In short, the Node system allows you to use known functions as well as functions you have created yourself to generate geometry or to assign selections or modeling functions, for example. The main advantage is that every action is parametric, i.e., it can be edited and undone at any time. This opens up great creative freedom and also new options, for example, in animation.
Although some of these Nodes also provide mathematical functions or elements from programming, the majority can be operated simply by dragging and dropping connections between Nodes with the mouse. The use of the Scene Nodes is therefore by no means only interesting for users with a technical background.
In this introductory chapter, we will therefore look at the basic techniques you can use to quickly create your own objects or functions. For a comprehensive overview of all functions, you will find explanations of all available Nodes in this section.
For more in-depth information on this topic, we also recommend this page on asset construction Nodes, which can be used to develop completely new objects and functions for Cinema 4D and use them directly in the Object Manager. You will also find corresponding examples on the linked page.
Quick access:
To work effectively with Nodes, additional managers and working windows are available. To use them you have two options:
You select the desired layout using the text entries in the title bar of Cinema 4D (see number 1 in the figure above). There you can switch between the Nodes layout and the default Standard layout at any time without losing any data. Only the displayed managers change in the layout.
In the lower part of the Nodes layout you will find the Node Editor (see number 2), which can be framed on the left by the Asset Browser (see number 4) and on the right by the Attribute Manager (see number 5). These managers can be shown and hidden as required using the two icons in the title bar of the Node Editor (see point 3).
The Asset Browser is our main source for all the Nodes we want to use. It offers a search field for the names of Nodes and otherwise displays all usable Nodes in various subgroups. The type and number of these Nodes can change depending on what you want to control via Nodes at the moment. A Redshift material, for example, is also based on Nodes, but uses different Nodes than the scene Node system, which can be used to design modeling functions, for example. The mode of the Node Editor you are currently working in can be viewed at any time in its Mode menu. In some cases, a switch between these modes also takes place automatically, e.g., when a Redshift material is selected in the Material Manager. The Node Editor will then automatically switch to Material mode even if Scene Nodes are present in the project. By switching in the Mode menu of the Node Editor, it is possible to switch back to the Scene Mode at any time, for example.
Just like classic, parametric basic objects, generators, deformers and modeling commands, selected Nodes also provide settings and options that can be viewed and operated in the Attribute Manager. The Attribute Manager is therefore also required to operate and configure Nodes.
An alternative to using the Nodes layout described above is to manually invoke the Node Editor from Cinema 4D's Window menu.
As shown in the figure above, marked by the number 1, a separately opened Node Editor can be freely scaled and placed on top of the familiar working environment. The Node Editor can be closed and reopened at any time without losing a setup that has already been created.
The following steps will present the creation of a typical Scene Node setup. Through this, a Rectangle spline is to be created, individually rounded and finally converted to a polygon object through extrusion. To do this, we navigate to the Geo Spline category in the Asset Browser. The Nodes in this group calculate spline shapes, some of which you already know from the classic Cinema 4D environment, such as the Rectangle spline. Drag this Rectangle entry from the Asset Browser (see number 1 in the following figure) to the center Node Editor area. This creates a Rectangular spline Node (see number 2). In the Attribute Manager you will find the corresponding settings for this (see number 3).
A Node provides different areas, such as the colored title bar. This color differs between mathematical Nodes, geometry Nodes or, for example, Nodes that generate data structures and thus contributes to clarity in more complex setups. The name and color of each Node can still be customized individually in the Basic settings of a Node in the Attribute Manager. A Node can be moved directly with the mouse and also scaled individually at its left and right edges by dragging with the mouse, if necessary.
Below the colored title bar you will find the connections of a Node, the so-called Ports. Node inputs are on the left, Node outputs are on the right. This also results in a typical flow direction of data through a setup from left to right. By default, there is only one Geometry output on our Rectangle Node, where the calculated rectangle spline geometry can be read out.
