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C4D plugin Ideas for developers


HappyPolygon

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  • Customer

Over the years I've sent MAXON hundreds of requests for small and big new features, additions and enhancements. Some where considered seriously, some were dully noted, some were too ahead of their time, some were stupid.

Here I will be posting some of my old suggestions that haven't been implemented or conceived by anyone yet.

 

I think developing a plugin is something like being an artist, sometimes you have the energy and the talent but you just don't have the inspiration. This is the reason why I make this post. To help spark some of you to create something that will help you and others.

 

Just don't forget to call dibs on a project to avoid unwanted competition...

 

If you like an idea and considering implementing it for free just mention it to raise a hype 🥳

 

Not all are ideas for plugins, some can be templates, XPresso rigs, Material Node setups or Scene Node setups, the final form is up you.

 

A warning though... I don't guarantee any of these have never been scheduled for future development from MAXON, or they won't reconsider implementing them if they see them here... But I assure you I wont be posting suggestions I sent them last year...

Edited by HappyPolygon (see edit history)
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  • Customer

Pixel Stretch

 

Development Difficulty (5/10)

 

If developed by Maxon it would be an extra option in the Material Tag properties. As a plugin I guess it can have the form of a Tag or Material Node but probably a Shader is best.

Enables boundary pixels of textures to stretch on all directions filling the rest of the space.

Available in all projection modes except UVW Mapping and when Tile and Seamless are disabled.

 

Example

 

image.png.9a7338f20b4e05397dd47ee428785038.pngimage.png.248cacf79a8209581ca22aae2aa32653.pngimage.png.bace0e79064e79d29e0dd7d6887b4ccf.png

 

1) Original texture. 2) Pixel Stretch disabled. 3) Pixel Stretch Enabled (actually in viewport the pixel stretch effect is present as a side-effect at least up to R23).

Edited by HappyPolygon (see edit history)
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  • Customer

SAVE/LOAD COMPRESSED PROJECTS

 

Development Difficulty (7/10)

 

If developed by Maxon it would look like this:

 

image.png.7c619c8ca883af8b93ac5a279c4ed5fe.png

 

C4D files are very compressible. I wonder why Maxon hasn't come up with a more compact file format. It might have to do with memory and CPU usage during saving and loading a scene.

 

Useful plugin for users wanting to limit space on their HD, or share their projects very often with low speeds or store them online in limited storage hosts.

 

(Project assets like textures are not compressed)

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  • Customer

RELAUNCH APPLICATION OPTION

 

Difficulty Level (2/10)

 

There are times when users need to relaunch the application.

Reasons to do this:

  • App acts weird
  • App got heavy during PC hibernation
  • Regular tests of plugins during their development
  • Regular tests on configurations taking place at start-up

 

image.png.7aa7fcb5e9927219a32e5a6a50b668f9.png

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  • Customer

CLONER SHADER

 

Difficulty Level (8/10)

 

This procedural shader emulates a 2D cloner.

It was easy enough to make this using Material nodes but hit a wall with the Scatter context node intersecting clones and not having a clue on how to randomly apply different colors to each fragment.

 

The shader includes all the usual attributes of a cloner with the main exception that instead of accepting objects it accepts closed splines as clones.

In addition it contains an Outline for the clones and possibly a Bevel Outline option. An input shader for the background and a Fill Shader for the splines and also a Random Color Fill as demonstrated in the last example below.

 

image.png.0753ba157d3d1126c647b5121a6c986b.png

Edited by HappyPolygon (see edit history)
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7 minutes ago, HappyPolygon said:

CLONER SHADER

 

Difficulty Level (8/10)

 

This procedural shader emulates a 2D cloner.

It was easy enough to make this using Material nodes but hit a wall with the Scatter context node intersecting clones and not having a clue on how to randomly apply different colors to each fragment.

 

The shader includes all the usual attributes of a cloner with the main exception that instead of accepting objects it accepts closed splines as clones.

In addition it contains an Outline for the clones and possibly a Bevel Outline option. An input shader for the background and a Fill Shader for the splines and also a Random Color Fill as demonstrated in the last example below.

 

image.png.0753ba157d3d1126c647b5121a6c986b.png

You can do all this using the Vector Graphics tools in 4D Paint. It supports using MoGraph cloners to distribute shapes.

 

It’s all free.

 

https://www.plugins4d.com/Product/Vector

 

https://www.plugins4d.com/4DPaint

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RADIAL CUT TOOL

 

Difficulty Level (8/10) (Even cuts is easy to do, but odd cuts is tricky)

 

Similar to the Plane Cut tool. It offers a Radial functionality in all three planes (XY,XZ,ZY).

 

image.png.0d4a5c91fadf780e906ece96c6f279e4.png

 

As a power bonus it also provides a Radial Offset. One for the radial array and one for the center.

