Cinema 4-D As A Design Tool

Within the second term we are going to be looking at Cinema 4-D and how it can be used as a design tool. Although it can be used for motion graphics the ability to create immersive and inspiring 3-D stills is just as powerful. With the combination of techniques that can be used within a piece, companies are now looking for graduates with a range of skill-sets. For example, within a graphic design graduate they typically expect them to have some sort of starting knowledge around 3-D work. This demand for multi-skilled graduates will increase as the disciplines further take to borrowing from each other in style and medium.

Link to Creative Review article about the branding change: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2015/september/channel-4-rebrands-with-help-from-jonathan-glazer-and-neville-brody/ 

An example of an effective Ident created recently, is that of Channel 4’s. Using a combination of video footage and 3-D systems such as particle engines, colour alteration and lighting, they have combined the techniques to give a realistic yet abstract vision of the brand. Without revealing the logo or name for the brand within its Idents, they have instead subtly hinted towards its shape and form through creative and natural means.

Workflow:

In todays workshop we looked at the workflow and how to set the scenes up. To start with we looked at how you can import 2-D shapes or text from illustrator and transform them into 3-D using Cinema 4-D. The first step here was to open a new illustrator document and move the centre point to the middle of the artboard. The reason for doing so was to ensure when we import the file into Cinema 4-D that it would appear directly in front of us.

File Management:

One import work practise to ensure you follow is to ensure files are correctly labelled and organised within folders. This ensure you can clearly find your way around, while in industry this folder would be shared between a team and this allows everyone to understand where the files are located. For this task we are to create a main folder for the subfolders, which in this workshop I shall call Lesson 1 and within that needs to be spate folders for C4D, Artwork and Output.

Artwork:

Illustrator 8 - Legacy

I created a basic circle and some text to use as an example branding for myself. I choose Futura medium as my font of choice due to my natural attraction to the font. I find this font to be nice to use due to the clear sharp lines, whilst the lowercase letters remain for the most part soft in form though retain the clear-cut, wide edged appearance. We were advised to use closed paths, as when the artwork is imported into Cinema 4-D any open path would not work in the way in which we want to manipulate it.  As demonstrated by our tutor later, a single line just creates a thin object rather then a full-bodied shape. That’s why you need a closed path to create a solid object.

When saving your file you need to save as an Illustrator 8 (legacy) format as this is the once which is most compatible with Cinema 4-D currently.

Process:

Once we have the artwork saved we need to import the artwork, to do this select File > Merge and select the file we just created within Illustrator. The object may be slightly out of place, however an easy way to adjust this is by selecting the item within the object list window, choosing coord. and right clicking on the movement arrows to the right of the xyz options. This automatically sets the points back to 0.

(left to right) Render in Cinema 4-D, Render Out, Render Options

Firstly we need to set our workspace out within the 3-D space, go to render settings > under output select “Print A4” for this task due to screen size go for landscape to look better. Set the Resolution to “Print 300dpi” (pixels per inch x the size of the document). Set the render frames option to current frame, as in this case we are using Cinema 4-D as a static design tool, though the design can always be used for a motion piece if wished.

Our tutor Jay described the workspace in Cinema 4-D as “like having the biggest studio in the world with an unlimited amount of lights, colour etc, it has unlimited potential. Only limited by your imagination.”

Extrude

In order to create depth we need to extrude the object, select the extrude option and “drop” the shape/object within this. By selecting the extrude layer we can alter the dimensions as shown above. 

Fillet Cap

Next we apply “Fillet Caps” to both the start and end of the shape, this creates a nice realistic appearing finish to the form’s edges.

Motext is an easy way to create type within Cinema 4-D and enables the functionality of Kerning the text. This function gives you the option to view a visual guide of the spacing between the letters by activating “3D GUI”. Using this feature you can select either a single letter, or while holding down shift a whole word and kern as required. I especially like this style of kerning as it means I can alter the spacing between two individual letters, which when using the kerning tools without “3D GUI” this isn’t possible when using MoText.

 

3D GUI Kerning

In order to be able to navigate around your object without altering the render view, you need to place a camera into the scene. Place the camera and select the white crosshair icon within the objects window (this appears next to the camera object), now you will see through the camera and this enables you to accurately position the view as you wish. Once you have the camera positioned at the ideal spot deselect the crosshair icon, this will ensure that when you pan around the text again it won’t effect the camera.

 

Camera and Light Set-ups

Lights, Camera, Action!:

Typically within photo-shoots you will find that they use two lights to light up the subject. This ensures that the subject is clearly lit up, while they can also tint the lighting as to create atmospheric effects. Using a yellow tinted light can create warmth to the image and in the case of this scene we will do just that.In most cases as in this example two lights will work just fine, though you always have a light over your left hand shoulder as the main light. Now it is time to check the render settings and then produce a render from your camera view. Below is my final outcome from this workshop.

3-D type with background and lighting set-up

Review:

I found this workshop to be quite easy to follow and enjoyed creating the type and learning how you can alter type within the 3-D space. I look forward to the next workshops and learning more about using Cinema 4-D.