNURBS Subdivide If HyperNURBS Subdivide is enabled, triangles are divided into three quadrangles — with normal subdividing you would get four triangles. With this option enabled the object is subdivided using the HyperNURBS formula. Point positions that already exist are modified to round the structure of the surface. If this option is disabled, existing point positions are maintained and the surface is not smoothed when subdividing.
630 • CHAPTER 11 Untriangulate If you have an object built only of triangles (e.g. imported from another program), CINEMA 4D can try to convert the triangles into quadrangles. This works only as long as the triangles that you want to convert will result in a planar quadrangle. Triangles that cannot be converted are left in their original state. So, Untriangulate works only for triangles that result in planar quadrangles.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 631 Array An array is a list — an even arrangement of elements. Using Array you can duplicate the selected points or polygons of an object (in the following this selection is referred to as an element) and distribute them more or less evenly in the X, Y and Z directions. You can vary the size and rotation of the duplicated elements about their axes.
632 • CHAPTER 11 Holes This value adds a random factor to the number of elements that are created. You may enter values from 0% to 100%. A value of 0% means the complete number of elements that has been input is created. With 50% only half of the elements are created — which elements are omitted is selected randomly. With 100% no new elements will be created. Offset Defines the size of the array. You can enter different values for each of the X, Y and Z directions.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 633 Clone This tool enables you to duplicate the surfaces or points of an object and optionally rotate the duplicated items about the object axis. You may also specify an offset that is used to move the duplicated elements along the object axis. Only selected elements (surfaces or points) are cloned. In point mode the selected points are cloned individually without their adjacent surfaces.
634 • CHAPTER 11 Axis Defines the object axis about which the clones are to be rotated. For example, to create a spiral staircase, set Axis to Y. Offset Gives the distance from the start element to the last clone along the selected object axis. All intermediate clones are distributed evenly over this distance. Scale This parameter enables you to scale the clones. The scale of the clones will increase gradually all the way to the last clone.
FUNCTIONS MENU • 635 Rotation Variation Each element is assigned its own virtual axis. The element may then be rotated randomly around its axis with the value entered here. The value, in degrees, that you enter for each rotation axis defines the maximum positive and negative rotation about the appropriate axis. 45° would indicate that the clones can vary in their radial rotation from -45° to 45° at each clone. Disconnect This command is also available on the Structure menu.
636 • CHAPTER 11 Select Broken Phong Edges Selects all broken Phong edges. Increase/Decrease HN Subdivision With these two functions you can increase or decrease the Subdivision Editor value for the selected HyperNURBS objects.
12 Plugins
PLUGINS • 639 12. Plugins Plugins are auxiliary modules that extend the function range of a program. In CINEMA 4D, plugins are able, for example, to automate particular functions, to make new tools available (perhaps for modeling or animation), to add new import and export filters or to add new shaders. For this purpose, CINEMA 4D includes a powerful programming language, C.O.F.F.E.E., available to both developers and end-users. C.O.F.F.E.E.
640 • CHAPTER 12 Frame, X Position, Y Position, Z Position 0, 100, 0, 0 1, 105, 0, 0 2, 110, 0, 0 etc. To use the plugin, select an object and choose Plugins > CINEMA 4D > ASCII Animation Import. The following dialog will appear. Headline Enable this option if the CSV file has a headline as its first line (such as ‘Frame, X Position, Y Position, Z Position’, from the example above). Otherwise, the headline will be interpreted as values.
PLUGINS • 641 Separator Here, choose which character separates the values in the CSV file. Track The imported values will be stored in animation keys, in the Value parameter. Here, choose the format for the key values. The default value of ‘Real’ is suitable in most cases. Time These options control how the start frame and animation length are determined by the plugin. Frame Each line in the CSV file defines a key per animation frame, starting at frame 0.
642 • CHAPTER 12 OK button When you click the dialog’s OK button, the animation tracks and keys will be created. Initially, these tracks are not assigned to parameters. This is because CINEMA 4D has no way of knowing which track should be applied to which parameter. The next step is to manually assign the imported tracks to the parameters that they should animate. To do this, add tracks for each parameter that should be animated.
PLUGINS • 643 When producing vector output, FlashEx converts the three-dimensional data to two-dimensional vector lines, optimizes them and saves them while maintaining the smallest possible SWF file size. Bitmapped textures and procedural shaders are ignored, as are bump maps, fog, transparencies and anything else that can’t be displayed as vectors, such as Sky objects. Camera settings such as zoom are supported. However, note that FlashEx supports the Perspective camera view only.
644 • CHAPTER 12 Mode This drop-down list enables you to change the render mode. The Wireframe, Hiddenline, Outline and Solid modes are rendered using vector lines. SWF files using these modes are fully scalable without loss of quality. The other modes are based on vectorized raster images and therefore loss of quality is possible when scaling them. Wireframe Objects are displayed as wireframe models. If backfaces should be drawn as well, set Polygons to All.
PLUGINS • 645 Comic Flat Limited, Comic Round Limited Comic Flat. Comic Round. These two modes draw the objects cartoon-style. The Flat mode is the more suitable of the two for angular objects. Since the Comic modes generate shaded surfaces based on vectorized raster images, the accuracy is limited to pixels and therefore not as clean as the vector-based modes such as Wireframe or Solid. Just like a normal 2D picture, when you scale the SWF document there will be a loss of quality.
646 • CHAPTER 12 Background tab The background color is defined on this page of the FlashEx dialog. When importing SWF files into certain applications such as Macromedia Director, this background color can be made transparent. Lines tab Outline If this option is enabled, lines are drawn for all outer edges and intersecting lines. Edges Angle If this option is enabled and two polygons face each other at an angle greater than the one entered, they are drawn as edges.
PLUGINS • 647 Width This slider defines the vector line width and ranges from 0 to 20. A value of 0 creates a hairline which is still drawn as a hairline even if the SWF file is scaled larger in the Internet browser. When using values above 0, the lines are scaled with the document. An SWF file with an optimal size of 320 x 240 pixels and a line width of 1 pixel will display a line width of 2 pixels if it is scaled to a document size of 640 x 480 pixels. Merge Planes Merge Planes disabled.
648 • CHAPTER 12 HTML tab These settings correspond to the Macromedia Flash settings and are saved within the HTML document. The HTML settings allow you to determine if the animations play repeatedly (Loop) or once only; if the animations are played as soon as they are loaded and whether the quality setting should adjust automatically according to the processor performance. These settings can still be adjusted afterwards using a HTML editor. The default options should be fine in most cases.
PLUGINS • 649 When I render round objects in Wireframe or Hiddenline mode, several lines are missing. In the FlashEx dialog, on the Lines tab, disable Merge Planes. If other objects in the scene need the option enabled, such as objects with caps, use FlashEx tags. In Wireframe mode, I can’t see the backs of objects. In the FlashEx dialog, on the General tab, set Polygons to All. Now back faces will be shown as well as front faces.
650 • CHAPTER 12 The lines get thicker when I scale the SWF document. How do I get the lines to stay the same thickness? Set the line width to 0 (hairline). The player will then always display a thin, 1-pixel line, no matter how much the SWF document is scaled. Sometimes I can’t see planes and single polygons from the side. How can I make them show up as lines? In the FlashEx dialog, on the General tab, set Polygons to All. Now all polygons will be visible regardless of whether they point at the camera.
13 Rendering
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 653 13. Rendering Graphics cards do not affect render speed. CINEMA 4D’s render engine supports 16-bit textures. The Render menu contains all the options you need to render a picture or animation. You can define several render presets, such as for preview and for final rendering. This saves you having to change the settings one by one each time. Using the render settings, you can also switch on effects such as multi-pass rendering.
654 • CHAPTER 13 Render Active Object If you want to save the picture or animation, you must render to the Picture Viewer instead using the Render To Picture Viewer command. If an alert appears when you render, see ‘Render Alerts’, above. This command renders the selected objects and their children in the active viewport. A render progress bar will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen. To cancel rendering, press Esc or click the mouse button.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 655 If an alert appears when you render, see ‘Render Alerts’, above. To cancel the rendering, press Esc. To access the options that control rendering, choose Render > Render Settings from the main menu. The render settings are described later in this chapter. Batch Rendering Before you batch render, ensure each scene has a save path in its Render Settings. Also, render each scene individually as a precaution — you can abort each test as soon as the picture starts to appear.
656 • CHAPTER 13 Make Preview Using Make Preview, you can quickly generate a preview movie of your animation. This is especially useful when the scene is too complicated for smooth realtime playback in the viewport. After choosing this command, a dialog opens. Define the quality settings for the preview movie and click the OK button. As soon as the movie has been created, the movie player installed on your system will open and play back the preview automatically.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 657 Image Size, Frame Rate CINEMA 4D lets you use mathematical formulae in input boxes. For example, if you want the preview resolution to be a quarter of 640 x 480, you can enter ‘640/4’ into the Image Size input box. Enter the width for the preview movie. The height is calculated automatically using the Film Format ratio defined on the render settings Output page. The resolution is shown to the right of the input box. Frame Rate Defines the frame rate for the preview.
658 • CHAPTER 13 You can create settings for a variety of purposes. Perhaps you will create settings with low antialiasing, no reflections and no shadows for preview rendering, called ‘Preview’. You might also create settings with high antialiasing, reflections and shadows called ‘Final Rendering’. You can create as many settings as you like. To choose which settings are active, select the corresponding name from the Render menu. The check mark will then appear in front of that name.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 659 Normal maps UV maps If you want to avoid having to subsequently assign the bitmap to a material, then an object, use the “Bake Object” function (see below). This will, though, greatly limit the control you have opposed to using the manual method. Why bake textures? Let’s assume you want to render an animation, and a complex shader or area shadow has to be rendered for each image.
660 • CHAPTER 13 Solution: Set the image file or shader’s “Blur Offset” somewhat higher than 0%. Tag Tab Settings Filename By clicking on the button to the right of the “Filename” text field, a dialog window will open. Here you can choose where you want to save your baked files. By default, the name of the object to which the texture is assigned is placed in the text field.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 661 Format / Options... Select the file format in which the baked textures should be saved. If additional options are available for the format you happen to be using, they can be found by clicking on the “Options...” button (see chapter 13 in your CINEMA 4D reference manual). Single File When a number of effects (“Options” tag) are to be baked, they can either be saved individually as separate layers (deactivate “Single File” ), or as a single file (activate “Single File” ).
662 • CHAPTER 13 Example: You have a plane, 200m x 200m, i.e. 40,000sq. meters. “Pixel Size” is set to 0.5. This means the texture will have a total size of 40,000 / 0.5, i.e. 80,000 pixels. Since the texture is square, you simply take the square root and you will have a texture size of 283 x 283 pixels. Since this lies within the defined minimal and maximal settings, the texture will be output in this size.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 663 Pixel Border Use this setting to define a border in pixels. A corresponding edge will be rendered around each UV polygon on the texture. This prevents visible seams at the edges of UV polygons. This value should be set to at least “1”. Contintue UVs At top “Continue UVs” activated, at bottom deactivated. If you have defined a pixel border, this option determines how the texture will continue outside of the UV polygon.
664 • CHAPTER 13 Options Tab Use Polygon Selection If the texture tag is limited to one Selection only (see chapter 18, “Texture Mapping”, p. 869 in your CINEMA 4D reference manual), selecting this option ensures that only this selection will be baked. Evaluate Bump When active, this option takes into consideration (for effects created by normals) changes made to the orientation of normals caused by the relief channel.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 665 Upon activation of this option, additional options will be made available, with which the following can be baked: Illumination: The lighting generated by light sources or GI. Shadows: The shadows that fall onto the object. Luminance: Any illumination that may be present in the “Luminance” material channel. Diffusion: Any diffusion that may be present in the “Diffusion” material channel.
666 • CHAPTER 13 Surface Color The effect of the bump channel can be seen in the surface color (right, the baked texture). The surface color contains the effects of numerous material channels, including “Illumination”, GI and cast shadows (not including “Reflection”, “Transparency”, “Fog” or “Glow”). The most important material channels that make up the object surface will be made a part of the texture.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 667 Shadows The scene is lit by two colored lights, one using Hard shadows, the other Area shadows. On the right are the baked shadows. Only shadows that are present will be rendered. Areas in which no shadows are present will be rendered white, and the shadows will be rendered in accordance with light and shadow color. Ambient Occlusion Left, the scene; right, the baked Ambient Occlusion texture.
668 • CHAPTER 13 To Vertex Map If this option is active, Ambient Occlusion will be written to a vertex map that can be made visible via the vertex map shader (see chapter 18, “Channel Shaders”, p. 788 in your CINEMA 4D reference manual). Vertex maps only affect object points, and the Ambient Occlusion resolution will therefore be much lower than if you let Ambient Occlusion be calculated the conventional way. Normals Left, the object, right, the normals texture baked using the object (“Object” Method).
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 669 When deciding on which method to use, inform yourself with which method the game engine or the application within which you want to use the normals map works. If you want to use CINEMA 4D’s normal map, make sure you define the exact settings that you used in the “Normals” material channel when you created your normal map. You will find the same settings in the material channel as you have here.
670 • CHAPTER 13 Reflection The reflection on the sphere will be baked as shown on the right. When rendering reflections, one exception applies compared with the other material channels: Here you don’t have to specifically activate “Reflection” – reflections will be baked regardless. Sky Textures Sky textures can be baked very quickly and can later be used in “Image Based Lighting”, i.e. the lighting of materials using GI.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 671 You can now apply this texture to a Sky object or project it onto a very large sphere, with which you can create a perfect sky. This sky can also be used in other applications. Of course you can also load this sky into material channels, such as “Environment”, for example. Bake The Baker’s most important button: Clicking it bakes the texture. Stop Since baking can take a long time to complete if complex functionalities are involved ( Ambient Occlusion, GI, etc.
672 • CHAPTER 13 Optimal Mapping Left, the cube’s UV mesh after it’s been modeled; right, after the UV mesh was calculated using “Optimal Mapping”. BodyPaint 3D users are already familiar with this functionality. It adjusts the UV coordinates so that UV polygons no longer overlap. In the image above, the UV mesh as it is after the cube was modeled is shown on the left.
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 673 Relax “Relax” defines the number of internal levels of relaxation for the UV mesh. UV coordinates will be rearranged in such a manner that large UV polygons become smaller and smaller UV polygons become larger. Details Tab Animated textures can be baked as well. The settings pertaining to this can be found here. Use Current Renter Data If this option is active, the frame rate and start and end frame in the “Render Settings...” Output (see chapter 13, “Output”, p.
674 • CHAPTER 13 Texture Tags This is an “include” list. Drag textures you want to bake from the Object Manager into the list. If no texture is present, all texture tags will be evaluated. NOTE: This list will only evaluate the functions shown below. “Surface Color”, for example, is ignored! Bake Object “Bake Object” is the one-click version of the “Bake Texture” tag (o.k., maybe 2 or 3 clicks are really required...).
RENDERING • RENDER MENU • 675 NOTE 2: With reference to GI, light that falls on the reverse side of polygons will be ignored by the Baker! Settings Most of the following settings (and many more) can also be found in the “Bake Texture...” tag, where all settings are described to the utmost detail. This is why the “Bake Object...” functions will only be described briefly here.
676 • CHAPTER 13 Supersampling “Supersampling” sets the anti-aliasing during baking of the object’s texture (the anti-aliasing settings in the “Render Settings...” have no influence when baking textures). Pixel Border Bakes a pixel border that extends beyond the UV polygons. Width / Height Defines the width and height of the texture(s) to be baked. Format / Options Select your bitmap’s file format here. If the format you select offers additional save options, the “Options...” button will be made active.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 677 Render Settings The settings in this dialog control many aspects of the rendering process; be sure to check all the values before you commit to a final render of your scene or animation. The render settings are saved automatically with the scene. General File Menu The render settings dialog window offers a “File” menu, with which you can save and load render presets. A preset saved here will be saved to the Content Browser (Presets/User).
678 • CHAPTER 13 Name Enter a name for the settings. This name will appear in the Render menu so that you can switch between different settings. Choose a name that will distinguish the settings clearly from any other settings on the Render menu, such as ‘Animation Preview’. Antialiasing Sets the antialiasing mode. You’ll find further antialiasing settings on the Antialiasing page. Filter This sets the filter mode for antialiasing. You can also set the filter on the Antialiasing page. Transparency None.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 679 With Refraction Allows transparent materials to refract. Refraction is essential for realistic glass and water. Any refraction in the render will increase the render time. If there is no refraction in the render, the render time will not increase, even when this setting is selected. Reflection None. Floor & Sky Only. All Objects. None Reflections will not be rendered. Floor & Sky Only Only the floor and sky objects in the scene will be reflected.
680 • CHAPTER 13 All Objects All objects in the scene can be reflected by relevant reflective objects. If there are no reflective objects in the scene, the render time will not increase, even when this setting is selected. Shadow None. Soft Only. All Types. None Shadows will not be rendered. Note that without shadows the scene may lack contrast and depth. Soft Only Soft shadows will be rendered. Hard shadows and area shadows will be ignored.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 681 Output The settings on the Output page refer to rendering in the Picture Viewer only. These settings have no effect on rendering in the viewports. You must render to the Picture Viewer if you want to save the rendered image. Resolution Defines the size of the rendered image. Choose the resolution from the drop-down list or enter your own values in the two input boxes to the right. The drop-down list includes most common video formats.
682 • CHAPTER 13 Pixel The two values specified here define the ratio of a pixel’s on-screen width (left box) to its on-screen height (right box). The pixel ratio for most monitors is 1:1, so usually you do not need to change this setting. However, some display media use a pixel ratio other than 1:1 and the setting must be adjusted to avoid distortions such as circles appearing as ellipses.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 683 Only the preview range (the area in the Timeline between the green markers) will be rendered. The frames are rendered either as a picture sequence or as a movie (AVI, QuickTime). If you want the animation to be saved automatically after rendering, enter a save path on the Save page. Field Rend. Avoid using field rendering with the depth of field effect (Advanced Render module); otherwise, the image quality will be badly affected.
684 • CHAPTER 13 Save Save Image, Path When setting the path, keep the following in mind to avoid filename issues when moving the files from one operating system to another: use a maximum of 22 characters for the filename. For example, Mac OS 9.1 has the following limits: filename length: up to 31 characters — four characters for the file extension, (e.g. “*.tif”) — five characters for the sequential numbering when outputting a frame sequence (e.g. “_0023”).
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 685 AVI Movie: after selecting this format, click Options. In the dialog that opens, choose the codec for the movie. Windows and Macintosh If you are using Windows, you must install QuickTime to take advantage of these features. QuickTime Movie Small: a variant of the Cinepak codec is used to produce compact movies of reasonable quality.
686 • CHAPTER 13 This lets you take full advantage of maximum color and brightness when outputting your CINEMA 4D images. Internally, CINEMA 4D renders with substantially higher color and brightness (98-Bit / pixel) than can be realized on a conventional RGB image. This limitation does not exist for images rendered to the HDRI format.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 687 Above, the original image; center, the original image darkened in Photoshop output as TIFF; below, the original image output in 32-Bit, darkened using the appropriate software. As you can see in the example above, the 32-Bit image can be darkened (e.g. using CINEMA 4D’s “Exposure” setting) without having to worry about the white surface turning gray, as is the case with the conventional image formats.
688 • CHAPTER 13 3. 32-Bit formats (in particular the HDR formats: HDR (Radiance) and OpenEXR) are good for use as so-called “Image Based Lighting”, i.e. the lighting of scenes via GI (only with the Advanced Render module), exclusively with textures, without the use of light sources.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 689 “None” means the image will not be compressed – and will be accordingly large. Although the image will not have to be decompressed when loading or saving it, which can save a lot of time but is only relevant for large images or long animations. With the exception of “Lossy 24-bit float”, all other compression types are nondissipative, i.e. the brightness will not be affected when saving the image(s). You can find additional information regarding OpenEXR at www.
690 • CHAPTER 13 Alpha Channel The entire alpha channel is masked if you use a Sky, Floor, Foreground or Background object in your scene. Do not use any of these objects if you need the alpha channel. If you enable this option, a pre-multiplied alpha channel will be calculated during rendering. The alpha channel is a grayscale image of the same resolution as your color picture. Pixels in the alpha channel are either black or white.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 691 Straight Alpha The entire alpha channel is masked if you use a Sky, Floor, Foreground or Background object in your scene. Do not use any of these objects if you need the alpha channel. You can use this option if straight alphas are supported by your compositing program to avoid the dark seam associated with pre-multiplied alphas. Note that straight alphas are suitable for compositing only; they are unusable as conventional pictures.
692 • CHAPTER 13 Compositing Project File, Relative, Save A compositing project file is made up of multiple layers. Each layer can be edited separately. CINEMA 4D supports the following video compositing programs: Adobe After Effects (5.0 or higher) Discreet Combustion (3.0 or higher) Apple Final Cut Pro (4.0 or higher; CINEMA 4D Mac version only) Apple Motion Version 2 Appke Shake Versions 3.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 693 The following camera data is supported: Camera position. Camera orientation. Focal length. Camera to target distance (provided the CINEMA 4D scene used a target camera). The following types of light are supported: Point. Parallel. Spot. Exporting the multi-passes To export the multi-passes from CINEMA 4D: 1. In the render settings, on the Multi-Pass page, use the Channels drop-down list to choose which passes should be rendered.
694 • CHAPTER 13 In Combustion, open the ’.cws’ file (File > Open Workspace). In Final Cut Pro, import the ‘.xml’ file (File > Import > XML) and ignore the alert that appears. Movies will be imported faster than picture sequences. The project in CINEMA 4D. The project in After Effects. The project in Combustion. The project in Final Cut Pro. The compositing programs will import the composition correctly provided that the compositing program is on the same computer as CINEMA 4D.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 695 QTVR cannot be used with compositing project files (QTVR does not support multi-passes). B3D image sequences are not supported. Antialiasing Antialiasing removes jagged edges from your images. It works by breaking down each pixel into subpixels; rather than calculate just one color for a pixel, several color values are calculated and averaged to produce the final color for the pixel. Using the settings on the Antialiasing page, you can remove jagged edges.
696 • CHAPTER 13 Antialiasing None. Geometry. Best. None Switches off antialiasing. Rendering is exceptionally fast, but edges are jagged. Geometry The default antialiasing mode. Object edges are smooth when rendered. Best Switches on color antialiasing. Antialiasing softens color contrasts, such as shadow edges. Object edges are smoothed also. Filter The antialiasing will be blurred or sharpened according to your choice.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 697 Sinc. Area 10%, Area 100%. Catmull. PAL/NTSC. Cone 10%, Cone 100%. Still Image The default filter. It ensures sharp edges and is best suited to still images. For crisp, sharp stills, keep in mind that you may need to change the Sampling setting of materials.
698 • CHAPTER 13 Area Calculates an area (defined by Softness) around the current pixel that is used for the antialiasing. Cone Set the size of this cone filter using Softness. Still Image, Animation, Blend and Sinc all produce better antialiasing than Cone. Catmull Produces lower-quality antialiasing than Still Image, Animation, Blend and Sinc. PAL/NTSC For S-VHS, use the Animation filter. This very soft filter is suitable for VHS.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 699 If jaggies appear behind transparent objects, increase the Max Level setting. Edges of hard shadows can also be smoothed by increasing the Max Level setting. Use Object Properties If this option is enabled, you can specify the Min/Max Level and the Threshold separately for each object using Compositing tags. MIP Scale Scales the MIP/SAT strength globally. For example, a MIP Scale of 200% doubles the MIP/SAT strength for each material.
700 • CHAPTER 13 Natural lighting is made easy using the global illumination features of the Advanced Render module. Global Illumination leads to new levels of realism by simulating the natural behavior of light. The caustics feature improves the realism of scenes that use curved reflective or transparent objects. Place marbles or a glass on a table and patterns of light will appear on the tablecloth. For added realism, with Advanced Render you can recreate these effects with ease.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 701 Post effects are generated after the image has been rendered. Therefore you won’t see the effect until the image is fully rendered. The new “Save Preset” and “Load Preset” options let you save and load effect presets to and from the “Presets/User” directory in the Content Browser. These presets can also be deleted from the Content Browser. Effect presets can also be saved to the Content Browser per drag & drop.
