Cineversity

This is a very basic and probably dumb question, but it’s something I’ve never understood and can’t get working. My C4d strengths have always been in lighting and texturing, not in modeling. I’m trying to model this shape with bevels and polygon selections, but using booles gives me very weird results, specifically at the edges where I’d like to bevel and smooth them out.

What is the best way to create this type of shape?

Hi Hooligan,

Please have a look here (updated to R23)
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/Sh3SYNGQ8liG0fZWLYCRLnEwWHiNm9NjIVmef1wvisP
This has some limitations.

Booleans cut through a polygon. But, what you see, is typically an object that is smoothed via a Phong Tag.
https://help.maxon.net/us/#TPHONG-ID_TAGPROPERTIES
Booleans do not care about Phong tags on a polygon level, at least not where one object is smooth and where it cuts with another smoothed surface. It cares about the flat (never round) polygon. Here is the problem, and there is no remedy for that, except, you have a geometry that has edges exactly where the other object has those. With Spheres that is often not a given.

Please have a look at the scene file
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/5gENu6yMfJIFXYFoNLSRy3nGp9Bh2gSdGFJbScdWEGQ

Render frame zero. This would be the ideal case. Again pretty rare.
Press the playhead and stop 24 frames later, render. Forward 24 frames again and render. Etc.

A decade ago, I suggested creating those edges with the knife. It works, but it takes a while. Perhaps too long in most cases.

If you like to get those shapes, perhaps try the Volume options, discussed here:
https://www.cineversity.com/vidplaylist/new_in_cinema_4d_r20_volumetric_workflow/volumetric_workflow_what_are_volumes_and_voxel_grids

I hope that answers your question.

All the best

Thank you so much! I’ll dig deeper into this on Monday.

You’re very welcome, Hooligan, thanks for the reply.

There are many ways to model. Modeling is indeed a job in its own right. I often use the idea of playing chess: the more strokes you can think ahead, the better your chances to get what you want. In other words, the right tool for the right job, and sometimes it’s just work.

Perhaps Volume Modeling it is, or just using splines as a knife (projecting) and going from there. Cuts in Spheres with Spheres is undoubtedly on the more sophisticated side of things.

All the best

P.S.: As usual, my idea is to do it or be quiet about (mostly…). Always with the idea, a scene file works or it doesn’t, I’m not happy to guess.

So I went and tried to model it from the image.

This is just “sketch” but it is all done with native tools in Cinema 4D.
Scene file and screen-shot:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/1NoHA66MqR2uMChV44xHLkUuGVlOOc36DwydKIM9YZo

I think the best idea would be to point to this thread and suggest a tutorial (series) about it.
https://www.cineversity.com/forums/viewforum/96/

Having taught and mentored uncounted people for 15 years by now, please allow me to suggest to start with something simpler. Please understand that all I have to go on is what you have said so far and that I have no clue how fast you might learn nor what method would be best to get you up to speed on that subject.

My personal take on tutorials which might provide a breath-taking result, but overwhelm someone with only a few hours of modeling experience has two primary outcomes:
a) the result lead to the idea to be higher skilled than it is, and necessary steps are ignored to learn, which will hunt you forever;
b) the steep threshold will punch the fun out of the learning and leaves the before willing to learn with a bad feeling about the subject.

I would like that you enjoy the ride, and most needed parts that are needed to know are certainly just essential tools.  To understand those means to play that game more fluently. Again, modeling is a job in its own rights, and it needs some time to get comfortable.

What I have told people so far in their early modeling hours, look around, explore any object: a can, a fork, a table, etc., how would it be built in Cinema 4D? This kind of training can be done everywhere, without a computer, and uses even time that we waste waiting for something. This is a modelers mantra. The more you see shapes as a tool based result, the faster you will get up to speed.

Thanks for your patience reading along.

Let me know if you have a question, let me know.

Cheers

Wow, thanks! This is truly above and beyond!

Time to dive into this and see how you built it.

You’re very welcome, Hooligan, thanks for the kind feedback.

The central part of this model is undoubtedly the “three-arm-with-a-hole” element.
It is eight times in the model.
If you have a closer look, it can be modeled with just a 1/6th of the final element. One time mirrored and then rotated 120º + and - t get the full mesh.

To see those options to mirror and clone, is part of the development to become a fast modeler.

Here is a file that contains a trick that I have used around a decade ago for a short movie. The idea is to force the points via Spherify into the Sphere position (or elliptical if the scale is adjusted)

I have added the needed guides to snap the points on.

Project File (the sphere needs to be editable (press key c but first adjust the segments of the sphere)
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/XH5vci2UvPE2X7pwmVk1tYUrJRcjISia1dZ5lGqqWiw

If done, use the current State To Object
This would be not my ideal, though, to throw at an entry-level class. But you asked, and I certainly want to introduce you to the idea, there is NOT a single way to do it “right”, it is each time a creative process.

Enjoy