Tutorials

CINEMA 4D R21 - TOP 5 NEW FEATURES

Cinema 4D R21 releases in 2019 with some great new features that greatly build on C4D features used for motion graphics, Visual Effects, and more.

The new version of Cinema 4D includes updates to the subscription model of purchasing, a modernized and updated UI, new bevels, force fields for update Mograph and dynamics animation, and much more! Check out the video above to learn about my Top 5 new features in Cinema 4D R21!

Prefer quicker, shorter tutorials on each feature?
Check out these videos!


Want to make Lighting & Reflections in Cinema 4D a snap?

Take a look at 360° Environment Maps Pro for Cinema 4D & Cinema 4D Lite to quickly and easily add lighting and rendering options to your scene. You can also save over 25% on bundle packs!

To see more new features in Cinema 4D, be sure to check out new features in Cinema 4D R19.

And don’t forget to learn about all the new features and updates from Cinema 4D R18.

• Top 5 MoGraph updates and new Effectors for R18
• Voronoi Fracture, a New MoGraph Feature
• Inverted Ambient Occlusion
• Working with the new Thinfilm Shader
• How to use the new Parallax Bump Map Feature
• Using the new Shadow Catcher for 3D Compositing
• Working with the new Substance Materials Workflow

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Create Facebook 3D Posts using 3D Objects from Cinema 4D

In this tutorial, learn how to create 3D Facebook Posts with 3D objects exported from Cinema 4D. By creating 3D posts on Facebook, users are able to move and rotate an object in full 3D.

When using Cinema 4D, to start, export your 3D object as an OBJ. Once you have an OBJ and the accompanying MTL file, you need to convert those to the GLB file format, which is what Facebook currently uses for 3D posts.

To convert the OBJ to a GLB file, use this website: http://52.4.31.236/convertmodel.html

Check out Facebook’s developer tutorials on 3D posts here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/...


Want to make Lighting & Reflections in Cinema 4D a snap?

Take a look at 360° Environment Maps Pro for Cinema 4D & Cinema 4D Lite to quickly and easily add lighting and rendering options to your scene. You can also save over 25% on bundle packs!


Looking to create 3D photos using portrait mode on your iPhone and Adobe Photoshop? Check out this quick video below!

To see more features of Cinema 4D, be sure to check out new features in Cinema 4D R18.

• Top 5 MoGraph updates and new Effectors for R18
• Voronoi Fracture, a New MoGraph Feature
• Inverted Ambient Occlusion
• Working with the new Thinfilm Shader
• How to use the new Parallax Bump Map Feature
• Using the new Shadow Catcher for 3D Compositing
• Working with the new Substance Materials Workflow

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Create Facebook 3D Photos using Photoshop and an iPhone

In this tutorial, learn how to create 3D Facebook Photos with layered graphics, using Adobe Photoshop, the Depth Cam iPhone app, and Facebook.

By using Portrait Mode on the iPhone, you can upload photos to Facebook and have them appear as 3D photos, creating an eye-catching parallax effect when users scroll through your feed. But did you know you can create them using graphics, photos, and layered images?

Follow these quick steps to create and upload your own 3D photos to Facebook!


Looking to simply create 3D photos using portrait mode on your iPhone? Check out this quick video below!

Want to make Lighting & Reflections in Cinema 4D a snap?

Take a look at 360° Environment Maps Pro for Cinema 4D & Cinema 4D Lite to quickly and easily add lighting and rendering options to your scene. You can also save over 25% on bundle packs!


Want more info on New Features in Photoshop? Learn more about:

• New Layer Styles in Photoshop CC
• Quick Export to PNG and updates to Save for Web

• New 3D Filter to create bump maps and normal maps for 3D

• Working with Creative Cloud Libraries in Photoshop and other Adobe Apps

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


CINEMA 4D R19 - TOP 5 NEW FEATURES

Cinema 4D R19 releases in 2017 with some great new features that greatly build on C4D features used for motion graphics, Visual Effects, and 360 Virtual Reality rendering.

This includes major updates to the Voronoi Fracture, a spherical camera for creating 360 VR scenes, scene reconstruction for help with 3D motion tracking, and more! Check out the video above to learn about my Top 5 new features in Cinema 4D R19!

Fracture 2.0 - Gluing fractured pieces

Viewing Depth of Field in the Viewport!

Scene Reconstruction for 3D Tracking helps you composite 3D elements into live action footage

Custom falloff and gluing for Voronoi Fracture in R19

Adjusting falloff for glued fracture pieces

Using a Spherical Camera for 360 VR Renders

The new Sound Effector creating some Musical Mograph Animation

Voronoi Fracturing combined with MoGraph and Dynamics


Want to make Lighting & Reflections in Cinema 4D a snap?

Take a look at 360° Environment Maps Pro for Cinema 4D & Cinema 4D Lite to quickly and easily add lighting and rendering options to your scene. You can also save over 25% on bundle packs!