702 • CHAPTER 13 Median Filter Removes peaks in color values from the image. Use Strength to increase or decrease the effect. Sharpen Filter This filter emphasizes transitions in the image. This reinforces the edges. Use Strength to increase or decrease the effect. Try using the filter with 30% strength for stills. Soft Filter Each pixel is balanced with its neighbor to produce a softer transition. Use Strength to increase or decrease the effect.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 703 Cylindrical Lens So what is a cylindrical lens good for? Well, every matte painter out there will be happy to have this additional tool with which to work. Let’s say the modeling department sends you a rough scene from which you have to do your matte painting. Render the scene using the cylindrical lens, then paint your scenery.
704 • CHAPTER 13 Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. You can activate Scene Motion Blur (SMB) to simulate a camera panning swiftly. Think carefully before using field rendering and scene motion blur together, since the field effect is often nullified. Not only that, but the quality of the automatic SMB antialiasing is better without fields and you’ll save render time. Samples With SMB, intermediate images are calculated and overlapped in the corresponding frame with varying brightness.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 705 Antialiasing Restriction If this option is enabled, CINEMA 4D automatically switches Antialiasing (Antialiasing page) from Best to Geometry if Samples is set to 9 Times or higher. This is because Geometry antialiasing is quicker to render and Best is rarely required with a high Samples value. Camera Offset CINEMA 4D creates an antialiasing effect by offsetting the camera slightly for each intermediate image. This causes slight blurring.
706 • CHAPTER 13 Edge Color black (left) and white (right). Background Color white (left) and black (right). Color The render time increases linearly with the number of polygons. If this option is disabled, objects will usually be rendered with black outlines on a white background. When Color is enabled, all objects will be rendered using a reduced color palette (depending on the Quantize and Steps settings) and black outlines on a black background. This gives the rendered subjects a cartoon-like feel.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 707 When enabled, an outline will be drawn around the silhouette of objects. If both the Color option and the Outline option are disabled, all you will see is the background color. With Color enabled, the outline will bring out the individual objects and give them a cartoon-like feel. Illumination This option is available when Color is enabled. If this option is enabled, the shading of objects will be affected by the illumination. Shadows will also be rendered cartoon-style.
708 • CHAPTER 13 Color Correction Use this post effect to change the gamma, contrast and brightness of the image. Options Active Objects Only If this option is enabled, only the selected objects will be included when you render the scene. Auto Light When enabled, if there are no lights in your scene, CINEMA 4D uses its auto light (a standard light source) during rendering so that you can see the objects.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 709 Log File If this option is enabled, a render log will be recorded in ‘Renderlog.txt’ in the CINEMA 4D folder. The render log contains a complete history of the render process including system resource information. Check this log if you need to identify problems that occurred while rendering. The information in the log file is not overwritten by subsequent renders. Rather, new log information is appended. As a result, this file can grow to a fair size over time.
710 • CHAPTER 13 Render HUD Enable this option to include the HUD in the rendered picture or animation. This can be useful for including information in the rendering such as the frame time. To learn how to use the HUD, look up ‘HUD’ in the index. Cache Shadow Maps CINEMA 4D must calculate a shadow map for each light in the scene that casts a soft shadow. A shadow map determines where shadows will be rendered.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 711 To delete cached shadow maps from the hard drive, choose Render > Flush Illumination Caches. However, note that this command will also delete any saved global illumination or caustics solutions (Advanced Render module). Limitations The algorithm cannot detect all changes that require the shadow maps to be recalculated. Changes to gels, for example, are not detected and may lead to incorrect shadows.
712 • CHAPTER 13 Ray Depth The Ray Depth determines how many transparent objects (or areas made invisible using the alpha channel) can be penetrated by the renderer. The lower you set the Ray Depth, the fewer the number of objects that can be seen through. Those areas that cannot be penetrated are rendered black. A Ray Depth of 1 means that calculations are finished for a pixel once its ray hits something in the scene. Transparencies and alphas therefore will not be visible.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 713 You can also use Reflection Depth to limit the render time for the picture. Often, only the first generation of reflections is important. Further rays tend to add little to the image quality, but increase the render time considerably. A Reflection Depth of 1 means that calculations for a pixel are finished once a ray hits something in the scene. Reflections therefore will not be visible.
714 • CHAPTER 13 Sometimes it is useful to increase the Threshold value to prevent minor details being reflected. Although minor details are calculated correctly, too much detail in reflections can distract the viewer. However, if you want all rays to be calculated, set Threshold to 0%. Level of Detail If you render into a viewport, the viewport’s level of detail value (Display menu) is used in preference.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 715 Enable Multi-Pass Rendering Use this option to enable or disable multi-pass rendering. Channels The Channels drop-down list displays the layers that may be included in the multi-layer rendering. It also contains various relevant commands. Use the Channels drop-down list to add layers to or remove layers from the selection list. The items in the Channels drop-down list are: Add Image Layers Adds to the selection list all image layers that form the composite image.
716 • CHAPTER 13 Object Buffer This creates a mask layer for objects that use a specified ID number in their Compositing tags. After choosing this command, the Object Buffer dialog open. Enter the desired ID number and click OK. To assign an ID to an object, use a Compositing tag. The sphere appears in both object buffers since its Compositing tag has two IDs (ID=1 and ID=2). The layers RGBA Image. Shadow. Depth. Reflection. Refraction. Specular.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 717 The Global Illumination and Caustics layers contain the effects created by global illumination and caustics and are of use only if the optional Advanced Render module is installed. The RGBA layer is the complete image — the same image as with normal rendering. An alpha channel will be included if Alpha Channel is enabled on the Save page of the render settings. The Ambient layer shows the illumination generated by an Environment object if used.
718 • CHAPTER 13 From top left to bottom left: Highlights (AR), Glow (AR), Specular, and Diffusion, each as a separate Post Effects pass. The Post Effects channel makes it possible to render a variety of post effects (PyroCluster, lense effects, vector motion blur, highlights, glow effects, glow) as separate passes. Material Normal Not to be confused with normal maps, these normal components are rendered as RGB (X = red, Y = green, Z = blue) without anti-aliasing.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 719 Ambient Occlusion If you own the Advanced Render module you can generate an Ambient Occlusion pass for the entire scene, in accordance with the Ambient Occlusion options in the Render Settings. Save Multi-Pass Image You can view specific layers using the Picture viewer’s Channels menu. Enable this option if you want the multi-pass image to be saved when you render to the Picture viewer.
720 • CHAPTER 13 Shadow Correction Enable Shadow Correction to prevent artefacts from appearing at the edges of objects. When rendering multi-passes with shadows switched on, slight artefacts such as bright lines may appear at object edges due to antialiasing. To prevent these artefacts from appearing, enable this option. Straight (Unmultiply Alpha) This option is only available if you have activated the “Alpha Channel” option in the Render Settings “Save” tab.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 721 Selected Separate layers for all lights whose Separate Pass option is enabled (Details page). Mode Use Mode to control how the diffuse, specular and shadow information is layered for each light source that has its own layers. 1 Channel: Diffuse+Specular+Shadow Adds one blended layer for Diffuse, Specular and Shadow. 2 Channels: Diffuse+Specular, Shadow Adds one blended layer for Diffuse and Specular, and one layer for Shadow.
722 • CHAPTER 13 Layer Name As Suffix If your chosen format does not support multi-layers, each layer will be saved as a separate file. If this option is enabled, the name of the layer, such as ‘_diffuse’ or ‘_refraction’, is added after the filenames. QuickTime VR Lens effects cannot be used with QuickTime VR movies. If the optional NET Render module is installed, note that QuickTime VR object and panorama movies cannot be rendered over a network. They must be rendered on a single computer.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 723 Horizontal Settings When the output format is QTVR Object, here you can specify the number of horizontal steps the camera takes as it moves around the object. For either panorama or object modes, it is also possible to specify Start Angle and End Angle. Vertical Settings There are two built-in resolutions for QuickTime VR on the Resolution dropdown list (Output page): 1248 x 384 QTVR and 2048 x 768 QTVR. Also on the Output page, set Film Format to Automatic.
724 • CHAPTER 13 X Default Resolution, Y Default Resolution These settings define the output resolution of the QuickTime VR movie. The default value is 320 x 240 pixels. The resolution of the original material from which the QuickTime VR movie is finally rendered is defined by the Resolution setting on the Output page. The Y resolution of the original material should be at least 1.6 times greater than the Y Default Resolution setting.
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 725 Computer playback: Resolution Description Film Format Pixel (X to Y) Frame Rate 160 x 120 draft 320 x 240 348 x 288 Fields NTSC MPEG1 4:3 1 29.97 even lower PAL MPEG1 4:3 1 25 odd upper Film Format Pixel (X to 1) Frame Rate TV playback (video): Resolution Description Fields 640 x 480 NTSC 4:3 1 29.97 even 720 x 486 D1 NTSC 4:3 0.9 29.97 odd 768 x 576 PAL 4:3 1 25 odd 720 x 576 D1 PAL 4:3 1.
14 Window Menu
WINDOW MENU • 729 14. Window Menu Most of the following menu entries activate a window or manager. If the window or manager is already open, the call brings it to the front. Otherwise, the window or manager appears in a new, freestanding window. To dock this into the interface, drag the window’s pin icon and drop it where you want the window to be docked. A black line appears while you drag to indicate the docking position.
730 • CHAPTER 14 Reset Layout This command resets your CINEMA 4D layout to the original, preset layout. This is particularly useful if you need to call our support team since you and they then have a common interface from which to work. Your own customized layouts can increase your workflow enormously, but when searching for an elusive problem a common, standardized layout is essential. Save As Startup Layout Saves the current working environment as the startup layout.
WINDOW MENU • 731 Menu Manager You can use this manager to rearrange CINEMA 4D’s menus. You can revert to the original structure at any time by clicking the Revert To Original button. Default Layouts Here you’ll find a list of all layouts in CINEMA 4D’s ‘Library/Layout’ location. To load one of these layouts, choose its name from the list. Default Main Menus At the bottom of the Layouts submenu, you’ll find a list of default main menus. To choose a menu, select its name from the list.
732 • CHAPTER 14 New View Panel You can open as many view panels as you wish. Object Manager Opens the Object manager, if it is not already open, and brings it to the front if it is hidden behind any other windows. Using this manager, you can select objects (even those that are not visible in the viewport), change the object hierarchy, add tags and expressions and much more. See Chapter 17, ‘Object Manager’.
WINDOW MENU • 733 Timeline Opens the Timeline, if it is not already open, and brings it to the front if it is hidden behind any other windows. See Chapter 19, ‘Timeline’. F-Curve Manager Using this manager, you can edit F-Curves quickly and easily. F-Curves control the interpolation between keys. See Chapter 20, ‘F-Curves’.
734 • CHAPTER 14 Attribute Manager You’ll use this manager frequently. Here you can edit all object properties or even animate without opening the Timeline. You can create your own GUI elements, such as sliders, and you can link parameters (set driven keys) and much more. See Chapter 21, ‘Attribute Manager’.
WINDOW MENU • 735 Opens the Picture viewer. Most of the time, you won’t need to use this command because the Picture viewer opens automatically when you choose Render > Render To Picture Viewer. See Chapter 24, ‘Picture Viewer’. Coordinate Manager Opens the Coordinate manager, if it is not already open, and brings it to the front if it is hidden behind any other windows. This compact manager is useful for editing the position, scale and rotation of objects. See Chapter 16, ‘Coordinate Manager’.
736 • CHAPTER 14 Content Browser Opens the Content Browser, if it is not already open (and brings it to the front if it is hidden behind any other windows). Use the Content Browser to manage your project’s libraries and presets. Create catalog files and presets of scenes, audio clips, textures and more, then quickly add them to your project via drag & drop. For example, to add a mug model to the current scene, drag and drop the mug’s thumbnail into the Object manager.
WINDOW MENU • 737 Selection Info Only selected polygon objects or splines have information shown in this window. If you have selected a parametric object, modifier or other such object, the window remains empty. Opens an information window containing information about the selected object. Here, the number of points, polygons and spline segments are shown. Structure Info Only selected polygon objects or splines have information shown in this window.
738 • CHAPTER 14
15 Help Menu
HELP MENU • 741 15. Help Menu MAXON Online Get the latest CINEMA 4D updates, news, support issues, tutorials and more using these links to the MAXON website. An Internet browser and Internet connection are required. Help (CINEMA 4D) This opens the online manual copied to your hard drive during the standard installation process. Personalize Your initial serial number will expire after three months of use, after which you will no longer be able to use the program.
16 Coordinate Manager
COORDINATE MANAGER • 745 16. Coordinate Manager You can also set the position, scale and rotation of objects using the Attribute manager. In addition, the Attribute manager’s context menu enables you to animate these and other object properties directly, without having to open the Timeline. See Chapter 21, ‘Attribute manager’. The Coordinate manager allows you to manipulate objects numerically. It displays information relating to the tool you are using.
746 • CHAPTER 16 Note that you may be changing the axes of child objects unintentionally when you change the axes of the parent. Try to avoid using world coordinates for animated rotation. CINEMA 4D converts all world coordinates into local coordinates, which can lead to unexpected behavior if you do not use local coordinates in the first place.
17 Object Manager
OBJECT MANAGER • 749 17. Object Manager The Object manager is the center of object administration in CINEMA 4D. Here you can select objects, change object hierarchies and manipulate tags. On the left part of the manager you’ll find a list of all objects in the scene. Hierarchies are shown as a tree structure. You can collapse and open hierarchies, just as you can on your computer desktop. You can use dragand-drop to re-group or, by holding down Ctrl while you drag, copy objects.
750 • CHAPTER 17 Many commands can be reached in the Object manager, using the context menu. To access the context menu, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) an element such as a type icon, a tag or a visibility dot. The commands shown will depend on the type of element from which you selected the menu. When you select a command in the Object manager, it is applied to the selected object or objects.
OBJECT MANAGER • 751 Mouse techniques Function Action Select object Click on the object. Rename object Double-click on the object name (you can also rename the selected objects on the Basic Properties page of the Attribute manager). Edit object Click on the object and edit its parameters in the Attribute manager. Select tag Click on the tag. Edit tag Click on the tag and edit its parameters in the Attribute manager. Move selected object or tag Drag-and-drop.
752 • CHAPTER 17 To access the tag’s settings, select the tag. Its parameters will be shown on the Basic Properties and Tag Properties in the Attribute manager. For some tags, the Basic Properties page is identical and has just one setting, Name, which you can edit to change the tag’s name. Expression tags Some of the tags belong to a group of tags known as ‘expressions’. Expressions are small programs that give specific types of behavior to objects.
OBJECT MANAGER • 753 Expression D. Expression A (10 being the highest priority value of the four expressions). Camera Dependent This option determines whether the expression is calculated while the camera is being rotated. By enabling this option, you can speed up the redraw rate in the viewport dramatically for some expressions such as the Target expression. Enable This option switches the expression on or off. Align To Path Suppose you’re animating an aeroplane.
754 • CHAPTER 17 The object’s X-axis always stays parallel to the XZ world coordinates. Thus, the camera follows the natural motion path. With the Look Ahead value, you can choose how many frames should be considered for calculating the orientation of the object. Figure 1: Without an Align To Path tag. Figure 2: With an Align To Path tag. Align To Spline If a spline has its intermediate points set to Uniform, this is also taken into account for the spline animation.
OBJECT MANAGER • 755 Spline Path By animating the Spline Path parameter you can change which spline the object is aligned to during the animation. Select the relevant Align To Spline tag and then drag the Spline object from the Object manager and drop it into the Spline Path box on the Attribute manager’s Tag page. Rail Path You can optionally use a rail path. Drag the spline that you want to act as the rail from the Object manager into the Rail Path box on the Attribute manager’s Tag page.
756 • CHAPTER 17 Segment Splines may consist of multiple segments. Use this parameter to choose which segment the spline follows. Axis This setting is available when Tangential is enabled. It defines with which axis the object follows the spline. Anchor When you use inverse kinematics (IK), you may not want all the objects in the hierarchy to be affected. The anchor tag prevents an object from being moved under IK. The objects above it in the hierarchy will also remain stationary (i.e. anchored).
OBJECT MANAGER • 757 Compositing This tag contains several options that affect rendering. Cast Shadows, Receive Shadows Sometimes it is useful to prevent objects from casting or receiving shadows, especially for technical illustrations. In such cases, disable these options. Compositing Background This option will cause the object to be self-illuminated yet still receive shadows. The object in question (in our example below, the floor) must have its own material.
758 • CHAPTER 17 Transparency from the “Alpha” material channel. If this option is deactivated, an object with this Compositing tag setting will not be visible when behind transparent objects. Seen by Refraction Choose from transparency and refraction. Refraction takes place when “Refraction” in a material channel’s “Transparency” channel menu is not equal to “1”. Otherwise, “Seen by Transparency” will apply.
OBJECT MANAGER • 759 Enable, GI Accuracy Global illumination accuracy is controlled globally by Accuracy in the render settings . To override the global value for the tag’s object, enable the GI Accuracy option and enter the desired value into the text box. This setting has no effect unless the Advanced Render module is installed. Seen By Camera, Seen By Rays Normal object. Seen By Rays disabled. Seen By Camera disabled.
760 • CHAPTER 17 At the top left, all three gray spheres reflect the red sphere. The remaining three examples show various forms of inclusion or exclusion. NOTE: The Compositing tag is assigned to the object that is to be reflected (red sphere). The same applies to transparency or refraction: The Compositing tag is not applied to the object through which another should be seen, but to the object that will be refracted.
OBJECT MANAGER • 761 Exclude: Drag all objects that should be excluded from the effects (“Seen by Transparency”, “Seen by Refraction”, “Seen by Reflection”) from the Object Manager into the Exclude list. Object List You can drag & drop objects from the Object Manager into this list. By using SHIFT + CTRL you can select and deselect multiple objects. Selected objects can be deleted by pressing Backspace or Del.
762 • CHAPTER 17 Seen By GI To enable or disable GI globally, use the Global illumination option in the render settings (Global illumination page). Enable this option if you want the object to generate global illumination. If you disable the option, the object will not generate global illumination. This setting has no effect unless the Advanced Render module is installed. Self Shadowing Left, active “Self Shadowing”; right, “Self Shadowing” deactivated.
OBJECT MANAGER • 763 Let’s say you activate a Render Tag in the Channel tab for a given object and assign it ID “1”. If you subsequently define an object channel in the Multi-Pass settings with an ID of “1”, an alpha channel will be created that matches the object. This method can be used to create any number of alpha channels. An ID of “1” can also be assigned to other objects, letting you combine a wide variety of objects that can be output as alpha channels.
764 • CHAPTER 17 Level Of Detail If the tag’s Level Of Detail option is enabled, it is always used in a viewport, even if Display Tags is disabled on the viewport’s Display menu. This has the same effect as the command of the same name in the project settings. You can use it to control the level of detail for generators and deformers. The tag’s value overrides the value in the project settings.
OBJECT MANAGER • 765 HyperNURBS Weight This tag stores weighting information. It is created automatically when you weight a HyperNURBS. IK You can use this tag to set an IK target that the IK chain will try to reach. In the following example we created four nulls — one for each hand and each foot. We then placed the foot nulls on the floor and the hand nulls on the bar and assigned these nulls to IK tags. When we moved the figure’s body, the hands and feet remained in position.
766 • CHAPTER 17 Kinematic You can use this tag to specify angle restraints for the object when using inverse kinematics (IK). For example, a real knee can bend through about 160° only. Angle restrictions can also be useful for preventing objects from intersecting each other. Specify the restraint by entering Minimum and Maximum values for Heading (H), Pitch (P) and Bank (B). You can also specify a damping factor. The higher you set Damping, the stiffer the joint becomes.
OBJECT MANAGER • 767 Rename the other null Anchor, then make the entire bones chain a child of Anchor. Your chain should look like the picture below. In the top toolbar, click the X-axis icon to unlock the X-axis. Choose Tools > Inverse Kinematics to activate IK mode. In the Object manager, select Handle. Now move the bones around (click and drag somewhere in the viewport, but not directly on the Handle or you may catch the object axes).
768 • CHAPTER 17 Look At Camera This tag is used to make objects point at the camera. If Change Pitch Rotation is enabled, the object’s Z-axis always points at the camera. If the option is disabled, the pitch angle is not changed. Suppose you’re using a 2D tree in the scene (a plane with an alpha map). This tree must constantly face the camera, but also, its Pitch value must not change (i.e. it must remain perpendicular to the ground).
OBJECT MANAGER • 769 Radius Traditionally, metaballs are based on spheres. However, CINEMA 4D enables you to use polygon objects and splines to create the hull. A meta-sphere will be created for each object point. For example, if you use a cube with eight points, eight meta-spheres will be created, one for each corner of the cube. Radius defines the radius for these spheres. Motion Blur You can use this tag to apply motion blur to an object. Add the tag to the desired object or objects.
770 • CHAPTER 17 No Phong tag (left), Phong tag applied (right). The following cylinders demonstrate the effect of the smoothing angle. The cylinder on the left has smoothing with no angle limit specified (i.e. all angles are smoothed), the middle cylinder has an angle limit of 89.5° and the cylinder to the right has no smoothing at all. No angle limit (left), 89.5 angle limit (center), no smoothing (right). When CINEMA 4D calculates the Phong shading, it assumes that the surface normals are aligned.
OBJECT MANAGER • 771 To see the normals, select their polygons. For example, create a sphere and choose Functions > Make Editable (this will convert the sphere to polygons). Select the Polygon tool from the left toolbar and select some polygons using one of the selection tools (or choose Edit > Select All). The normals appear as thin, yellow lines perpendicular to the surface. To align normals, choose Functions > Align Normals. If a Phong tag is activated, the normals will be interpolated.
772 • CHAPTER 17 When in edge mode, CINEMA 4D allows you to break the Phong shading along edges using the Break Phong Shading command (Structure menu). When breaking individual edges, the effect will only occur if the end points of the edge are surrounded by connected polygons. In the following illustration, the effect of breaking will be visible for edge A, but not for edge B. Broken Phong edges only work when the Phong tag’s Angle Limit option is enabled.
OBJECT MANAGER • 773 Protection Use this tag to prevent accidental changes to an object. You’ll be unable to move, scale or rotate any object that has this tag. You’ll need to remove the tag before you can make any such changes. The Protection tag does not prevent scaling with the Object tool. It does, however, prevent scaling with the Model tool. Restriction You can use this tag to restrict a deformer’s effect to a selection of points.
774 • CHAPTER 17 Stick Texture This tag pins down all textures onto the object’s surface so that when parts of the object are deformed in some way — such as lips smiling and then frowning — the texture is locked to the surface and deforms along with it. The usual way to pin textures down is to use UVW mapping. However, UVW mapping is problematic when used with HyperNURBS, especially when the cage moves from an area of few points to an area of many points. This is illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, below.
OBJECT MANAGER • 775 If you assign a Stick Texture tag to a texture that uses Flat mapping with Side set to Front, the “Front” information will be lost and the texture will be mapped to both sides of the object. The Stick Texture tag has an interesting side-effect: if you make a Polygon object a child of a Symmetry object and texture one half, the texture will be mirrored to the other side automatically.
776 • CHAPTER 17 The Stop tag affects NURBS objects, but does not affect deformers. When using the Stop tag with deformers, apply Stop tags to child objects lower down in the hierarchy if they have their own deformers that you want to stop. Sun You can use this expression to simulate the sun’s position. The expression is applied automatically when you create a Sun Light object. Target If you apply this tag to an object, the object will point at another object’s origin automatically.
OBJECT MANAGER • 777 Target Object Drag the target object, to which the other object’s Z-axis should be aligned, from the Object Manager into this text field. Up Vector As best as possible, define the object to which the other object’s Y-axis should be aligned. “Target Object” will have priority. Pitch If this option is active, the Z-axis of the object to be aligned will always point in the direction of the target object.
778 • CHAPTER 17 Vibrate This tag can be used to make objects vary in size, position and rotation in regular patterns (Regular Pulse enabled) or to generate random size, position and rotation changes, making the object vibrate. For example, suppose you’re animating a car ride over rough ground, see from the driver’s view. By adding a Vibrate tag to the camera, you can greatly add to the realism by literally putting the viewer behind the wheel.
OBJECT MANAGER • 779 WWW You can assign a URL to an object. This is useful if you are creating VRML files for the Internet. These VRML files (.wrl) contain complete 3D scenes and can be viewed in web browsers provided that you have an appropriate VRML plugin. The viewer can click on a 3D object that has a WWW tag in order to link to an Internet address. URL contains the link address. Enter the complete address, including the prefix such as ‘http://’, ‘ftp: //’, or ‘shttp://’.
