Light a Night Scene in Cinema 4d

In this video series, our expert John Carstarphen will show you how to create boolean scripts, create the first light, streetlights, mood, and depth. He will also show you how to edit colors, do a graduated background, add illumination, and how to use volumetric light and shad ...more

Learn how easy it is to use Vue atmospheres/skies to light your cinema 4d scenes, even if you don't have Vue Xstream. It's simple to do and can give some lovely results. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted ...more

This tutorial walks through the process of building a grungy scene. Starting with an overview of the process and scene elements, you will learn how to use stacked layers. Mixing them with alpha channels you can build up complex materials; in this case rust and dirt on a nice c ...more

Nick from Greyscale Gorilla shows you the basics of setting up a project file, creating a scene, and rendering a final image in Cinema 4D. He also does a basic tutorial for post-production HDR lighting. Go here for the HDR map and C4D Project file: greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2 ...more

In this video series, our expert John Carstarphen will show you how to create a white card, render and balance settings, and increase the quality of your work. He will also teach you how to hide the white card, increase the scene brightness, and add reflective surfaces. Part 1 ...more

In this clip, you'll learn how to use global illumination within a C4D scene. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free video ...more

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Michael Park shows you how to create a realistic 3d earth, complete with clouds and atmosphere, using only After Effects' built in effects. Special attention will be given to combining multiple instances of the CC Sphere effect to cr ...more

If you know how to use After Effects, you're probably very familiar with the ability to add 3D lights to a scene, and allow them to interact with 3D layers. In 3D applications like CINEMA 4D, lights are an essential part of your project, but how do you make them look at a spec ...more

This tutorials shows you how to set up a grassy scene, using C4D's Hair engine. Learn about the importance of lights and shadows and scene scale. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its v ...more

This tutorial will explain some of the ways you can implement global illumination in your scene, using luminous materials and HDRIs. It also presents a look at how to set up realistic reflections in your materials, using the standard reflection channel with a fresnel mixed in. ...more

Turn Cinema 4d into your own lighting studio! This tutorial shows you how to use the HDRI Light Kit Pro kit of plugins and addons to create unique lighting effects - add your own softboxes, ring lights and other sources to improve your renders.

See how to prepare your renders in Cinema 4D for export into After Effects. This tutorial also delves into the process of importing your render into After Effects and adding materials to your 3D scene. For more (and better) information, including step-by-step instructions, and ...more

Nick from Greyscale Gorilla demonstrates how to master the Ambient Light and Area Light feature in Cinema 4D. These are great tools for creating believable and organic lighting effects.

Nick from Greyscale Gorilla shows you great techniques for getting professional quality textures in Cinema 4D. He also talks you through the update of HDRI Light Kit v. 1.1 to v. 1.1.

In this free video series, you will learn how to create your own animated space scene using Cinema 4D. By the time you complete the easy-to-follow clips from our animation expert, you will watch your very own rocket shooting across the sky in front of a planet of your own desi ...more

This simple tutorial explains how to set up an HDRI scene within MAXON Cinema 4D. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free vi ...more

In this series of instructional software videos, our computer animation expert demonstrates some of the more advanced features in CINEMA 4D. Part 1 of 9 - How to Light and texture in CINEMA 4D. Light and texture in CINEMA 4D - Part 2 of 9. Click through to watch this video on ...more

In this video series, our expert John Carstarphen will show you how to create an array, do a light falloff, change the light intensity, and scale an array. He will also teach you how to do overall illumination, use the area light effect, create realism with shadows, and use mo ...more

In this C4D user's guide, see how to light a subject using luminance channels. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free video ...more

Modeling an undersea scene in Cinema 4D? This guide will show you how to create a realistic reflective floor. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you'r ...more

Linear Workflow is automatically activated in new projects in Cinema 4D and is a feature to ensure that lighting falloff is rendered more accurately and realistically on light sources, textures and reflections. Greyscale Gorilla explains the concept in this demonstration video ...more

