Is Cinema 4d Lite still included with After Effects?

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Yes, it is included but it is implemented in a peculiar fashion, as a sort of a live-updating plug-in/bridge for AE. You launch the C4D interface from the AE file menu>New>MAXON CINEMA 4D File. Then you bring it in to AE as an Effect: CINEMA 4D>CINEWARE.

Start here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/c4d.html

[Matthew Woods]

Found it. Thank you! That is a strange implementation. The Cinema 4d Lite App itself is in the plug-in folder, but apparently you can’t open it except through AE.

Thanks,

-Matt

Check out 9 Slice Scale.
A way to scale graphics while preserving the border and corners.
An FxFactory Plugin for AE, Premiere, Motion and FCP.
https://monadnock.org/9slice/

[Joseph W. bourke]

It does seem odd until you get used to the workflow. Here’s a good set of tutorials to get you started:

https://greyscalegorilla.com/cineware

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Matthew Woods]

Thanks for the tutorials Bourke,

How do people feel that Cineware compares to Element 3d? I’ve been using Element 3d for awhile now and love it. Its the main reason I felt ho-hum about the introduction of the cineware 3d pipeline with CC.
I was more curious to try prepping models for use with element with Cinema 4d as Element 3d also natively supports C4d files. With that workflow it would have been nicer to have C4d Lite as a standalone. I have been using Cheetah 3d to create obj files for use with Element.

-Matt

Check out 9 Slice Scale.
A way to scale graphics while preserving the border and corners.
An FxFactory Plugin for AE, Premiere, Motion and FCP.
https://monadnock.org/9slice/

[Joseph W. bourke]

Matthew –

Since I’ve been a 3DS Max user for over 10 years, C4D feels very foreign to me. I don’t find anything intuitive, but that’s because I’ve used Max for so long.

I also own Element 3D, and I use Max to model anything I can’t throw together in Element, then send the OBJs over. I like the rendering of Element, and find it quicker and easier to get a good final look in Element. I think that for those who are accustomed to using the full package of C4D, the fact that it’s now an internal engine is a plus. For me, not so much. I also found that many of the C4D models that you find out there on the web for free, have problems when you try to import them into AE. I’m just as happy building from scratch in Max, and doing 3D text and titles right in Element 3D.

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Matthew Woods]

Thanks for the assessment Joe,

I’ll probably continue to use Element and Cheetah for the most part then. I too find it hard to unlearn a workflow with 3d software. I downloaded a trial of C4d awhile ago, and also found it a little unintuitive. I’ve seen people do amazing things with Blender, but I find its interface completely bizarre. I started with Maya a long time ago, then switched to Cheetah because it had similar controls to Maya, but with a simpler interface. It’s also much cheaper, and is sufficient for most of my needs. Every now and then I run into something that I can’t do with it though. Good to have C4d/Cineware to try if I run into something that I can’t do with Cheetah/Element.

Cheers,

-Matt

Check out 9 Slice Scale.
A way to scale graphics while preserving the border and corners.
An FxFactory Plugin for AE, Premiere, Motion and FCP.
https://monadnock.org/9slice/