780 • CHAPTER 17 C.O.F.F.E.E. Error tag You won’t find this tag listed on the Object manager’s File > CINEMA 4D Tags menu. Rather, it appears automatically when you load a scene that uses plugin tags and you don’t have the plugin installed, or when a C.O.F.F.E.E. error occurs (if you see C.O.F.F.E.E. errors, please contact the plugin’s author). Restore Selection If you’ve created selections for point, edge or polygon selection using the Set Selection command, you’ll find these selections listed here.
OBJECT MANAGER • 781 In lieu of using the menu, texture tags can be placed into the “Presets / User” folder via drag & drop. They can also be dragged from the Content Browser onto an object in the editor or in the Object Manager. Load / Save Object Presets Use these settings to save a selected object, including child objects, tags, materials, and animations as a preset or, in turn, load such an object.
782 • CHAPTER 17 Paste Inserts the contents of the clipboard (i.e. the last objects that were cut or copied there) into the active scene. Delete Deletes the selected objects or elements from the current scene without copying them to the clipboard. Select All, Deselect All These commands select or deselect all objects. Select Children Adds the children of the selected object(s) to the selection. This is especially useful when you want to record keyframes for the selected objects and their children.
OBJECT MANAGER • 783 The items in this menu control the viewport and render visibility for the selected object. Alternatively, you can change the visibility using the visibility dots in the middle column of the Object manager: Both dots are grey by default. The upper dot controls viewport visibility, the lower dot render visibility. Each dot has three states: grey, green and red. To apply a status to all child objects, Ctrl-click the parent object’s dot.
784 • CHAPTER 17 Object Activation Generators and deformers are two of the most important object types in CINEMA 4D. Generators use other objects or data to create new surfaces. Generators include most NURBS types. Deformers modify an existing object. Deformers include not only those listed in the Objects > Deformation menu, but also HyperNURBS, metaballs and the Symmetry object.
OBJECT MANAGER • 785 Objects that match the search criteria will become selected in the Object manager. You can search by name, by object type, by tag type and so on. To open a search menu, click the triangle button next to the Search text box. You’ll find the following options on the search menu: Exact Match Selects all objects or tags that match the text in the Search text box. Starts With Selects all objects or tags whose names start with the text in the Search text box.
786 • CHAPTER 17 Objects, Tags Opens a list of all object types or tag types present in the scene. To search for a specific type of object or tag, choose its name from the list. The element type will then appear in the Search text box along with a bracket pair. You can refine the search by entering search syntax into the text box between the brackets.
OBJECT MANAGER • 787 Camera{cam#} Selects all camera objects whose names begin with ‘cam’ followed by a single digit. For example, this would select any camera objects named ‘cam1’, ‘cam2’, ‘cam3’ and so on. Note that ‘cam12’ would not be found because it has more than one digit. To find ‘cam12’ and other camera objects named ‘cam’ followed by two digits, you could add a second hash character, i.e.: Camera{cam##}. Phong{xx,yy,zz} Selects all Phong tags named ‘xx’, ‘yy’ or ‘zz’.
788 • CHAPTER 17 Rename Object You can use this command to change an object’s name. You can also call this command by doubleclicking on the object’s name. Group Objects You can use this command to group objects in the Object manager. To group objects, select the objects that you want to group and choose Group Objects. A Null object is created and the selected objects (including their children) are placed inside the null. Existing hierarchies are preserved within the new group.
OBJECT MANAGER • 789 Show F-Curves Shows all F-Curves of the selected objects in the F-Curve manager. Object Information This command displays the following information about the selected object (including its children): size in KB, number of points, number of polygons and number of objects. If you see figures in brackets, these are the number of points and polygons that will be created if you make the object and its children editable.
790 • CHAPTER 17 Unfold All Proceed with caution if your scene is very large. In these cases you may want to unfold the hierarchies by hand. Large projects often have more than 1000 objects. The display speed will be just as slow as if 1000 files were to be displayed hierarchically in your operating system’s window. You can find out the number of objects in your scene by choosing Objects > Scene Information. This command is the reverse of Fold All (see above) — it expands all hierarchies.
OBJECT MANAGER • 791 If you are using NET Render to render across a network, jumps may occur in particle streams due to differences between the CPUs. To remedy this problem, bake the particles. To bake the particles, select the emitter in the Object manager, choose the Bake Particles command, set the parameters in the Bake Particles dialog as desired (see below) and click OK. A Baked Particles icon will appear in the Object manager, to the right of the emitter.
792 • CHAPTER 17 Tags Menu Edit Tag This command is only of use if the Attribute manager is closed. It opens the Attribute manager, where you can then edit the parameters of the selected tag. You can also open the Attribute manager by double-clicking a tag. Don’t use this command if the Attribute manager is already open and you want to edit a tag. Instead, in the Object manager, select the tag or tags that you want to edit.
OBJECT MANAGER • 793 The effect of UVW coordinates is demonstrated in the picture above. The object to the left uses Cubic mapping. The texture slips when the object is deformed. The texture for the object to the right does not slip since its original cubic mapping has been fixed in place with UVW coordinates. You may use multiple Texture tags on an object, with each Texture tag assigned to a different UVW tag.
794 • CHAPTER 17 The selected polygons use Flat projection while the unselected polygons continue to use the normal UVW mapping. If you deform the object, the texture remains fixed in the selected region as well. UVW Tag option: Lock UVW You may find that this option is enabled automatically when you import a scene from another program. The enabled option locks the UVW coordinates to prevent them being changed by BodyPaint 3D’s UV editing tools. This is useful for preventing accidental UVW changes.
OBJECT MANAGER • 795 Fit To Region You must apply your texture with Flat projection if you want to use this command. Use the mouse to drag a box. CINEMA 4D fits the projection to this box. Adapt To Object Axis, Adapt To World Axis, Adapt To View Adapt to Object Axis. Adapt to World Axis. Adapt to View. Adapt To Object Axis and Adapt To World Axis rotate the texture axes in such a way that they are parallel to the object axes or world axes.
796 • CHAPTER 17
OBJECT MANAGER • 797
798 • CHAPTER 17
18 Material Manager
MATERIAL MANAGER • 801 18. Material Manager Good materials are every bit as important to photorealism as good modeling. Using the Material manager, you can accurately recreate any type of material. A thumbnail is displayed for each material, which, by default, shows how the material looks when placed on a sphere in front of a striped background. You can change the size of the thumbnails using the following commands on the Material manager’s Edit menu: Mini Icons, Small Icons, Medium Icons and Large Icons.
802 • CHAPTER 18 File Menu New Material This command (or a double-click on an empty area of the Material Manager) creates a new material with default values (white with specularity). The new material is placed at the start of the material list. Shader This menu lists CINEMA 4D’s volume shaders, including the volume shaders formerly known as SLA (such as Cheen and Banji). These shaders are described later in this chapter.
MATERIAL MANAGER • 803 Load / Save Material Presets These options let you load material presets from a list of presets or save material presets (they will be saved to the Content Browser’s “Presets/User” directory). Materials can be placed into the “Presets/User” directory per drag & drop. Inversely, materials can be dragged from this directory into the Material Manager.
804 • CHAPTER 18 Delete Deletes the selected materials without copying them to the clipboard. Alternatively, press the Backspace or Delete key. Select All, Deselect All These commands select or deselect all materials. Material List You can choose to display the material icons as a vertical list. To revert to the original display mode, in the Material manager, choose Edit > Material.
MATERIAL MANAGER • 805 Render Materials, Render All Materials To abort the rendering of the thumbnails, press the Esc key. These commands redraw the thumbnails of the selected materials or all materials. Most of the time you won’t need to use this command because new materials are rendered automatically. However, when you save a scene, the thumbnails are compressed to reduce the scene’s file size. When you load a scene, you may notice artefacts in some of the thumbnails.
806 • CHAPTER 18 To rename a material group, double-click the tab’s name and enter the new name into the dialog that appears. You cannot rename the All and Others groups. Remove Material Group You cannot remove the All and Others groups. They will be deleted automatically if you remove all other groups. Deletes the selected material groups and moves their materials to the Others group (the materials themselves are not deleted). Sort Materials Arranges the material list in alphabetical order.
MATERIAL MANAGER • 807 Rename Use this command to change the name of the selected material. You can also rename a material by double-clicking its name, which is just below the material’s thumbnail, or by selecting the material and entering the new name on the Basic Properties tab in the Attribute manager. Remove Unused Materials Deletes all unused materials. Remove Duplicate Materials Deletes all identical materials (i.e.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 809 The Material Editor Properties and what they control: Color: Surface color Diffusion: Irregularities in surface color (works by brightening and darkening the color channel) Luminance: Luminescent color (light-independent color) Transparency: Transparency (including refraction index) Reflection: Ability to reflect other objects Environment: Environment reflection (simulates reflection) Fog: Fog effect Bump: Virtual bumps on a surface Alpha: Localized
810 • CHAPTER 18 The Material Editor enables you to edit the properties of the materials used in your scene. To open the Material Editor, double-click a thumbnail in the Material manager. The Material Editor is ‘non-modal’. In other words, there is no need to close it before you can edit another material. Simply click once on another material in the Material manager and its settings will appear in the Material Editor. Materials can also be edited in the Attribute manager.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 811 Material preview context menu To change the display settings for the preview, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on the preview and choose the new settings from the context menu that appears. Animate Enable this option to switch on animation for the preview. Open Window This command opens a window containing a material preview that you can scale as desired. The window also has a context menu that lets you choose which scene is used to create the preview (e.g.
812 • CHAPTER 18 Scene Settings Most of these parameters change the size of the object that is used by the preview. So how is this useful? Suppose you’ve created a material that uses a displacement map with Height on the Displacement tab set to 100 m or higher. Suppose also that the object used by the preview is a cube that has sides that are 100 m long. This cube would be too small to adequately display the Displacement map.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 813 You can access materials and shaders from within XPresso expressions. To add a material or shader to an XPresso expression, drag and drop the material preview or shader preview from the Material Editor into the XPresso Editor. Color chooser You can specify a color on most of the material channel pages using a color chooser. For details on how to use the color chooser, look up ’color chooser’ in the index. Texture settings Most material channels enable you to load a texture.
814 • CHAPTER 18 Edit Loads the shader’s parameters or image’s parameters (see above) into the Material editor. Edit Image Opens the image in the default image editing application specified for your computer. For example, choosing Edit Image for a JPEG will open the image in Photoshop if Photoshop is installed and is the default image editor for JPEGs. Reload Image Suppose that, after loading an image into the Texture pane, you then edit the image in an image editor.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 815 In general, the bitmap should be located in either your scene’s folder, your scene’s ‘Tex’ sub-folder or a texture path that you have specified in the preferences. A dialog will warn if the image file is not in a search path and will ask if you want to copy the image to the document’s folder or, if your scene doesn’t have its own folder yet, to the CINEMA 4D root folder.
816 • CHAPTER 18 If you edit an image using an external application, it can be updated in CINEMA 4D by clicking on the “Reload Image” button. Clicking on “Edit Image” will open the image in an external image editing application, as defined by your operating system. Layerset Select: This option lets you show or hide layers or alpha channels when working with textures in Photoshop/ b3d format. This saves you from having to constantly return to an external application to display or hide layers as needed.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 817 Use the first 5 options to select the type of layers/layersets or alpha channels should be displayed in the field below. All layers/layersets and alpha channels that were saved in Photoshop/BodyPaint 3D will be shown in the display field and can be displayed by double clicking on the image (use the SHIFT key to make multiple selections). At the top left of the dialog window a composite of all selected layers is displayed - including all mix modes. What’s meant by “...
818 • CHAPTER 18 The following four settings are for fine-tuning loaded textures. The original bitmap will not be altered. Exposure Use this setting to adjust the brightness of HDRI as well as normal images. HDR Gamma (only 32 bit!) Use this setting to define a textures gamma value. A texture’s gamma value defines how it will be analyzed with regard to the defined brightness value.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 819 Animation CINEMA 4D also allows you to use movies as textures. You can load a QuickTime movie, AVI movie or a picture sequence in the same way as you would a bitmap image (by clicking the three dots button etc. to load the file). The Animation settings control how the movie will be played back.
820 • CHAPTER 18 Sampling Use Sampling to control how the texture’s pixels are interpolated. MIP and SAT are the best choices for animation or for objects in still pictures that extend towards the horizon, such as floors. Square, Alias 1, Alias 2 and Alias 3 should, in general, be used for still pictures only — they generate crisp, sharp textures, but are too sharp for animation and if animated will be likely to flicker.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 821 Circle Circle sampling uses a circle of texture pixels (the ones surrounding the intermediate value). Textures that are enlarged at render time tend to look more natural with this type than with the None type. However, as the examples demonstrate, straight lines are problematic and tend to look frayed. In addition, the texture is very jagged near the horizon. Circle sampling is, however, a good choice for very small textures (e.g.
822 • CHAPTER 18 MIP and SAT mapping approximate a value using these pixels. Only an approximation is made, since calculating the exact value would increase the render time greatly. Figure 2 shows Edge antialiasing with 2 x 2 oversampling. The material used SAT sampling. The image quality is much improved, including the reflection on the sphere. Figure 1: Rendered with MIP sampling. Figure 2: Rendered with SAT sampling. The downside to MIP and SAT mapping is that they require extra memory.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 823 The Blur Scale fine-tunes the strength of the MIP/SAT mapping. MIP and SAT mapping only approximate the optimum computation, since a precise computation would increase the render time greatly. SAT mapping is more accurate than MIP mapping. But sometimes these approximations can make a texture too blurred or too sharp. So the Blur Offset and Blur Scale options enable you to blur or sharpen the mapping. Blur Offset softens a texture.
824 • CHAPTER 18 Multiply The RGB value of the texture is multiplied by the RGB value of the color. For example RGB 255/128/0 (orange) multiplied by RGB 0/255/0 (green) results in RGB 0/128/0 (dark green). Color The settings on this page define the basic color of the material, such as RGB 255/0/0 for red. If you want to create a more complicated material, such as a checkered pattern that uses several colors, you can load a texture. The texture is layered above the color.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 825 Diffusion The Diffusion page lets you darken and lighten the material in specific areas using a diffusion map. Diffusion maps are especially useful for making material look dirty and more realistic. You can use either a normal texture or a shader as the diffusion map. (If the texture is colored, it will still be treated as a grayscale map.) The darker a pixel in the diffusion map, the darker the corresponding region of the material.
826 • CHAPTER 18 Luminance A luminescent object can be seen even when there are no lights in the scene. It is self-illuminated. Texture, Mix Mode, Mix Strength For details on these settings, look up ‘texture settings’ in the index. You can use the three dots button to load an image that is to act as a luminance map. The brighter a pixel in the luminance map, the more luminescent the corresponding region of the material.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 827 Transparency Here you can define the transparency. If the material has a color, the color is automatically reduced with increasing transparency. The equation is: color percentage + transparency percentage = 100% . So a white material with 0% transparency is white (100%). A white material with 50% transparency is 50% white (gray). A white material with 100% transparency has no color. Refraction You can simulate the refractive index by setting the Refraction value.
828 • CHAPTER 18 Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. When a ray hits a closed surface (Figure 1) with transparency and refraction, the ray is bent to simulate refraction. The bent ray is considered to be inside the object. When the ray reaches another surface of the object (the exit side), it is bent back as in real life. However, if the object is open, the ray may not hit a second surface of the object (Figure 2). Thus the ray may not be bent back and the refraction effect may be inaccurate.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 829 Figure 4: Fresnel Reflectivity set to a high value (left) and low value (right). The Fresnel option simulates this phenomenon for you. The Fresnel Reflectivity controls the strength of the Fresnel reflections (see Figure 4). For example, provided Fresnel Reflectivity is set to 100%, if you set transparency with RGB values of 80%, 80%, 80%, the material is 80% transparent and 0% reflective when the viewing angle is 90 degrees.
830 • CHAPTER 18 Texture, Mix Mode, Mix Strength For more details on these settings, look up ‘texture settings’ in the index. Figure 6: Transparency may be controlled by a transparency map or by the Transparency Color. You can load a texture as a transparency map using the three dots button. The brighter a pixel in the transparency map, the more transparent the corresponding region of the material.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 831 Affects the accuracy of the blur effect by controlling the number of samples per shading point. With a value of 100%, the maximum number of samples defined under Max Samples will be used in critical areas. Lower the value to reduce the number of samples used. Min Samples / Max Samples These parameters will only be available if Dispersion is set to a value higher than 0%. Increasing Min Samples and/or Max Samples gives a higher quality blur, but a longer render time also.
832 • CHAPTER 18 Use the Reflection page to set a material’s ability to reflect. The color that you set determines the color of the reflection. You can also use a colored texture — this is known as a reflectivity map. The color of a pixel will affect the color that is reflected from the corresponding area of the material. Figure 1, below, illustrates some reflectivity effects including a reflectivity map. The flask has a simple reflective material.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 833 Dispersion You can blur the reflections (see Figure 2) using the Dispersion, Min Samples, Max Samples and Accuracy settings. The Dispersion value defines the strength of blur for the reflections. 0% means no blur. Increase the value to increase the strength of blur. Accuracy This parameter will only be available if Dispersion is set to a value higher than 0%. Increasing the Accuracy value gives a more accurate blur, but a longer render time also.
834 • CHAPTER 18 The Environment page uses a texture to simulate reflection. Here, in contrast to the other pages, the Color and Texture are multiplied by the Mix mode instead of being added. So why would you want to use the environment property instead of reflection? One reason is that your scene may not have enough objects to produce good results when reflected. Another reason is that the environment property renders more quickly than the reflection property. A typical environment map.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 835 Tiles X, Tiles Y The environment property is independent of the projection type of the material. The environment is always placed spherically around the object. Use Tiles X and Tiles Y to set the number of tiles in the X and Y directions. These tile settings are used instead of the Texture tag’s tile options in the Attribute manager. Exclusive Exclusive disabled. Exclusive enabled.
836 • CHAPTER 18 These parameters enable you to simulate fog or gas clouds. Objects with such materials are translucent, but weaken the light that shines through them according to their density. Light rays weaken as the pass through the fog. You can control this weakening with Distance. The larger this value, the thinner the fog. Distance defines how far a light ray can pass through the fog. You can color the fog and this also affects its visibility.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 837 The settings on this page enable you to simulate bumps. You must use a texture with this channel. It is only from the grayscales in this image that the bump map (a height or relief map) is calculated. Strength The strength of the bumps. The higher the value, the rougher the surface.
838 • CHAPTER 18 Figure 2. Figure 3. These height values are converted into a profile, whose height affects the inclination of the normal vectors. Although the surface is actually smooth, through the change in the normal vectors an apparently three-dimensional surface with a bump-like structure is created at render time. Alpha Many of CINEMA 4D’s shaders have built-in alpha channels. An alpha channel enables you to use an image to mask out areas of the material, allowing any background to show through.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 839 Color, Delta Clipping is often attempted with texture images that are antialiased; this produces a bright border around an object caused by the antialiasing of colors between the main texture and the alpha color; you can remove this border by adjusting the deviation sliders. You can use clip mapping (also sometimes called ‘genlocking’) to mask particular areas with a Color value. Using this method, you pick the color from the selected image that you wish to become transparent.
840 • CHAPTER 18 Premultiplied Enable this option if you are using a texture with a premultiplied alpha channel. Certain graphics applications only produce this type of alpha channel. Texture, Mix Mode, Mix Strength For details on these settings, look up ‘texture settings’ in the index. Example Suppose you want to place a scanned picture of a tree into a scene.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 841 Two materials were used to create the intricate box below: A reflective gold material and a matt wood. To make the wood visible, one of the two colours was cut out from a scanned black-and-white picture. Specular You can enter a Height value up to 1000%. High values can be very effective in Metal mode. Here you can adjust the width, height and falloff of highlights on the material.
842 • CHAPTER 18 Mode Three modes are available: Plastic, Metal and Colored. Plastic lighting model. Metal lighting model. Colored lighting model. With Plastic, the color of the highlights is independent of the material color and will be white unless you define a different color on the Specular Color page. Use Plastic mode for materials such as plastics, glass or wood, all of which tend to have white highlights.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 843 Specular Color Here you can select the color of the highlights. The strengths of the colors on the Color page and the Specular Color page are added together. The total color here is multiplied with the normal color of the highlight. For example, if you have a white plastic highlight, you can define its color here directly.
844 • CHAPTER 18 Glow Glows cannot be seen through transparent objects, nor in reflections. The glow you specify here does not act as a light; other parts of the scene will not be lit by the glow, nor will any shadows be cast. This page enables you to create a soft glow. Inner Strength specifies the intensity of the glow over the material surface; Outer Strength is the intensity of the glow at the edges (see Figure 1, below).
MATERIAL EDITOR • 845 If a random percentage is defined, the intensity of the glow in each animation frame is increased and decreased in a random pattern, as follows: 0%: No change 100%: Maximum change Frequency specifies how often the glow radius changes. The amplitude of the change is given by the Random value.
846 • CHAPTER 18 Displacement mapping works much better in the areas near the edges, whereas in these areas, the bump map loses its effect. Strength This slider allows you to adjust the maximum displacement defined by the Height setting (the Strength and Height values will be multiplied together to control the maximum displacement). Height Defines the height of the displacement, which can be modified by Strength value. Type Intensity, Intensity (Centered) Intensity mode.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 847 In the Intensity (Centered) mode, the displacement can take place in both positive and negative directions. A gray value of 50% results in no displacement. White produces maximum positive displacement, while black produces maximum negative displacement. Red/Green The displacement can take place in the negative or positive direction according to the red and green values in the texture. Green values raise the displacement, red values lower the displacement.
848 • CHAPTER 18 On this page, you’ll find settings that adjust the diffuse falloff, level and roughness of the material, as well as the general illumination mode setting (this greatly affects how highlights react to the light in the scene and can make a big difference when it comes to making a material look more like, say, brick instead of like plastic). Some of these parameters apply to Oren-Nayar mode only and will be ghosted when you use Blinn or Phong mode. Model © Rui Batista.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 849 Diffuse Level (Oren-Nayar only) You can use this parameter to alter the strength of diffuse reflection for Oren–Nayar. The default of 100% means normal diffuse reflection — enter a lower value to reduce the amount of reflection. Roughness (Oren-Nayar only) Adjust this value to match the roughness of your material. The default setting is 50%. Texture Preview Size Here you’ll find entries from 64x64 (16 KB) to 2,048x2,048 (16 MB).
850 • CHAPTER 18 In this box, you’ll find a list of all objects in the scene that use the selected material. Using the context menu, you can carry out commands on these objects that relate to the selected material. To open the context menu, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on an object’s name in the list. Remove Removes the material from the selected object (i.e. deletes the object’s Texture tag). Remove All Removes the material from all objects.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 851 Normal This material channel is for use with Normal textures via “Normal Mapping”. What on earth is “Normal Mapping”? Well, Normal mapping is a technique that comes from computer game development that makes it possible to give a low-poly object (a low level of detail) a detailed, seemingly structured surface, resulting in low render times. Bump mapping uses a grayscale bitmap to generate height data.
852 • CHAPTER 18 You can create Normal textures with the help of the “Bake Texture...” or “Bake Object...” options (both located in the “Render” menu). Left, the original object rendered with sub-polygon displacement (Advanced Render module); right, the result using a Normal texture created with the help of “Bake Texture...” If such a Normal texture is placed into the “Normal” material channel, the rendered result will very much resemble the original high-poly object, especially when lights are animated.
MATERIAL EDITOR • 853 Tangent: The most common method. The Normal orientation is defined with respect to the underlying surface. This is the ideal method for self-deforming objects, e.g. character animation. Such textures can be identified by their mostly light blue or light green coloring; these are the areas in which the Normals are oriented perpendicularly to the surface. Object: Uses the object’s coordinate system to code Normal orientation.
THE SHADERS • 855 The Shaders Shaders (also known as procedural textures) are more sophisticated than conventional textures. Shaders are computed using mathematical formulae, whereas conventional textures are pixel-based. One advantage of shaders is that they do not become pixelated when viewed close-up. Shaders allow you to create textures that simply are not possible with texture maps or other methods.
856 • CHAPTER 18 Channel shaders To open a channel shader, click the triangle button next to the Texture box and choose the shader from the drop-down list that appears. To edit a shader, click the shader’s name or preview picture. The following parameters will appear.
THE SHADERS • 857 Basic Properties You can assign a name to the shader. This name is used to refer to the texture in the XPresso editor and Timeline. The Blur Offset and Blur Scale are present on the Basic Properties tab of all shaders and are described elsewhere in this manual (see index). Shader Properties These are the individual properties for each shader. You’ll find descriptions for these properties in the following pages.
