CINEVERSITY

Hi bet-beach,

Yes, Cinema 4D is very flexible and versatile. Thank you for that.

Thanks for the Google files.

The UV-based movement (Distorter) can only push a single pixel in x or y (red or green), or just gray values, and then based on the distorter's global settings. To follow a brushstroke while the brush is rotated means to put the image on the head at one point, which might be possible, but I assume it would take a lot of developing time
https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2025/en-us/Default.htm#html/COM_REDSHIFT3D_REDSHIFT4C4D_NODES_CORE_DISTORTER-COM_REDSHIFT3D_REDSHIFT4C4D_NODES_CORE_DISTORTER_GROUP_0.html#COM_REDSHIFT3D_REDSHIFT4C4D_NODES_CORE_DISTORTER_INTYPE
Perhaps I miss something, as ideas often come with a new problem, but here I'm not clear how to follow that brush in any direction, what rotating (or broom in your video)

I found it easier to explore particles here, as that is what comes closest to dirt. Here are two sketches.

CV4_2025_drs_25_PAcm_01.c4d
CV4_2025_drs_25_PAcm_02.c4d
The Delay needs more attention.
Screenshot 2025-09-10 at 11.29.28 AM.jpg

The other way would be to set the animation brush (or broom) and render it from top view. Then "smear" in Photoshop along the path. If the brush crosses its own path, the next image is needed, based on the one just smeared (Smear Finger, 80-90%). Those images are then layered and unveiled with a vertex map, set decay to 100%, meaning nothing decays.

I hope that helps for your next meeting.

My best wishes

Hi MaverickMongoose,

Thanks for the reply

Yes, from your perspective, but sometimes it might be useful to have the initial state as well.
I agree that the decision should be a checkbox and not require extra steps.

Enjoy your project

Hi David,

There are no mistakes, only gained experience. 🙂

Enjoy!

Hi David,

You're very welcome, and thanks for the reply.

A lot of information about Polygons are here:
https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2025/en-us/Default.htm#html/DMODELING-MESH_CHECK.html#MESH_CHECK_POLY

Call up a Polygon Object, set one side to 0cm, press "c", and check it. That is a bad polygon 😉 , often they are just produced with no influence to the visual results. IF so, you can select those with the Mesh Checker, and delete them.

Since there is typically no scene information on how they should be done correctly, repairing is a artist decision, not based on rules (DTDT, do-this-do-that).

I hope that helps a little.

Enjoy your weekend

Hi Dylanplsss,

Here is a simplified idea.

In short, the "taiyaki" doesn't come out of the machine; it is already in the Holder, but up and invisible. Then becomes visible and last will move into the Holder.

Please have a look here:
CV4_2025_drs_25_MGan_01.c4d

This works by defining three states. At the same time, blending those in the Cloner.

To trigger the change, go to Cloner > Clones > Blend, and then Plain Effector > Parameter > Modify Clone.

This moves the "taiyaki" as well, which can be adjusted (in the example the Sphere - taiyaki's proxy) is different in P.Z. So it feels like falling straight down.
This P.Z setting depends the hight from start to arival in the holder. I found it easy to adjust when a huge number of clones is created.
Screenshot 2025-09-06 at 12.10.01 PM.jpg
I have animated the process to showcase it:
CV4_2025_drs_25_MGan_02.c4d
On frame zero, change one of the four (yes, I changed the number to demo the workings more clearly) P.Z values to see how it change.

However, it avoids many minor details that would be necessary to synchronize such motions.

Enjoy your Weekend

Thank you for your input and reply, atomician.
Enjoy your project.

My best wishes

Thank you very much for your tremendous patience and understanding, draft-buddy.

Your input has lead to a report, and I hope it is solved quickly, without your input… So, thank you.

My best wishes for your project.
.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, lawyer-platform.

If there is anything else, I'm happy to look into it.
If it is a new theme, please open a new thread. Thank you.

Have a great day!

Hi Tamin8r,

In the moment, all objects are treated by the same SDS; those are generated newly and seen as one object. The only way that comes to mind is to have the object that needs a separate light needs to have its own SDS.

Sorry, I searched for other options, but I'm not able to solve that. I assume that using the material Emission channel is not wanted here.

All the best

Thanks for the reply, working-long.

I'm glad it works for you.

If I get no other detail or a scene file where I can check the version, I assume the current version is used. I should have asked to get a file, which I usually do, sorry for that. I'm glad I pointed to 2025.3.3.

