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Learning Cinema4D: Week 01

Posted on Jul 31, 2011 | No Comments

Having used 3Ds Max in the past, I was a little reluctant to switch to a different 3D package because learning new software is always cumbersome and time consuming.

It wasn’t until about 2months ago, when a creative director advised me to try Cinema4D because of how some of the tools were designed to aid motion graphics especially the way it complements After Effects. Since I am striving to be efficient in my workflow and because I do not have a powerful rig, I decided to give this a go.

So I spent some time watching videos of what other people have created with the software and also began to gather resources that will aid my development with the package.

I have always preferred video tutorials to reading step-by-step guidebooks because of how quick and easy it is for me to extract and assimilate information from watching them which I believe is partly due to video editing over the years.

My plan is to reach an expert level within 4months and therefore I have decided to use my blog as a journal on my learning outcomes and experimentation.

This week, I was able to cover the fundamentals i.e. primitives, materials, and lighting and render setup. Navigating through the interface is a lot easier now that I have grown accustomed to the workspace.

The learning outcome for this week is the relationship between:

Gamma – Default light – Global illumination – Reflection – Materials

Understanding how these relate with one another will enable you to craft a well-lit scene and also save you time when rendering.

Gamma is what determines just how dark your scene gets. It is the power by which the luminance of an image is increased. A gamma coefficient that is :

>1 = a lighter and softer scene interaction with the light source(s)

<1 = a darker…

It is always recommended that you render in a gamma coefficient of 2.2 but this doesn’t mean you cannot work in lower numbers. You just have to know what is in your scene and how the human eye interprets what is shown. Your ability to be able to predict the outcome of your render will save you some time in the process.

To demonstrate this, I made use of Chad Ashley (CGPOV) and Nick Campbell’s (GSG) demonstration to help me understand their relationships. I modeled and rendered the following pictures in Cinema4D. Lit (with a soft-box using HDRI light kit Pro) the scene with the following values:

Brightness – 90%
Shadow density – 100%
Area Shadow – 16%
Radius/Decay – 190cm
The material has a reflection (brightness) value of 1.5.

What changes are the gamma coefficient, default light and Global illumination configuration.

A:Gamma: 1.0, Default light: ON, Global illumination: OFF.

B:Gamma: 2.2, Default light: ON, Global illumination: OFF.

C:Gamma: 1.0, Default light: OFF, Global illumination: ON.

D:Gamma: 2.2, Default light: OFF, Global illumination: ON.

SUMMARY OF OUTCOME

Reflections take a “front seat” (over-emphasized) when Default Light is switched on. The light’s fall off /decay is much shorter and shadows are harder and can appear noisy in these settings. Colors appear more saturated and darker.

Reflections correspond to the value stated and light travels further when Global illumination is switched on. Rendering time is also greatly increased but shadows and scene appears natural.

Higher gamma coefficient increases the image’s luminance, allowing light to also travel further and vice-versa.

I think what is important is to know what your scene contains and how it should be represented. This will help you decide what trade off to implement because rendering in 2.2 is not necessarily the best setting for every scene you create. This doesn’t mean that you cannot get the same result of a dimmer lighting, you just have to compensate with the level of brightness and fall off settings but that requires a bit of tinkering to get it right. An example will be a cinema or theater setting.