858 • CHAPTER 18 Similarly, if the selected materials have different settings for an option, the option is highlighted in light blue and in addition is marked with an “x”. Click the “x” to set the selected materials all to the same state. Drag and drop You can drag and drop shaders from one material channel to another. Drag the shader’s preview onto the name of a different material channel, wait for the target channel’s parameters to appear, then drop the shader onto the Texture text box.
THE SHADERS • 859 Noise is a special type of channel shader that produces 30 types of noise. The shader can calculate the noise in 2D (Space set to UV 2D) or in 3D space. The advantage of 3D noise is that you don’t have to worry about mapping or seams in the texture. Shader Properties Color 1, Color 2 The colors in the noise will be interpolated between the two colors that you specify here. Noise You can choose from 30 types of noise. You’ll find an example for each type of noise later in this chapter.
860 • CHAPTER 18 Camera The noise is calculated in the space of the camera and will stay oriented relative to the camera. The object can move through the noise and camera moves will also affect the noise. Screen The noise is calculated in the space of the screen including Z depth. The object can move through the noise and camera moves will also affect the noise.
THE SHADERS • 861 Speed The Speed parameter is multiplied by the movement vector to allow the user to alter the speed of translation with minimal effort. This allows for things such as water and fire effects. Absolute On makes the value of the noise absolute, causing it to fold about its midpoint. Cycles Number of cycles the noise makes, between zero and one. Low Clip, High Clip Low Clip controls the bottom clipping value of the noise; values less than Low Clip will be clipped to zero.
862 • CHAPTER 18 Types of noise Blistered Turbulence Box Noise Buya Cell Noise Cell Voronoi Cranal Dents Displaced Turb.
THE SHADERS • 863 Gradient The Gradient shader allows you to create gradients of many different types in 2D or 3D space. Using gradients To access additional gradient parameters, click the triangle next to the gradient. The knots or handles below the gradient are used to set the color and position of colors in the gradient. To add a knot, click in an empty area below the gradient and a knot of the color at that position will be added. To remove a knot, drag and drop it away from the gradient.
864 • CHAPTER 18 Smooth Knot Uses a SmoothStep function to weight an interpolation between the knot to the left of the sample point and the knot to the right of the sample point. It uses the bias handles to offset the interpolated value. Linear Knot Uses a BoxStep function to weight an interpolation between the knot to the left of the sample point and the knot to the right of the sample point. It uses the bias handles to offset the interpolated value. Linear Linear falloff/growth between the knots.
THE SHADERS • 865 2D - U: 2D gradient in U from zero to one. 2D - V: 2D gradient in V from zero to one. 2D - Diagonal: 2D gradient diagonally in UV. 2D - Radial: 2D gradient radially around the 0.5, 0.5 in UV. 2D - Circular: 2D circular gradient from the center out. 2D - Box: 2D gradient linearly from the center to each edge in U and V. 2D - Star: 2D gradient linearly from the corners in UV.
866 • CHAPTER 18 Turbulence, Octaves, Scale, Frequency Turbulence values greater than 0 switch on the Noise shader. The Octaves, Scale and Frequency parameters will then become available, which are standard noise parameters. A Frequency value greater than 0 animates the noise with undulations. Angle Rotates the entire color gradient. Absolute If this option is enabled, the gradient refers to the turbulence only, not to the entire texture.
THE SHADERS • 867 Screen The gradient is calculated in the space of the screen including Z depth. The object can move through the gradient, and camera moves will also affect the gradient. Raster The gradient is calculated in screen pixels and has no depth information, so no matter how far the object gets away, the texture is calculated in the same way. The object can move through the gradient, and camera moves will also affect the gradient. Cycle disabled (left) and enabled (right).
868 • CHAPTER 18 Although the Fresnel shader can be used in any material channel, it does not affect the bump or displacement channels unless used as a secondary channel within Fusion or something similar. Use Bump Dictates whether the output of the bump channel will be used in the calculation of the falloff. Render Front Only Calculates the falloff for the front of the object and then sets the back of the object to black if it can be seen.
THE SHADERS • 869 Filter The Filter shader filters another shader or a bitmap. You can use it to adjust a shader or bitmap’s brightness, contrast, hue, saturation and gamma, and you can also clip the color. The Filter shader is especially useful for adjusting HDRI textures (Advanced Render module only). For example, high-contrast HDRIs with bright lights usually cause flickering in the animation. You can quickly resolve this problem by adjusting the Gamma value.
870 • CHAPTER 18 Brightness Adds the values of all color components. Contrast Regulates the overall contrast of the texture. A value greater than 0 raises the contrast, a value less than 0 lowers the contrast. A value of -100% produces a completely neutral gray. A value of 100% gives full contrast between complete saturation and no saturation. Gamma Regulates the mid-tones. Lesser values darken the mid-tones, greater values brighten them up.
THE SHADERS • 871 Fusion Fusion allows you to combine two textures with a mask using the blending modes standard in photo editing applications, as if they were layers. Using a blend, you can set the opacity of the Blend channel to mix with the Base channel and also modify the mixing with the Mask channel.
872 • CHAPTER 18 Overlay If the Base channels’s color value is less than half of the maximum value, the Multiply blend mode is used. If the color value is greater than or equal to half the maximum value, the Screen blend mode is used. This shows patterns or colors of the Blend channel while preserving the shadows and highlights of the Base channel. Hard Light If the Blend channel’s color value is less than half of the maximum value, the Multiply blend mode is used.
THE SHADERS • 873 Subtract The Blend channel is subtracted from the Base channel. Difference Subtracts the Blend channel’s color from the color of the Base channel or vice versa, depending on which is lighter. Exclusion Similar to Difference mode, but the effect is softer. This mode is the equivalent of Screen - Multiply. Hue The hue of the Blend channel is applied to the Base channel. Saturation The saturation of the Blend channel is applied to the Base channel.
874 • CHAPTER 18 Use Mask Enables the Mask channel. Invert Mask If enabled, the Mask channel value is inverted so that black becomes white and vice-versa. Inver Output Enable this option to invert the result of the Blend channel, Mask channel and Base channel. Blend Channel You can bring in and affect any image or 2D shader. This channel is the top layer in the fusing. Mask Channel The texture that is used as a mask when combining the Blend channel with the Base channel.
THE SHADERS • 875 Image Bitmaps can be loaded using a file selection dialog. Shader Here you’ll find a list of all available shaders and bitmaps loaded in RAM. If you’ve already copied a shader, simply paste the element using Shader > Paste Channel. Effect Here you can choose various effects to be applied to the layers. An effect will influence all layers / folders below it in the layer list. The effects are described later in this chapter. Folder Used to create folders.
876 • CHAPTER 18 Context menu To access the context menu, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on a shader or shader name. You should be familiar with these commands already. When you right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on a folder’s name, these new commands and options will appear. Invert Image: Creates a “negative” of the folder. Use Alpha: Toggles the alpha channel (if present) on or off. Invert Alpha: Creates a “negative” of the alpha channel.
THE SHADERS • 877 Transform You have the possibility to rotate shaders or textures and mirror them horizontally or vertically. You can also change the scale and position of the shaders or textures. Distort This effect is a simplified Distorter shader that works exclusively with noise. The Time Scale parameter allows you to animate the noise effect. To animate the noise, set the value higher than 0. The higher the value, the faster the noise will change.
878 • CHAPTER 18 Texture This is the source image or shader to remap with the colorizer gradient. You can bring in and affect any image or 2D shader available to CINEMA 4D. Gradient The gradient allows you to colorize the Texture, defined above. Dark parts of the texture are colorized with the left area of the gradient, while the lighter parts are colorized with the right areas of the gradient. Posterizer The Posterizer shader is a filter that is used to adjust another shader or image.
THE SHADERS • 879 Chan Lum This shader was kindly supplied to us by “Naam” (www.happyship.com). ChanLum creates an effect similar to SubSurface Scattering (see Advanced Render), the difference being that the ChanLum shader’s effect takes place on the object surface. A good comparison would be to that of a peach, whose surface is furry, somewhat blurred. The ChanLum shader is designed for use in the “Luminance” channel.
880 • CHAPTER 18 Fog, for example, has no surface normals. The renderer will only take into account the shadows cast by the light sources (when volumetric fog is used). What the ChanLum shader does is gather dispersed light across a given surface. In order to calculate this effect quickly, the shader offsets the sampling point (S) with an offset spacing (O) along the surface normal point (P). The value of (O) defines how thick the virtual “fluff” layer will be.
THE SHADERS • 881 ChamLum lets light “creep around corners” when using this offset. As the illustration above shows, even though the top-most surface point lies on the shadowed (left) side, it still receives light because the sample point ((S) see previous illus.) still does not lie in the shade. This is the basic concept behind ChamLum. That‘s why ChanLum also samples to be “spread out”. This can be achieved in two ways: The first method (“Along Normal”) is illustrated above.
882 • CHAPTER 18 The second method of taking a “spread out” sample is to measure the average sample of a spherical area (S) with radius (R). To do this properly, ChanLum needs to take random samples within this area. The result will look noisy. This method not only makes the transition smoother but also gives the object another interesting look. This is especially apparent if you increase the sample radius and add a highlight (see below).
THE SHADERS • 883 Not only does the shading creep around corners, it seems to be generated by the inside of the object. Only where the object is a lot thicker than the sample area radius does the shading really get darker. The reason being, when the object is thinner than the radius there will be samples taken from the other side of the object, where the object doesn‘t cast a shadow. This effect, when applied well, comes close to SubSurface Scattering, though it is actually entirely different.
884 • CHAPTER 18 Initial Offset Use this setting to define the distance between the original surface point to be sampled ((P) in above illustrations) and the first sample point. This first sample point is a point in space along the surface normal. Sample Radius Use this setting to define the size of the area sample, in the illustrations above labeled (R). A larger radius generally means that you need more samples to get a smooth (read: low-noise) appearance.
THE SHADERS • 885 Lights Use this setting to define which light sources should be included or excluded for ChamLum calculations. This setting applies to ChamLum only. Normal lighting and shadow casting will not be affected by this setting! Backlight Backlight allows you to gather illumination from the back face of an object. This gives the ability to create translucency effects with backlighting, such as rice paper or a thin leaf lit from the opposite side complete with shadowing.
886 • CHAPTER 18 Shadow Intensity The opacity of the shadow. At 0 there is no shadow and at 100% the shadow is full opacity with no illumination. Clip The Backlight shader previously clipped light brighter than 100% to 100%. This limitation no longer exists. To ensure compatibility, the option will be enabled automatically when loading old scenes that clipped the light in this way. Contrast Contrast is applied to the illumination to make it break sharper or fall off more smoothly.
THE SHADERS • 887 Type This is the distortion algorithm to be used. Directional The value of the distortion channel is added to the sample coordinate of the texture. Bidirectional The value of the distortion channel is added to the sample coordinate of the texture if the value is between 50-100% and is subtracted if the value is between 0-50%.
888 • CHAPTER 18 Texture This is the source image or shader to distort with the Distorter texture. You can bring in and affect any image or channel shader available to CINEMA 4D. Distorter The distorter texture is used to distort the texture defined by Texture (see above). The value of the distorter image or shader is used in the distortion algorithm to offset the sampling of the texture. Falloff Falloff calculates the falloff between a custom vector and the surface normal.
THE SHADERS • 889 World The vector is specified in world coordinates and is not affected by the object’s orientation. This is the most common setting because it allows the object to move and have the falloff stay oriented in a consistent direction. Camera The vector is specified in coordinates relative to the orientation of the camera. In this way, up is always up (in the camera view, for example) regardless of camera or object orientation.
890 • CHAPTER 18 Algorithm Specifies which illumination model Lumas will use. The drop-down list provides for two choices: Internal, which is the standard Lambertian model, and Oren Nayar, which provides for a roughness variable allowing the user to go from simple surfaces (0 Roughness, identical to Lambertian), to complex rough surface (1+ Roughness, which provides a matt surface, such as linen or dirt). Roughness Dictates how rough the Oren Nayar illumination model will be.
THE SHADERS • 891 Color Sets the base specular color for the specular component. Intensity Scales the specular Color to produce attenuation in the specular reflection of the surface (this simply means it makes the color darker when the value is close to zero and brighter when the value is closer to 100% or above). The appropriate range is 0% - 1,000%. Size Sets the size of the specular reflection. Appropriate value range for size is 0.001% - 200%.
892 • CHAPTER 18 Anisotrophy page Active Disable this option to switch off anisotropic scratches. The enabled option will create a surface that looks as though it is made up of a huge number of tiny scratches, i.e. a matt surface. Projection The type of projection utilized to define the anamorphic (disproportional) scaling of the specular highlights. It can also define the scratch direction to be used with the reflection and environment convolution groups.
THE SHADERS • 893 Radial Creates a radial scratch pattern originating from the center of a plane that is parallel to the current normal. Radial Pattern Creates a multi-origin radial scratch pattern that is parallel to the current normal. Projection Scale Scales the scratch algorithms that have an actual pattern (Radial Pattern is the only current algorithm of this type to which scale applies). X Roughness, Y Roughness Scale the highlights in the X and Y directions defined by the Projection algorithm.
894 • CHAPTER 18 Attenuation Scales the amount of detail of the scratches based upon the sample’s angle to the camera and the distance from the camera. The larger the values, the greater the attenuation, causing less scratching (better for animation). The smaller the value, the greater the detail (better for still images). The appropriate range is 0% - 10,000%. Specular 1, Specular 2, Specular 3 These check boxes specify which specular channels will be affected by the anisotropic scratches.
THE SHADERS • 895 Projector Projector allows you to alter the projection of a shader or image. This is useful for having different mappings in separate channels of a material, especially when used in conjunction with other shaders such as Nukei or Fusion. Note that 3D shaders do not work with Projector. Texture This is the source image or shader to be projected. You can bring in and project any image or 2D channel shader available to CINEMA 4D. Projection The projection type to use.
896 • CHAPTER 18 Length X, Length Y Scaling of the 2D texture in UV. Tiles X, Tiles Y Tiling of the 2D texture in UV. Tile If enabled, the 2D texture will tile in UV the number of times specified in the Tile X and Tile Y parameters. Seamless If Tile is enabled, then enabling Seamless causes the tiles to be mirrored so that they tile seamlessly. Position X, Position Y, Position Z Offset of the 3D texture space. Size X, Size Y, Size Z Scaling of the 3D texture space.
THE SHADERS • 897 Proximal Proximal is a shader that is based on distance dependencies. The shader outputs a luminance value based on how far away the surface being shaded is from a specified object (you can choose whether the object origin, points, edges or polygon center should be used). Proximal works best in the Luminance channel. Proximal also works with particles (with CINEMA 4D particles and with Thinking Particles).
898 • CHAPTER 18 Use Edges Use Edges enabled (left) and disabled (right). Enable this option to include edges for luminance effects. Polygon Radius Similar to Use Vertices except it uses the center of each polygon and makes the maximum distance (End Distance at 100%) the radius of the polygon. This helps with the problem of vertices being spread unevenly and gaps happening when an object passes through another. Function Falloff function to be used to calculate the Proximal intensity.
THE SHADERS • 899 Step Intensity is 100% of the Intensity value between Start Distance and End Distance and 0% everywhere else. Inverse Intensity is 100% of the Intensity value at Start Distance and falls off as the inverse of distance and is clamped to 0% at End Distance. Inverse Square Intensity is 100% of the Intensity value at Start Distance and falls off as the inverse of distance squared and is clamped to 0% at End Distance.
900 • CHAPTER 18 Intensity Maximum intensity that each object / particle adds. Ripple To see the results of this shader, you must render to the Picture viewer. The Ripple shader is best used in the bump channel. When a particle hits a specified object, the shader generates a ripple as an animated grayscale. You can use the shader with CINEMA 4D’s standard particle system or with the Thinking particles module. Wave Length The Wave Length defines the distance between the ripple’s crests.
THE SHADERS • 901 Periods Regulates the number of crests. Particle Dependent This option only affects Thinking Particles. When enabled, the size of the ripples will depend on the size of the particles. This takes the PStorm node’s Distance and Distance Variation values into account, allowing variations in the ripples. Object Drag and drop the object that you want the particles to collide with into the Object box.
902 • CHAPTER 18 Variation set to 1 (left) and 2 (right). Width set to a high value (left) and low value (right). From left to right: W Factor set to 1.5, 1 and 0.7. Diffuse Intensity set to 0.3 (left) and 0.8 (right). Diffuse Variation set low (left) and high (right). Intensity, Variation The Intensity controls the overall brightness of the color reflexes. A value of 0 means no effect at all, while bigger values result in brighter color reflexes.
THE SHADERS • 903 Spectrum The Spectrum gradient defines the colors for the spectral reflexes. Use CD Effect If you enable this option, the shader is optimized for cylindrical surfaces and you can render wedgeshaped, prismatic color effects, such as those seen on CD surfaces. Width Width defines how far the gradient spreads out. Peak Normally the entire rainbow colored spectrum is visible only if the angle between the light source and the camera forms a straight line.
904 • CHAPTER 18 Spline This shader textures an object based on a spline that is projected onto the surface. In the example above, the shader has been loaded into the Alpha channel. With the Spline shader, you can texture primitives without having to create an extra bitmap texture. You can also use splines to cut precise shapes out of objects by placing the Spline shader in the alpha channel, for example. Additionally, you can choose your background, fill and line textures.
THE SHADERS • 905 Using the Spline shader Projecting the spline onto an object can seem tricky at first. Proceed as follows. Ensure the spline is smaller than the object. Drag and drop the spline into the Spline box in the Attribute manager (if the box is ghosted, disable the Text Spline option). Set Plane to the plane in which the spline lies or mostly lies (this is XY for spline primitives by default).
906 • CHAPTER 18 Line Width, Smooth Width These settings will only be available if Single Pixel is disabled. The Line Width defines the line’s thickness, Smooth Width applies a soft edge to the line unless set to 0%. Caps Caps with Smooth Width disabled. This option does two things. First, it defines whether the ends have a semicircular cap (option enabled) or no cap (option disabled). Second, if enabled, it prevents the artefacts shown above from appearing.
THE SHADERS • 907 Text Spline Here you can enter text that will be projected onto the texture. Set Plane to XY (the default plane for spline primitives). Vertex Map This shader renders a vertex map as a grayscale image. In the example above, the vertex map is displayed on the left arm and on the right arm you can see the rendered result. Areas with maximum weighting are colored white and those with minimal weighting black.
908 • CHAPTER 18 This shader generates brick patterns. The Brick shader has an alpha channel that you can use on the Material editor’s Alpha page. Color 1 determines the color of the brick. Color 2 determines the color of the joints. Joint is the width of the joint relative to the size of the brick. Ramp defines the width of the sloping edge between the joint and brick, as a percentage of the brick’s width; this gives a fuzzy edge to the brick. Checkerboard This shader creates checkerboard patterns.
THE SHADERS • 909 This shader simulates simple cloud structures. The Cloud shader has an alpha channel that you can use within the Material editor on the Alpha page. The gradient determines the color of the clouds. U Frequency and V Frequency determine the fineness and shape of the structure. Thus U=1 and V=2 results in rather regular cloud structures, U=1 and V=0.25 gives rather rectangular clouds and the higher the value, the finer (less wispy) the clouds appear.
910 • CHAPTER 18 Earth This simulates an Earth-like planet texture including mountains. Sea Level determines the color of areas that have a height less than zero. Land Level is the color for middle-height terrain. Mountain Level is the color for high terrain. You can increase the Frequency value to break up the land masses. Level controls the ratio of sea to land. A value of 0% generates mostly sea, 50% results in equal parts of land and sea, while 100% creates mostly land.
THE SHADERS • 911 Fire The wall of flame stretches infinitely in the U direction. Good flame materials can be created by using this shader both in the Alpha channel and the Transparency channel. This shader simulates a wall of fire, whose color you can define using the gradient. The Fire shader has an alpha channel that you can use in the Material editor on the Alpha page. U Frequency and V Frequency determine the fineness of the structure. Thus U=1 and V=1 results in regular flames, U=1 and V=0.
912 • CHAPTER 18 Galaxy This shader simulates a galaxy with spiral arms, whose color you can define using the gradient. The Galaxy shader has an alpha channel that you can use within the Material editor on the Alpha page. Angle is the degree of rotation of the spiral arms. Spiral Arms is the number of spiral arms. Marble This shader generates 3D marble structures. Use the gradient to choose the color of the marble. The Frequency values define the marble’s level of detail in the X, Y and Z directions.
THE SHADERS • 913 Metal This shader simulates metallic surfaces. The gradient specifies the color of the metal. Increase the Frequency for finer details. Planet This shader is effectively four shaders combined in one: Saturn, Saturn’s Ring, Uranus and Neptune. Choose the desired shader from the Type drop-down list. Saturn Because of its fast rotational speed, Saturn has an elliptical shape.
914 • CHAPTER 18 Saturn’s Ring Saturn is approximately one third as wide as its famous rings. So that stars shine through between the rings, activate the alpha channel of any material to which this is applied. You may want to make the rings quite transparent since in reality these rings are huge numbers of tiny rock and ice particles that allow the light from beyond to shine through. Simulates the rings around Saturn — the D, C, B, A, F and G rings, with the Cassini and Encke gap.
THE SHADERS • 915 Rust This shader simulates rust on metal surfaces. You choose the colors for the metal and rust using the gradient. Rust specifies how much of the material is rusty. Increase the Frequency value for smaller rust patches. Simple Noise This shader creates a random pattern that can be used, for example, for sun surfaces and stone reliefs.
916 • CHAPTER 18 Simple Turbulence This shader creates colored fractal turbulence. The gradient determines the colors of the turbulence. U Frequency and V Frequency determine the fineness of the structure. U=1 and V=1 create a radiallike pattern, while U=1 and V=0.25 give elongated shapes. The higher these values, the greater the detail (or frequency) in the relevant direction. Octaves is the number of iteration steps for generating this fractal turbulence.
THE SHADERS • 917 If you project the Starfield shader with spherical projection onto a Sky object, the stars will accumulate at the north and south poles of the sky. To avoid this, use Cubic projection. Stars This shader creates a star-filled wallpaper. Color 1 is the color of the wallpaper. Color 2 is the color of the stars. Streaks is the number of star tips or points. Inner Radius and Outer Radius determine the dimension of each star, given as a percentage of a UV unit.
918 • CHAPTER 18 Sunburst This shader generates sun flares and eruptions. The gradient determines the color of the sunburst. The Sunburst shader has an alpha channel that you can use within the Material editor on the Alpha page. R Frequency determines the radial frequency; a value of 0 yields an attractive aurora. A Frequency gives the angular disturbance; 0 gives individual layers. T Frequency defines the speed of the sunburst; 2 doubles it, 0 prevents all movement.
THE SHADERS • 919 Grout Color Color between the tiles. Tile Color 1, Tile Color 2, Tile Color 3 The colors to be used for tiles. Pattern This is the pattern type. You’ll find pictures of each pattern type later in this chapter. Grout Width Grout width as a percentage of the tile. Bevel Width Width of the tile bevel as a percentage of the tile inside the grout. Bevel If enabled, the bevel has a smooth step applied, if not then the bevel is linear.
920 • CHAPTER 18 V Scale Scaling in the V direction. Radial Scale Scaling radially for the patterns that are radial-based, such as radial lines. Rotate This setting allows you to rotate the pattern about its center point where this makes sense, such as with radial lines or spirals. Delta Delta is a scaling factor to use in sampling the texture for evaluating the slope to be used in the bump channel.
THE SHADERS • 921 Radial Lines 1 Radial Lines 2 Random Rings 1 Rings 2 Sawtooth 1 Sawtooth 2 Scales 1 Scales 2 Spiral 1 Spiral 2 Squares Triangles 1 Triangles 2 Triangles 3 Waves 1 Waves 2 Weave Venus This shader simulates a gaseous planet with cloud structures that are whirled around by the Coriolis stream. The gradient determines the colors of the clouds and the background sky. Increase the Frequency values for finer details in the X, Y and Z directions.
922 • CHAPTER 18 Water This shader generates water surfaces and is ideal for use in a material’s bump channel for simulating water surfaces. It can simulate ripples and waves. Using the gradient, you can change the color of the effect. U Frequency and V Frequency determine the fineness of the structure. U=1 and V=1 create radial wave patterns, while U=1 and V=0.25 give elongated wave fronts. The higher the values, the higher the effective wave detail in that direction.