Enjoy your project.

Hi Mars,

One idea would be to bake the RS Material and use the image (still or sequence) to drive this with a Displacer.
The Information that feeds into the RS Displacement (Like Maxon Noise) is fed into the Emission channel.
An AOV is set (direct output).

As usual, I checked the current version and practically recreated the idea.

Screenshot 2025-08-30 at 11.33.40 AM.jpg
Orange RS set up; Red Displacer based on OpenEXR image

It is not a one-button push action, but I hope faster than recreating a whole Material.

All the best

Hi Leah sam,

I'm not familiar with your cloud service. The one I use here is Dropbox, WeTransfer, Google, Adobe, or Apple, no compression during upload, no zip, and surely not rar. Please paste the URL as you did, so it is clear what it is (Tiny URLs, shortened do not unveil the target. Sorry for the security, while I'm sure you have good experience with this MS service, I am limited to these, and can't explore each time if there is any problem. Thanks for understanding. Sorry for the extra work.

Camera mapping, as you know, has a limited "field of view/projection angle to polygon" to work well. If possible, I use Polygon Selections to split different views. With a few exceptions, I was normally able to convert the Camera project's defined UVs into UVs themselves. (I'm happy to showcase this for you, preferably with your project) With Polygon Selections and those fixed UVs, baking is typically possible.

Sometimes, Alpha channels are used for difficult transitions from one camera to the next camera. Which might cause different setup problems (in the transition area were the alpha is neither white nor black, meaning gray), but it depends.

I will have a look when I get your file.

All the best

Thanks for the reply, Hady.

You're very welcome. 🙂

Please note that we have a forum especially for developers:
https://developers.maxon.net/?_gl=11xspa4x_gcl_au*MTcyOTk1NjE0My4xNzU1ODg1Nzcw
I hope you find some inspiring content and contacts there.

This also allows us to keep any code out of this forum (for security reasons).

Have a great weekend.

You're very welcome, Craig.

Thank you for taking the time.

Cheers

Hi williambillcard,

Thank you for taking the time.

After you have had some time to explore it, please let me know if there are any questions.
I'm happy to look into it.

Cheers

Hi life-board,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm glad that you will explore this further.

Enjoy your project.

Hi resort-sand,

Thanks for the reply.

My best wishes for your project.

Thank you very much, entry-newspaper.

Have a pleasant weekend as well! 🙂

Thank you very much, erwin.

Looks great, and I would have clicked on the heart if I still had an Instagram account. Thanks for sharing! … and especially for the credits! 🙂

I'm glad you got that far. I work with an M1 Max, and those devices require a different approach (if the scene pulls heavy on them), setting the camera move, especially when caching isn't an option.

Introducing a single sphere with a similar dynamic (falling) to the Liquids could be helpful. Setting up a manual animated Proxy is perhaps a lot of work, but coming from the digital stone age ('90s), I'm used to it.

For one short film, I replaced the character with just a cube and a sphere where the "nose" was. It worked well on the big silver screens across the country.

If you have another topic (Q&A), please feel free to open a new thread. I'm happy to look into it.

Cheers

P.S.: I would like to share the next step of exploration.

I'm not sure if you need this now or if I overshare here; my only indicator was the file, which is from a Learning version. If that is too much right now, back it up and consider visiting it later.

Please note, I left the Outer Controller out of this file, to have a clear view to the inner Controller only.

Please have a look at the file below:
CV4_2025_drs_25_CAik_21.c4d
This is the underlying tech of the inner Controllers (FK_Neck_IK_01_con+ to FK_Neck_IK_03_con+; while FK_Neck_04_con+ is more for the next step) #Spline IK Tag.
More in detail:
https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2025/en-us/Default.htm#html/TCAIKSPLINE-ID_TAGPROPERTIES.html#ID_CA_IKSPLINE_TAG_TWIST_CURVE

When you change one of the 01-03 controllers, you define the "Spline", which I have set to red here.

Feel free to move things around as you like, since I have frozen all coordinates. This means the Reset Transform will restore them to their original state when I froze them. Just pull one far away until you see the spline.
Screenshot 2025-08-22 at 2.18.41 PM.jpg
https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2025/en-us/Default.htm#html/43760.html

The outer Controller defines a kind of Forward Kinematic, while the inner Controller defines the flow or smoothness. Both in concert create either chaos or a smooth natural result.

All the best