Preparing the Cinema 4D Scene

Overview

• Preparing the Cinema 4D Scene
• Prepare a Cinema 4D Scene
• Save for Cineware

Prepare a Cinema 4D Scene

In order to process 3D elements optimally in Adobe Illustrator, some preliminary work must be done in Cinema 4D. Possible options for this are explained in the following sections using an example.

To do this, we use a project supplied in Cinema 4D's Asset Browser, which we want to transfer to Adobe Illustrator. To do this, open the Asset Browser in Cinema 4D and select the Example Scenes>Disciplines>Product Visualization>01 Scenes>Cream Box.c4d project, which you can find in the Scenes tab of the browser. Double-click on the preview image to load and open this project (see also image below).

Within Adobe Illustrator, the 3D project can be calculated and displayed at different quality levels. One of these display levels reflects precisely the one we defined in the Render Settings, even regarding the quality and the calculation methods. The resolution within the Output section is also adopted and thus determines, for example, the aspect ratio of the content displayed in Adobe Illustrator. It therefore makes sense to define everything here as if you were rendering the final image in Cinema 4D.

In our example scene, we see that the Physical Sampler is set to Progressive (with a time limit of 1.5 minutes). This bears the advantage in Cinema 4D that a rough impression of the image can be gained during rendering, which becomes progressively more clear as the rendering progresses. However, this is not an advantage when rendering within Adobe Illustrator since the content there is first displayed after rendering has been completed. In this case we can obtain a comparable quality in a short time by switching to Middle.

Furthermore, we see that Global Illumination and Ambient Occlusion are active. The scene uses self-illuminating textures on simple surfaces for lighting. This would also work in Adobe Illustrator but using a real light source would bear the advantage that this could be adjusted much more easily with regard to color, intensity and shadows cast. To give it a try we will replace the self-illuminating layer within the Lights group in the scene and instead place two Area lights on the left and right in front of the packaging, as shown in the image below.

The materials for the self-luminous surfaces that are now no longer needed and can be deleted by usingEdit>Delete Unused Materials in the Material Manager.

This is then also the right time to think about which clipping masks can be helpful for the objects within Adobe Illustrator. In any case, an alpha mask will be calculated for the entire scene. In our example, however, this is not very useful since no empty 3D space can be seen in the selected camera view. A fillet seals the floor and the background completely. In order to obtain a mask for individual objects or object groups for these types of scenes you have to useCompositing Tags. To do so, select the group's Parent object whose elements you want to include in a mask. In our example this can be the Products object under which the Products and both tubes are grouped. Such a mask makes it possible to later display the products separate and masked out from the background.

Using the Tags menu in the Object Manager, you can now add a Compositing Tag to the Products object, which you can find in the Render Tags group. Within the Compositing Tag in the Attribute-Manager you will find the Channel tab in which you will find a list. If one of the Activate options is selected you can define a numeric Channel value next to it. Since any number of Compositing tags can be used, the same mask will be applied to all objects and groups for which the same Channel number is defined. In this example we will assign the Channel 1 to the Products object. This setting is automatically transferred to all subordinate objects, provided they do not have their own Compositing tags.
In addition, the standing tube should have a separate mask in order to be able to separate this shape in Adobe Illustrator.
To do so we will also add a Compositing tag to the Tube 01 object and activate Channels 1 and 2. This means that the upright tube appears both in the overall mask of the products and in a separate mask.

In order for these two masks to actually be calculated, they must also be added as multi-passes. The Multi-Pass option must also be activated.
To do so, open the Render Settings and click on Multi-Pass... on the left. A list will appear from which you can select an entry for Object Channel. Repeat this step to obtain a second object channel. Both channels created will be displayed in the left column of the Render Settings under Multi-Pass. Double-click on the names to change the name. Rename the first channel "Packages" and the second "Tube".

By clicking on the channels in the left column, a field for the Group ID will be displayed on the right. This is the channel number that we assigned via the Compositing tags. Therefore, assign the number 1 for Packages and the number 2 for Tube, as shown in the image below.

Save for Cineware

Programs compatible with Cineware are able to read the native Cinema 4D data format and material and object descriptions contained therein. In principle, you can often simply save your scene using the Save Project or Save Project as... commands in the File menu.

There are scene components, such as some of the generators or deformers, which are not converted into pure geometry by default during this save process. In order for these scene components to be interpreted in their entirety in another application, conversions of this object type can be integrated automatically into Cinema 4D. For this you can use the Cineware options in the Project Settings menu. A detailed description of the available options can be found here.

In these Cineware presets, which only apply to the currently opened project, some auxiliary functions can be activated that extend the standard saving format of Cinema 4D.

In our example, only the option for Save Polygon Cache would be relevant so that the shapes created via Loft and Subdivision Surface objects are also readable for Adobe Illustrator.

As an alternative to this approach, you can also use the Save for Cineware... command in the File menu. Here, the scene will always be saved as if all options for the Cineware preferences are activated, even if these are disabled in the Project Settings.

This completes our preparation and we can now save the scene. To do this, we use the Cinema 4D File menu and select e.g., Save for Cineware... or you activate the option Save Polygon Cache in the Preferences menu and use the Save Project as... command.