THE SHADERS • 923 Volumetric Shaders Most of CINEMA 4D’s shaders are channel shaders, i.e. shaders that you can load into material channels, such as Color and Bump. In addition to the channel shaders, CINEMA 4D offers a number of shaders that are materials in their own right. You cannot load these materials into material channels. To create a material shader, choose the desired shader from the Material manager’s File > Shader submenu. Fog This shader simulates volumetric fog. Color The color of the fog.
924 • CHAPTER 18 Volumetric Volumetric adds greatly to render time. If the option is disabled, the basic color of the fog is all pervading. Light sources will have no effect. This is normally sufficient to simulate fog in a fractal valley. With Volumetric enabled, all light sources will be taken into account. If the light sources cast soft shadows, and if there are objects in the beam, the objects will cast shadows in the fog. Frequency Increase Frequency for finer detail in the X, Y and Z directions.
THE SHADERS • 925 Terrain This shader generates virtual fractal landscapes featuring mountains and valleys. Using the Type drop-down list, you can choose the terrain type, from Custom, Mountain, Mars, Moon, Desert and Polar. Use the gradient to define the colors of the terrain. The left-most color is the color of the lowest regions, while the right-most color is the color of the peaks. Height scales the terrain in the Y direction of the texture axes.
926 • CHAPTER 18 Banji Banji was created to fill a couple of different needs in texturing. First Banji allows the rendering of translucent lighting from the back side of a surface complete with shadows. The other main use of Banji is the creation of good refractive, transparent materials, such as glass. Banji differs from the other shaders in that it has an additional transparency channel. The other material channels are described later in this chapter.
THE SHADERS • 927 Edge Opacity This causes the edges of an object that points further away from the camera to be more opaque. 0% creates no effect while values greater than zero add to the edge opacity. Refraction Index The refractive index for the material. Internal Reflection Allows refracted rays to reflect when appropriate. Solid Object Makes the object a completely dense object instead of one surface.
928 • CHAPTER 18 Wood page Color Colorizes the ring and grain function. Experimentation is required to fully understand and use this control. Ring Intensity Reduces or increases the prominence of the annual rings. While the parameter can go negative, its useful values are between 50% and 150%. Ring Scale Scales the rings of the wood before being stirred by the turbulence function. Ring Turbulence, Turbulence Scale Stirs the annual rings so they may have a more natural look.
THE SHADERS • 929 Variance Scale Scale of the noise used to disturb the origin of the rings. Radial Variance Causes the rings to become asymmetrical around their origin. Trees rarely grow perfectly circular rings because they are rarely perfectly round. This parameter allows for the natural deformation of the annual rings. Variance Scale Scales the noise used for the Radial Variance. Grain Intensity Amplifies the grain pattern within the wood.
930 • CHAPTER 18 Cheen Cheen is especially useful for creating a microscopic look. Cheen differs from the other shaders in that it has a Gradients channel and Transparency channel. The other material channels are described later in this chapter. Gradients page Color gradient Is used to alter the base color of the object based on the angle between the camera and the surface normal (the left side of the gradient is the edge of the object while the right side of the gradient is the center of the object).
THE SHADERS • 931 Transparency page Refraction Index The refractive index of the material. Internal Refraction Allows refracted rays to refract when appropriate. Solid Object Makes the object a completely dense object instead of one surface. Disallows illumination, reflection, and environment to be evaluated for the second surface intercepted of the object. Danel Danel was conceived to allow the ability to create surfaces that include metallic, gloss, painted, and anisotropic materials.
932 • CHAPTER 18 Mabel Mabel was conceived to allow users the ability to create marbled stone textures that generally consist of a body and a vein surface. Mabel differs from the other shaders in that it has a Veining channel for creating marble patterns. The other material channels are described later in this chapter. Also, all parameters can be defined separately for Surface 1 and Surface 2 except for Veigning, Illumination and Assignment.
THE SHADERS • 933 This group of parameters contains attributes of the veining function. The function is basically an alternating gradient on the Y-axis that can be perturbed using a noise function. Veigning Turbulence Noise function used to perturb the veins (look up ‘noise types’ in the index). Veigning Stirring Amount of distortion applied to the veins. Veigning Scale The scale of the stirring noise function. Veigning Octaves Octaves of fractal detail used in the stirring function.
934 • CHAPTER 18 Variance Scale The scale of the variance function. Variance Contrast Contrast applied to the variance noise. Nukei Nukei was conceived to allow users the ability to create surfaces that include rusted and weathered materials that generally have two distinct surfaces with different attributes. Nukei differs from the other shaders in that it has a Fusing channel that enables two surfaces to be combined in almost any way via a texture. In addition, Nukei has an Alpha channel.
THE SHADERS • 935 Fusing page The fusing channel controls the mixing of the two surfaces and the attributes of the interface between them. There is only one Fusing channel that is shared by and controls Surfaces 1 and 2. Texture Uses a standard texture (a bitmap or channel shader) for the fusing of the two surfaces. Projection The projection type to use.
936 • CHAPTER 18 Offset Y, Offset Y, Length X, Length Y, Tiles X, Tiles Y Offset is the offset of the 2D texture in UV. Length is the scaling of the 2D texture in UV. Tiles is the tiling of the 2D texture in UV. Tile If enabled, the 2D texture will tile in UV the number of times specified in the Tiles X and Y values. Seamless If Tiles is enabled, enabling Seamless causes the tiles to be mirrored so that they tile seamlessly. Position, Size, Rotation Position is the offset of the 3D texture space.
THE SHADERS • 937 Offset Offsets the boundary between the two surfaces, causing more of one surface or the other to show through. Edge Shadow Intensity A darkening of the surfaces near the edge to give the appearance of shadowing caused by peeling and flaking. Edge Shadow Falloff Controls the width of the edge shadowing. 1 Bump Amplitude, 2 Bump Amplitude The amplitude of the bump caused by the FUSER Texture in Surface 1 and Surface 2.
938 • CHAPTER 18 Diffuse page The Diffuse group applies to the currently selected surface in the surface combo box below the preview. Color Sets the base diffuse color of the surface. Algorithm Specifies which illumination model will be used.
THE SHADERS • 939 Contrast Provides contrast for the result of the diffuse sample color. Zero causes no effect, 0.0% - 100% causes standard contrast, above 100% causes a wrap contrast (the values that go above 100% wrap around to 0% again, used to create the Candy materials), negative values provide an inverse contrast that simulates materials that seem luminescent, such as silver. Appropriate values are -500% to 500%. Volume Color (Banji only) This defines the Volume color for the object.
940 • CHAPTER 18 Intensity Scales the Color to produce attenuation in the specular reflection of the surface (this simply means it makes the color darker when the value is close to zero and brighter when the value is closer to 100% or above). The appropriate range is 0% - 1,000%. Size Sets the size of the specular reflection. Appropriate value range for Size is 0.001% - 200%. Contrast Provides contrast for the result of the specular sample color. Implements a standard contrast function.
THE SHADERS • 941 Intensity Scales the Reflection Color before it is mixed with the Edge Intensity and Reflection Edge Color result to create the final reflection color sample that will be used to attenuate the reflection sample taken by CINEMA 4D internally. Appropriate values are 0% - 200%.
942 • CHAPTER 18 Utilize Anisotropic Scratches (Danel only) This check box is only active when the Anisotrophy group is checked. It allows the reflection to take into account the scratch directions when evaluating blurred reflections. Very effective for milled machinery. Anisotropic scratches are only convoluted along one axis so they require far fewer samples than does the radial convolution algorithm.
THE SHADERS • 943 Environment page Image Utilizes a standard texture (a bitmap or a channel shader) to be used for the environment sample. Intensity Scales the Environment Color before it is mixed with the Glare and Edge Color result to create the final environment color sample that will be used to attenuate the environment sample provided by the Environment texture. Appropriate values are 0% - 200%.
944 • CHAPTER 18 Blur Defines the radius for the convolution if the Anisotrophy group is checked. Radial convolutions are not supported because very similar effects can be achieved by blurring the environment map (it is also much, much faster). Samples Defines how many samples will be taken by the convolution. If you enter 1, no convolution will occur. The value should be similar to your Blur radius value. The appropriate range is 2 - 50.
THE SHADERS • 945 Intensity Scales the Color before it is mixed with the Edge Intensity result to create the final ambient color sample that will be used to attenuate the ambient sample taken by CINEMA 4D internally. Appropriate values are 0% - 100%. Edge Intensity Mixes with Intensity to scale the Color to create the final ambient color sample that will be used to attenuate the ambient sample taken by CINEMA 4D internally. Appropriate values are 0% - 100%.
946 • CHAPTER 18 Amplitude Scales the amplitude of the bump algorithm. The appropriate range is 0.0001% to 1,000%. Octaves Defines the number of octaves utilized by the noise function defined within the Function drop-down list. This field will only be active if the noise function being used utilizes more octaves than one. Scale Scales the surface point used in the noise evaluation. Speed (not all shaders) This is the animation speed for the noise. The parameter can be animated using the Timeline.
THE SHADERS • 947 Low Clip, High Clip The noise is calculated in a range of 0% - 100%. These values clip that range to provide for bumps with plateaus (like certain stuccos). Low Clip defines the low boundary for the clip (no bump under this value). High Clip defines the high boundary for the clip (no bump over this value).
948 • CHAPTER 18 Shrink Wrap A spherical projection for scaling direction, but uses a separate algorithm for projecting the scratches. Radial Creates a radial scratch pattern originating at the center of a plane parallel to the current normal. Radial Pattern Creates a multi-origin radial scratch pattern that is parallel to the current normal. Projection Scale Scales the scratch algorithms that have an actual pattern (Radial Pattern is the only current algorithm of this type to which scale applies).
THE SHADERS • 949 Attenuation Scales the amount of detail of the scratches based upon the samples, angle to the camera and the distance from the camera. The larger the values, the greater the attenuation, causing less scratching (better for animation); the smaller the value, the greater the detail (better for still images). The appropriate range is 0% - 10,000%. Specular 1, Specular 2, Specular 3 These check boxes specify which specular channels will be effected by the anisotropic scratches.
950 • CHAPTER 18
TEXTURE MAPPING • 951 Texture Mapping To apply a texture to an object, do one of the following:: Drag the material from the Material manager and drop it on to the object’s name in the Object manager. The texture settings will appear in the Attribute manager. The mouse pointer will change during this process to indicate the add state: Select the object in the Object manager and select the material in the Material manager. In the Material manager, choose Function > Apply.
952 • CHAPTER 18 Name Here you can enter a new name for the Texture tag. This is especially useful when you want to animate tags and their materials, since the tag’s name will appear in the Timeline. Tag Properties Material You can assign a material to the Texture tag by dragging the material from the Material manager and dropping it into this box. If multiple Texture tags are selected, the material will be applied to all of them.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 953 Selection Selection enables you to use different materials on different parts of the same object. This is a convenient way to add, for example, labels to objects. First of all you need a Selection tag: Select the object, select the Polygons tool and select the Live Selection tool. Select several polygons (if you selected a primitive object, you must first convert it to polygons using Functions > Make Editable).
954 • CHAPTER 18 Side (decal mapping) Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Suppose you project a texture onto a tube with Flat mapping. If you move the camera around to look at the other side of the surface, you will still see the texture, but it will be the wrong way round. You can solve this problem by using a decal — a material that is projected on one side of the surface only.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 955 Offset X, Offset Y, Length X, Length X, Length Y The Offset and Length settings define the position and size of the texture in the X and Y directions on the texture envelope. For example, if Length X and Length Y are both set to 100%, the texture covers the envelope completely. Tiles X, Tiles Y The Tiles values are the number of times the texture fits onto the texture envelope in the X and Y directions (Length X and Length Y).
956 • CHAPTER 18 Seamless Seamless is generally of little use for photographed textures, although you can generate interesting patterns. The option is best suited to patterns, such as wood, stone or marble. If the Seamless option is enabled, tiles are mirrored to prevent visible seams. However, this sometimes leads to a butterfly effect in the pattern. Tile If you enable the Tile option for a 2D or 3D shader it is not, strictly speaking, tiled, but instead fills the entire object seamlessly.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 957 Prior to CINEMA 4D R8.2, the bump was always projected using spherical mapping — even if UVW mapping was defined. Since R8.2, UVW mapping has been used instead provided the Texture tag has UVW Mapping selected. This can lead to problems — see the following picture. Artefacts with the Noise shader in the Bump shader and Use UVW For Bump disabled.
958 • CHAPTER 18 Figure 1: The texture has been moved about the texture envelope. Figure 2: The texture geometry itself has been moved. Figure 3: Texture geometry can be shown either as a texture grid or as a realtime texture. The texture gemoetry is represented in the viewport as a cyan grid. The texture will be projected in realtime provided the shading mode is set to Gouraud Shading or Quick Shading, even if OpenGL is not switched on.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 959 Cubic applied to a cuboid. Frontal applied to a cuboid. Flat (left) and Spatial (right). Flat Mapping (left) and UVW Mapping (right). Difference between Flat and UVW. Shrink Wrapping. Spherical Spherical mapping projects the texture onto the object in a spherical form. Spherical projection is rarely suitable for flat objects. There is distortion with cylindrical objects also. Cylindrical This mapping type projects the texture onto the object in a cylindrical shape.
960 • CHAPTER 18 Frontal The texture is projected from the camera position onto the object. This ensures that, it you project the texture onto a Polygon object and onto a Background object, the two textures match exactly (assuming the Texture tags for both objects use the same Offset and Length values). You can create various visual effects using Frontal mapping, or perform compositing tricks directly in CINEMA 4D.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 961 A new UVW tag is added to the existing ones each time you call Generate UVW Coordinates. A Texture tag (UVW mapping selected) always uses the UVW map directly to its right in the Object manager. This allows you to assign different UVW maps to different Texture tags. If there is no UVW tag to the right of the Texture tag, then the first UVW tag will be used. What is the structure of UVW coordinates? Imagine a grid divided into a U direction and a V direction (see Figure 1, below).
962 • CHAPTER 18 Select the Polygons tool and select several polygons in various locations. In the Object manager, choose Texture > Assign UVW Coordinates. The selected polygons use Flat projection while the unselected polygons continue to use the normal UVW mapping. If you deform the object, the texture remains fixed in the selected region. Shrink Wrapping With this projection type, the center of the texture is fixed to the north pole of a sphere and the rest of the texture is stretched over it.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 963 For example, if you want a 3D figure to walk behind a crate in the photo, build the crate in 3D (it can be very simple — it is just a screen for the crate texture). Next, project the background texture onto the reconstructed objects (e.g. the crate) using camera mapping. Now your figure can walk behind the crate! Attribute manager settings Camera Drag the camera that should project the texture into this box.
964 • CHAPTER 18 Mixing textures CINEMA 4D lets you use as many materials and Texture tags on an object as you like. Think of a suitcase with travel stickers — there is a base material (i.e. the leather of the suitcase) and many materials on top (i.e. the stickers). Naturally, you won’t be able to see the suitcase leather under the stickers. Also, suppose some of the stickers overlap. A sticker will, naturally, cover any stickers that it is on top of.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 965 To get the effect shown in Figure 1, we apply these materials to our object so that the order of the Texture tags in the Object manager from left to right is: bricks, poster, graffiti. See Figure 4 below. Figure 2. The graffiti is the top material layer; it uses an alpha channel to remove the non-graffiti parts, thereby exposing the next layer down, the poster material.
966 • CHAPTER 18 Figure 3. Figure 4. Returning to the wall example, Figures 3 and 4 show the results of mixing dirt into the poster and graffiti textures. This was accomplished by using the Mix Textures option. The illustrations below show how this was done. On the left, the bump10 texture has been mixed with the poster texture, which is to its left in the Object manager, to dirty it up.
TEXTURE MAPPING • 967 On the right, the bump22 texture has been added just to the graffiti texture (it won’t be added to the poster and brick textures because of the bump10 additive texture). Putting a label on a bottle To put a label on a bottle Select the Texture tag to display its settings in the Attribute manager. In the Attribute manager, disable the Tile option. Ensure that only one tile is being created in the X and Y directions. Done.
19 Timeline
TIMELINE • 971 19. Timeline CINEMA 4D’s Timeline is a powerful tool for controlling and playing back animation. Like a sheet of music, the timing of the elements is represented horizontally. However, unlike sheet music, each element in an animation is represented by a key. Each horizontal line in the Timeline is called a track. Tracks control how objects are animated, from simple position animation to complex effects such as morphing. A track can contain one or more sequences.
972 • CHAPTER 19 The animation toolbar provides you with a quick and easy way to record and navigate the animation. By default, the animation toolbar appears in the lower part of the workspace and contains animation tools as well as a slider called the time slider. The time slider determines which frame is currently shown in the viewports. You can also access the animation toolbar’s commands from the Animation menu.
TIMELINE • 973 Restrict Editor Selection If this option is enabled, the only objects you will be able to select in the viewport are objects that are assigned to the Selection object. Restrict Keyframe Recording Applies to recording with the Record button. Keys will be recorded for all objects that are assigned to the Selection object, regardless of which objects are currently selected.
974 • CHAPTER 19 Autokeying Move the time slider to the frame at which you want to record the keys. Set the objects to the desired settings (Position, Scale, etc.) for this frame. The changes are recorded automatically. To restrict autokeying to particular parameters, in the Attribute manager, select the desired parameters and right-click (Windows) or Command-click( Mac OS) on the name of one of the parameters to open the context menu. From this menu, choose Animation > Add Keyframe Selection.
TIMELINE • 975 Default Interpolation produces a soft, smooth movement. The tangents are always straight so there will never be a kink in the curve. However, this method produces overshooting of the F-Curve if values change substantially over a short period of time. This can lead to unwanted behavior; for example, you may find that, following a position change, an object moves the wrong way for a short time.
976 • CHAPTER 19 Animation Menu The Animation menu on the main menu contains the same commands as the animation toolbar and, in addition, contains the following commands. Record Link XYZ Subchannels When recording parameters that have subchannels — such as the R, G and B channels of a light source or the X, Y and Z channels of a Position track — use this option to choose whether all three subchannels are recorded (three keys) or a single component only (one key).
TIMELINE • 977 Play Mode Use the items in this submenu to choose the playback mode for the animation. Preview Range Restricts the playback to the Timeline’s preview range (the frames between the two green markers). Simple The animation is played once only. Cycle As soon as the end of the animation is reached, the animation is played from the start. Ping-Pong The animation is played forwards and then backwards.
978 • CHAPTER 19 Navigation The Move icon (left) and Scale icon (right). To scroll the Timeline’s contents: Drag the Move icon or hold down the ‘1’ key and drag within the Timeline. If you are using a wheel mouse, rotate the wheel on any part of the Timeline except the ruler. To scale the Timeline’s contents: Drag the Scale icon or hold down the ‘2’ key and drag within the Timeline. If you are using a wheel mouse, rotate the wheel on the Timeline ruler.
TIMELINE • 979 Four context menus are available within the Timeline. Which context menu appears depends on where you right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS): on a layer icon, on the ruler, on a track or object name, or on a sequence. The commands in these context menus are described later in this chapter. The Objects area Automatic mode In Automatic mode, the Objects area contains a list of all objects and materials in the scene.
980 • CHAPTER 19 Moving the time slider without animation Sometimes it can be useful to move the time slider without the scene being animated. For example, this allows you to record the current setup at a different frame. To move the time slider without animation, hold down the Shift key while you move the time slider. Layer system In the top left corner of the Timeline, you’ll find three rows of icons which control the layers.
TIMELINE • 981 Towards the top of the Timeline, you’ll find a horizontal ruler with animation units. Depending on the Animation Units setting on the Units page of the preferences, these can be frames, seconds or in the SMPTE format. The blue marker is the time marker. It marks the current position in the animation and as such is used for navigation. You can move the time marker by dragging it or by clicking in the top half of the Timeline ruler (the tag will move to the position where you click).
982 • CHAPTER 19 Editing markers Existing markers can be freely positioned on the Timeline ruler via drag-and-drop. To adjust the position of an existing marker numerically, or to change its name or color, double-click the marker, enter the new values into the dialog that opens and click OK. The Time value determines the position of the marker on the Timeline ruler. In the Name box, you can enter any name for the marker. This makes navigation much easier, especially for those projects with many markers.
TIMELINE • 983 Keyframing with the Record button When using keyframe recording, CINEMA 4D creates tracks, sequences and keys in the Timeline, according to settings of your choosing. For the object currently selected in the Object manager, provided it is not a parametric object, you can record its position, scale, rotation, parameters and point positions (PLA). Using the Selection object, you can choose which objects can be recorded. The Selection object controls which objects are recorded.
984 • CHAPTER 19 The cube sequence in the Timeline looks as follows: Keyframing in the Attribute manager You can record keys directly in the Attribute manager. For example, to animate a cube’s position, proceed as follows. In the Object manager, select the cube. In the animation toolbar, ensure that the time slider is at frame 0.
TIMELINE • 985 Autokeying (automatic recording) As an alternative to pressing the Record button each time you want to record a parameter, you can have the changes made to objects recorded automatically. Keys are recorded intelligently, i.e. only for those parameters that change rather than for every single parameter. To activate autokeying, select the Autokeying button in the animation toolbar.
986 • CHAPTER 19 Keyframing in the Timeline You can create tracks, sequences and keys manually in the Timeline. Before you can record keys, you must first create a track and a sequence. To create a track, in the Timeline, select the name of the object that should receive the track and choose the desired track from the File > New Track menu. The name of the track will appear to the right of the object’s name in the Timeline.
TIMELINE • 987 In the Attribute manager, set Time to 0 and set Value to 0. The Attribute manager also displays values for the selected key’s tangents. Although you can enter values for these parameters also, most of the time it’s quicker and easier to set these values using the F-Curve manager. In the Timeline, Ctrl-click anywhere on the position sequence to create a new key. In the Attribute manager, set Time to 30 and set Value to 700. Done.
988 • CHAPTER 19 You can quickly select elements that are in the same area by dragging a selection rectangle over them. Drag the mouse to drag out a rectangle and release the mouse button once all the elements you want to select are inside the rectangle. If you Shift-drag instead, the elements inside the rectangle are added to the selection. To remove elements from the selection using this method, Ctrl-Shift-drag instead.
TIMELINE • 989 Moving animations hierarchically To transfer all existing tracks, sequences and keys from one object (the source) to another (the target), in the Timeline, select the source object and then drag and drop onto the target object. All animation characteristics of possible sub-objects are also moved, i.e. you can transfer complex, hierarchical animation with this single action from one object to another.
990 • CHAPTER 19 Drag on the sequence or the area of the ruler between the selection handles to move the selection. Drag the left or right selection handle to scale the selection. Shift-drag a selection handle to scale the selection without moving the keys. File Menu New Track > Parameter You can animate almost any parameter of an object. When you choose New Track > Parameter, a submenu will list all of the selected object’s parameters that can be animated.
TIMELINE • 991 The number of photons for caustics calculations. The renderer subdivision of HyperNURBS. Node properties. Example Using a Parameter track, CINEMA 4D enables you to morph one material to another. For example, by morphing a skin texture to a stone texture, you can turn a character from flesh to stone. For this example, you’ll morph a sphere’s material from wood to marble. Create a wood material and a marble material using the Wood and Marble shaders. Create a Sphere object.
992 • CHAPTER 19 Ctrl-click on the Material sequence at frame 0 to create a key. In the Attribute manager, note that the Wood material is already assigned. Ctrl-click on the Material sequence at frame 90 to create another key. Now drag the marble material from the Material manager and drop it into the Material box in the Attribute manager. This assigns the marble material to the sphere at this point in the animation.
TIMELINE • 993 Target objects are copies of the original object. The original state of the object to be morphed must also exist as a target object. When creating target objects, if you want to scale the copies of the original object along an axis, use the Model tool, not the Object tool. This is the opposite of the normal advice for animation because you are scaling and animating the geometry here, not the object axes.
994 • CHAPTER 19 The next step is to create a morph target for a puddle. To this end create a third target object by copying the original. Name this new object Target3. This time, scale the target to flatten and widen it. Use the Magnet tool to tug at the edges to form an irregular puddle shape (Figure 3, above). Remember to have the Model tool selected before scaling. The target objects are now ready to be used. Hide the targets in the Object manager but keep the original sphere visible.
