Cinema 4D Vector Art: Using Sketch and Toon with Adobe Illustrator
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While almost every 3D application renders a raster image, Maxon's Cinema 4D - armed with the optional Sketch and Toon also renders vector art as well. You can use the software as a design tool, implementing Sketch and Toon to illustrate your geometry. Then, you can export it to Adobe's Illustrator to take advantage of the vector artwork produced by Sketch & Toon. With only a few clicks, you can take your 3D project and produce completely scalable splines.
It's paramount to note that some of the preset styles are based on alpha channels produced by JPEG or TIFF images in the default library. If you use these, you won't be able to achieve the same look in Illustrator automatically (although work-arounds are available). Still, you will be able to use the vector art for web design, as a print compliment to an accompanying animation package, or even to create elements for use within Adobe's After Effects.
Notes:
- Cinema 4D and the Sketch & Toon module can purchased a lá carte, or get it bundled when you purchase a Studio Bundle license.
- The project files include the Cinema 4D file, Illustrator file and PDF of tutorial
Instructions
First, you'll need to create some geometry. I've created a simple extrusion using some basic spline shapes.
- Add Cogwheel shape.
I've modified the attributes a bit, changing the number of teeth to 10.
- Add a Circle.
I've edited it so that its radius is smaller than inner radius of the Cog Wheel.
Make the two splines editable by selecting them and pressing 'C' (default shortcut) on the keyboard, or selecting it from the file pulldown menu : Functions -> Make Editable.
- Then select both the Circle and Cogwheel and connect the two splines. You can do it from the same pulldown : Functions -> Connect.
- Drop it into an Extrude NURBS object, and change the attributes to reflect a 2-step constrained bevel. (Note: If you don't select constrain, you'll gain scale around the profile of your extrusion.) I've increased the radius of the fillet cap to 10m. I've nudged the object's extrusion movement out a bit to 50m as well.
At the simplest level of Sketch & Toon, all you have to do is add the material. You don't even need to add the material tag to the object (unless you intend to create multiple styles - covered in another tutorial). In the materials window, select File -> Sketch Material.
Once you've selected the Sketch Material, you'll get attributes that are quite a bit different from the normal material options you'll find in this window. The Sketch attributes have three control settings, Simple, Intermediate and Advanced. Each one opens up a different amount of parameters, allowing you different access to the "look" of the render.
Another result of adding a Sketch Material is the automatic activation of the Sketch & Toon effect in the Render Settings.
Checking out the Attributes of the Sketch Material, you'll find the parameter for "Main" in even the most simple configuration. In the main parameters, you'll find the selection for control level, as well as a parameter for selecting one of several presets that ship with Sketch & Toon. You can add your own here as well.
For this demonstration, I'll choose the preset: "Pencil (Rough Sketch)". As mentioned above, some of the stroke render settings are based on JPEG's and Tiff images, so you may not get exactly what you'd find rendered in Cinema's raytraced render, but you'll be able to create some interesting vector design work regardless.
7. All that's left is to select "Export" from the file pulldown menu.
This will produce an Illustrator compatible file with separate groups that will allow you to edit groups of splines quite easily. Use them together or pull them apart to use individually. Sketch & Toon opens up the possibilities for Maxon's Cinema 4D.
Open the saved file in Illustrator and edit the spline shapes as you want.
Ko Maruyama is a freelance animator and instructor at Art Center School of Design in Pasadena. You can find him online in several forums, or via his email at treelined@mac.com