As we will see later, you can also create your own inputs or outputs to Nodes, within the limits of their capabilities. For example, the Width or Height of the Rectangle spline could also be applied as inputs in order to have these parameters of the spline calculated by an upstream Node setup. For example, you can right-click the Node and select Add Input or Add Output from the context menu. There you will find all options for possible inputs and outputs on the Node. However, depending on the type of Node, additional inputs or outputs are not always available.
To process the geometry of the Rectangle spline, you can use the Nodes from the Geo Modifier category. We look for the Spline Chamfer Node there and drag it from the Asset Browser to the right of the Rectangle Node. The Geometry output of the Rectangle spline must be connected to the input of the same name of the Spline Chamfer Node so that these Nodes can exchange data and communicate with each other. Nodes without connections are automatically inactive.
You make this connection by drawing a connecting line between the two Geometry ports. An accidentally established connection can be removed at any time by double-clicking on it. Think of this connection as a kind of data line. Data use different formats, which must be observed in such connections. Compatible ports can be recognized not only by the same names but also by the same colors. In addition, the data connections themselves can also perform data conversion. For example, a numerical value can also be converted to a text or a floating point value to a vector.
As you can see from the figure above, the Spline Chamfer Node again offers settings in the Attribute Manager that can be used, for example, to define the type of rounding. As before, however, nothing of the spline is visible in our viewports. This is because the geometry has not yet been sent to our scene. The Scene Node, which was already included in the NodeEditor from the beginning, is always responsible for this. So draw a connecting line from the Geometry output of the Spline Chamfer Node to the Children.1 input of the Scene Node .
The number of these child objects can also be increased as desired if multiple geometries are created within the setup. You can find Add Children and Remove Children buttons for this in the settings of the Scene Node in the Attribute Manager. This works even faster if you place the mouse pointer behind the Children input of the Scene Node. A + symbol will then appear, which you can use to increase the number of inputs. Accordingly, x symbols appear behind the inputs grouped under them when you place the cursor next to them. By clicking on it, superfluous inputs can also be removed again.
As can be seen in the figure above, the connection of the two Nodes automatically creates an additional element, a Geometry Op Node. This supplements the geometry data and enriches it so that it can be sent to the scene and displayed there. For example, a Geometry Op element can be assigned materials and behaves like a classic object in the scene. The only difference is that this object does not appear in the Object Manager. All assignments of materials or, for example, Vertex Map weightings or polygon selections must be made via corresponding Nodes in the Node Editor.
If you now select the Spline Chamfer Node, you can change the Distance value for the rounding of all corner points of the spline in the Attribute Manager, for example (see number 1 in the figure above). This alone would not be that interesting, since the Rectangle spline itself already offers a parameter for Rounding. However, Spline Chamfer can also be restricted to only a part of the rectangle, i.e., to a selection. For this purpose, you can either connect a so-called array with the desired point numbers to the Selection input or you can directly use the field for the Selection String in the Attribute Manager for this purpose (see the following figure).
As can be seen above at number 1, the field for the Selection String allows a direct input of numerical values. Enter there, separated by commas, the point numbers you want to round. This field offers many more functions, such as the selection of all even or odd point numbers or the selection of contiguous areas. You can find all options documented in the description of the Node. In our example we simply use the input 0,2 to chamfer only the points with the numbers 0 and 2 on the spline.
Now that the spline shape has been modeled as desired, we may want to have it extruded to create a shape that can be represented by polygons. The Nodes needed for this can be found in the Geo Modifier category, such as the Extrude Line Node. Its function corresponds to the classic Extrude object. Since this Node also needs geometry, it must be connected to the result of the Spline Chamfer Node so that it can use the Rectangle shape we modified. Since there is already a connection between the Spline Chamfer Node and the Geometry Op Node, this must first be removed.