TIMELINE • 995 Attribute manager settings Select a key in a Morph track to display its properties in the Attribute manager. Key Properties Name You can enter a new name for the key into this box. Time Defines the frame at which the key is placed. To move the key to a different frame, set this parameter to the desired frame number. Morph Target Drag the name of the target object from the Object manager into this box. Bias From top to bottom: Bias set to 0, 40 and -100.
996 • CHAPTER 19 Smooth By default, the interpolation affects the curve only after each key. However, if Smooth is enabled, the interpolation influences the curve before and after each key, resulting in a smoother motion. New Track > PLA This track lets you animate the points of polygon objects and splines. Primitives and spline primitives must be made editable using the Make Editable command before you can use them with PLA (Point Level Animation).
TIMELINE • 997 In the animation toolbar, click the Play button. The eyebrow is now animated using PLA. Similarly, you could use PLA to open and close the mouth, turn up the nose, blink and so on. PLA opens up countless animation opportunities. Keep in mind that you can animate the points of Spline objects as well. Attribute manager settings Select a key in the PLA track to display its properties in the Attribute manager. Key Properties Name You can enter a new name for the key into this box.
998 • CHAPTER 19 Smooth By default, the interpolation affects the curve only after each key. However, if Smooth is enabled, the interpolation influences the curve before and after each key, resulting in a smoother motion. New Track > Sound When you render a movie file, CINEMA 4D does not include sound. To add the sound to the rendered movie, render the sound and use a video editor to combine the sound with the movie.
TIMELINE • 999 Sound Properties Use Sound Enables/disables the sound. Sound, Size, Frequency, Length, Channel, Bits Click the button with three dots and use the system dialog that opens to choose the sound file that you want to assign to the object that is selected in the Timeline. Information for this sound file, such as its file size and frequency, will then be shown in the lower part of the page.
1000 • CHAPTER 19 Key Properties Name You can enter a new name for the key into this box. Time Defines the frame at which the key is placed. To move the key to a different frame, set this parameter to the desired frame number. Volume Controls the volume of the sound file. Set a value from 0% (no sound) to 100% (full volume). Balance This parameter is ignored for 3D sound rendering, since then the balance information comes from the 3D sound parameters, distances and movements.
TIMELINE • 1001 You can use Time tracks to control any type of parameter that can be interpolated. There are almost endless possibilities, from candles that flicker to a Twist object that rotates a head slowly at the start and end of the turn and quickly in between. Example Create a sphere and animate its position along the X-axis so that at frame 0, the sphere is at X=0, and at frame 90, it’s at X=300. The Timeline should then look as follows.
1002 • CHAPTER 19 The Timeline now looks as follows. When playing back the animation, you won’t see a difference yet because the Time track’s curve rises linearly from 0% to 100% (the percentages refer to the Position.X parameter). Change the Time track by creating a new key at about frame 50 (Ctrl-click on the curve or sequence) and set Value in the Key Properties in the Attribute manager to 100%. Next, edit the key at the end of the sequence (i.e. at frame 90) and set the key’s value to 0%.
TIMELINE • 1003 Play back the animation and watch how the sphere’s motion has been changed. Now the sphere reaches X=300 by about frame 45, then it ‘reverses’ all the way back to its starting point by the end of the animation — even though the Position.X track has just two keys. The Time track controls how the sphere’s motion is interpolated between the keys.
1004 • CHAPTER 19 New Sequence Use this command to create a new sequence on the active track. It opens a dialog, enabling you to enter the start and end time of the sequence. To the right of these values, the overall length of the sequence is displayed. You can optionally make the sequence loop a number of times. You can enter the overall loop length or number of loops. These two values are linked to one another and will change according to each other’s value.
TIMELINE • 1005 Left Border, Right Border Define the frames at which the sequence starts and ends. Loop Border, Loops, Soft To repeat the sequence, set Loops to the number of repetitions or set Loop Border to the frame at which the loops should end (the loops will commence immediately after the sequence). Loop sequences are shaded a lighter gray than the sequence proper. You cannot add keys to loops. If you want CINEMA 4D to interpolate softly between the loops, enable Soft.
1006 • CHAPTER 19 Figure 1: The thin line indicates left influence. So why would you want to switch off the spheres of influence? By switching them off (i.e. by disabling Left Influence and Right Influence), you can allow a track (or even an expression tag) of a lower priority to take control over the parameter. For example, suppose you want the robot to look at a space ship before and after the rotation sequence. In other words, from frames 0 to 29, the robot will look at the space ship.
TIMELINE • 1007 Unlooped Area In previous versions of CINEMA 4D, if you created a time curve and used it to control a track with loops, the time curve would affect the entire track including the loops. This often caused objects to jump wildly. To apply the time curve to the unlooped area only, enable the Unlooped Area option. Constant XYZ Velocity This option is only available if a Position.X, Rotation.H or Scale.X sequence (just one of these, not all three) is selected.
1008 • CHAPTER 19 Attribute manager settings Common key interpolation properties The properties of a key will depend on the type of its track. All keys will have Name and Time properties, most will have one or more Value properties. For many tracks, the interpolation will occur between keys on the track, and these keys will have common interpolation properties as described below. (Interpolation properties can also be set in the F-Curve manager).
TIMELINE • 1009 Soft The default interpolation. Soft attempts to interpolate between the keys as smoothly as possible. Although can make the curve softer or harder by adjusting the tangent’s Strength L / R value, we recommend that you make these adjustments interactively using the F-Curve manager instead.
1010 • CHAPTER 19 Taking the foot example a little further, while the foot is on the ground, you’ll want to prevent it from sinking through the floor. Although you can do this by setting the interpolation between the keyframes to linear to straighten out the curve, this may cause problems later if you need to adjust the keys. The clamp function is used to straighten out the curve (just like linear interpolation would do) between keys that have the same values.
TIMELINE • 1011 You can render 2D sound data with this command. CINEMA 4D creates a single, coherent WAV sound file, based on the sound sequences in the Timeline. Any volume and balance information in the keys is included in the file. With this feature, you are, in effect, in front of a multi-track recording machine that allows you to cut and mix many sound files non-linearly. Path Enter the desired file path and name for the WAV sound file you want to create.
1012 • CHAPTER 19 You can render 3D sound data with this command. CINEMA 4D creates a WAV sound file for each Microphone object in the scene and calculates the volume and pitch of each sound file according to the position and speed of all cameras and microphones in the scene.
TIMELINE • 1013 Preview Performs 3D sound rendering for the part of the document marked as a preview range(i.e. the area in the Timeline between the green markers). Raytracer Performs 3D sound rendering for the number of frames defined in the render settings. Close Closes the Timeline. The animation created in the Timeline is preserved. Edit Menu Undo This command is used to undo the last change made to the animation.
1014 • CHAPTER 19 This command copies the keys and the sequence data that are currently selected in the Timeline to the clipboard and deletes them from the Timeline. Elements stored in the clipboard may be inserted into the Timeline again with the Paste command. Copy When several sequences and keys are selected in the Timeline, CINEMA 4D copies the elements of the topmost selected line only. This command copies the keys and the sequence data that are currently selected in the Timeline to the clipboard.
TIMELINE • 1015 Selections Object, Track, Sequence, Key Using these options, you can choose which types of animation elements can be selected and edited in the Timeline. For example, if you want to be able to select and edit keys only, ensure that the Key Selection option is enabled and the other selection options are disabled. Vector In the Timeline, a vector is a group of three closely related animation elements.
1016 • CHAPTER 19 Show All Animated This command works in manual mode only. While in manual mode, objects aren’t automatically displayed in the Timeline even if they are animated. To quickly display all animated objects and other animated elements such as materials and post effects in the Timeline, choose Show All Animated.
TIMELINE • 1017 Scale up the sequence so that it is 10 frames long again (once again, drag the selection handle). The sequence now has just four keys, the others have been lost. This is because when the sequence was scaled down, the keys were snapped to integral frame numbers. Thus you can work on a frame basis or a time basis (as is necessary when converting a scene from PAL to NTSC). Project Settings This command opens the project settings.
1018 • CHAPTER 19 Post Effect tracks are displayed in manual mode only (Automatic Mode disabled). View Menu Frame All This command enables you to center the entire animation within the visible work area of the Timeline. If necessary, the view will be scaled horizontally. Frame Selection Centers the selected elements (sequences and keys) within the visible work area in the Timeline. If necessary, the view will be scaled horizontally.
TIMELINE • 1019 Frame Right Marker, Frame Left Marker The commands center the work area in the Timeline, starting at the nearest off-screen marker that is to the right or to the left (respectively). The view is not scaled. Zoom In, Zoom Out You can zoom in or out using these commands. Filter Menu The options on this menu control which element types are displayed in the Timeline.
1020 • CHAPTER 19 Bake Object Not all types of animation can be baked. You can convert into real keys, for example, only those movements that alter the position, scaling or rotation of an object. This command will convert animations that were not created using position, scale or rotation tracks (but nonetheless refer to the position or size of the object) into real position, scale or rotation tracks.
TIMELINE • 1021 The position track from a B-Spline. The position track from a Bezier Spline. Sequences Menu Record Selected This command creates a key at the current frame for all selected sequences. Insert Preview Range Before. After. This command gives you a quick way to create a gap in each selected sequence. The gap is created between the two (green) preview range markers. To create the gap, CINEMA 4D splits each selected sequence in two at the position of the left preview range marker.
1022 • CHAPTER 19 Adjust Adapts the length of the selected sequence to the first and last keys of the sequence. Overlapping parts of the sequence are deleted. Connect This command is especially useful when you want to loop a motion that is made up of several sequences. By connecting the sequences into one, you can then loop the motion using the Attribute manager settings for this sequence. Using this command, you can combine several individual sequences.
TIMELINE • 1023 Move/Scale This command opens a dialog that enables you to move and/or scale the selected sequences. Move Defines by how many units or frames the selected sequences are to be shifted to the right. Negative values will cause a shift to the left. Scale Defines the factor by which the selected sequences are to be scaled. For example, if the value is 1, the sequence remains unchanged. With 2, the sequences are doubled in length and with 0.5 the sequences become half their original length.
1024 • CHAPTER 19 After choosing the command, click either on a sequence that uses the time curve or on the sequence of the time curve’s Time track (as indicated above by the two mouse pointers). Layer Menu Color Selection With this menu you can assign one of the eight predefined colors to the elements (objects, tracks, sequences and keys) selected in the Timeline.
TIMELINE • 1025 All Layers Using this menu, you can choose to show, hide, lock or unlock all layers. Loading XL R7 scenes The following issues apply when loading animated scenes created in CINEMA 4D XL R7: Motion groups cannot be loaded. To remedy this, in CINEMA 4D XL R7, ungroup the motion groups (Timeline: Sequences > Ungroup Motion) and save the scene. Load this scene into CINEMA 4D R9. Plugin tracks will be loaded only if the plugin is compatible with CINEMA 4D R9 and is installed.
1026 • CHAPTER 19 In the Timeline, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on the Texture tag’s name and from the context menu that appears, choose New Track > Parameter > Material. You’ll see a Material sequence appear in the Timeline. You’ll need to add two keys for this animation: a key at the start that contains the checkerboard material, and a key at the end of the material morph animation that contains the marble material. Ctrl-click on the sequence at frame 0 to create the first key.
20 F-Curve Manager
20. F-Curve Manager F-Curves, short for function curves, control the interpolation between keys. Since they have no fixed units, they can be used to control any parameter that can be interpolated. F- Curves are shown only for those animated parameters that can be interpolated. Parameters that cannot be interpolated — such as the Shadow setting of lights — do not have F-Curves. The way in which keys are interpolated has a major effect on animation.
1030 • CHAPTER 20 Figure 3: Click the ‘+’ symbol to display the F-Curve. However, most of the time, you’ll probably want to edit F-Curves using the more spacious F-Curve manager, where it can be easier to edit the curves accurately. In addition, the F-Curve manager provides a number of commands that are not available in the Timeline. Also, when you open the F-Curve manager, the F-Curve List (to the left of the display) is integrated by default.
F-CURVE MANAGER • 1031 In contrast, the manual mode enables you to control which F-Curves are displayed in the F-Curve manager regardless of which objects are currently selected. To activate manual mode, drag and drop the elements whose curves should be displayed into the F-Curve manager or F-Curve List. You can also toggle between manual and automatic mode by clicking the lock icon in the top right corner of the F-Curve manager.
1032 • CHAPTER 20 In such cases, use the 4+drag short-cut to move the F-Curves closer together in the F-Curve manager so that Frame All will include all of the curves without having to zoom out so far (see Figure 2). Now you will be able to see the details of each curve relative to each other without affecting the animation. Edit the F-Curves as desired. Likewise, you can use the 5+drag short-cut to scale the F-Curves in relative mode. Figure 1: After choosing Frame All.
F-CURVE MANAGER • 1033 The Add Folder button creates a folder into which you can drag objects or F-Curves for better organization. The Remove button removes the selected objects and F-Curves from the window. The Add Folder and Remove buttons are available in manual mode only. The lock icon next to each F-Curve controls whether the F-Curve can be edited in the F-Curve manager. A white, opened lock means its F-Curve is editable, while a black, closed lock prevents changes.
1034 • CHAPTER 20 4 + drag scrolls the F-Curve display vertically. 5 + drag scales F-Curve display vertically. Edit Menu Undo, Redo Undoes the last change you made in the F-Curve manager; select the command multiple times to undo the changes you’ve made one by one. Redo undoes the last undo. Delete Deletes the selected keys. Select All, Deselect All, Invert All Use these commands to select all keys, deselect all keys and invert the selected keys. Remove All Hides the selected F-Curves.
F-CURVE MANAGER • 1035 View Menu Frame All Zooms all F-Curves to fit the window. Frame Selection Zooms the selected keys to fit the window. Auto Relative Auto Relative scales each curve to fit the 0-100 range of the F-Curve manager’s Y-axis using a special relative mode. The real values of the keys are not changed. All that you’re doing is moving and scaling the F-Curves closer to each other so that you don’t have to scroll and zoom each time you want to edit a different F-Curve.
1036 • CHAPTER 20 Grid Switches on the F-Curve manager’s grid. Velocity Displays the velocity of all curves in the same color. You cannot edit the velocity of curves directly, since it is derived from the F-Curves. To change the velocity, edit the F-Curves. Curves Menu Custom Tangents Linear Interpolation / Soft Interpolation Linear Interpolation. Soft interpolation. F-Curves are Bezier curves. Just like a Bezier spline, you can define hard or soft interpolation between points.
F-CURVE MANAGER • 1037 To move a tangent handle independently of its twin, ensure that Link Tangents is disabled (Attribute manager) and Shift-drag the handle that you want to move. Flat Horizontally aligns the tangents of the selected keys. Function Formula The F-Curve produced by the formula sin(t*2*pi). Using the Formula command, you can use math functions to create almost any shape of curve. The Keys value defines the number of keys that will be created.
1038 • CHAPTER 20 Ridge Creates the curve shape shown above. Ease In, Ease Out Ease in. Ease out. The Ease In and Ease Out commands help you to achieve realistic motion by adding acceleration and deceleration phases to the animation (ease in and ease out). The commands affect the selected keys only. With Ease In, the change in the parameter slows to a virtual standstill before each selected key.
F-CURVE MANAGER • 1039 Hold Before. After Hold has been applied to the top keys. The curve holds the value of each selected key until the next key is reached, at which point the curve jumps abruptly to reach the point. Clamp Before. After. Suppose your curve has neighboring keys, each set to the same value, and you want a straight line between them to ensure that the parameter stays at the same value. However, soft interpolation curves the line curved between the keys.
1040 • CHAPTER 20 Mirror X, Mirror Y These commands mirror the selected keys and their tangents horizontally (Mirror Y) or vertically (Mirror X). Select at least two keys before choosing this command. Cycle Before. After. This command repeat a group of selected keys. Set Copies to the number of repetitions. The start of the first repetition is joined to the end of the selection, the start of the second repetition is joined to the end of the first repetition and so on.
F-CURVE MANAGER • 1041 Simplify Curve Proceed with caution when using the Simplify Curve command, to avoid ruining the curve. Approach your optimal curve slowly and reject oversimplified results with the Undo command. This command essentially does the reverse of Bake Curve. Use Simplify Curve to reduce the curve’s number of keys.
1042 • CHAPTER 20
21 Attribute Manager
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1045 21. Attribute Manager 1. Displayed parameter groups. 2. Lock/unlock. 3. Selected parameter. 4. Parameter has a key at the current frame (indicated by a filled red circle). 5. Parameter has an animation track but no key at the current frame (hollow red circle). 6. Keyframe selection (red highlighting). 7. User-defined slider. 8. Open new Attribute manager (right icon). 9. Parameter cannot be animated (no circle). 10. History buttons.
1046 • CHAPTER 21 To lock an Attribute manager to specific elements, select the desired elements then click the lock icon (near the top right corner of the Attribute manager — see Figure 1, point 2). To unlock, click the lock icon once more. Recording keys in the Attribute manager To record a key for the parameter at the current frame, Ctrl-click on the parameter’s circle. Ctrl-click the circle again to delete the key at the current frame.
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1047 Navigating the Attribute manager Near the top of the Attribute manager you’ll find tabs for each parameter group of the selected elements. To display a group’s parameters, click on its tab. The parameters will appear below the tabs, where you can edit them. To display multiple parameter groups, right-click (Windows) or Shift-click (Mac OS) each group’s tab. To remove a tab from the selection, right-click or Shift-click the tab again.
1048 • CHAPTER 21 Scroll bars will appear if there is insufficient display space. To scroll the display space, drag the scroll bars or click in an empty part of the window and drag. Drag from an empty part in the Attribute manager to scroll the parameters. History Buttons You’ll find three history buttons above the parameter group tabs: a left arrow, right arrow and an up arrow.
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1049 History menu Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on a navigation arrow to open the History menu. This lists the last ten elements displayed in the Attribute manager — choose an element from the list to display its settings. This saves you from having to click the arrows multiple times to reach the settings of an element several steps back in the history.
1050 • CHAPTER 21 Delete Keyframe Deletes all of the selected parameters’ keyframes at the current frame. Alternatively, Ctrl-click the red circle next to one of the selected parameters’ names. Each parameter with a filled red circle next to its name has a keyframe at the current frame. Add Track Creates tracks for the selected parameters. Copy Track, Paste Track Use these commands to copy tracks between parameters. First, select the parameters whose tracks you want to copy. Choose Copy Track.
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1051 In the Object manager, click the sphere’s name to select it and display its settings in the Attribute manager. In the Attribute manager, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the P.Y box to access its context menu. From this menu, choose Animation > Set Driver. (The P.Y box controls the sphere’s height, i.e. its Y position.) In the Object manager, click the cube’s name to select it and display its settings in the Attribute manager.
1052 • CHAPTER 21 Add Keyframe Selection To create a keyframe selection, select several parameters and choose Add Keyframe Selection. The selected parameter names are shown in red to indicate that they belong to the keyframe selection. When you use CINEMA 4D’s autokeying mode, all parameters in the keyframe selection will be recorded (provided their values actually change).
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1053 Show Subchannels Some elements, such as color fields, can also be displayed numerically. Copy, Paste Use these commands to copy values between parameters. Select the parameters whose values you want to copy. Choose Copy. Next, select the parameters that should receive the copied values and choose Paste. Paste Identical Suppose there are two cylinders in the scene.
1054 • CHAPTER 21 To load saved data, select the parameters that should receive the data and choose Load Data. Use your system’s file selector to choose the data file. The saved data and the selected parameters must be of the same data type. For example, you cannot load real values into parameters whose data types are set to Integer. Add To HUD Adds the selected parameters to the HUD. For a description of the HUD, look up ‘HUD’ in the index.
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1055 By default, the Attribute manager displays the parameters of the currently selected elements (objects, tags or materials etc.). If your scene has an object that you frequently need to edit, create a new Attribute manager and lock it to always show the object’s parameters no matter which elements are currently selected. You’ll then be able to edit the object’s parameters without first having to select it, saving you time.
1056 • CHAPTER 21 Configure Modes Choose this command to open the Select Modes dialog. In this dialog, enable or disable the various options to choose which element types the Attribute manager is able to display. For example, if you want the Attribute manager to show object parameters only, disable all options apart from Object. Edit Copy, Paste Use these commands to copy values between parameters. Select the parameters whose values you want to copy. Choose Copy.
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1057 Note Make sure you execute this command only with newly-created elements. Otherwise unwanted presets may result. For example, shaders in deactivated material channels will be taken into account. Although, a few exceptions do exist: Newly created cameras will always be created using the current angle of view. Although the Object menu suggests that various light sources exist, only one really exists internally. This ight source can be saved as a preset for all light sources.
1058 • CHAPTER 21 Name Enter a name for the GUI element. This name will be used in the XPresso Editor for the user data’s ports. To add a port for the user data, in the XPresso Editor, click the object node’s Inputs or Outputs menu. From the User Data submenu, choose the user data’s name. Data Type Choose the parameter’s data type from the drop-down list. For example, if you want the parameter to define a color, set Data Type to Color. For details on each data type, look up ‘data types’ in the index.
ATTRIBUTE MANAGER • 1059 Integer Interface set to Integer (upper parameter) and Integer Slider (lower parameter) . Float From top to bottom: Interface set to Float, Float Slider and Float (No Edit Field). Unit Choose the parameter’s units: Real, Percent, Degree or Meter. Although nodes work in radians instead of degrees (360˚ = 2*pi radians), by setting Unit to Degree you are able to enter values in degrees.
22 XPresso Editor
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1063 22. XPresso Editor In earlier releases of CINEMA 4D, to create extra interactions between objects required you to manually program C.O.F.F.E.E. expressions; and you can still do this if you wish. However, with CINEMA 4D’s XPresso node editor, you can set up complex, automated object interactions simply, by drawing lines from one object to another.
1064 • CHAPTER 22 XGroups XGroups are containers for nodes, other XGroups and their wires. Like real containers, XGroups help you to put related items ‘in the same box’ for better organization. You’ll then find it easier to understand, navigate and modify the expression. In addition to acting as a container, an XGroup can be connected to nodes and other XGroups. You can save and load XGroups to reuse them in other projects. Use XGroups to organize nodes into groups.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1065 To protect an XGroup, first choose View > Locked to lock the XGroup’s contents. In the Attribute manager, click on the Protect button. In the dialog that opens, enter your password for the XGroup. The XGroup will now be password protected. To unprotect an XGroup, you do almost the same as you did to protect it, except in reverse. First, click on the Unprotect button and enter your password into the dialog that appears.
1066 • CHAPTER 22 Ports Ports are the inputs and outputs of nodes and XGroups. To add a port, choose the desired port from the inputs menu (blue square) or outputs menu (red square); in these menus, ports that have already been added are ghosted. Add ports using the inputs and outputs menus (the blue and red squares in the node’s top corners). Values are passed via ports. Output ports are shown as red circles, input ports as blue circles.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1067 In the Attribute manager, choose User Data > Add User Data. In the dialog that opens, set the port’s parameters as desired, then click OK. Click the node’s inputs menu (the blue square) and choose the name of the User Data port. You will now be able to send values to the port via the User Data parameter on the Attribute manager’s User Data page. See the XPresso tutorial in the CINEMA 4D Tutorial manual for a working example of why user data is useful.
1068 • CHAPTER 22 If the wires in an expression are tangled, reposition the ports by Alt-dragging each port to a new position. You can reposition vertically only. You cannot, for example, Alt-drag an input port from the node’s left edge to the right edge. Wires will convert compatible data types automatically. For example, if you pass a real value, such as 72.163, to a node that works with integers only, the connecting wire will convert the real value to an integer automatically — in this case, to 72.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1069 Now suppose you create a new scene, this time of a mother hen walking and her two chicks following. You create two expressions: Follow Mum (to make the first chick follow the hen) and Follow Chick One (to make the second chick follow the first chick). So that the second chick follows the first chick’s current position, Follow Mum must be evaluated before Follow Chick One.
1070 • CHAPTER 22 Color This data type consists of the color components red, green and blue. The RGB values can also be interpreted as a vector — so the color R:10, G:75, B:0 would equate to the vector (10;75;0). This enables you, for example, to use a color to control an object’s position or rotation vector. Date/Time In contrast to the Time data type, Date/Time queries your computer’s current system time (in the format hours:minutes:seconds) and system date.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1071 Lens Glow The Lens Glow data type is a container for a complete data set — in this case, all the information required to control lens glow for a light source. This data type cannot be converted to other types. Link The Link data type contains information on the various elements in a CINEMA 4D scene, including information on tags and materials as well as objects. The Link type cannot be converted to other data types.
