Basic Properties
Saved Selections in the Object Manager
If you save one or more selections, several useful functions are made available in the Object Manager. These can be found in the tags behind the selected object:
Settings in the Attribute Manager
When the Selection tag is selected, its settings will be shown in the Attribute Manager. These are the same for point, edge or polygon selections.
Sometimes, when working with numerous icons that look the same, you want to have a better overview of it all. This is what this function does. Objects and tags can be assigned their own icons or existing icons can be re-assigned or colored:
Examples for tags that were colored, replaced by existing ones and custom tags.
Note the Show Custom Icons command in the Object Manager’s View menu, which lets you switch to the Cinema 4D icons.
There are a few objects and tags (e.g., Material tags) that can’t be colored because they are controlled by Cinema 4D directly.
Here, you can either
-
load a bitmap - whereby an alpha channel will be evaluated, if present. Internally, this bitmap will be scaled and distorted accordingly if it has a different size than 64*64 pixels (which is used internally by Cinema 4D).
or - enter an existing command ID for corresponding icons. These IDs can be found in the Command Manager.
This function can be used to color an existing or a custom icon. You can select from the following options:
- None: No coloring will take place
- Display Color: Each object can be assigned a Display Color in the Basic tab. This will be used here. Since the Display Color can also assume a layer color objects can also be colored according to the layer to which they are assigned.
- Custom: Lets you select a custom color.
Tags have no Display Color and can therefore only be colored using a custom color. To do so, activate the Icon Color option.
Load/Save Presets
These commands can be used to save icons as a preset or to load an icon.
General details regarding the Preset System in Cinema 4D can be found there.
You can assign all objects and elements (e.g. shaders) any name you like. The object or element will appear under this name, e.g. in the XPresso Editor or in the Timeline.
If the element (object, tag, track, etc.) has been assigned to a layer, you will find the layer name and color here. Layers can be dragged here directly from the Layer Bowser or from other similar fields. You can also use the menu behind the small triangle button on the right to assign layers or remove the element from the current layer. Show in Manager opens the Layer Manager.
Click on the small triangle to the left of Layer to show the layer properties. This gives you access to all properties that are otherwise only accessible via the Layer Manager.
Cinema 4D normally displays the settings of assigned tags (e.g., the Phong tag) when an object is selected in the Attribute Manager as if it were an object's own setting - however, tag tabs are marked with a small icon to the left.
Disable this option if you don't want the tag settings to be shown for the object.