ct0003 - Create puffy fire explosion in Cinema 4D

Thinking Particles, the CINEMA 4D module is a node-based particle system and is used to control every aspect of particle motion. Using this module, we can emit particles, and collide particles with other particles and objects. Also, you can control aspects of lifelike forces such as gravity and wind.

In this tutorial, you will create the puffy fire explosion effect in a scene, as shown in Figure 1 using the Thinking Particles module and XPresso Editor.

Figure 1

1. Choose Create > Object from the main menu; a cascading menu is displayed. Now, choose Null from it; a Null is added to the Object Manager. Rename Null as Fire Explosion.

2. In the Object Manager, right-click on Fire explosion; a shortcut menu is displayed. In this shortcut menu, choose CINEMA 4D Tags > XPresso; the XPresso Editor is displayed.

3. In the XPresso Editor, right-click in the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In the shortcut menu, choose New Node > XPresso > General > Time, as shown in Figure 2; Time node is created in the XPresso Editor.

Figure 2

4. Double-click on the XPresso tag in the Object Manager; the XPresso Editor window is displayed. In this window, select the Time node and click on the red square; a flyout is displayed. Choose Frame from the flyout, as shown in Figure 3; the Frame port is added in the Time node.

Figure 3

5. In the XPresso Editor, right-click in the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In the shortcut menu, choose New Node > XPresso > Logic > Compare, as shown in Figure 4; Compare node is created in the XPresso Editor.

Figure 4

6. Select the Compare node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Node button; the Node Properties area is displayed. In this area, make sure Real option is selected in Data Type drop-down list and select <= from the Function drop-down list, refer to Figure 5.

Figure 5

7. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Parameter button; the Parameter area is displayed. In this area, 30 in the Input 2 spinner.

8. Double-click on the XPresso tag in the Object Manager; the XPresso Editor window is displayed. In this window, right-click in the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In the shortcut menu, choose New Node > Thinking Particles > TP Generator > PStorm, as shown in Figure 6; PStorm node is created in the XPresso Editor.

Figure 6

9. In the XPresso Editor, select the PStorm node and click on the blue square; a flyout is displayed. Choose On from the flyout, as shown in Figure 7; the On port is added in the PStorm node. Repeat the step and choose Emitter Alignment from the flyout; the Emitter Alignment port is added in the PStorm node.

Figure 7

10. Select the PStorm node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Parameter button; the Parameter area is displayed. In this area, select Rectangle option from the Type drop-down list and select Shot from the Birth Type drop-down list and set parameter as follows:

Life: 1000            Speed: 100            Size: 30

X Fov: 360           Y Fov: 360            X Size: 300

Y Size: 300

11. In the XPresso Editor, right-click in the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In the shortcut menu, choose New Node > XPresso > General > Object; Fire explosion node is created in the XPresso Editor, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8

12. Select the Fire explosion node and click on the red square; a flyout is displayed. Choose Coordinates > Global Position > Global Position from the flyout; the Global Position port is added in the Fire explosion node.

13. In the XPresso Editor, select the Frame port of the Time node and press and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the Input 1 port of the Compare node; the color of the wire turns green; the Frame port of the Time node is connected to the Input 1 port of the Compare node.

14. Select the Output port of the Compare node and press and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the On port of the PStorm node; the color of the wire turns green; the Output port of the Compare node is connected to the On port of the PStorm node.

15. Select the Global Position port of the Fire explosion node and press and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the Emitter Position port of the PStorm node; the color of the wire turns green and the Global Position port of the Fire explosion node is connected to the Emitter Position port of the PStorm node,  as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9

16. Choose Simulate > Thinking Particles from the main menu; a cascading menu is displayed. Now, choose Thinking Particles Settings from it, as shown in Figure 10; the Thinking Particles window is displayed.

Figure 10

17. In the Attribute Manager, make sure the Object button is chosen. In the Object Properties area, choose the arrow button next to the Particle Group field; the shape of the cursor changes. Now, select Fire in the Thinking Particles window; the Fire is added to the Particle Group field.

18. Double-click on the XPresso tag in the Object Manager; the XPresso Editor window is displayed. In this window, right-click in the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In the shortcut menu, choose New Node > Thinking Particles > TP Initiator > P Pass; P Pass node is created in the XPresso Editor.

