CINEVERSITY

Thank you very much, design-sport, for the reply.

I wish you and the team a lot of fun exploring it, with the feeling of having a great outcome based on it.

Cheers

Thank you very much, entry-newspaper.

Yes, I get that, the training of Gemini seems an ongoing process. 😉

My best wishes

Thanks for the reply, piece-quality,

It has some complexity, but I hope you enjoy exploring it.

CV4_2025_drs_25_MGhp_02.c4d

Typically,*, the information flow moves from top to bottom, which is preferable for any scene, but it is also good to read the setup easily.
*(the Volume goes from child to parent, first Volume then Mesh)

Enjoy

Hi Tom,

It is very kind of you to read this note. Thank you.

It happens occasionally, and I surely did not have you in mind when I shared this! 🙂

It is something that I have observed over more than two decades. It is just to keep things simple and clear.

I'm happy to put your last request into a new thread, just let me know. I'm happy to look into it.

Cheers.

Thank you very much, arnaud.

This looks great! Thank you so much for sharing your results.

My best wishes for your project.

Thank you very much for the feedback, ArtDirector.

Yes, Lionel has shown some nice workflows.

Enjoy.

Hi Rough1,

From my perspective, character animation is a combination of keen observation and artistic intention. Many character animators keep a mirror handy—or, these days, just use an iPhone for quick references (Acting things out, then copy one's own performance).

With a well-prepared (rigged) character, you can select controllers and start moving the character around. Animation, simply put, is about creating change over time.

Another exciting way to animate is by using motion capture. Even an iPhone can do it, albeit with some limitations, or you can explore more advanced options like a Rokoko MoCap suit (I mention this one because I’m most familiar with it). If setting up MoCap feels like too much effort, sources like Adobe’s Mixamo offer ready-to-use Motion Capture data that can be downloaded and applied directly, or use the one sitting in the Asset browser. In Cinema 4D, these can even be turned into MoCap "snippets" (Animation Clips), allowing for quick creation of complex motions and expressions.

Ultimately, the key is observation—understanding a bit about acting—and knowing what movements bring an expression to life. This can feel overwhelming at first, but remember, animation is a skill that takes time and patience to master.

To start, I’d suggest experimenting with something simple: use a few joints to bend a cylinder, and try out techniques like IK (Inverse Kinematics) and FK (Forward Kinematics) Look these terms up in the documentation. Jumping into very complex rigs right away can be tempting, but it’s often better to build a solid foundation first. Animation is a major discipline that no one masters after just a few tutorials, so it’s important to set realistic expectations and give yourself the time and space to learn at your own pace.

Above all, have fun and explore what suits you best! If you’re looking for inspiration or guidance, here’s a series I’d recommend going through (all parts) to see just how much is possible.

https://youtu.be/9pMxfygydlw?si=6Kgp9VAWsM44x43S

Enjoy

You're very welcome, Zeljko Grgic,

The values are critical; the more nearby points have higher values (Vertex Map), the easier they split. All of that is in concert with all the Tearing parameters.
https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2025/en-us/Default.htm#html/CLOTHTAG-CLOTH_PBD_SETTINGS_GROUP.html#CLOTH_PBD_TEARPAST
(scroll down)

Going by your setup, I feel that you have already a good handle on it. I guess trial and error (i.e., gaining specific scene-based knowledge) is the best method for the missing parts.

I would say that is a simple do this, do that, as even the Friction Force can add to this equation, which might be counterintuitive or logical, depending on which perspective one is looking at.

Sorry to be that blurry. Simulations are based on influences of all kinds, making them feel complex.

Cheers

That could be a valid point, Zeljko Grgic, as I have many different versions constantly installed, and often alpha and beta versions, making it even more complex.

Enjoy

Thank you for the nice feedback, guarantee-topic.

Please let me know if you need anything else for this scene.

My best wishes for your project

You're very welcome, resort-sand,

Let me know if you like to refine it.
I'm happy to look into it.

All the best

Hi Christian,

Thank you very much for the reply.

Enjoy your project

Hi Jenerator,

You're welcome, even though I think you did the legwork. So, thank you for bringing this up; I'm sure it will help others.

Enjoy

Hi Mark,

Please try a negative number and check it in the render view.
So it starts on frame zero with its virtual frame negative "X" and shows its first practical frame "x" frames later into the scene.

Is this working for you?

All the best

Hi MP-3D,

Here is a little update:
https://youtube.com/live/lrwHdV4IMVw
It is in the first part of the show, 05:43 to 20:28+

Perhaps that helps a little bit

Cheers

Hi Cit,

Thanks for the reply. Please have a look at this file. Could you open it and press play?
You might quickly find what is different when you enable the second of the tree example.
The imperfections I have introduced in the joint chain make it more perceptive to vertical motions.
Which I think is more natural-looking and perhaps more convincing. (Front view works best to compare those)

CV4_2025_drs_25_CAoc_11.c4d

Enjoy

Hi Dave,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply!

This forum is for me, not a one-way. I learn from any question, and I like to understand every artistic intention or technical target one has.

Hence, my interest in understanding every reply as much as I can. After all, any interaction here provides me with new solutions and ideas on how to improve things.

For me, this forum is since we started it in 2006, a win-win experience.

I really enjoy any option here to grow based on the interactions and questions.

In that sense, thank you!

Cheers

Hi Sweep Motion,

The Cloner, along with its child object, was rotated by the Null object above, which should rotate everything at once.
Since Align Clone was off, the child objects were just moved with the Cloner, based on a higher hierarchy object.

At the moment the Plain Effector was on, the Align Clones setting was influenced by what the Plain Effector did to them.
The Plain Effector could now be set up with the rotation needed to keep them "static" on the spline, which is somewhat problematic since the spline is changing its shape.
CV4_2025_drs_25_ANac_01.c4d

The missing rotation is countered here, but it is tricky for complex animation, and I would not recommend it.
CV4_2025_drs_25_ANac_02.c4d

I have added the file above, as I became aware of the spline change later in the setup process. The volume was quite heavy, and my computer struggled, delivering only 0.57 FPS. I used a static spline, which might not align with the positions of the cylinders.

All the best

Hi Markeee,

Any code development needs to be done with the Developer Forum.

https://developers.maxon.net/forum/

I can't check if the shared code is not swapped out. Hence, a security problem would be possible.
So, there is no code here.

What you need is the Python Node in XPresso, and read the values into a list, then call the min value from that list.

I'm not supporting code development here; please use the link above if you have any questions.

Examples are easy to find (google it).

My best wishes

Thanks for the reply, Cit,

Yes, the Field Driver is very useful and versatile.
Please let me know if you have any questions about Joints, Fields, and Field Driver.
Please feel free to open a new thread at any time when the subject changes so it is easier to search and find.

My best wishes