Become A Cinema 4D Pro
3D World UK|September 2018

Discover how to boost your skills and master pro the software with our 15 expert tips

Become A Cinema 4D Pro

Cinema 4D is one of those 3D applications that has grown over the years to cater to users of all different kinds, from shader builders and texture artists to motion graphics and simulation experts, character modellers and animators. It’s a vast and capable tool, but that comes with a learning curve and although it’s one of the friendlier applications, you’ll need to put some time in to master all it offers.

With that in mind we talked to the large, thriving community to discover the best ways to get the most out of the software, and have compiled this collection of tips that will give you a leg up the learning ladder, boosting your skills to make you more productive so you can concentrate on being creative.

01 ACCESS ANYTHING

As a Cinema 4D user myself I’ll kick things off with my favourite top tip for any situation. Cinema 4D has a multitude of options, menus, tools and tags. Memorising them all is a big task, so while you get working on that there is a simple way to access just about anything in Cinema 4D. Hold Shift and C. A little pop-up input field will appear at your cursor. Start trying the command you want and anything that has the characters you typed will appear in a list. Select it and hit enter. You’re done. Rob Redman

02 CONSOLIDATE TAKES

Takes are a great way of quickly working through look development in one scene file. Being able to change a model’s position, materials and visibility on a take-by-take basis to iterate ideas is extremely handy. I’ll often end up with 5-7 takes as I work through ideas and looks.

To consolidate all these takes down once a look’s approved, select the take you want, then select everything in the Object Manager. Right-click and select Remove from All Takes. This moves all the changes in that take to the main take. Delete your other takes to tidy up a move into production. Jason Poley

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM 3D WORLD UKView all
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition
3D World UK

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition

On the surface, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super is barely any different from the vanilla GeForce RTX 4080 that was launched in 2022.

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024
MCU VFX moments
3D World UK

MCU VFX moments

Pros choose their favourite CG shots from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
Nosing around on Fallout
3D World UK

Nosing around on Fallout

We sniff out the story of how FutureWorks brought The Ghoul to life with the creation of his iconic noseless face

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
DISCOVER RED GIANT GEO'S HANDY TOOLS
3D World UK

DISCOVER RED GIANT GEO'S HANDY TOOLS

Heather Sterland introduces one of the newest additions to Maxon's suite of Red Giant VFX plugins with an atmospheric lunar creation

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
BUILD AND ANIMATE A FUN-FILLED ROBOT
3D World UK

BUILD AND ANIMATE A FUN-FILLED ROBOT

Expand your horizons with Julio Benavides, who reveals his workflow for creating a charming hard-surface character

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
DESIGN STRIKING SCULPTS AT SPEED
3D World UK

DESIGN STRIKING SCULPTS AT SPEED

Learn how to build 3D characters that balance visual quality and efficient workflow with pro advice from Oh Holy Mary

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
CREATE A CANYON ENVIRONMENT
3D World UK

CREATE A CANYON ENVIRONMENT

Build a stunning desert setting with an expert walkthrough from Romain Eboli, who uses high-quality Quixel assets

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
TURN A 2D CONCEPT INTO AN INCREDIBLE 3D-PRINTED FIGURE
3D World UK

TURN A 2D CONCEPT INTO AN INCREDIBLE 3D-PRINTED FIGURE

Concept artist Emily Chapman shares her process for sculpting, printing and painting an outstanding model to put on display

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024
Goodbye SAIGON
3D World UK

Goodbye SAIGON

Trevor Hogg gets held captive by multiple versions of Robert Downey Jr.while uncovering the visual effects of HBO's spy series The Sympathizer

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
IMPRESSIONISTIC REALISM
3D World UK

IMPRESSIONISTIC REALISM

Trevor Hogg learns how the artisan aesthetic came to be for The Wild Robot

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2024