In this tutorial, you'll see how to create a simple animation scene using Motion Dynamics and assigning a Rigid Body tag. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and func ...more

This tutorial will show you how to create a simple scene of a stylised tree growing out of the ground. You'll also learn a few settings needed to add snow to your scene, using PyroCluster. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get ...more

In this clip, you'll learn how to speed up your Cinema 4D workflow by using MoGrapht tracers. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy ...more

In this C4D user's guide, you will learn how to create a cabinet, complete with a sink, taps, and a mirror. Add some details and group everything together for easy import into the final scene. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to ...more

In this Cinema 4D tutorial, you'll see how to create a Target Effector MoGraph which is amazing. With only 4 simple steps, you can create a very special scene. Primitive Object, Cloner Object and Target Effector will be used in this tutorial. Whether you're new to MAXON's popu ...more

This Maxon quick tip will help you find objects when you are working in a very large scene file in Cinema 4D using the object manager.

In this tutorial see how to use MAXON CINEMA 4D to create light reflecting and refracting off of objects. In this example you'll create a bronze ring. Create surface caustics in CINEMA 4D. Click through to watch this video on studiodaily.com

This video teaches you how to create a 3D scene where a person falls from the sky using CINEMA 4D program. This is the basic and easiest way of doing a cool-looking animation. The creator made it for people that have no clue where to start or how to do it. Make a person fall f ...more

In this tutorial, you'll see how to export a normals pass from Cinema 4D and how to use it to re-light objects in 2D inside of After effects and Fusion 5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looki ...more

Nick from Greyscale Gorilla demonstrates how to use the ever-useful CS Tools plug-in (Daylight) for Cinema 4D. This feature enables you to fine-tune your key light and other precise ambient settings.

This video shows you how to recreate the iPod Nano commercial using the tracer tool in MoGraph in CINEMA 4D. The tutorial goes over creating an iPod from scratch and adding the light streams. Mylenium is a bit hard to understand, but the lesson is very detailed. Recreate the i ...more

Nick from Greyscale Gorilla demonstrates a great feature of the Cinema 4D CS Tools plug-in: Bloom. The Bloom tool automates animation of objects "blooming" into the scene with rotation and scale.

In this clip, learn how to create a camera controller using nulls and user data. This makes animating a camera in a scene much easier. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various feat ...more

In this video series, our expert John Carstarphen will show you how to use walls, windows, and spline objects. He will also show you how to use the NURBS loft, copy and scale objects, use floor trim, and add a backdrop. He will also show you how to texture the trim, add a back ...more

In this tutorial, you will learn how to utilise UV maps for both root colour and hair length. This guide also offers a quick look at polygon selection tags and organising a scene with hair objects as well. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are ju ...more

There is no such thing as a perfect Cinema 4D render. There are always more techniques to learn to improve your skills at using this powerful software. This video will teach you how to use the light objects options to reduce the gradients on surfaces in your rendering, making ...more

In this Red Giant tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create a realistic traffic pattern backdrop - great for a scene in which the camera overlooks a low lying, but developed area - perhaps looking down from a high hill onto a residential neighborhood. Creative Cow i ...more

In this video tutorial, CreativeCOW leader, Eran Stern demonstrates how to create flower trails using Trapcode Particular in this special holiday episode. You'll also work with the light emitter and use 3D layer to obscure particles. Creative Cow is a support community for di ...more

In this Photoshop tutorial, Richard Harrington takes a look at the auto blend command that allows you to merge multiple pictures together into a single larger document. When you have a large scan and you have to scan it in multiple pieces and then stitch it together or if you ...more

In this C4D user's guide, learn how to ctrl-drag axes to bypass the object axis tool; how to change a group axis with several selected items; how to set a light to negative values to make darker areas; and how to undo camera (view) moves by choosing "shift-command-Z." Whether ...more

CSTools are free plug-ins that are available for your Cinema 4D application. In this tutorial, Nick will show you how to use the plug-in called Flicker. Flicker is a fun add-on, although you may not use it often. It can be used to add a "flicker" to things like campfires, cand ...more