To see more new features in Cinema 4D, be sure to check out new features in Cinema 4D R18.

• Top 5 MoGraph updates and new Effectors for R18
• Voronoi Fracture, a New MoGraph Feature
• Inverted Ambient Occlusion
• Working with the new Thinfilm Shader
• How to use the new Parallax Bump Map Feature
• Using the new Shadow Catcher for 3D Compositing
• Working with the new Substance Materials Workflow

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Create a 3D write-on Animation by combining Element 3D with the new Saber plug-in

In my previous After Effects tutorial, I talked about how to Combine the new Saber plug-in with Element 3D text layers. In this new tutorial, I wanted to take that a bit further, and get into how to use saber to drive the animation of an Element 3D layer, to create a cool glowing write-on effect. I'm always trying to build everything as clean as possible, so we'll talk about how to create this full animation using only one set of keyframes.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with How to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to create a Tracing Text animation using the MoGraph Tracer in Cinema 4D

There is a lot you can do with MoGraph and MoGraph objects in Cinema 4D once you start connecting things and seeing what they do. In this Cinema 4D tutorial, I outline and experiment I set up to see how you could use the Tracer Object with 3D text.

I'll start in Cinema 4D to create the main texture animation, covering many Cinema 4D Animation Tips, and then do the post-production in After Effects in the second part of the tutorial, available here.


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to Create Custom Guide Layouts in Photoshop CC

In this Adobe Photoshop Quick Tip video, I go over the new Guide Layout and Guides from Shapes features. These are new Photoshop features which are released with the October 2014 update to Adobe Creative Cloud 2014.

Want more Photoshop Tutorials? Check out some new features to Photoshop CC 2015:
• New Layer Styles
• Quick Export to PNG
• Filter to create bump maps and normal maps for 3D
• Creative Cloud Libraries
• Updated Blur gallery

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Top 5 New Features of Cineware Version 2.0 in After Effects

Cineware is the connection in After Effects that allows Cinema 4D files to be used in AE projects, without needing to first render out the C4D files. There are some great and very useful updates that came with the update to Cineware in Version 2.0, and in this video I go over my top 5 new features.

The new Cineware top features include Cinema 4D Lite R16, R16 Reflections and Reflectance compatibility, After Effects Region of Interest compatibility, Cineware layer synchronization, and collect Cinema 4D files now working.

Looking to get started with Cinema 4D Lite? Start with this tutorial!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


5 More Top Features and Updates for Cinema 4D R16

There are so many awesome new features for Cinema 4D R16, that I couldn't keep it to just 5, and I wanted to put together a quick video of ANOTHER 5 new features for R16. So I did! In this video I outline 5 more great new features that were released in Cinema 4D R16 in 2015. Gears, get your gears! Trust me it'll make sense if you watch the video. Or I've been making Top 5 features videos for too long.

Want to learn about even MORE new features in Cinema 4D R16? Check out My Top 5 new features on R16 in this video!

Hey, we're on R17 now! 
Check out Lots of new features for Cinema 4D R17!


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Top 5 New Features and Updates for Cinema 4D R16

New features, get your new features! Cinema 4D R16, the release of Cinema 4D for 2015, is packed with tons of new features to improve materials, camera tracking, UI updates, and more! R16 is a massive update to Cinema 4D, and there are lots of new features to dive into! In this video I go over my Top 5 new features.

Hey, you out there! we're on R17 now! 
Check out Lots of new features for Cinema 4D R17!

Want to learn about even MORE new features in Cinema 4D R16? Check out 5 more great new features in this video!


My Top 5 new features for Cinema 4D R16 are:
• Easier Keyframing
• Solo Objects in the Viewport
• The Bevel Deformer
• Reflectance Textures
• 3D Motion Tracking


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Top 5 Adobe After Effects 3D Camera Tip & Tricks

Once you start working in 3D space with 3D layers in After Effects, getting the camera to do what you want and stop darting all over the place can be tricky. In this video, I go over my Top 5 Camera Tips for creating better camera animation in After Effects CC, including tips on camera animation as well as animating and linking Depth of Field! 

My Top 5 After Effects Camera Tips are:
• Changing the default Focal Length
• Parenting the camera to a null object
• Cutting between multiple cameras
• Using and understanding Roving Keyframes
• Setting and Linking Depth of Field

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Top 5 Adobe After Effects CC Expressions

When you're an art person, computer programming can make you want to run away as fast as possible. Working with Expressions in After Effects can seem daunting at first, but by learning about some of the top After Effects CC Expressions, you can start working with Expressions to make your animations better and built smarter in no time!

Want to learn more about After Effects Expressions? Check out this tutorial on Using Expression Effects and animating the Wiggle Effect!