 

image.png.fd455e6854f7d5b8178ad016aa05b917.pngimage.png.16d2e55a9dd93e58a55cc12b614de43a.png

 

 

Edited by HappyPolygon (see edit history)
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On 9/26/2022 at 1:03 AM, HappyPolygon said:

RELAUNCH APPLICATION OPTION

 

Difficulty Level (2/10)

 

There are times when users need to relaunch the application.

Reasons to do this:

  • App acts weird
  • App got heavy during PC hibernation
  • Regular tests of plugins during their development
  • Regular tests on configurations taking place at start-up

 

image.png.7aa7fcb5e9927219a32e5a6a50b668f9.png

 

Difficulty: 0 
:)

Relaunch.py

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18 hours ago, HappyPolygon said:

RADIAL CUT TOOL

 

Difficulty Level (8/10) (Even cuts is easy to do, but odd cuts is tricky)

 

Similar to the Plane Cut tool. It offers a Radial functionality in all three planes (XY,XZ,ZY).

 

image.png.0d4a5c91fadf780e906ece96c6f279e4.png

 

As a power bonus it also provides a Radial Offset. One for the radial array and one for the center.

 

image.png.fd455e6854f7d5b8178ad016aa05b917.pngimage.png.16d2e55a9dd93e58a55cc12b614de43a.png

 

 

I think what you are suggesting here can only be done by converting an odd number of cuts into an even number by doubling the number of divisions and then removing the excess geometry.

 

For example, to do a radial cut with five parts, you would do a radial cut with ten parts using properly oriented plane cuts. Then you would remove the extra edges/points after the cuts are made, to reduce the number of cuts back to five. I can think of no other way, due to how C4D handles ngons. other than to recreate the geometry (being cut) from scratch with the odd number of cuts already in place.

 

Edited by SharpEars (see edit history)
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  • Customer
4 hours ago, SharpEars said:

I think what you are suggesting here can only be done by converting an odd number of cuts into an even number by doubling the number of divisions and then removing the excess geometry.

 

For example, to do a radial cut with five parts, you would do a radial cut with ten parts using properly oriented plane cuts. Then you would remove the extra edges/points after the cuts are made, to reduce the number of cuts back to five. I can think of no other way, due to how C4D handles ngons. other than to recreate the geometry (being cut) from scratch with the odd number of cuts already in place.

 

I think the correct solution involves an operation like the Poke Node as the first step. The center of the Radial Cut will first create a point inside a polygon and then extend linear cuts outwards. Then it just cleans up/melts the unnecessary edges created on the first polygon due to the Poke operation.

 

I think C4D still can't cut a polygon "free-hand". It has to be a through and through cut all the way from on side of the polygon to the other in a straight line. It can't create intermediate points inside a single polygon. If it can do what I call "free-hand cut" then it will be much easier to cut odd numbered slices and it can also be done in screen space.

Edited by HappyPolygon (see edit history)
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  • Customer

META GROUPS

 

Difficulty Level (6/10)

 

This is an odd idea. I'm still not quite sure if it's helpful or not.

 

image.png.b3f8a023b93698557e60b05f2e76c03c.png MetaGroups is a tool for manipulating a number of objects scattered across the Object Manager in different levels of hierarchy.
It’s a little bit of crossbreed between a Group, an object reference manager an Exresso rig and a Take System.

 

As an Object reference manager, this object doesn’t require any object under it’s hierarchy. The user only has to drag the objects in the Metagroups’ manager list.

 

There could be an AutoGroup option (right click) where all objects under a group or all objects in a scene can be put under a usual group object based on their material or object type.
 

image.png.53cb4206c6e9a3559f7a3e1d40d1c146.png

 

From inside the list the user can have direct access to the properties and tags of the selected object.
 

Inside the list a Group Folder can be created where objects of the same type can be placed.
 

Once inside a Group Folder, objects cannot be changed individually. The user can now choose the Group Folder and have access to all common properties of the contents as if it were just one object. Changing one parameter will effect all objects inside the Group Folder.

 

Each parameter of a Group Folder has a image.png.6209fb0e5714d54ef0215e693b0d53c4.png that, when enabled, will prevent that parameter to be affected by the MetaGroup giving users some extrafreedom for diversity.

 

Higher priority over object properties has the MetaGroup Object. Any property with a lock enabled under it prevents the user from changing values under the original object’s attributes.

 

MetaGroups can be enabled or disabled. Any object parameters change will not be reverted when the MetaGroup is disabled unless their state is cached as a saved state and later retrieved from a cache tab.


As a Group this object can be very useful for animations were objects have to be moved under a new pivot point like a piece on a Rubic’s Cube. This can be done when an object belongs to multiple MetaGroups. Only one MetaGroup can have influence on an Object that is referenced in many Metagroups. Enabling a Metagroup with a duplicate reference will automatically disable the other.
 

Edited by HappyPolygon (see edit history)
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