Archive notice: This article was originally published on October 1, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Right on time for autumn, Maxon is bringing a new, greatly expanded version of Cinema 4D to market. In addition to numerous functions in the core program, various modules have once again been enhanced. MOCCA and MoGraph received new tools, but work was also done on HAIR.
A highlight of the upgrade is DWG import. This now gives Cinema 4D users the option of directly reading files in the widely used CAD exchange format. The formats from AutoCAD 13 through AutoCAD 2008 are supported. Even layers, blocks and references are completely translated into Cinema 4D during import. An improved interface to Nemetschek Allplan has also been added, with which Cinema 4D data can be transferred to Allplan 2008 without loss.
Also new in R10.5 are XRefs. With these external references, large projects can be divided perfectly among workgroups, since individual components of a scene can be edited externally and separately from the main project. Other functions are new geometry tools (rotate, connect and dissolve edges), a novel concept for interactive lighting as well as an extremely powerful algorithm for unfolding UV geometries.
Another main focus was on improving the workflow. The Head Up Display, in which relevant data is displayed directly in the editor window, has received numerous extensions. New elements can be added via Drag & Drop, colored and grouped more easily. The timeline also received an extensive revision. A master track enables rapid editing of the complete animation, and in reduced modification mode even complex F-curves can be edited in the simplest way. The interactive-help now has a genuine full-text search.
Among the modules, there are numerous new features above all in MOCCA. Additional deformers (Squash & Stretch, Jiggle, Cluster and Point Cache) allow easier work according to the principles of Character animation – in total, more than 30 major and minor detailed improvements make working with digital characters easier. The MoGraph module receives some new effecors and Clone options, and last but not least, the rendering of HAIR on multiprocessor machines has been greatly accelerated. A computer with a DualCore CPU calculates hair in R10.5 at up to twice the speed.
In total, Release 10.5 contains more than 120 new features, making it one of the most extensive .5 upgrades in Cinema 4D history.
Further Links:
- Maxon Cinema 4D R. 10.5
