Hi ddixon,
Unfortunately not in one step.
For my own photo-work, I have often used a new UV projection to get exactly what I need. According to this, I have set up a converter for you, as you asked for. Please use it in the following way:
The file below contains a scene file: “…_01.c4d” This shows how the file has to be rendered. I would always go with an OpenEXR file in 32bit float, to have the highest precision.
The resulting file, is then used in scenfile “…_11.c4d”, there into the material>Luminance channel. From there you render it out, That’s all. One single extra step, which works in the same way for animation.
Scene file:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/SforLYydKSvP9ZOPrf98AjCUsZoJL2WA68PuzZJLabH
The Pre-image has the same name as the initial file, to keep it low in size I chose a small resolution 8K for a 4K seems better, or what ever you chose. I typically work in 25K pixels wide.
The result in in 4K to really stress the point that the image used should be better in resolution.
Preview Image (result_11):
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/4lvyOiFVotOk9WxBcTKwmYCoGPj5DZl4IIEbD6Pd0Gc
To create your own “template” or converter, here is a quick overview.
https://youtu.be/DQMPsSZj7Cw
You will find more about this on my verified YouTube account. There are more tips to even adjust those, if you find any distortions in it.
I hope that supports your target. If there is any question, I’m happy to look into it.
All the best