Jigsaw Puzzle Tutorial

Posted in Cinema4D Dynamics, Cinema4D MoGraph, Cinema4D Rendering on December 14th, 2011 by Tim

I recently completed a tutorial for the Maxon’s You Tube channel. It goes into quite a bit of detail, so for that reason it is split into 4 parts.

Something you might be interested in?

I’ve copied some of the blurb from the You Tube page here so you get an idea of what I cover in the tutorial. If you want to check it out then please visit the Maxon You Tube channel.

In this tutorial, Tim Clapham from Luxx takes you step by step through the process of creating a Motion Graphics animation with CINEMA 4D.

You will learn how to use MoGraph elements such as the Cloner Object and how various effectors can be used to control the generated clones.

Working with Release 13, Tim covers several of the newer features such as the XRef object and the new Physical Renderer. However, throughout the process, options are presented to enable users of versions prior to Release 13 to complete the tutorial.

You can view the first section here, but why not visit Maxon’s channel and you can watch the other sections and also check out some other great videos.

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Creating Proxies using Instances

Posted in Cinema4D Misc, Cinema4D MoGraph, Cinema4D Xpresso on May 9th, 2011 by Tim

If you ever wanted to work with high and low resolution models in Cinema4D then this tip should come in handy.

Using the Instance Object combined with a simple Xpresso setup, this shows you how to create an object that allows you to work with a low polygon model and then swap this out for a high polygon version whenever you need to render or preview the final result.

This technique will keep your workflow streamlined, and allow you to perform tasks such as dynamics simulation and caching without the overhead of polygon heavy scenes. Once the caching is complete, you can switch out the object for the detailed version and render away.

Once created, this simple object will become a vital part of your Cinema4D library. You’ll never know how you worked without it!

Kudos to Kai Pederson who originally showed me this trick.

For more in depth and detailed tutorials, check out the Learn Dynamics for Cinema4D training collection. Over 10 hours of intensive training for working with Cinema4D and Dynamics. Available to purchase online here

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Sticky Dynamics

Posted in Cinema4D Dynamics, Cinema4D MoGraph on February 1st, 2011 by Tim

In this tutorial I demonstrate a technique that allows you to create a sticky type effect with your dynamic simulations in Cinema4D.

By using the Force object in combination with Step Falloff you can create a setup where the objects stick together depending on the force applied.

Check out the tutorial below, or watch it on Vimeo.

You can download the scene file here.

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Modify Clone

Posted in Cinema4D MoGraph on August 24th, 2010 by Tim

I was asked about the Modify Clone parameter that is available on many of the effectors.  I made a real simple file that shows the parameter in use and thought I’d share it here.

Modify Clone

The Modify Clone parameter

If you have several objects under a cloner and the cloner is set to something other than cluster, then the modify clone parameter will determine which clones are displayed in the editor and rendered.

In this simple example scene, the Shader Effector is set to modify clone at 100%.  I have animated the colour brightness so it starts black and ends white. As it changes colour it ‘Modifies’ the Clone being shown.
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3 Day SALE!

Posted in Cinema4D Misc, Cinema4D MoGraph, News on April 26th, 2010 by Tim

Making It Look Great 7 and HDRI Light Kit Pro are now available in a THREE day sale.

For only 3 days, Motionworks and Greyscalegorilla are getting together to bring you a bundle designed to help you get the most out of Cinema 4D. Learn real-world Cinema 4D MoGraph techniques and workflows with MILG07 and light your scene with realistic lights and studios with the HDRI LightKitPro.

Get both of these products for only $129 which is over 20% off. This bundle will expire this Wednesday, April 28th. Watch your mograph skill set jump and your lighting shine with the Making It Look Great 7 and HDRI LightKitPro Bundle.

Buy The Bundle Now

Learn More about HDRI LightKitPro

Learn More about MILG7

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Making It Look Great 7 – Now Available

Posted in Cinema4D MoGraph, News on February 11th, 2010 by Tim

For more information and to purchase this comprehensive collection of Cinema4D tutorials please visit Motionworks

Here is the final teaser for Making It Look Great 7 – MoGraph Unleashed.

Making It Look Great 7 – Flourish from Tim Clapham on Vimeo.

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Making It Look Great 7 – MoGraph Unleashed

Posted in Cinema4D MoGraph, News on February 6th, 2010 by Tim

Making It Look Great 7 – MoGraph Unleashed will be available on Motionworks next week.

