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    How to extract thumbnail image from .c4d file without Cinema 4D installed?

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    • C
      cancel-currency last edited by Dr. Sassi

      I want to extract the thumbnail image from a .c4d file without having Cinema 4D installed on my system. I noticed that there is a win_thumbnail.dll file located at Maxon Cinema 4D Rxx/resource/libs/win64/. Can I use this DLL to achieve my goal?
      Also I'm trying to use tools like WinHex to open the file header of a .c4d file and find relevant information, but I don't know the detailed structure of the file. So, where is the thumbnail of a c4d file stored?
      it will be great if someone give me a hand.:)

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      • Dr. Sassi
        Dr. Sassi last edited by

        Hi cancel-currency,

        I'm unclear what you are suggesting here: Cinema 4D is not installed, but it is installed and provides the .dll file. It is either one or the other.

        The manual is pretty clear; there is no native option:
        https://help.maxon.net/c4d/2023/en-us/Default.htm#html/DDOC-DOCUMENT_INFO_GROUP1.html#DOCUMENT_PREVIEW_COMMAND

        Click on the file for the information and screenshot the image, which would be my way on Mac.

        Perhaps check in the Developer Café.
        https://developers.maxon.net/?_gl=11hc4bew_gcl_au*MjA4NzI4NjM4OC4xNjg1OTA5NTYw

        All the best

        All the best

        Dr. Sassi Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
        Senior Trainer, Maxon Master Trainer
        Cinema 4D mentor since 2004, Member of VES, DCS.

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        • C
          cancel-currency @Dr. Sassi last edited by

          @Dr-Sassi
          I apologize for the confusion caused by my previous response. My goal is to create software that can display thumbnails of .c4d files, regardless of whether the user has Cinema 4D installed. Therefore, my question is how to correctly retrieve the thumbnail of a .c4d file in an environment without Cinema 4D installed.

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          • C
            cancel-currency @Dr. Sassi last edited by

            @Dr-Sassi
            Perhaps I can obtain the relevant functions from the Cinema 4D SDK to launch a .c4d scene in the background and capture a screenshot. However, I believe this approach might be too resource-intensive. Does the .c4d file already contain a pre-generated thumbnail, and how can I retrieve it?

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            • Dr. Sassi
              Dr. Sassi last edited by Dr. Sassi

              Thanks for clearing it, cancel-currency.

              Perhaps that is pretty close to a request that I made, something like the application called FoolCat
              https://hedge.video/foolcat
              Which is a software that has cataloged Red Footage for me for over a decade now. It outputs HTML or PDF.
              It has expanded to catalog other footage as well. I mention it, as that is something I would like to have.

              So, I can only suggest checking with the Developer Café, where you will find the brightest minds regarding developer support for Cinema 4D.
              I do not think I would publicly share how project files are created. This goes beyond the scope of Cineversity and my concern about my own NDA.

              .

              What I can do is share some ideas, of course:
              The preview might not always hold what the current state is.

              Allow for an option to take a definable number of shoots.
              Consider allowing for takes, as the preview might be from a Take that doesn't matter.

              Perhaps gather the Project Asset Inspector to indicate if something is missing.

              List all cameras, and Render Setting names while the current is marked each time.

              All for the retrieval of the ToDo notes.

              Color Spaces used

              Render paths, so it might be easier to find renderings after a while.

              .

              So, please check with the people comfortable working with developers and know what is possible to share.

              Let me know if that doesn't work, and we will take it from there.

              All the best

              Dr. Sassi Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
              Senior Trainer, Maxon Master Trainer
              Cinema 4D mentor since 2004, Member of VES, DCS.

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              • C
                cancel-currency last edited by

                all right. thanks for your answer Dr.Sassi.

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                • Dr. Sassi
                  Dr. Sassi last edited by

                  Thanks for the reply, cancel-currency.

                  If you like some beta testers, please let me know.

                  My best wishes for your application development; as I wrote, I would enjoy having it.

                  Cheers

                  Dr. Sassi Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
                  Senior Trainer, Maxon Master Trainer
                  Cinema 4D mentor since 2004, Member of VES, DCS.

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