This happens automatically when you connect the output of the Extrude Line Node to the Geometry input of the Geometry Op Node, because each input can only be associated with one connection at a time. Therefore, dragging the new connection to this input automatically removes its old connection to the Spline Chamfer Node. Otherwise, you can also double-click on a connection at any time to delete it. The result of this action can be seen in the following figure.
As shown in the figure below, the spline shape is now extruded and displayed as a polygon object in the viewports. You can now illuminate this object as usual and render it, for example.
What is still missing, however, is a simple option to be able to move or rotate the object, for example. This is because in our setup we only work with the Geometry and do not associate any Matrix information with this geometry. A matrix defines e.g., the position, size and rotation angles, as you are used to from the Coordinates section of classical objects. This information can also be quickly added to our setup.
To do this, right-click the Rectangle Node and select Toggle Node Type from the context menu. The Rectangle Geometry Node changes to a Rectangle Object Node, which offers not only the geometry but also a Matrix, e.g., for individual placement. You will find the typical Coordinates rubric for this in the Attribute Manager when the Rectangle Node is selected. This type of conversion works with all Nodes from the Geo Mesh and Geo Spline categories and can also be used multiple times in succession to switch between geometry and object Nodes at will.
Since the Rectangle Object Node also has a Geometry output, the connection to the Spline Chamfer Node remains intact even after the Node switchover and nothing changes in the result of the setup for the time being.
As you can now see after expanding the Op output at the Rectangle Node, not only is the output of the Geometry still present, but the various coordinates, angles and scales of an object are also output as additional components of the Op output (see outputs above number 1 in the figure above).
In order to actually use this position data, it must be directed to the object that we see in the viewports. This is the Geometry Op object. Therefore, draw a connection between the Op output of the Rectangle Node and the Op input of the Geometry Op Node. From this point on, you can control the orientation and position of the created object with the Coordinates on the Rectangle Node.
As can be seen in the upper half of the figure above, such cross-connections from the beginning to the end of the setup can sometimes optically pass through other Nodes or cross other connections in such a way that easy readability of the setup is no longer possible. The function of the nodal setup is not affected by this, but we still have various options available to us, for example, to annotate a setup or to highlight and group sections that belong together with colored areas. You will learn everything you need to know about this in this section.
Another helpful element to improve the clarity of a setup are also Wire Rerouters, as can be seen at number 2 in the figure above. Such points can be created in any number by Shift+Ctrl-clicking on a connection line and then repositioning them directly with the mouse to influence the course of the connection. Unneeded Rerouters can be clicked at any time and then also deleted via the Remove or Delete button without removing the connection.
As shown in the following figure, you can now not only control the position of the rectangle directly at the rectangle Node by entering new Coordinates, but also select the rectangle in the viewports by clicking on it and move or rotate it directly with the usual tools. The Attribute Manager then also displays the parameters of the rectangle, which include the Coordinates. So the Node Editor is only needed if you want to work on the settings of e.g., the Spline Chamfer or Extrude Line Node.
Assigning a material is also possible in the Node Editor. The Material Op Node is available to you for this purpose. This has an Op-input, so in our setup it must be supplied with data by the Geometry Op Node. If you switch the Material Op Node in front of the Scene Node, as shown in the following figure, the desired material can be linked in the Material Op Node by drag&drop from the Material Manager and the Projection can be set as usual from the Material Tag.
As briefly touched on in the example above, many familiar and new objects, modeling and selection methods can be called up and created using the Node Editor. But even if you only feel at home in the familiar Cinema 4D layout with its Object Manager, you should take a look at the Nodes, as many of them can also be used directly in the Object Manager. The Node icons in the Asset Browser and the coloring of the Node header areas in the Node Editor often already give an indication of how Nodes can be used in the Object Manager. To do this, simply drag the relevant Node from the Asset Browser directly into the Object Manager. Depending on the type of Node, this then already represents a geometry or must be combined with other objects by grouping. For example, Selection Nodes are assigned to the corresponding object in the Object Manager where something is to be selected. With other Nodes, such as the Ivy Generator from the Geo Generator Node category or a Node mesh from the asset construction group, the subordination of objects can also influence the result.