1072 • CHAPTER 22 Real Unlike integers, reals can be fractional numbers. A typical example of a real is Pi, i.e. 3.141592654. Use the Real type when complex calculations are involved and you want an accurate result. Reals can be converted to vectors or integers. When a real is converted to an integer, all numbers after the decimal point will be lost (i.e. reals are rounded down when converted to integers). Spline With the Spline data type, you draw a spline in the Attribute manager using a graph.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1073 Time The Time data type gives you access to the animation’s current time. Keep in mind that this value is affected by the frame rate. For example, if the rate is 25 frames per second, the Time value for frame 24 is one second exactly. The Time data type is especially useful for controlling dynamic processes since it enables you to take an animation’s progress into account.
1074 • CHAPTER 22 Edit Menu Undo, Redo Use Undo to undo the last change you made in the XPresso Editor; select Undo repeatedly to undo changes one by one. Select Redo to redo the last undo. Cut, Copy, Paste The Cut command moves the selected nodes or XGroups (including their wires) to the clipboard. The Copy command copies the selected nodes or XGroups (including their wires) to the Clipboard.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1075 Connections Connections set to Direct (left), Straight (center) and Normal (right). The Connections submenu controls the appearance of wires: Direct, Straight or Normal. For example, if you choose Direct, each wire is displayed as a single, straight line. Show Status Bar Enable this option to display the XPresso Editor’s status bar.
1076 • CHAPTER 22 Align To Grid Aligns the nodes and XGroups to the XPresso Editor’s grid. Custom Menu The commands in the Custom menu relate to plugins and modules. For example, if purchased and installed, from this menu you can access the settings of the Thinking Particles module. In addition, on this menu you’ll find the commands for opening the XPresso Pool and XPresso manager.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1077 If you access the context menu while the mouse pointer is over an empty space in the XPresso Editor, the commands for XGroups are also shown. This is because the XPresso Editor is filled by the base XGroup, which is created automatically for each new expression. The base XGroup’s title bar is shown just below the XPresso Editor’s menus. To open a context menu: Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on a node, XGroup, port or empty space in the XPresso Editor.
1078 • CHAPTER 22 Convert To XGroup This command creates a new XGroup and moves all selected nodes and XGroups, including their wires, into the new XGroup. Align To Grid The selected nodes and XGroups are aligned to the grid. Zoom Here you can choose from various preset zoom levels. View Use the commands in the View submenu to set the windows of the selected nodes and XGroups to a particular size.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1079 Connections Remove All This command deletes the connections (i.e. wires) of the selected nodes and XGroups. Ports Remove Unused Proceed with caution when using this command — it deletes all unconnected ports, including any that may be in use and receiving values from the Attribute manager. This command deletes all ports that are not connected to the selected node(s) and/or XGroup(s).
1080 • CHAPTER 22 Optimize This command has a different effect depending on whether you select it from a node, an XGroup or the XPresso Editor. If Optimize is selected from a node’s context menu, the node is scaled to the smallest size at which its name and ports are visible. If Optimize is selected from an XGroup’s context menu, the XGroup is scaled to the smallest size at which all its nodes and XGroups can be seen. Select Connected This command selects the next connected XGroup or node.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1081 Remove Wires This command deletes all of the port’s wires. Rename Ports Enter a new name for the port in the dialog that opens. Meaningful names can help to make the expression easier to understand, especially if you are editing an expression you created some time ago and you’ve forgotten how it works. Delete Port The port and its wires are deleted. You can also delete a disconnected port by double-clicking it.
1082 • CHAPTER 22 To open and close hierarchies: Click the icon to the left of the node or XGroup name. To create a new empty XGroup: Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on the root XGroup’s name in the XPresso Manager window and choose New XGroup > Empty XGroup from the context menu. To control the order of evaluation: Drag a node or XGroup name and drop it in a new position. The top-most elements in the XPresso manager are evaluated first.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1083 To create a node: Drag and drop the node that you want to create from the XPresso Pool into the XPresso Editor. To open and close hierarchies: Click the icon to the left of an element’s name. To create your own pool of nodes: In the XPresso Pool, create a new pool by choosing Edit > Create Pool. (You cannot add your own nodes to the original pool.) Configure the nodes that you want to add to the pool.
1084 • CHAPTER 22 Create Folder Creates a new folder. This enables you to arrange your own pool into folders for better organization. Drag and drop the nodes that you want to place within the folder from the XPresso Pool or XPresso Editor into the folder. XPresso Nodes XPresso’s nodes are arranged by class and then by group. The XPresso class contains all the nodes that belong to the CINEMA 4D core application. Nodes belonging to plugins or other modules, if present, are listed under a different class.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1085 Box Maximum Outputs the coordinates of the largest corner point of the bounding box, as a vector. Box Size Outputs the maximum dimensions of the bounding box in the X, Y and Z directions, as a vector. Keep in mind that, in contrast to the Coordinate manager, the choice of coordinate system has a major influence on the result. Box Point 1 to Box Point 8 Outputs the coordinates of the corner points that make up the bounding box.
1086 • CHAPTER 22 Bounding Box In this mode, the node checks whether the bounding boxes of the two objects intersect each other. If you want child objects to be taken into account as well, in the Attribute manager enable Include Children. The two bounding boxes will be expanded if necessary to enclose the child objects as well. Sphere A virtual sphere is placed around each of the objects. If these two virtual spheres intersect, the node detects a collision.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1087 Point 1: If a collision has been detected, this port outputs the position vector of the point in Object 1 that collided first (provided Collision Type is set to Object). The exact value of the position depends on the coordinate system chosen and whether the object is being deformed (see the options in the Attribute manager).
1088 • CHAPTER 22 If the Switch port is enabled, the result is reversed. A value of 1 becomes a value of 0, and vice versa. If Switch is enabled and then the value of one of the other ports changes, the result is once again affected — the result always depends on the port that was last enabled. For example, if the On port was the last port enabled, the result will always be 1; if the last port enabled was the Off port, the result will always be 0. Note that disabling a port has no influence on the result.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1089 Link List This expression uses the number of objects in the list to control an Iteration node. The Iteration node is connected to a copy of the Link List node, which outputs all the objects one after the other. The Link List enables you to introduce a limited number of objects into the expression. Drag the desired objects from the Object manager and drop them into the Link List box in the Attribute manager.
1090 • CHAPTER 22 History Level defines which one of the stored states the node outputs. To set the History Level, either pass the value to the node’s History Level port or, if the port is unconnected, enter the value directly into the Attribute manager. If you set History Level to a higher value than History Depth, the node outputs the oldest stored state. If History Depth is set to 1, the value that arrives at the input is passed directly to the output regardless of the History Level setting.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1091 For both modes, the following applies: If the node is triggered while in the middle of a countdown, the countdown starts again from the beginning. The following input ports are available: Duration: Controls the duration of the countdown. If you set this value in the Attribute manager, enter the duration in frames. However, if you connect, say, a Constant node to this port, the value defines the duration time in seconds.
1092 • CHAPTER 22 Noise. Turbulence. Wavy Turbulence. Fractal Brown Noise. Turbulence is composed of several frequency bands of summed noise. Wavy Turbulence is the same as Turbulence, except that the changes are more abrupt (‘wavefronts’). Lastly, Fractal Brown Noise is the same as Turbulence, except that its high frequency bands are weaker. The following input ports are available: Amplitude: This value scales the result of the node by multiplying it.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1093 Object The quickest way to create an Object node is to drag the object, material or tag from the Object manager or Material manager into the XPresso Editor. The Object node represents a CINEMA 4D object, material or a tag. If you use the context menu to create the Object node, the node is automatically assigned to the object that owns the XPresso tag.
1094 • CHAPTER 22 Use Start Position To reference an element relative to the object that owns the XPresso tag, use either this mode or the more advanced Relative Reference mode. For example, to reference the element that is three positions before the object that owns the tag, set Reference Mode to Use Start Position, set Start Position to Predecessor On This Level and set Start Distance to 3. The Use Start Position mode also enables you to reference the first or last object in the scene.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1095 Last On This Level: References the last element on the same hierarchical level. First In Scene: Chooses the first object in the scene. Last In Scene: Jumps to the scene’s last element. Start Distance With some Start Position modes, you might want to jump several steps in the hierarchy in one go. In such cases, use Start Distance as a multiplier for the Start Position.
1096 • CHAPTER 22 On The On port is available to all Object nodes except Material and Tag nodes. The On port enables or disables the node via a value of the type Bool; this is useful for controlling when the node’s data should be passed and when it should be halted. The node is enabled if its On port receives a Bool value of True (1) or disabled if it receives a Bool value of False (0). The node will be enabled automatically if you do not add the On port.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1097 This node reads the color values for bitmaps at specific coordinates. The image above represents a RGB color value (in the Result node) at the coordinates 120, 100. The bitmap has a resolution of 640 x 480. Input Ports File Name Define the absolute path to the Bitmap X/Y X and Y are the coordinates of the pixels whose color values should be read. X and Y values of 0 and 0 would represent the top left pixel of the bitmap.
1098 • CHAPTER 22 Example Suppose you are using an Object List iterator with seven cubes (see example picture above). Now suppose you want to reposition all of the cubes except the third one. “Well, just chuck the third cube out of the object list,” you might suggest. That’s one solution, certainly. However, a more interesting way — and in some cases perhaps the only way — is to use an ObjectIndex node instead.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1099 Polygon This node outputs two values: the object’s total number of polygons (in this case, six) and the position of the fifth polygon’s center (index value 4). This node gives you direct access to an object’s number of polygons and their positions. To use a Polygon node, first create an Object node for the object whose polygon data you want to access. Click the Object node’s Outputs menu (red square) and choose Object from the menu that appears to create an Object port.
1100 • CHAPTER 22 The Random node outputs decimal numbers in the range of -1.0 to +1.0. Two modes are available for generating these numbers: Free and Time. Choose the desired mode in the Attribute manager. The node can output random values of the following data types: Bool, Integer, Normal, Real or Vector. Specify the desired data type via the node’s output port.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1101 Ray Collision The ray has been created between points P1 and P2. The expression places the sphere at the point where the ray hits the cube. This node generates a ray and checks if and where it hits a polygon object. If you want the ray to collide with primitive a object or a NURBS object, you must convert the object to polygons before using it with this node. The following input ports are available: Object: Here, connect the polygon object that you want to fire the ray at.
1102 • CHAPTER 22 Distance: If the ray has hit a polygon, this port outputs the distance from Ray Point1 to the polygon first hit by the ray. To switch on this port, in the Attribute manager, disable Test Only. Face Index: If a collision has taken place, this port outputs the index number of the first polygon hit by the ray. To switch on this port, in the Attribute manager, disable Test Only. Face Normal: If the ray has hit a surface, this port outputs the normal of the polygon hit.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1103 The following input ports are available: Instance: The object that you connect here defines where the search path begins. For example, to reference the children of a particular object, connect the object to this port. The path then starts from this object. Path: Connect the string that contains the path to this port. The path itself is composed of the characters already mentioned: ‘U’, ‘D’, ‘N’ and ‘P’. You can also enter this path directly into the Attribute manager.
1104 • CHAPTER 22 Sound A sound is played each time the cube and sphere collide. With this node, you can load and play back sound files in the viewport (but not in the render). The sound file must be in a format that CINEMA 4D supports, such as WAV or AIFF. To load the file, in the Attribute manager, click the button that is next to the Filename text box. Use the dialog that opens to locate and open the sound file. In the Attribute manager, you’ll also find a setting called Probe.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1105 Spline The Iteration node outputs all whole numbers from 0 to 100 one after the other. These numbers are each divided by 100 to convert them to Real values in the range of 0.0 to 1.0. These Real values are then passed to the Spline node’s Offset port, which causes the Spline node to output the coordinates of 101 positions along the spline. This node outputs the coordinates of positions along a spline.
1106 • CHAPTER 22 Time You can access various animation parameters via the following output ports: Delta: The time interval between two frames, given in seconds. End: The end of the animation as defined in the project settings. Frames per second: The frame rate as defined in the project settings. Frame: Current frame since the start of the animation. Loop end: End of the preview area (the green area in the Timeline), given in seconds.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1107 Weightmap An object’s first Vertex Map tag is accessed. The first point (index = 0) is assigned a weight of 0.5 (i.e. 50%). Weight maps store a value between 0.0 to 1.0 for each point in an object. These values affect how strongly each point is influenced when deformers such as bones are applied to the object. With the Weightmap node, not only can you read these weight values, you can change them also.
1108 • CHAPTER 22 Adapter Group The nodes in the Adapter group convert a value from one data type to another. Although XPresso’s wires convert various data types automatically, you can use an adapter node to force a particular conversion. Matrix2Vectors This adapter splits a matrix into its four components: the Offset (also known as V0) and the three vectors V1, V2 and V3.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1109 Vector2Reals The Vector2Reals node performs the reverse operation of the Reals2Vector node — it splits a vector into its three component (Real) values. For example, a rotation vector is split into its H, P and B components. Vectors2Matrix This adapter converts the four vectors Offset, V1, V2 and V3 into a matrix. This node performs the reverse operation of the Matrix2Vectors adapter. Bool Group The nodes in the Bool group perform various Boolean functions.
1110 • CHAPTER 22 AND The output is True if all inputs are True. Otherwise, the output is False. OR The output is True if at least one input is True. Otherwise, the output is False. XOR (Exclusive OR) The output is True if an odd number of inputs is True. Otherwise, the output is False. NAND (Not AND) If all inputs are True, the output is False. Otherwise, the output is True. NAND performs the reverse operation of AND. NOR (Not OR) If at least one input is True, the output is False.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1111 NXOR (Not Exclusive OR) If an even number of input is True, the output is True. Otherwise, the output is False. NXOR performs the reverse operation of XOR. NOT This node negates a Bool value. If the input is True, the output is False. If the input if False (0), the output is True (1). Switch This node outputs a Bool constant as defined in the Attribute manager, either True (Value enabled) or False (Value disabled).
1112 • CHAPTER 22 C.O.F.F.E.E. This node enables you to integrate C.O.F.F.E.E. code with your XPresso expression. You can add any number of input ports to the node and rename them via the node’s context menu. However, you cannot change the type of a port. If you add a port of the wrong type, you must delete it (double-click it) and add a new port of the correct type. The input ports are declared automatically as variables — there is no need to declare them in the node. For example, the default C.O.F.F.E.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1113 Clamp This node clamps the input to a range of values and outputs the result. Input values that are within the range are passed directly through to the output. Input values outside the range are clamped to the lower limit or upper limit of the range, whichever limit is nearer. For example, suppose you’ve defined a range from 5 to 12. Input values of 1, 8 and 15 will result in output values of 5, 8 and 12 respectively. The Clamp node has many uses.
1114 • CHAPTER 22 Outputs the cross product of two input vectors. The cross product creates a vector perpendicular to the plane of the two input vectors. For example, you can use this node to calculate the surface normals of polygons yourself. Choose the node’s data type in the Attribute manager. The direction of the output vector depends on the direction of the plane between the two input vectors, but not on its length.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1115 Dot Product Here the dot product is used to calculate the angle between two input vectors. The following applies: the dot product of Vector 1 and Vector 2 = the length of Vector 1 * the length of Vector 2 * the cosine between Vector 1 and Vector 2. The dot product, or scalar product as it is often called, calculates the projection of a vector onto another vector.
1116 • CHAPTER 22 Ln10 Calculates the logarithm to the base 10. Sqrt Calculates the square root of the input. Floor In this mode, the input is rounded down to the nearest integer value. For example, the input 4.95 produces the output 4. Ceil In this mode, the input is rounded up to the nearest integer value. For example, the input 4.01 produces the output 5. Pow This mode raises the input to the power of the input.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1117 Math Node The Math node carries out its calculations using the data type that is defined in the Attribute manager. If the node receives input values of a different data type, they are converted to the Math node’s data type before the calculation takes place. The Math node allows more than two inputs to be used, whereas the FloatMath node is limited to two inputs. FloatMath Node This node, on the other hand, always carries out its calculations using the Real data type.
1118 • CHAPTER 22 Invert Outputs the inverse of the input. For example, an input of 5 produces an output of 0.2 (1/5). Choose the node’s data type in the Attribute manager. You can use this node to invert numbers or matrices. For example, you can combine this node with a MatrixMulVector node to convert a position from world coordinates to local coordinates. In the Attribute manager, choose whether a real number or a matrix should be inverted.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1119 Modulo Outputs the integral remainder of a division. For example, 11 modulo 10 = 1 and 23 modulo 10 = 3. Matrix2HPB This node converts a matrix to three vectors: the heading, pitch and bank angles. Each angle is specified in radians. If you want to work in degrees, use the Degree node to convert radians to degrees and vice versa. MatrixMulVector This expression coverts one of the cube’s coordinates from local to global coordinates.
1120 • CHAPTER 22 Mix This node mixes two input values to produce a single output value. Mixing Factor defines the proportion in which the two values are mixed. Values range from 0% (output = input 1) to 1 (output = input 2). For example, if you set Mix Factor to 50% and the inputs are 1 and 3, the node will output 2. If you then change the Mix Factor to 33% and leave the inputs at 1 and 3, the node will output 1.666. Negate You can use this node to invert numbers or matrices.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1121 Data Type Defines the node’s data type. Input Range, Output Range, Input Lower, Input Upper, Output Lower, Output Upper Here you can choose commonly-used ranges such as 0% to 100%. User Defined: In this mode, the input range and the output range are defined by the values in the Attribute manager for Input Upper, Input Lower, Output Upper and Output Lower (or by the ports of the same name, if you have added these). Degree: Defines the range 0 to 360.
1122 • CHAPTER 22 Use Spline Enable the Use Spline option to activate the graph on the Attribute manager’s Parameter page. Spline graph The purpose of the spline graph is to allow nonlinear remapping. There are many cases where you might want the Range Mapper node’s output to rise gradually at first and then rise sharply as the upper limit is approached. One such case is a bicep’s muscle, the bulge of which depends on how far the elbow is bent.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1123 Trigonometric This node works with radians (i.e. 0 to 2*Pi instead of 0 to 360 °). If you want to work in degrees, use a Degree node to convert radians to degrees and vice versa. This node performs one the following trigonometric operations on the input and outputs the result: Sin, Cos, Tan, Sinh, Cosh, Tanh, ASin, ACos and ATan. On the Attribute manager’s Node Properties page, set Function to the desired operation. Vector2Matrix Use this node to convert a vector to a matrix.
1124 • CHAPTER 22 ==: Equality. Use the equality operator to check if two inputs are of the same value. The output is True if the inputs are of the same value. Otherwise, the output is False. < : Less Than. The output is True if the first input is less than the second input. Otherwise, the output is False. <= : Less Than or Equal To. The output is True if the first input is less than or equal to the second input. Otherwise, the output is False. > : Greater Than.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1125 Equal The output is True if both inputs are equal. Otherwise, the output is False. You can also check matrices for equality using this node. Set the node’s data type in the Attribute manager. Not Equal This option, which is available in the Attribute manager, reverses the action of the node. With the option enabled, the output is True if the two inputs are not equal. Otherwise, the output is False. Is Null The output is True if the input is 0. Otherwise, the output is False.
1126 • CHAPTER 22 Hierarchy Paths enable you to access groups of objects at any position in the hierarchy. In this example, the Hierarchy node outputs the three Sphere objects. This node first locates a position in an object hierarchy, as defined by a Reference Path and a Start Path. From this position in the hierarchy, the node then follows a repeatable Iteration Path and outputs all of the objects it meets as it travels along the iteration path.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1127 Relative Reference This mode is similar to Use Start Position. It enables you to reference an element relative to the object that owns the XPresso tag. Unlike the Use Start Position mode, you enter a path that gives the node instructions on how to reach the element. The starting position is the object that owns the tag.
1128 • CHAPTER 22 Start Path This box is available only when Reference Mode is set to Relative Reference. Use the box to enter the path for the relative reference. For example, ‘UPPDN’ stands for ‘Up, Previous, Previous, Down, Next’. See also ‘Relative Reference’, above. Iteration Path The Hierarchy iterator continually repeats this path. For example, ‘N’ will cause the node to output all objects that are on the same level one after another.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1129 Iteration In the Attribute manager, set the Matrix Mode for the top two Point nodes above to Local. You cannot make XGroups repeat using Iteration nodes. You can form nested loops by connecting several Iteration nodes together via their Previous Iterator ports. This node allows you to simulate program loops. A numeric value is increased by steps of 1 until a maximum value is reached. The value is then reduced to its minimum value and the loop begins once more.
1130 • CHAPTER 22 You can use the Material node to, for example, access a particular material in the Material manager. Here, the first material, then the second material, and finally the third material are passed on to an object. The Compare node controls the progress in the Material manager according to the current animation time. The materials are changed automatically over time. This node searches for materials in the Material manager. The search begins with the top left material.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1131 ObjectList When you want to introduce a known number of objects into the expression, this node is often the quickest way to do it. Drag and drop all the objects that you want the node to output from the Object manager into the Iteration List box in the Attribute manager. Each time the node is called, the node will output these objects one after the other, from the top of the list to the bottom. The On input port takes a Bool value that enables (True) or disables (False) the node.
1132 • CHAPTER 22 Iteration: Outputs the index numbers of the points, polygons or edges in the Selection tag one after the other. Edges are again a special case — for each edge, the node outputs the index numbers of its points. Tag Tag nodes enable you to access the various tags that belong to an object. Choose which type of tag you want to search for in the Attribute manager. Here, the Tag node searches for a Point Selection tag. Once found, the tag is passed to a Selection node.
XPRESSO EDITOR • 1133 Set Driven Keys Set driven keys provide an easy way to create object interactions without using the XPresso Editor directly. A set driven key is a relationship where one parameter controls another. For example, suppose you want a door to open and close automatically as a character enters a room. The character’s position can be used to control whether the door is open or closed. The object parameter that does the controlling is the driver.
1134 • CHAPTER 22 Relative Driven Keys There is a second variation of set driven keys: relative driven keys. These allow values to be set directly or with a range mapper node that is created automatically. In both cases the Input Upper, Input Lower, Output Upper and Output Lower parameters are adjusted accordingly.
23 Structure Manager
STRUCTURE MANAGER • 1137 23. Structure Manager Data is shown only if the selected object is editable. To make a primitive editable, select the primitive and choose Functions > Make Editable. Like a spreadsheet, the Structure manager processes data directly within cells that are divided into rows and columns. You can edit data numerically for points (including spline points), polygons, UVW coordinates or vertex maps. The Structure manager shows the data for these items of the selected object.
1138 • CHAPTER 23 Navigating the Structure manager Selection To select a row, click the row’s left column (the Point or Polygon column). To select multiple rows, click the first row that you want to select then Shift-click the remaining rows that you want to select. To remove a row from the selection, Shift-click the row again. Selection frame To select a cell, click it. You can also change which cell is selected using the cursor keys or the Tab key and Shift-Tab.
STRUCTURE MANAGER • 1139 If you are in the polygon mode, New Line adds a new polygon to the object. The new polygon will not be visible yet, since it has not been allocated suitable points (see Mode). You must do this point allocation by hand. If you are in UVW mode, New Line creates a new UVW coordinate. Since CINEMA 4D assigns UVW coordinates to primitives automatically and UVW coordinates can be created easily using the Generate UVW Coordinates command, you may find little use for this command.
1140 • CHAPTER 23 To import a point cloud Choose Object > Polygon Object to create an empty Polygon object. In the Structure manager, choose Mode > Points (to be able to import points, you must first be in points mode). In the Structure manager, choose File > Import ASCII Data and use the system file selector that opens to select the desired ASCII file. Point clouds are invisible when rendered since they do not include polygons.
STRUCTURE MANAGER • 1141 Select All, Deselect All, Invert All You can use these commands to select all rows, deselect all rows or invert the selection. Select Area The mouse pointer changes into cross hairs and you can draw a selection area with the mouse. All lines within the area you draw are selected. If some of the rows that you want to select are out of view, drag above or below the Structure manager window. The window will then scroll until you drag within the window once more.
1142 • CHAPTER 23 Points In Point mode, the coordinates of the selected object’s points are shown in the Structure manager. If the selected object is a Bezier Spline, the tangent values are shown also. No units are displayed; the unit of measurement is selected in the preferences and is assumed here. The display is organized as follows: X Y Z: show the coordinates of the respective point in the object coordinate system. <-X <-Y <-Z: is the position of the end of any left tangent.
