Today in Jays cinema4d lesson based on our ESting poster designs, we learnt how to set the build for the scene. This included turning illustrator files into 3D objects, adding background and lighting, and playing with text.
We began by cropping the artboard of the E4 logo in illustrator and saving the file as Illustrator 8 (cinema4d doesn’t read CC files). After opening cinema4D, we set up the format for output, this included the render settings (poster-cm/mm, present-print-portrait-A3, resolution-300dpi) and the view settings (mode/view settings/view (tick shadows and action safe 95%). First we added a background and floor and made a seamless composition to create a ‘virtual photographic studio’. Through out this we saved each step as a template to ensure we have them for future. After setting up the composition, we merged in (imported) the E4 logo and coordinated it to 0cm on both the X and Y axis. Illustrator files need closed caps to enable to extrude. To extrude we used the subdivision surface and dragged the logo onto ‘extrude object’, making it around 100-140mm. (Extrude: caps: fillet caps, steps 3, radius 0.5). After playing with this setting we then added colour using the material menu and groud shading (lines) to show the structure of the object. Once we’d make both parts to the logo, we used bond-fit to parent so that them fitted together perfectly. We also added text and playing with the motext (mograph) option which allowed us to bend the text into different shapes and curves. The next stage involved adding light and cameras which helped to highlight areas of the scene and add shadows giving it a more realistic look. The cameras allowed you to look at your design through different angles and perspectives so when it came to rendering you could look at it through the cameras view.
I found this lesson easier than most cinema4d lessons as it was the basics of creating 3D objects and text. I also hadn’t used the camera and light setting before so this was quite interesting. I am pleased with my out come as a test run and enjoyed playing with different positions of the camera to look at it through different views. It was also interesting creating the shadows of the text in the background using the lighting options. Turning the E4 logo into a 3D piece is something that will probably be quite useful in the future as it will allow me to create my own 3D logos or objects if I ever wish to in other projects and I feel once I get the hang of it I will be able to do this much quicker in my own time. I am looking forward to creating my poster design in the next lesson, however I am quite worried about the length of time it may take me due to the amount of detail. I have chosen the theme of food and TV and feel it will be quite time consuming and probably difficult to do this as I am not yet confident enough to be building these types of objects.