Jeff H1

I don't intend on posting any more updates to the scripts here. I think it serves its purpose for me. This was just me sharing with you guys and maybe getting ideas for other ways us non-programmers can use AI to make small workflow scripts. I know Greyscalegorilla recently released a small script pack where Chad used AI to help write for him.

I wanted to move a lot of free Blender objects and scenes into C4D. I tried a free IO plugin on Gumroad which could copy/paste between Blender and C4D apparently using FBX. Many times the materials didn't have textures or were referencing ones that were misnamed in the conversion. I decided to try USD instead and it seemed to work better. Full scenes of objects w/materials came across including converted RS materials. While it wasn't perfect as any materials with transparency had that parameter lost in the process, it was better than straight FBX. I had ChatGPT then come up with a couple of scripts, one for Blender and the other for C4D. The one from blender would simply copy selected geo a temp USD file. In C4D, the script would copy that temp file into the existing scene. I eventually added to it to allow the Blender scene to unpack and write any textures to disk before exporting the USD. That's because some Blender scene files have their textures packed inside the file and it seemed like the USD export didn't grab them. Somewhere along the way with the rewrites I had it do, it decided to export the whole scene (incl cameras). I'm ok with that for now. I also had ChatGPT create an icon for the C4D script. I didn't do one for blender since the devs hate any real customization like putting custom buttons on the UI or other fun stuff (without coding it with serpens). I know you can add an icon in the addon but I hate the UX of the addon tabs anyways. Included below is the bundle. Install in blender as an addon. You'll find the addon in the addons tabs. Install in C4D as a script. Apply the icon to the script and place the script anywhere on the UI if you want. It asked if I wanted to create it as a plugin but I didn't go that route. NOTE: This is free. Do whatever with it. During the modifications of the scripts in ChatGPT I specifically told it I'm using Blender 4.4.3 and C4D 2025.2.1. I can't verify this will work on older/future versions of either software. It's the environment I'm using now so I built it as such. It does make me wonder if some of the old scripts/plugins could be reinvigorated w/GPT to make them work with newer versions of C4D. usd_io_blender and c4d.zip

I wanted to test out ChatGPT converting RS Standard Materials to OpenPBR. After 30 minutes of correcting it I gave up. I changed the Redshift_Material_ID to 5703 after it suggested I check the material ID through another script it created. I still couldn't get it to work. I ended up running out of my free credits. Is this functionality going to be in the next C4D 2025 update? I had submitted a request on Maxon's site but it goes into the void. It did mention one thing: If Maxon exposes official Redshift Python API for 2025+, it might become possible, but as of now, it’s limited. ChatGPT called out Maxon? This was one of the versions it created. The first iteration actually had a section for specific texture inputs: transfer_texture(rs_material, "diffuse_color", openpbr_node, "base_color") transfer_texture(rs_material, "refl_roughness", openpbr_node, "roughness") transfer_texture(rs_material, "bump_input", openpbr_node, "normal") ---------------------------------------------------------- import c4d REDSHIFT_MATERIAL_ID = 1036229 # Redshift material type ID (adjust if needed) OPENPBR_MATERIAL_ID = 1036227 # OpenPBR material type ID (adjust if needed) # The node ID string to identify Redshift node graph — you may need to adjust this based on your scene/plugins REDSHIFT_NODESPACE_STR = "com.redshift3d.redshift3dnodegraph" def find_nodegraph_by_id(root_node, id_string): """ Recursively search nodes starting from root_node to find nodegraph by ID string """ if not root_node: return None # Check current node's type ID string if root_node.GetTypeName() == id_string: return root_node # Recursively check children for i in range(root_node.GetDownCount()): child = root_node.GetDown(i) found = find_nodegraph_by_id(child, id_string) if found: return found return None def convert_redshift_to_openpbr(): doc = c4d.documents.GetActiveDocument() mats = doc.GetMaterials() changed = False for mat in mats: print(f"Checking material: {mat.GetName()}") # Check if this is a Redshift material if mat.GetType() != REDSHIFT_MATERIAL_ID: print(" - Not a Redshift material, skipping.") continue # Get Node Material reference nodemat = mat.GetNodeMaterialReference() if not nodemat: print(" - No node material found.") continue # Get root node root_node = nodemat.GetRootNode() if not root_node: print(" - No root node found.") continue # Find Redshift node graph inside root node by ID string rs_graph = find_nodegraph_by_id(root_node, REDSHIFT_NODESPACE_STR) if not rs_graph: print(" - No Redshift node graph found.") continue # Here you would copy or remap the textures/nodes from Redshift graph to OpenPBR graph # For demo, just create a new OpenPBR material and replace the old material in document print(" - Creating new OpenPBR material.") new_mat = c4d.BaseMaterial(OPENPBR_MATERIAL_ID) new_mat.SetName(mat.GetName() + "_OpenPBR") # Insert new material doc.InsertMaterial(new_mat) # Optional: Transfer textures/connections here if possible # Replace material in objects (simplified example) for obj in doc.GetObjects(): if obj.GetMaterial() == mat: obj.SetMaterial(new_mat) # Remove old Redshift material (optional) doc.RemoveMaterial(mat) changed = True print(f" - Converted material: {mat.GetName()} to {new_mat.GetName()}") if changed: c4d.EventAdd() print("Conversion complete, scene updated.") else: print("No Redshift materials found to convert.") if __name__ == "__main__": convert_redshift_to_openpbr()

It felt like it was trying to be a more advanced AE with the timeline of AE, but some of the more advanced 3D features you find in other compositing software. For instance, you could bring in USD/GLTF assets and assign or create PBR materials. I tried it and was more frustrated than anything. This guy explains some of the features. Many of the comments echo what others have said, which is bad UX/UI and a lot of this stuff you can do in other software already.

