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Cinema 4 D version 9  from Maxon

Cinema 4 D version 9

from Maxon

They did it again. A great 3 d program with professional clout and power that is accessible to everyone has come back with even more functinality.  With the price points of a middle level program, but the power and performance of a high end program, already adopted by several major motion picture studios, this sleeper hit could turn the tables on the dominance of Maya.

If you are new to 3 d, or programs that cover this turf, Cinema is a real winner.  For pros and serious enthusiasts, this is it for the kind of results you maybe looking for but thought far too difficult to obtain.

Maxon Cinema 4D release 9 

System Requirements:

Mac OS X 10.3 or Windows 2000 / XP

512 MByte RAM, CPU from 1GHz

Recommended System Requirements: 

Mac OS X 10.3 or Windows 2000 / XP

1024 MByte RAM, CPU from 2GHz

QuickTime

CD ROM drive, hard disk.

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Starting out modestly among college students, Maxon has grown into a respected maker of professional 3 D applications.  With an enthusiastic and growing following, and the fact that it has been receiving numerous awards, as well as being embraced by several major studios, the release of Cinema 4 D version 9 witnesses the application becoming better known.  While Maya and Studio Max may garnish the lion’s share of the attention, Maxon’s program is just as full featured, just as polished and yes, within far more reasonable price points.  It is also much much easier to use. 

Operating on a modular model, the program can be purchased as a base program with other modules being sold separately. Naturally, you can buy the entire suite, but if you are not into a particular function, or do not need a particular feature set, you have the option to omit it from your purchase. Not only is this a wise move, it helps keep the cost of the core program from hitting the stratosphere.  But do not let this deceive you. The main application is extremely powerful.

If integration is an issue, the program sports the capacity to work with After Effects, Final Cut and Combustion.  The program is constantly updated, so do make a point to check out their web site for new programs, new features and performances updates.  I have noticed that with version 9 a great deal of emphasis has been placed on making the program function as part of a work flow with other big and even not so well known applications. 

What makes Maxon’s Cinema 4 D Nine so much less intimidating to use, aside from a solid web site and thorough documentation, is that it is designed to be more intuitive. For creative professionals and designers, this means an application that is far more accessible. For neophytes this translates into a program you can learn on, stay with and then take to the professional arena. Part of this stems from the way the program is designed.  

Cinema 4 D takes the simple object based approach. Rather than a more complex one, taking you here and there, the program’s core is the object and how you manipulate it in a very direct manner.  The program has always made the creation of complex models easier. They have also made them that much more adjustable because each object in the hierarchy remains totally editable.  The level of customization is potent.

While the interface of Cinema 4D 9 remains more or less the same, and that is a good thing, the details have been tweaked. The interface is darker, the buttons more refined and other visual elements have undergone an overhaul. The layout, thankfully, remains just as efficient as before. Menus can float off as palettes, but with the ability to access all menus from a general pop up, you more than likely will not need to change the interface that much.  As it comes out of the box, Maxon has done an exemplary job of making the complex comprehendible.

When possible, Cinema 4D 9 has improved interactivity and feedback. Rotating an object brings about bands around the object’s axes and the angle is represented numerically and as a slice.  A new measure and construction tool for taking readings off of your model is present along with the ability to drag and drop more objects than was previously possible.

One of the biggest changes to the program, along with the numerous enhancements and under the hood changes with Cinema 4D 9 is the introduction of the brand new Heads Up Display (HUD), named for  the projection of cockpit dials onto the windscreen of planes. Using the viewport’s Configure command one can set any number of general options to appear onscreen like an active object and its hierarchy. Right-click on almost  any parameter in the Attribute Manager, and you can add it to the HUD.  The parameter remains live so that you can simply drag on the onscreen setting to update your object.

Another priority with this release is a revision of  Cinema 4D 9’s mesh editing capabilities. The new automatic switching between polygon, vertex and point mode and the clearer highlighting of selections is another performance bonus.  One  can also create selections across multiple objects. There are new selection modes for automatically selecting rings and loops of points, polygons and edges.  There is a new Isoline mode which projects the underlying polygonal cage onto the smoothed HyperNURBS object. This makes editing these objects much more intuitive.

The modeling power has been given a real boost of power. It was never weak, but now it is just that much more improved.  New tools include Polygon Close for filling holes within objects and Stitch and Sew for filling gaps between objects.  The crucial Knife tool has also been enhanced and offers five different modes for cutting lines, loops, hole, planes and paths. The main surface editing commands are now controlled non-modally through the Attribute Manager.

MOCCA  now has an  integrated cloth engine: Clothilde.  Fast and operating at maximum efficiency, this will be a real asset to those that want to obtain a more accurate depiction of fabrics.

Along with about 100 other improvements, this new release of Cinema shows just how powerful this application can be and how it is evolving into the kind of tool all of us can use.

Summation

For those that want to enter 3D image creation, those new to it, and those that are looking for the most bang for the dollar, Cinema4D 9 hands down comes in as a winner. Shipping with detailed information, an informative web site and an entire online community supportive of it, Cinema is a real must have for the pro or the at home designer who wants the power of the pros without the hassle.