The Cinema 4d R8 Handbook

Summary

Cinema 4D is known worldwide as one of the most powerful and diverse animation and rendering applications available. Cinema4D R8/8.1 is a major upgrade, with a multitude of new functions and modifications that can be dizzying to get through. With The Cinema 4D R8 Handbook, however, you'll get up to speed quickly. The book has been completely updated to cover the major new functions and provide hands-on methods for analyzing the many new tools. Using a project-based approach, you'll be creating impressive projects as you learn.

Beginning with the general tools and tool layout, you'll learn how to customize the tools to create a work environment conducive to your workflow, including where to start, how to start, and when to finish. Then the real fun begins with the modeling tools. Modeling is covered, from primitive methods and NURBS, to object creation, polygon creation, and NURBS editing. Next you'll put C4D's powerful texture capabilities to work and discover how they function, when they should be used, and what types of effects can be created with simple textures. From there, the all-important issues of cinematography and how to control the camera within C4D are explored. In the same chapter, you'll learn about the often ignored area of lighting and lighting theory, by using lessons from the areas of photography and theatre.

Moving along, you'll explore the complex and powerful animation tools, including timeline, F-curves, tangents, and Beziers. You'll find out how to use new timeline tools as well as when, where, and why to use them. Along the journey, you'll look at the areas that truly lift C4D above the level of a mere 3D animation package: creating custom expressions through the new Xpresso. Finally, the new powerfully professional character animation tools will be analyzed, broken down, and dissected allowing you to bring those characters to life in ways previously unavailable to any 3D package. Young or old, novice or experienced, amateur or professional; The Cinema 4D R8 Handbook will provide you with the tools, techniques, and tricks to increase your productivity, workflow, and the quality of your work with C4D.