(Because Cinema 4D Studio R10.5 doesn’t have a standalone review, we gave additional space for 3D artist Ralph Caldwell to show more of the Pros and Cons in depth.)
Pros:
Cinema 4D Studio is perhaps the most complete 3D package on the market, with powerful tools for modeling, creating hair and fur, painting, and animating. The studio package has a number of powerful options for photo-real rendering.
Additionally, the lighting is so much easier to use then any other 3D program I have ever encountered, that it really blows my mind; and though it is simple to use, it produces truly fantastic results. Making adjustments to the various lighting attributes is as simple as a point and click.
The view panel is another thing I really enjoyed. With most 3D programs, you have to render your scene multiple times to see results when it comes to placing your light. This program gives you fairly detailed shadow casting before you even render the scene.
Also, the material editor is really great because its easy to use layout provides ready access to the material shading interface and makes swapping textures a breeze. It may not be Maya’s Hypershader, but it can certainly pull its weight. The fact that BodyPaint 3D included with the package gives you even more creative options in regard to material and coloration.
Obviously, the fact that we chose Cinema 4D to create the core 3D models we based this entire shootout on should speak more than words as to how versatile and powerful we found it to be for creation and rendering.
Cons:
Obviously, on a microfilmmaking budget, the $2800 budget is expensive. (You can purchase just Cinema 4D R10 by itself for $895, but, besides missing out on the Studio Bundle’s plugin packs like MOCCA and the Hair Module, you lose the Advanced rendering options like subsurface scattering, caustics, and depth of field, which give you the most realistic renders.)
Other than that, if I had to give three things I would like to see improved in Cinema 4D R11, they would be:
1) Encouraging 3rd party developers to make more plug-ins: For an example, better poly-editing tools and more dynamics options for its library would be excellent improvements.
2) Camera placement and animation: I have found it is difficult to animate the camera movements the way I want them, without running into any complication. I think an improved motion path editor could eliminate this issue.
3) IK / bone placement: Placing the bones in order is a painstaking, time consuming task, even though there is a simplified option for joining them once all are selected. If Maxon made the joints easier to link by simply clicking on the tip of one IK and selecting another bone the way Maya does, this alone would shave off half of the time it normally takes.
Conclusion:
When it came out, we as 3D artists often considered Cinema 4D to be just a great program to use for beginners. However, as it has evolved and grown over the past few years, it has matured into a professional application that has been featured in films like The Polar Express and King Arthur. Its power and completeness make it a package that should be seriously thought about, despite its high price tag. (Even with its price tag, its still $1200 cheaper than 3D Studio Max.)
Thus concludes the first six software packages of our 3D roundup. In a future round, we intend to include packages like iClone, Poser, zBrush, modo, and 3D Studio Max.
