Maxon introduces Cinema 4D R15

 

 

 

 

 

Last week Maxon introduced at SIGGRAPH 2013 the new Cinema 4D R15 (Release 15), an update that redefines visual effects workflows, 3D motion graphics and processing.

Including powerful enhancements for modeling, text creation and sculpting, the company aims to offer 3D professionals the ultimate toolset for creative and compelling content design in film, video, broadcast, web, multimedia and video games.

The highlights of Cinema 4D Release 15 are:

Rendering improvements

For faster, better quality images. The new “Team Render” offers fast control over an entire network to harness the full processing power (either manually or automatically via Bonjour). For Cinema 4D Studio users, this feature will allow them to use an unlimited number of render nodes, while those with the Visualize or Broadcast versions will be able to use up to 3 nodes.

Users can distribute rendering tasks for a single frame or the entire animation directly within the interface and visualize the results in real time thanks to the “Picture Viewer”, thus optimizing the workflow.

In terms of quality, a new irradiance cache algorithm has been included for faster approximation of “Global Illumination” and improved ambient occlusion, physical rendering and multi-threading features.

Modeling improvements

In this release, modeling productivity has been improved by introducing interactive beveling (long requested by users) allowing more manipulation and control over object edges and curves to add depth and dimension to designs to ensure that the resulting meshes are clean and flow correctly.

Improved typography tools

It is now possible to deliver significant typography, text editing and control capabilities through “MoText” and “Text Splines” directly in the 3D view. With this update come new kerning and tracking tools that can be applied with “MoGraph” effectors or used in “Xpresso” and edited at any time to create complex typographic elements and animations.

Dynamic sculpting

In cases where there is adequate subdivision, sculpting tools can be used directly on any polygonal model. Options for advanced masks, mirroring and duplicates have been added, as well as the new Amplify brush, which provides control to inflate and use new drawing modes to sculpt lines and areas defined by a lasso, polygonal drawing or rectangle.

Various workflow, modeling and animation enhancements

New productivity-enhancing features include:

• Texture Manager: includes new texture management tools to fix broken texture links and wrangle bitmaps with ease to control even the most complex scenes.

• Architectural Grass: based on Cinema 4D Studio’s powerful “Hair” and “Fur” engine, the new “Grass Material” offers users the ability to quickly and easily simulate and add grass on any object within the C4D Visualize and Studio versions.

• Camera Crane: the new camera crane platform offers a solution to simulate this type of shots by adjusting the angle and length of the base, the arm, the head and the camera itself.

On this page you can see the software in action, with some examples, and a complete list of its new features. You can also visit this website, where you will find videos with more explanations about all the features of the new version.

Cinema 4D Release 15 is scheduled for release in September for Windows and Mac operating systems. For more information about the system requirements, please refer to this link.