Galactic Encounter of a Different Kind

Los Angeles-based Imaginary Forces is always on the lookout for tools that meet or exceed the standards set forth by their demanding team of artists. This creates an ideal environment for testing Cinema 4D Release 16.

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Imaginary Forces is a well-known name among LA studios. A look at the IF website reveals a wide variety of notable projects on which the team has worked. One of the tools that plays a major role in their everyday work is Cinema 4D. As soon as the beta version of Cinema 4D R16 had been made available the team at IF was very curious about its new features. This was particularly true for Creative Director Ryan Summers, who was very interested in the variety of new possibilities that Cinema 4D R16 had to offer: tools like Polygon Pen, improved sculpting and the impressive materials created using the new Reflectance Channel made a lasting impression on him.

Even before the final version of R16 had been made available, Ryan and his team decided to create a short film to put the new version through its paces under nearly realistic conditions. The new R16 features in particular had to be put to the test. Ryan also decided to let the tools themselves star in the film. Functions such as Polygon Pen, Reflectance channel and Solo button were given starring roles.

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The film is a science-fiction story in which a small, somewhat rickety space shop is attacked by a large battle cruiser. Despite its apparent superiority, it's always outwitted by the small, rickety underdog, who first conjures up a more powerful booster engine using the Polygon Pen tool to escape the first attack and then uses its own reflectivity created with the Reflectance channel to stave off a laser attack. As a last - and finally successful - resort, the small ship uses the Solo button to make the cruiser disappear.

Presented as an instructional film from the Hyperspace Travel Security Authority, the film is somewhat reminiscent of classics such as Duck and Cover' or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and brings smiles to the faces of those who watch it.

With this Cinema 4D pilot project, Ryan Summers not only wanted to put new features to the test, he also wanted to find out just how quickly newcomers can learn how to use Cinema 4D. For example, the ZBrush and Maya expert Amir Karim was asked to do the modeling and sculpting. This was Amir's first project using Cinema 4D exclusively. Amir said, I thought that it would definitely be an interesting experience using Cinema 4D instead of my usual software for this project. Soon after getting started I was very surprised to find all the tools that I also know from Maya, and I was able to get rolling without any major interruptions. Especially the fact that I was able to apply the Sculpt tools to normal geometry that hadn't been subdivided in any special way turned out to be very helpful.

Character artist Richard Deforno also took part in the project and was fascinated by Cinema 4D's comprehensive set of functions and how seamlessly Cinema 4D could be integrated into his existing workflow. Thanks to the wide range of available functions you almost never have to leave Cinema 4D, which means that you can complete almost every phase of work directly in Cinema 4D! While working with Cinema 4D, Richard constantly discovered new advantages to working with Cinema 4D and also encountered stereotypes: Many times, colleagues would watch me work and they would tell me that they thought Cinema 4D was only a motion graphics tool. They had animated fonts and flying letters and were pleasantly surprised and excited when they saw me animate the character - especially when they saw how easy it was to work with Cinema 4D."

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What was particularly interesting according to Glen Snyder, who is responsible for pipeline development at Imaginary Forces was: The Python interface is clearly documented and makes it possible for me to program tools for everything that Cinema 4D does not offer as a standard tool. This means that you don't have to leave Cinema 4D when performing various tasks in your everyday work.

Everyone who worked with Cinema 4D on this project had a positive reaction: the possibilities that the new features and functions in Cinema 4D R16 offered, its stability and the expansive range of uses means that it can come to fruition in just about any production situation. Ryan Summers is very satisfied after completing this first run : We can hardly wait to use Cinema 4D R16 for our commercial production. I think that the way Cinema 4D is perceived will change in the near future. We are encountering consistently more artists who previously swore by another software package and are now achieving spectacular results in just a short time with Cinema 4D. The entire 3D production landscape will change significantly.

Website Imaginary Forces:

www.imaginaryforces.com/

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