24 Picture Viewer
PICTURE VIEWER • 1145 24. Picture Viewer For quick animation previews, use the Render menu’s Make Preview command. CINEMA 4D enables you to render either in the viewports or to the Picture Viewer using the commands on the Render menu (see Chapter 13, ‘Rendering’). Although you can render in the viewports when you want a quick test render of the current frame, you must render to the Picture Viewer when you want to render an animation or save the picture or animation.
1146 • CHAPTER 24 Move and Scale Icons Move icon (left) and Scale icon. You’ll find these two icons in the top-right corner of the Picture Viewer. Click-drag the move icon to move the picture. Click-drag the scale icon to zoom in or out of the picture. You can also move the rendered image by clicking and dragging on the image itself File Menu Open Opens an image file and displays the image in the Picture Viewer.
PICTURE VIEWER • 1147 Depth, DPI Some file formats support 16 bits per channel, i.e. 48-bit color. Sets the bit-depth for each channel in the file and the dots-per-inch resolution of the picture. Save Multi-Passes Enable this option if you have rendered a multi-pass image and you want to save all layers. Alpha Channel If this option is enabled, the alpha channel will be saved with the image, provided the file format you have chosen supports alpha channels.
1148 • CHAPTER 24 Paste Lets you paste images from the clipboard into the Picture Viewer. Channels Menu Use this menu to control which image channels are displayed in the Picture Viewer. The menu lists all channels contained in the image — layers are listed also if you have rendered a multi-pass image. Multi-Layer Display If this option is enabled, you can enable as many of the channels in the Channels menu as you like; these enabled channels are combined to form a composite image in the Picture Viewer.
PICTURE VIEWER • 1149 View Menu 32-Bit preview Options Selecting this option opens the following window: The settings in this window primarily serve to fine-tune images that have been loaded into the Picture Viewer. NOTE: The fine-tuning affects only the preview image and not the images that are or are yet to be saved.
1150 • CHAPTER 24 Fit To Size If this option is enabled, the image is fitted automatically to the size of the Picture Viewer window, assuming the window is smaller than the image itself. The aspect ratio is kept constant. Zoom Factors You can display the image in different predefined zoom factors from 12.5% to 800%. At 100% the image is displayed actual size. Zoom In, Zoom Out Use these commands to zoom in or out of the image.
25 Script Manager
SCRIPT MANAGER • 1153 The Script Manager General Open the Script Manager (“Window / Script Manager” ). The Script Manager lets you create and manage C.O.F.F.E.E. scripts and even assign new icons so that you can later easily access these scripts in the Plugin menu under “User Scripts”. It is no longer necessary to create plugins. Scripts created using the Script Manager are saved to CINEMA 4D’s “Library / Scripts” directory. User Buttons New Click on this button to open a new (empty) script.
1154 • CHAPTER 25 Load Icon Select a square bitmap that you want to use for this script. This icon will be displayed in the corresponding menu’s icon list and even in the Command Manager. Even alpha channels will be displayed. Render Icon If you’re looking for the ideal image to use for your icon, this is the button for you – the current CINEMA 4D scene will be rendered and this image can be used as your icon. Save All All scripts present in the Script text field will be saved.
SCRIPT MANAGER • 1155 Script All scripts in the CINEMA 4D “Library / Scripts” directory will be shown here. If a script is marked with an “*”, it must still be saved. Name Assign a name to your Script here. Language A list of available languages. Information Use this space to enter comments about your script, e.g. the script’s function(s) or its mode of operation. Menu State Here you can define a script’s menu entry’s status via C.O.F.F.E.E. commands, e.g.
1156 • CHAPTER 25 The “Member” color cannot by type-specific. Show in Script Menu Activate this option if you want the script to be shown under “User Scripts” in the Plugin menu. The script can otherwise be called up from the Script Manager. Add Event Activate this option if you want CINEMA 4D to add an event when a script is executed. This has the same function as “GeEventAdd()* in the C.O.F.F.E.E. code. Execute Executes the script.
26 Content Browser
CONTENT BROWSER • 1159 26. Content Browser General The Content Browser is where you can manage scenes, images, materials, shaders and presets. Here you can add catalogs and preset libraries, and relocate, delete, copy and rename files. Files and presets can be given annotations that can, in turn, be scanned by the Content Browser’s powerful “Search” function. In short, saving and, in particular, locating scenes, bitmaps, materials, presets, script-, audio- and layout files is easier than ever before.
1160 • CHAPTER 26 Search Results: All search results from the “Search” function will be listed here, arranged in subfolders which, in turn, will be named according to the time of day and type of search. This list is deleted when the CINEMA 4D session is ended. You can add your own folders via “File / New Folder”, wherever you deem necessary, The content of the selected folder will be displayed in the content window at the right of the Content Browser.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1161 New Folder: Adds a new folder in the current directory. View As: Lets you determine if items should be displayed as icons or a list. Reset to Default View Settings: The view will be reset to the default settings. Create Preview: It may be necessary to manually create a preview of a given item, e.g. if you had to halt the generation of a preview for whatever reason. Delete: Deletes the selected item. Add To: Various catalogs will be listed.
1162 • CHAPTER 26 When a catalog is selected, you can also change its home directory.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1163 Left, no; right, yes. Files or presets can be relocated by dragging and dropping them into the target folder. By simultaneously pressing CTRL (PC) / ALT (Mac), selected items will be copied. Presets cannot be copied onto the hard drive. In most cases, it will suffice to simply drag the scene or preset into the editor.
1164 • CHAPTER 26 Object Manager A scene dragged into the Object Manager will be merged with the active scene. Objects, materials, bitmaps, videos, material presets and tag presets can be dragged directly into the Object Manager or onto an object. Materials and texture tags will be generated, if necessary. A tag preset that is dragged into the Object Manager will be assigned a Null Object, that will be generated automatically.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1165 Tags (Object Manager: “File / Save Tag Preset”) any other location defined by a module or plugin programmer. By default, presets created by the user will be placed into the “Presets / User” directory, in an appropriately named folder. From here, you can relocate them as you see fit by simply creating new preset libraries (“File / New Preset Library” ) and dragging the shader presets there.
1166 • CHAPTER 26 How do I create a catalog? 1. Select “New Catalog” from the Content Browser’s “File” menu. The following window will open: 2. Enter an appropriate name. Ignore “Base Folder” for now (this function is described in detail below). Click on “OK”. 3. A new, empty catalog, with the name you gave it, will appear in the Content Browser. Now it just has to be filled.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1167 Search Clicking on the “Search” icon at the top right of the Content Browser (or per context menu) makes powerful search functions available. Simply click on the icon again to exit the search menu. The search function searches for both files and presets. Note: The search will be conducted only in the path shown at the top of the Content Browser, and not in the current directory.
1168 • CHAPTER 26 The search will include all files on your computer whose file name contains “normal” characters, was created after July 2, 1995 and is smaller than 2,000KB. You can deactivate individual search criteria by selecting the “-” option, also located in the left-most “Search” criteria, under the “+” option. By the way, search settings are saved and will be available again when CINEMA 4D is restarted. Menu File / New Browser Use this option to open any number of new Content Browsers.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1169 Edit Copy Copies the selected item to the clipboard. Paste Pastes the copied item. Delete Use this option to delete active items. Files located on the hard drive will be deleted, as will catalog entries within a catalog itself but original files located on the hard drive will not be deleted. Select All Selects all items in an open directory. Deselect All Deselects all items. Invert All Inverts the selection.
1170 • CHAPTER 26 Home Folder The default working path will be entered here automatically. You can enter a different path if you want to save your work to a different location. The “Go to Home Directory” option will take you directly to the path entered in “Home Folder”. Preview Size Defines the size with which the thumbnails should be saved, internally. The maximum size can be displayed in the preview window if the preview window is scaled large enough.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1171 Show Folders First This option only applies to the right content window and defines whether or not contents in this window will be shown first. Otherwise, directories and files will be treated equally and sorted according to the “View / Sort By” option. Clean Up Database This option compresses internal databases. Normally, though, databases will be compressed automatically once an internal limit is exceeded. You can also compress databases before they exceed this limit.
1172 • CHAPTER 26 Simplified Browser The “Simplified Browser” option hides all browser controls. Thumbnails will only be displayed sideby-side or vertically. The simplified Content Browser can be easily integrated into the CINEMA 4D interface. This allows you, for example, to always have all your most used presets or libraries at your fingertips. Sort By Select the criteria by which files and folders (“Show Folders First” option in the Content Browser settings deactivated) will be displayed.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1173 Search List Use this option to display or hide the search list. You can also click on the search icon at the top right of the window. Unknown File Formats Use this setting to define whether or not file formats unknown to CINEMA 4D should be shown. CINEMA 4D will automatically recognize all file formats that it can open. Reset to Default View Settings Use this option to reset directories and sub-directories to their default state, without having to reset each directory individually.
1174 • CHAPTER 26 Creation Date Size Kind: File types (e.g. all bitmaps) will be grouped according to type and listed alphabetically. Icon Size Use this slider setting to define how large or small icons should be displayed in the Content Browser. Go (to) Use the “Go” menu to jump directly to the selected location. This is useful if you find yourself deep within a directory and want to quickly return to a defined target directory.
CONTENT BROWSER • 1175 Presets / Catalogs / Recent Items / Search Results Takes you to each selected location, respectively. You can also be taken to “Presets” by clicking on the above icon at the top right of the Content Browser. You can also be taken to “Catalogs” by clicking on the above icon at the top right of the Content Browser. Limitations The Content Browser’s automatic directory monitoring is limited in MacOS X prior to 10.3.
1176 • CHAPTER 26
Appendix
APPENDIX • 1179 Formulae You can type in a formula for the Formula spline primitive and the Formula deformer. In fact, you can type in a formula wherever CINEMA 4D accepts a value, e.g. in the Coordinate manager. This appendix lists all the units, operators, functions and constants that you may use in your formulae. You may enter values using any of the units listed below (examples in brackets) - regardless of the basic units defined in the preferences (CINEMA 4D will convert the units for you).
1180 • APPENDIX The function parser has the most important arithmetic operators built in. You can combine operations freely, for example: 2km + exp(sin(4mm*pi)) / ((sin(14cm))^2 + (cos(14cm))^2).
APPENDIX • 1181 Programming plugins The built-in XPresso node editor gives you extensive control over how CINEMA 4D objects interact with one another. In addition to XPresso, CINEMA 4D provides you with a powerful programming language that enables you to produce plugins that can extend the core functionality of CINEMA 4D. The C.O.F.F.E.E. Programming Language COFFEE, CINEMA 4D’s plugin language, is not based on macros or scripts but is a complete and powerful programming language in its own right.
1182 • APPENDIX C.O.F.F.E.E. Support Support for CINEMA 4D developers is available exclusively on MAXON Computer’s Plugin Café website: plugincafe.com. Here you will find, among other things, the SDK. This contains the COFFEE compiler and detailed descriptions of the programming language and the interface libraries. It is, of course, possible for commercial plugin manufacturers to keep their source code secret and proprietary.
APPENDIX • 1183 Only TGA-1 is supported. With QuickTime installed other variants are also imported. PICT Bit depths Compressors 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 Uncompressed RLE compressed With QuickTime installed all PICT variants are imported (as long as the QuickTime compressors are available). BMP Bit depths Compressors 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 RLE-4 RLE-8 JPEG Bit depths Compressors 24 n/a Grayscale JPEGs and progressively compressed JPEGs are not supported.
1184 • APPENDIX B3D is the native file format of the BodyPaint 3D module. Layers, layer masks and channels are supported. RLA, RPF Save your multi-pass files in RLA or RPF format if you want to post-edit in compositing programs like After Effects and Combustion. RPF is an extension of the older RLA format. RPF supports all the channels listed below (RLA supports the channels from Z to Coverage): Z Information on camera <-> object distance. Useful for depth-of-field effects.
APPENDIX • 1185 Animation Formats AVI This format can be read and written only under Windows. Using QuickTime, AVI animations can also be used on the Macintosh, depending on the codec. When using AVI animations as textures, only the first video track is evaluated; all others (e.g. music) are ignored. If the first video track contains data other than images these are also ignored. Only 24-bit formats are supported.
1186 • APPENDIX The object hierarchy is copied 1:1, referenced objects are duplicated in CINEMA 4D. The following material channels are imported: environment light, specular color, specular settings (which are recalculated), transparency, luminance, color texture, specular texture, transparency texture, environment texture, relief (bump) texture, luminance texture. UV mapping is copied. Animation. Position, scaling, rotation and light sequences are adjusted to suit CINEMA 4D.
APPENDIX • 1187 UV coordinates are not read. Textures are not read. QuickDraw3D Export QuickDraw 3D accepts only one UV coordinate per point. Therefore texture mapping may appear different after exporting in this format. Light source and camera information cannot be written. Texture export is supported. ASCII 3DM files cannot be written, only binary. DEM Landscape Import CINEMA 4D does not support the DEM-SDTS format. The VistaPro DEM format (binary) is supported.
1188 • APPENDIX VRML V1.0c and 2.0 Import Object names in VRML files must not contain any special characters (not even +, –, *, /). This may be the only reason that CINEMA 4D is refusing to load a file! ASCII format. All basic objects (cuboid, sphere, cone, cylinder). Polygon objects of any size and number of vertices (n corners are triangulated). Perspective cameras, light sources (direct, point, spot). Material tags: ambient color, diffuse color, specular color, emissive color, shininess.
APPENDIX • 1189 Wavefront OBJ Import ASCII format. Polygon objects are loaded. Objects are given a dummy material. UV mapping is supported. No object hierarchy can be created. Files to be imported need to have the extension '.OBJ' because the file itself contains no information about its origin. OBJ files without this file name extension cannot be read by CINEMA 4D. Wavefront OBJ Export ASCII format. Polygon objects; NURBS are converted to polygon objects, UV coordinates.
1190 • APPENDIX Support What can you do when you are stuck and the manual does not appear to help? You may want to contact technical support. MAXON, and its distributors worldwide, will help you with any technical problems you encounter. So that we can help you as efficiently as possible, please keep in mind the following: Please contact us (or your local distributor) in writing if possible, preferably by email.
APPENDIX • 1191 Please supply us with a complete description of the relevant steps leading up to the problem. Ideally, we would like a little ‘recipe’ that generates the problem consistently. Please keep this concise. Include rendered images if relevant. Please tell us which settings you used. Please tell us which programs you have running at the same time as CINEMA 4D. If you are using Mac OS, please let us know which system extensions are loaded.
1192 • APPENDIX
Index
INDEX • 1195 Symbols 2D Sound Rendering 1012 range of 1013 32-Bit / HDR Formats 687 32-Bit preview Options 1151 3D Formats 1187 3D Sound Rendering 1013 3D Studio 1187, 1188 import / export 87 A Absolute Bias 334 Absolute node 1113 accuracy and global illumination 701, 761 in network render, bake particles 792 Action Safe 33 active material, find first 806 active Object search Timeline 1021 active object copy active tag to children 794 render 656 search for first 789 shading of 25 Adapter nodes 1110–1136 a
1196 • INDEX B B3D 1186 Backface culling option for VRML 1 114 backface culling 26 disable 32, 44 background color 709 backgrounds for the interface 75 Background object 462 Background tab 648 Backlight shader 887 backups automatic 83 Back Image Mode setting 78 bake object, in Timeline 1022 particles 792 Bake Object 676 Bake Object command 1022 Bake Texture command 678 baking textures 678 Band Position setting 34 Band Size setting 34 Banji shader 928 Bank 508 with kinematic tag in Object manager 768 Banzi
INDEX • 1197 caps 241 applying materials 244 Capsule object 196 cartoon render setting 707 caustics 361 render settings 701 Cel render setting 707 Chamfer tool 548 Change name of material 809 channel record sub-channels 978 channels in Picture Viewer 1150 channel shaders 858 Chan Lum 881 Checkerboard shader 910 Cheen shader 932 children copy tag to 794 of object, select 784 CINEMA 4D R7, loading scenes with animation 1027 CINEMA 4D XML export 88, 153 Clamp node 1115 Clipboard 161–167 clip mapping for mater
1198 • INDEX Create Polygon tool 564 Create Pool 1085 Cross Product node 1115 Cross Section tool 550 Cube object 181 Cubic mapping 961 current scenes 739 Custom menu, XPresso 1078 Cut 162 in XPresso 1076 material 805 to clipboard 161 cut active object 783 cells in Structure manager 1142 keys/sequences 1015 Cyclone shader 911 Cylinder object 183 caps 185 Cylindrical Lens 705 Cylindrical mapping 961 D Danel shader 933 Data type of XPresso node 1071 data types 1071 date XPresso data type 1072 Decal mapping 9
INDEX • 1199 Edit material 803, 808 menu in Material manager 805 edit marker in Timeline 984 menu in Object manager 783 menu in Structure manager 1142 menu in XPresso 1076 object 789 object tag 794 tag 794 Editor camera 39 editor XPresso 1065 XPresso, close 1075 XPresso, menus 1075 XPresso, zoom 1077 Editor Axis settings 34 Editor window.
1200 • INDEX Filter shader 871 Final Cut Pro 694 final serial number 743 Find First Active Material command 806 Fire shader 913 Fixing bones 792 Fix tag 766 Flame shader 913 Flash export 644 FlashEx tag 766 Flat mapping 961 FlipFlop node 1089 FloatFunc node 1117 FloatMath node node 1118 floor and reflections 681 Flush Illumination Caches command 660 fly-throughs 317 focal length with QTVR 726 Focal Length setting 311 focus of camera 316 fog 461 material 837 visible light 339 Fog shader 925 Fold object hier
INDEX • 1201 I icon material, render 807 size, in Material manager 806 icons in menus 74 icon palettes 56 alignment 59 creating 57 creating folded groups 59 editing 60 icon size 59 introduction 14 loading 58 moving icons 58 new 731 removing icons 60 saving 58 the lock icon 60 unfolding groups 60 IFF 1184 IK Anchor tag 505 IK tag 768 Inverse Kinematics tool 504 Kinematic tag 768 multi-target kinematics 506 posing characters 504 IK tag 767 illumination page, in Material Editor 849 Illustrator import 100 load
1202 • INDEX in the viewport 41 when rendering 716 lifetime of particles 383 lighting 321 Area light 328 auto, render setting 710 brightness 322, 342 caustics 361 color 322 contrast 342 displaying lights in a viewport 321 falloff 350 gels 378 glows 364, 368 lens effects 363, 372 lightmaps 378 memory required 326 noise 340, 361 Omni light 327 Parallel light 327 Parallel spotlight 328 render time needed 326 shadows.
INDEX • 1203 transparency 829 Materials and XPresso 814 Material Editor 811–856 color page 826 opening 808 Material List tab 806 Material manager 803–809 close 804 copy 805 cut 805 delete 806 edit menu 805 file menu 804 function menu 806 introduction 15 paste 805 redo 805 thumbnail 803 undo 805 Material node 1131 material preview 812 Math node 1120 matrix XPresso data type 1073 Matrix2HPB node 1121 Matrix2Vectors node 1110 MatrixMulVector node 1121 Matrix Extrude tool 596 Maximum Size setting 83 MAXON webs
1204 • INDEX align to grid 1080 Bool 1111 Bounding Box 1086 C.O.F.F.E.E.
INDEX • 1205 copy tag to children 794 create a polygon copy 615 cut 783 DDS EX 6.1 475 deformers. see Deformers delete 784 deselect all 163, 784 DTS 5.1 474 duplicate 616 duplicate points 635 duplicate randomly 621 duplicate surfaces 635 edit 789 Environment 460 expand group 790 fit texture to 796 Floor 459 fold hierarchy 791 Foreground 462 generate UVW coordinates for 794 glow, render setting 703 group 790 hierarchy, unfold 792 information 791 interaction, with Set Driven Keys 1135 Light 321.
1206 • INDEX paste cells in Structure manager 1142 into Timeline 1016 in XPresso 1076 material 805 Paste Channel command 816 Path spline, animation 757 path for WAV file 1013 Perfect sphere 193 personalize 743 Phong shading, how it works 772 Phong tag 771 PICT 1185 Picture Viewer 736, 1147, 1147–1152 alpha channel, save 1149 channels 1150 filter RGB 1150 fit image to size 1152 format image 1148 move 1148 open image 1148 render to 656 saving color depth and dpi 1149 scale 1148 zoom 1152 ping-pong animation
INDEX • 1207 Shockwave 3D 103 STL 103 UZR 109 VRML 1 114, 115 VRML 2 116, 117 Wavefront 118 Interface Colors 75 Texture Paths 119 Units 120 Viewport 76 XPresso 127 premultiplied alpha 842 Preview animation 658 preview restrict playback to, in Timeline 979 size of in Material manager 806 preview range adjust 1024 delete 1023 insert 1023 in Timeline 982 primitives 175 Priority of expression 754 priority of XPresso expression 1070 XPresso data type 1073 programming in C.O.F.F.E.E.
1208 • INDEX properties of object, compositing tag 761 region 656 to Picture Viewer 656 visibility of object 766 visibility of objects 784 render 2D sound 1012 3D sound 1013 active objects only 710 animate post effect 703 material icons 807 show line while 1152 stop, in Picture Viewer 1149 Rendering 7 renderline during render 1152 Render Active Object command 656 Render HUD option 712 Render menu 655–678 Render Region command 656 Render Safe 32 Render settings delete 660 new 659 render settings 679–728 alp
INDEX • 1209 Scene Motion Blur effect 705 Scene Settings 814 scheme choosing for interface 69 Script Manager 1155 SDK 1183 seamless tiles 958 search paths 119, 655 Search First Active Object command first active object 789 Search tool 786 Seen By GI 764 Seen by Transparency 759 segments Break Segment command 547 select all elements, in Timeline 1016 all materials 806 all objects 784 children of object 784 components in Timeline 990 identical child tags 794 in Timeline 989 layer, in Timeline 1026 materials
1210 • INDEX rendering 682 shadow cone 335 shadow maps 332 soft shadow 330 rendering 682 transparency 332 types of 329 Shadow Caster 343 shadow depth and materials 833 Shadow Depth setting 715 Shatter deformer 434 Shear deformer 435 Shockwave 3D export 103, 153 Shockwave 3D Double Sided tag 775 show all animated objects, in Timeline 1018 F-curves of selected objects 791 name of port 1081 tags in Object manager 782 Show Axis mode 496 Show Clipping 324 Show F-Curve 1052 Show Illumination 323 Show Visible Lig
INDEX • 1211 spline tools Break Segment 546 Chamfer 548 Create Outline 549 Cross Section 550 Disconnect 551 Equal Tangent Direction 545 Equal Tangent Length 545 Explode Segments 547 Hard Interpolation 544 Join Segment 546 Line Up 552 Move Down Sequence 548 Move Up Sequence 548 Project 552 Reverse Sequence 547 Set First Point 547 Soft Interpolation 545 Split 555 Split command 555 Spotlights 327, 328 Spy node 1105 square interpolation 823 Stacked Materials option 26, 47 Starfield shader 918 Stars shader 919
1212 • INDEX antialiasing value 700 when rendering 715 thumbnails in Material manager 803 TIFF 1184 tiles 957, 958 seamless 958 Tiles shader 920 Tile Pattern 922 time XPresso data type 1072, 1075 Timeline adjusting layers 1026 adjust preview range 1023 arrange mode 1017 autokeying 975 automatic mode 1019 bake object 1022 context menu 981 copy and move 990 delete marker 983 deselect all elements 1016 drag-and-drop 979 F-curves.
INDEX • 1213 UVW coordinates assign to object 795 cannot edit them 796 generate 794 UVW mapping 962 selective 963 UZR export 109 V vector components, select in Timeline 990 XPresso data type 1075 Vector2Matrix node 1125 Vector2Reals node 1111 Vectors2Matrix node 1111 Velocity 362 Venus shader 923 vertex map mode in Structure manager 1144 Vertex Map shader 909 Vibrate tag 780 view adjust in Timeline 1020 menu, XPresso 1077 menu in Structure manager 1143 setting for nodes and XGroups 1080 viewport animation
1214 • INDEX menus, Editor 1075 new expression 1065, 1070 nodes 1065, 1067 ports 1068 priority of expression 1070 status bar 1077 wires 1069 zoom editor 1077 XPresso Editor 1065 XPresso Editor Menus 1075 XPresso Manager 1083 XPresso nodes 1086–1136 XPresso Pool 1084 XPresso tag 781 Z zoom in Picture Viewer 1152 XPresso editor 1077 Z Direction Only 352