Comprising six unique collections of tutorials on the Cinema4D MoGraph Module. In total almost 8hrs of professional training.

Follow helloluxx or Motionworks on Twitter to hear news of the availability. As soon as the download is online it will be tweeted to you all.

Here is a brief description of each series to whet your appetite.

Starting with the creation of a simple logo model, then breaking it apart polygon by polygon, a techni-coloured interior is revealed. Lit using Global Illumination and powered by dynamic forces, watch thousands of tiny letters, each an individual light source, falling, colliding and bouncing. After studying this collection, you will control the power of dynamics with your fingertips.

Subjects covered include:
Rigid Body Tag
Plain Effector
Random Effector
PolyFX
Global Illumination

Whether you wish to recreate a realistic print style halftone effect or build a giant stadium jumbotron structure, this set of classes explores the numerous options available when working with image based source material. Combining the power of the MoGraph Cloner in Grid Array mode, explore the potential the Shader Effector has to offer. Once integrated with the Color Shader, you will unleash unlimited possibilities for your own projects.

Subjects covered include:
Sort Clones
Shader Effector
Color Shader
Formula Effector

Based upon the popular theme of heraldry, this series of tutorials will provide you with a variety of strategies to assist develop your ideas into real world projects. Link Effectors to regular Cinema4D objects to harness the power of MoGraph within your established animation techniques. Deform objects along any path with the Spline Wrap deformer. Animate multiple objects in sequence by utilising the Time Offset feature. This class is jam packed with a huge combination of techniques you will use on a day to day basis.

Subjects covered include:
Spline Wrap
Time Offset
Random Effector
Delay Effector
Xpresso Sample Effector Node
Stacked Materials
Stick Texture Tag
Step Effector

Working with Motion Capture files such as the FBX format, this series of tutorials take you step by step through various techniques for creating animated elements from captured motion. Watch your motion design advance to new grounds with many possibilities to create natural flowing movement with your graphic components.

Subjects covered include:
Spline Effector
Random Effector
Tracer

Need swarms of bees? Shoals of fish? Maybe you simply want to move with the crowd? This collection will point you in the right direction. Streaming with an abundance of opportunities, control the crowds of parameters with ease as you guide them towards your goal.

Subjects covered include:
Spline Effector
Step Effector
Delay Effector
Random Effector
Target Effector

Attach visible lights onto multiple object vertices and watch as your clones move to the rhythm of the beat. Channel the power of the inheritance effector as your objects morph from one object to another, leaving a trail of ever decreasing light that flicker through the falloff. This workshop will guide you through the intricacies of some of the often misunderstood and rarely used MoGraph tools, such as the Matrix Object, Instance Object, Sound and Inheritance Effector.

Subjects covered include:
MoGraph Instance Object
Matrix Object
Inheritance Effector
Sound Effector
Beat Shader
Displace Deformer
Multi Shader
Sketch & Toon

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Making It Look Great 7 – MoCap

Posted in Cinema4D MoGraph on January 25th, 2010 by Tim

Not long now…

Making It Look Great 7 – Coming Real Soon!

Thanks to Selcuk Can Guven for the sound design.

Making It Look Great 7 – MoCap from Tim Clapham on Vimeo.

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Making It Look Great 7 – Flocking

Posted in Cinema4D MoGraph on January 14th, 2010 by Tim

Making It Look Great 7 – Coming Soon

Thanks to Selcuk Can Guven for the sound design.

Making It Look Great 7 – Flocking from Tim Clapham on Vimeo.

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3D World

Posted in Cinema4D MoGraph on January 13th, 2010 by Tim
3D World

3D World

The new 3D World magazine is on sale from today in the UK. I was offered the exciting opportunity of creating the cover artwork and a twenty second animation for this months issue.

3D World from Tim Clapham on Vimeo.

Working with Mark Allin, an old friend and my ex-business partner from HYPA. We both developed the concept and design of the piece. I then took the designs and worked up the 3D animation in Cinema4D and completed the composite and grade in After Effects. Thanks to Mark, who also created the sound design for the animation.

As part of the project, I wrote a 36 step tutorial that walks you through the processes to create something similar yourself. Please visit the 3D World official website to find out more and order your own copy.

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