My Top 5 After Effects Expressions are:
• Wiggle(0,0)
• Time
• loopOut()
• seedRandom(0)
•Math.round()


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to use Masks on Effects in Adobe After Effects CC

A really cool update that came out in After Effects CC 2014 is the ability to mask effects, and have different masks on different effects, without having to separate everything out using adjustment layers. That's a hard sentence even to type out, so in this video I break down how to use this new technique for masking effects in a variety of ways. 

In this Adobe After Effects tutorial, learn how to use masks on effects. This new After Effects Creative Cloud technique includes the new masking effects workflow, which is a new feature in Adobe After Effects Creative Cloud. This tutorial covers adding masks to effects, animating masks that are linked to effects, adding multiple masked effects, and adding adjustment layers with multiple masked effects in After Effects CC 2015


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to Fracture and Destroy 3D Buildings using the Thraussi plug-in and Dynamic Simulations in Cinema 4D

What's the point of learning 3D software if you can't use it to implode CG buildings, right? In this Cinema 4D tutorial, I go over how to fracture 3D buildings or objects using the free plug-in Thraussi, and then how to use dynamics to have the buildings implode, knock over, or fall down. Once you have this technique mastered, JJ Abrams should be calling any minute.

This fractured object can also be brought into Element 3D and Element 3D V2 for After Effects.

Topics include creating and grouping basic polygonal shapes, fracturing 3D objects, beginner to intermediate rigid body dynamics, and using invisible collider body dynamics to create CG destruction with Cinema 4D.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to Track & Composite 3D Models into Live Action Footage using Cinema 4D & After Effects - Part 2

In Part 2 of this Cinema 4D Lite Motion Tracking Tutorial, learn how to 3D motion track a moving camera shot, send tracking information to Cinema 4D for 3D tracking, composite any 3D model or element into the shot, combine the footage and C4D file in After Effects CC using Cineware, light and texture the 3D model, and add final compositing techniques including color correction, environment reflections, and a shadow pass to create realistic shadows and lighting.

Watch Part 1 of this tutorial on tackling the Tracking in After Effects Here

Looking for more After Effects Tracking, Compositing, and Visual Effects Tutorials?

Start with Part 1, working with the After Effects 2D Tracker

Check out Part 2, Matte Painting using the 3D Camera Tracker


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to Track & Composite 3D Models into Live Action Footage using Cinema 4D & After Effects

Compositing 3D models into live action footage is when things get really serious in the world of Visual Effects. Using Cinema 4D Lite and the Cineware connection in After Effects CC, you can now track and composite 3D models into footage much more easier than ever! In this tutorial I cover how to do the camera tracking in After Effects, send that to Cinema 4D, and then how to light and composite any 3D model into footage, including getting the shadows right! 

Be sure to check our Part 2 of this Tutorial on 3D Compositing Here!

Looking for more After Effects Tracking, Compositing, and Visual Effects Tutorials?

Start with Part 1, working with the After Effects 2D Tracker

Check out Part 2, Matte Painting using the 3D Camera Tracker

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to Texture the Caps on Text and other 3D Objects

A great feature of Cinema 4D is the ease of adding different materials to the caps and bevels of text or extruded objects. In this video I take that idea one step further, by going over some tips to create custom selection tags for different letters, in order to totally take over your texturing tasks! I heard alliteration is cool again, right?

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


How to Model & Texture 3D Baseball Bats 3 Different ways using Cinema 4D

In this Cinema 4D tutorial, learn 3 different ways to model and texture a 3D baseball bat in Cinema 4D R16. This Cinema 4D tutorial covers various workflows to create a 3D baseball bat, techniques, tips & tricks and three different techniques for modeling a 3D baseball bat in Cinema 4D, including using a lathe, loft modeling, and polygonal subdivision surface techniques. 

This free Cinema 4D tutorial also covers texturing techniques for different ways to texture realistic baseball bats in Cinema 4D, 3D modeling tips on using Cinema 4D with subdivision surface, as well as lathe and loft modeling tools.


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

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Learn to Model the NHL Stanley Cup using Cinema 4D

Trying to recreate sports trophies is always a fun project to have come in. In this Cinema 4D tutorial, I cover how to quickly build out a 3D model for the main parts of the NHL Stanley Cup. If you're in Chicago, you can then keep reusing this model when they win it again every 1-2 years! Now if only the Bulls could also figure it out...

Looking for the fully built model in Cinema 4D? Like the Facebook page and send me a message at Facebook.com/viytale and I'll send you a link to download the Stanley Cup Model!


Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!


Learn to Create 3D Baseball & Football Fields using the Grass Shader + Landscapes in Cinema 4D

Adding grass onto a landscape objects in Cinema 4D can be straightforward enough using the Grow Grass feature, but what if you want to create very specific variations in the grass, like the lines and graphics painted on baseball or football fields? I had this problem come up on a project I was working on, and developed a technique to tackle this using Density Maps made in Adobe Illustrator. I was so excited when I finally got it to work, that I wanted to make a video to share how to set it up!

This Cinema 4D tutorial also video covers an introduction and overview to the grass feature of Cinema 4D.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!