In the following, we will briefly look at which Nodes are also directly suitable for the Object Manager.
The Nodes in this group must be combined with other Nodes in order to display a function or create a geometry. They are therefore suitable for creating your very own distribution functions, object types, selection methods or deformators, for example.
The blue-colored Node mesh and Node spline can then be used directly in the Object Manager like normal objects. If you have other objects processed by these Nodes, e.g., by creating user data for sub-objects on these Nodes, these Node objects can then also access subordinate objects in the Object Manager and function like a generator object, for example. In this case, the color of the icon also changes from blue to green. You are already familiar with this color scheme in Cinema 4D from other generators, such as an Extrude or a Subdivision Surface object, which also react to subordinate objects.
The purple-colored Nodes in this group can also be dragged directly into the Object Manager, where they are designed for subordination. In this case, a parent object can be accessed directly within the circuit of these Nodes, e.g., to deform it, create a selection on it or execute modeling functions. As with the aforementioned Nodes, however, these functions must first be created in the circuit of these Nodes themselves. When dragged from the Asset Browser into the Object Manager, these Nodes initially offer no function.
The blue and purple Nodes of the asset construction group can be used directly in the Object Manager. If user data for sub-objects has been created at the mesh or spline Nodes, these Nodes can also be used like generators in the Object Manager and then change their icon color to green (see right-hand side of the illustration).
The red-colored Distribution Nodes from this Asset Construction group are not suitable for the Object Manager, but provide a framework in the Node Editor for your own distribution functions for duplicating and placing object copies.
Further information on working with Asset Construction Nodes can be found on this page. Information on creating user data, e.g., on including subordinate objects or creating input options in the Attribute Manager, can be found here.
The Nodes in these categories are directly comparable to the familiar basic objects in Cinema 4D and therefore also show the characteristic blue coloring in their icons and Node header areas. These Nodes can be dragged directly into the Object Manager to create the corresponding shapes. As with the basic objects, the settings for these shapes can then be operated directly via the Attribute Manager. The Nodes can be combined as required with other generators and deformers in the Object Manager, where they can also be converted into polygon or spline objects if required.
The blue Nodes of the geometry mesh and geometry spline groups can be dragged directly into the Object Manager, where they can be operated and processed just like normal basic objects.
Further information on the available Nodes in these groups can be found here for the geometry mesh Nodes and here for the geometry spline Nodes.
This group contains different types of Nodes, which can also be easily recognized by their different colors. The Nodes with green icons and header areas can only be used within a Node circuit in the Node editor and are designed for working with splines. However, the orange and purple colored Nodes can also be used directly in the Object Manager and are generally subordinated to a spline or polygon object in order to affect it. These include many familiar functions, e.g., for rounding edges or extruding polygons, but also new functions, e.g., for deforming splines or for a Greeble effect on a surface. The general advantage of the Nodes is that all functions can be used non-destructively, i.e., their settings can be changed or removed completely at any time.
Although the green Nodes (shown on the left) are intended exclusively for use in the Node Editor, the Nodes grouped together in the Node Operator subcategory (shown on the right) can also be assigned directly to other objects in the Object Manager, where they provide various modeling functions.
Further information on the available Modifier Nodes can be found on these pages.
The purple Nodes from the geometry selection category are treated like deformers in the Object Manager and can therefore be subordinated to the corresponding object on which a selection is to be created or changed.
The Selection Nodes can also be assigned directly to an object in the Object Manager.
Further information on the available selection Nodes can be found on these pages.
This is a special Node group in which only the Ivy Generator can currently be found. This can be used directly in the Object Manager, where it also provides a link to an object on whose surface the ivy is to grow. Optionally, other objects can be assigned to the ivy object that are to be used on the tendrils instead of the normal ivy leaves. Further information on the Ivy Generator can be found here.