|
|
|
|
||||
| An error occurred. Please try later. |
Starting out modestly among college students, Maxon has grown into a respected maker of professional 3D applications. With an enthusiastic and growing following, the fact that it has received numerous awards, as well as being embraced by several major studios, the release of Cinema 4D 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. I have noticed that with version 9 a great deal of emphasis has been placed on making the program function as part of a workflow with other big and even not so well known applications.
What makes Maxon's Cinema 4D 9 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.
Cinema 4D takes the more direct 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 very detailed and much more so than on many middle level programs.
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 with subtle improvements. 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 comprehensible.
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 windshield 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 4D shows just how powerful this application can be and how it is evolving into the kind of tool all of us can use.
For those that want to enter 3D image creation, those new to it, as well as those that are looking for the most bang for the dollar, Cinema 4D 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, or the high overhead. The important point to keep in mind is that this is a powerful professional tool and requires some time with it, however the time is well invested in this superior program that just keeps getting better with age.
Product registration mandatory for continued operation
Talk to Kurt in Graphics Unleashed Forums
Lexar Jump Drive and Platinum II SDHC Card · IRISNotes 2 Executive · IOGEAR Spill-Resistant Wired Keyboard and Mouse Combo · Logitech Z623 Computer Speakers · Gateway FX 6860-UR21P: An All-Purpose Desktop PC · Ridiculously Easy Backup From Rebit · The IOGear GPEN300 · A Review of the 5 inch EZReader Pocket Pro From Astak · A Review of the Barnes and Noble Color Nook · A Review of the Dell XPS 8100 · The Kobo eBook Reader, Just About Reading · The Best Ergonomic Mouse? The Smartfish ErgoMotion Laser Mouse · Sage Act 2010 · Microsoft Windows 7 · Adobe Creative Suite CS2 · Adobe Photoshop CS2 · SwissMemory Victorinox rubyRED Swiss Army Knife/Flash Drive · Tapwave Zodiac 2 · Stardock Object Desktop · Acrobat 7 Professional · Maximizer 8 · QuarkXPress 6.5 · McAfee's 2005 Product Line · Logitech io Personal Digital Pen 2 · IRIS Business Card Reader II for Windows/PC · Sandisk Cruzer Titanium Flash Drive · Microsoft Wireless Comfort Keyboard · Maxon Cinema 4D 9 · Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 · Norton SystemWorks 2005 Premier · Verbatim Store N' Go 2.1 GB Hard Drive · Corel Painter IX · Paint Shop Photo Album 5 · Adobe Video Collection Professional 2.5 · Alien Skin Eye Candy 5: Textures · Techsmith SnagIt 7.0 · Ulead Media Studio Pro 7 · Xara Webstyle 4 · Maxon BodyPaint 3D Release 2 · Eovia Carrara Studio 3 · AV Bros. Puzzle Pro 2 · AutoFX Mystical Tint Tone and Color · Andromeda Screens, Cutline and Etchtone Plug-In Filters · Macromedia Studio MX 2004 · Microsoft FrontPage 2003 · AutoFX AutoEye 2.0 · Adobe Premiere Pro · Adobe Audition · Amapi Designer 7 · Alien Skin Splat! · Alien Skin Eye Candy 4000 · Alien Skin Image Doctor · Canvas 9 · nik Dfine · Xenofex 2 · QuarkXpress 6 · Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 · Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional · Corel Painter 8 · Nik Color Efex Pro · Caligari TrueSpace 6.5 · Macromedia Contribute · Maxon Cinema 4D · Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 6.0 · nik Sharpener Pro · Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 4 · Xara Menu Maker 1 · Curious Labs Poser 5 · Macromedia Freehand MX · Adobe Illustrator 10 · Ulead Photoimpact 8 · Xara 3D 5 · Xara X · Microsoft Publisher 2002 · Creature House Expression 3 · CorelDRAW 11 Graphics Suite · Procreate Painter 7 · QuarkXpress 5 · Adobe Pagemaker 7 · Adobe Photoshop 7
Copyright © 1995–2013 Unleashed Productions, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