19. Select the PGroup node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, make sure the Parameter button is chosen. In the Parameter area, choose the arrow button next to the Group field; the shape of the cursor changes. Now, select Fire in the Thinking Particles window; the Fire is added to the P Pass node in the XPresso Editor.

20. In the XPresso Editor window, right-click in the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In the shortcut menu, choose New Node > Thinking Particles > TP Dynamic > PGravity; PGravity node is created in the XPresso Editor.

21. Select the PGravity node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, make sure the Parameter button is chosen. In the Parameter area, choose the arrow button next to the Object field; the shape of the cursor changes. Now, select Fire explosion in the Object Manager; the Fire explosion is added to the PGravity node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, select the Spherical option from the Type drop-down list.

22. In the XPresso Editor window, select the P Pass node and connect the Fire port to the Fire explosion port of the PGravity node. Right-click on the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In this shortcut menu, choose New Node > Thinking Particles > TP Helper > PGetData; PGetData node is created in the XPresso Editor.

23. Select the PGetData node and click on the red square; a flyout is displayed. Choose Position from the flyout; the Position port is added in the PGetData node. Right-click on the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In this shortcut menu, choose New Node > XPresso > General > Object; Fire explosion node is created in the XPresso Editor.

24. Select the Fire explosion node and click on the red square; a flyout is displayed. Choose Coordiantes > Global Position > Global Position from the flyout; the Global Position port is added in the Fire explosion node.

25. In the XPresso Editor window, right-click on the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In this shortcut menu, choose New Node > XPresso > Calculate > Math; Math node is created in the XPresso Editor. Select the Math node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Node button; the Node Properties area is displayed. In this area, select the Vector option from the Data Type drop-down list. Next, select Subtract option from the Function drop-down list.

26. In this window, select the PGetData node and connect the Position port of this node to the upper Input port of the Math: Subtract node. Figure 11 displays the Position port of PGetData node connected to the upper Input port of the of the Math: Subtract node.

Figure 11

27. Select the Fire explosion node and connect it to lower Input port of Math:Subtract node in the XPresso Editor. right-click on the empty space; a shortcut menu is displayed. In this shortcut menu, choose New Node > XPresso > Calculate > Range Mapper; Range Mapper node is created in the XPresso Editor.

28. Select the Range Mapper node in the XPresso Editor. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Parameter button; the Parameter area is displayed. In this area, set the parameters as follows:

Input Upper: 200                 Output Lower: -600

Output Upper: -550

29. Double-click on the XPresso tag in the Object Manager; the XPresso Editor window is displayed. In this window, select the Math:Subtract node and connect the Output port to the Input port of the Range Mapper node.

30. Select the PGravity node and click on the blue square; a flyout is displayed. Choose Strength from the flyout; the Strength port is added in the PGravity node. Now, connect the Strength port of PGravity node to the Output port of the Range Mapper node.

31. Choose Create > Environment from the main menu; a cascading menu is displayed. Now, choose Environment from it; the Environment is added to the Object Manager.

32. Choose Create > Shader from the Material Manager’s main menu; a cascading menu is displayed. Now, choose PyroCluster from it, as shown in Figure 12 the PyroCluster material slot is created in Material Manager.

Figure 12

33. In the Material Manager, double-click on the PyroCluster; the Material Editor window is displayed. In this window, select Fire from the Settings drop-down list in the Globals area; the Cinema 4D Studio dialog box is displayed. In this dialog box, choose the Yes button; the fire effects settings are selected. Next, enter 10 in the Min spinner and 110 in the Max spinner. Now, close the window.

34. Select the Shape from the list displayed on the left of the Material Editor; the Shape area is displayed. In this area, enter 400 in the Radius spinner.

35. Choose Create > Shader from the Material Manager’s main menu; a cascading menu is displayed. Now, choose PyroCluster - VolumeTracer from it; the PyroCluster - VolumeTracer material slot is created in Material Manager.

36. Press and hold the left mouse button on PyroCluster - VolumeTracer in the Material Manager and drag the cursor to the Environment in the Object Manager; the PyroCluster - VolumeTracer is applied to Environment in the Object Manager, as shown in Figure 13. 

