That's great! Ironically, I work in the secondary packaging industry, so endless loops is pretty much all I ever deal with
I have been told C4D is a "surface" modeler, while SolidWorks (as a CAD package) is a parametric "solids" modeler - near as I can tell, it seems to be the 3D equivalent to raster (C4D) vs vector (SW). I use Okino NuGraf to convert the .SLDASM files into .C4D files, but there is no going the other way.
So there is something about the pure mathematical/formulaic representation of the 3D object (without tessellation), which, in my uneducated opinion, is likely at the heart of how/why C4D constraints don't behave as precise/consistent as corresponding mates in SolidWorks.
I did try a quick test using the hinge object (since each joint only operates in one plane), and aside from some funny jittery behavior, it behaves well in terms of the joints respecting each other (of course, all it can do right now is just fall down and swing uselessly like a limp arm). I am just not sure how I can use the simulation engine to constrain the beginning of that "hinge chain" to a given point/orientation. Not sure if that is even possible, but that would be mimicking the CAD world of SolidWorks.
I hadn't looked into limits on the joints - I will need to try those as well!
Thanks again,
~MV