Figure 13

37. Select the PyroCluster material slot is selected in Material Manager. Press and hold the left mouse button on it and drag the cursor to the Particle Geometry in the Object Manager; the PyroCluster is applied to Particle Geometry in the Object Manager.

ct0002- Creating Greebels

In CINEMA 4D, you can modify the objects at an advanced level by converting them into editable polygons. The editable polygons consists of sub-objects that can be modified using the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools. The sub-objects are points, edges, and polygons. In this tutorial, you will learn to modify the objects at an advanced level by converting them into editable poly. 

Step 1: Create a cylinder in the viewport using the Cylinder tool. Next, in the Attribute Manager, set the parameters as follows:


Height Segments: 100                    Rotation segments: 100                   

Step 2: Make sure the Cylinder is selected in the Object Manager. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Caps button; the Caps area is displayed. In the Caps area, clear the Caps check box.

Step 3: Press C; the Cylinder is converted into a polygonal object.

Step 4: Choose the Polygons tool from the Modes Palette and select a polygon using the Live Selection tool and press CTRL+A; all the polygons of Cylinder get selected, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 5: Right-click on the selected polygons; a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose Reverse Normals from the shortcut menu; the normals of the selected polygons are reversed. 

Step 6: Again, right-click on the selected polygons; a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose Extrude from the shortcut menu. In the Attribute Manager, set the parameters as follows:

Offset: 10                    Var: 100  

Next, clear the Preserve Groups check box and choose the Apply button in the Tool area. The polygons are extruded, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Step 7: Right-click on the selected polygons; a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose Extrude Inner from the shortcut menu. In the Attribute Manager, enter 0.2 in the Offset spinner and clear the Preserve check box. 

Step 8: Choose the Apply button in the Tool area. The polygons are extruded.

Step 9:  Right-click on the selected polygons; a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose Extrude from the shortcut menu. In the Attribute Manager, enter 2 in the Offset spinner.

Step 10:  In the Front viewport, using the B-Spline tool create a spline, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3

Step 11:  In the Top viewport, create a circle using the Circle tool. In the Attribute Manager, enter 10 in the Radius spinner. Choose XY from the Plane drop-down list.

Step 12:  Press and hold left mouse button on the HyperNURBS tool in the Command Palette; a flyout is displayed. Choose SweepNURBS from the flyout.

Step 13:  Drag Spline to SweepNURBS in the Object Manager; the Spline is connected to SweepNURBS. Next, drag Circle to SweepNURBS;  the Circle is connected to SweepNURBS, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Step 14: Press C; the SweepNURBS is converted into a polygonal object.

Step 15: Expand  SweepNURBS in the Object Manager and select Cap 1 in it. Now, choose the Polygons tool from the Modes Palette and select a polygon using the Live Selection tool in the Perspective viewport, as shown in Figure 5. Delete the selected polygon.

Figure 5

Step 16:  Select the SweepNURBS in the Object Manager and make sure Polygons tool is selected from the Modes Palette. Select a polygon using the Live Selection tool and press CTRL+A; all the polygons of SweepNURBS get selected, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 7

Step 17: Right-click on the selected polygons; a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose Extrude from the shortcut menu. In the Attribute Manager, enter 5 in the Offset spinner; the polygons are extruded.

Step 18: Right-click on the selected polygons; a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose Extrude from the shortcut menu. In the Attribute Manager, choose the New Transform button in the Tool area, the polygons are extruded again, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8

Step 19:  In the Material Manager, choose the Danel material.

Step 20: Change the color of Danel material to red in the Material Manager.

Step 21: Drag the Danel material to Cylinder in the Object Manager. The Danel material is applied to Cylinder in the Perspective viewport.

Step 22:  In the Material Manager, choose the Danel material.

Step 23: Change the color of Danel material to brown in the Material Manager.

Step 24: Drag the Danel material to SweepNURBS in the Object Manager. The Danel material is applied to SweepNURBS in the Perspective viewport.

Step 25: Create a Spot Light in the Perspective viewport. In the Attribute Manager, choose the General button. In the General Properties area, set the parameters as follows:

R: 249                G: 149                    B: 18

Step 26: In the General Properties area, select Shadow Maps (Soft) from the Shadow drop-down list.  Next, select Volumetric from the Visible Light drop-down list.

Step 27: In the Attribute Manager, choose the Details button. In the Details area, enter 31 in the Outer Angle spinner and place the Spot Light in the Right viewport, as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9 

Step 28: Create a Omni light in the Right viewport. In the Attribute Manager, choose the General button. In the General Properties area, set the parameters as follows:

R: 255               G: 222                 B: 8

Step 29:  In the Attribute Manager, choose the Visibility button. In the Visibility area, enter 12 in the Outer Distance spinner and enter 7 in the Inner Distance spinner.

Step 30:  In the Attribute Manager, choose the Lens button. In the Lens area, select Hi-8 from the Glow drop-down list.

Step 31: Place the Omni light in the Right viewport, as shown in Figure 10. 

Figure 10

Step 32: Choose Render Settings tool from the Command Palette; the Render Settings window will be displayed. In the Render Settings window, choose Effects button; a flyout will be displayed. Choose Ambient Occlusion and Global Illumination from it.

Step 33: Choose the Render to Picture Viewer tool from the Command Palette. The model is rendered in the Picture Viewer window, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11

ct0001-Creating abstracts using MoGraph

MoGraph is a huge advancement in the field of motion graphics. It is a toolset in CINEMA 4D which helps you to create spectacular visual effects, logos, and text. MoGraph is a collection of objects, shaders, and scripts that can be combined to create models and animation. In this tutorial, you will learn about the tools and effectors available in MoGraph toolset of CINEMA 4D.
 
Step 1: Create a helix in the viewport using the Helix tool. Next, in the Attribute Manager, set the parameters as follows:
Start Radius: 0                     Start Angle: –44                    Height: 770

Step 2: Using the Viewport Navigation Tools, place the helix in the Perspective viewport, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Step 3: Create a cube using the Cube tool. Next, in the Attribute Manager, set the parameters as follows:

Size . X: 15                     Size . Y: 15                    Size . Z: 200

Step 4: Create a cloner using the Cloner tool. In the Attribute Manager, select Object from the Mode drop-down list, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Step 5: Make sure that Cloner is selected in the Object Manager. In the Attribute Manager, choose the arrow button next to the Object text box and select Helix in the Object Manager, as shown in Figure 3. The helix object is added to Object text box.

Figure 3

Step 6: Make sure that Cloner is selected in the Object Manager. In the Attribute Manager, enter 112 in the Count spinner and select Even from the Distribution drop-down list.

Step 7: In the Object Manager, select Cube and then drag it to Cloner; the Cube is connected to Cloner. Also, clones of Cube are created in the Perspective viewport, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Step 8: Make sure that Cloner is selected in the Object Manager. Add Random effector to it by choosing Random from the MoGraph menu, as shown in Figure 5. The Random is added to the Effectors area in the Attribute Manager.

Figure 5

Step 9:  Select Random in the Object Manager. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Parameter button and clear the Position check box. Next, select the Rotation check box and enter 45 in R . P spinner and 90 in the R . B spinner.

Step 10: Choose Cloner from the MoGraph menu. The Cloner. 1 is added to Object Manager.

Step 11:  Make sure that Cloner.1 is selected in the Object Manager. In the Attribute Manager, choose the Object button and select Radial from the Mode drop-down list. Next, enter 3 in the Count spinner and 50 in the Radius spinner.

Step 12: In the Object Manager, select Cloner and then drag it to Cloner.1; the Cloner. 1 is connected to Cloner. Also, clones of Cloner.1 are created in the Perspective viewport, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6

Step 13:  Choose PolyFX from the MoGraph menu. The PolyFX is added to Object Manager.

Step 14:  Select PolyFX in the Object Manager and drag it to Cloner. The PolyFX  is connected to Cloner in the Object Manager, as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7

Step 15: Select PolyFX  in the Object Manager and choose the Effectors button in the Attribute Manager. Next, drag Random from the Object Manager to the Effectors area. The Cloner is fragmented in the Perspective viewport, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8

Step 16: In the Material Manager, choose the Danel material, as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9

Step 17: Change the color of Danel material to blue in the Material Manager, as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10

Step 18: Drag the Danel material to Cloner in the Object Manager. The Danel material is applied to Cloner in the Perspective viewport.

Step 19: Create background from using the Background tool. Next, in the Attribute Manager, select On from the Use Color drop-down list.

Step 20: Choose Render Settings tool from the Command Palette; the Render Settings window will be displayed. In the Render Settings window, choose Effects button; a flyout will be displayed. Choose Ambient Occlusion from it.

Step 21:  Choose the Render to Picture Viewer tool from the Command Palette. The model is rendered in the Picture Viewer window, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11