I guess we'll see a $200 increase in Maxon One subscriptions coming later this year. :[ It'll be interesting to see when Red Giant tools get integrated and if C4D will one day render directly in whatever Autograph is morphed into.

https://www.maxon.net/en/article/autograph-acquisition A Message from Left Angle June 5, 2025 Left Angle, the maker of Autograph, was created with a bold vision: to rethink compositing from the ground up and build a modern toolset for motion designers and visual effects artists. We’ve been incredibly proud of what we accomplished — and deeply grateful to the artists, studios, and partners who joined us on that journey. As of today, our business is winding down in its entirety and our team is beginning a new chapter. With this transition, our website and all related channels will go offline. While this chapter is ending, we’re hopeful about what’s ahead and what we can create. We’re working on a path forward and expect to share more in the future. Thank you for your support! – Left Angle For questions, email: leftanglesupport@maxon.net

Ah... had to look it up... 🙂 https://conferenceonarchitecture.com/

Maxon just posted their Arch Viz reel. It seems like some of the work in the reel bleeds into interior design and product vis too. Very elegant.

Maxon just posted their Arch Viz reel. Is there a lot of work out there for C4D artists in the arch viz space? Or is the reel meant as a teaser for Redshift in Vectorworks?

I think we're the older crowd who have been used to forums for a long time. Younger generation loves discord, IG and Tiktok for answers. Platforms like that make me feel like I'm getting ADHD. Stuff is all over the place and you may never find posts after viewing them once. With IG and tiktok, if you don't like or save a post you'll probably never see it again.

RANT Is there ever going to be a time when C4D just makes a cut without having us guess whether or not we should use the knife or polygon pen tool, REGARDLESS of how imperfect the geo is? It's 2025. We shouldn't have to babysit C4D as it determines if it can perform a function or not. We shouldn't have to perform multiple steps with multiple cuts, when the tool should be able to perform one cut.. one time. If the answer is "use this tool when the geo is imperfect this way, and that tool if it's that way..." then how about make one tool work both ways under the hood? Even Connect Points/Edges would be more brilliant if it intelligently knew "ok to connect this point to that point, I have to cross this edge that doesn't have a point so I'll create one and continue doing what I need to do to get to the other selected point" just a made up sample.

Ahh now I get what you did there. Yeah that is a bit rough!

You can try pushing the ports into groups which will then give them separate tabs. I think it's been somewhat broken/confusing for a while. Things just don't quite work right. For instance you can create groups and rename them but the names don't stick outside of the resource editor. Edit: I never found a way to have the Inputs automatically appear in the Attributes Editor for the Material. It would be so much nicer to expose those at the material attribute level than having to go into the material and then click on the node group to expose the tweakable inputs. Maybe it does work that way and I am just clicking wrong or exposing it improperly. You have to do some strange work arounds like edit the port (right click on it, Edit Port) then give it a new Group Identifier) Then go back into the Resource Editor and make a groups with the same group identifier names. the drag the ports into those named groups. You can also expose the parameters outside of the shader with a User Data tag but it's a bit more work to set up and can't be saved to the asset library as the material and the user data tag are separate.

have you thought about applying it in post, whether ae, fu or nuke? Some of the plugins like Sapphire and Red Giant have pretty flexible glows with different ways to tweak matte and background sources. Add a bit of light wrap too.

Thanks. I hadn't seen anything from GDC or NAB so I was concerned Maxon was scaling back on its event coverage. I look forward to seeing these when posted.

NAB is another event Maxon advertises guest speakers but doesn't stream or show the recorded live event afterward. Instead they put up 30 second videos on IG with goofy music for each presenter. Maxon was always a leader in live streaming from the events they went to. What happened Maxon?

Another $100 plugin from Rocket Lasso....

You may be able to recover a backup in the same folder as your C4D files:

Jut after a few minutes of testing and a few crashes, I think OpenPBR shader doesn't work with Material translation (Viewport/Export) Baking enabled. I was reworking nodes and it kept crashing. I turned it back to Draft and so far no crashes.

I started in on the OpenPBR material with the new Redshift. I was surprised to see it in there till I saw that Autodesk also included it in Arnold this last release as well. The future is now... OpenPBR. Saul Espinosa says it's the only shader he uses now (RS + Houdini). Subsequently, I just sent a ticket to maxon to have it included in the default material dropdown.

Autodesk released 2026 versions of their apps

Substance 3D updates shown at GDC. Yes... an INDIE bundle. NO.... mention of deepened support for C4D with expanded USD (or material X). https://www.awn.com/news/adobe-substance-3d-updates-unveiled-gdc Substance 3D Painter - The ‘Filled Path’ feature is a new Path Type that allows users to ‘fill in’ a shape traced on a model’s surface. Path improvements aim to give greater precision and flexibility. A new unified export window streamlines exporting. Substance 3D Designer - Introduces improved rendering technology for more realistic previews. Substance 3D Indie Bundle - Includes pro tools for independent creators who want access to professional-grade tools at a lower price. The software also boasts deepened support for Blender, Unreal Engine, Unity, 3ds Max, and Maya. Expanded Universal Scene Description (USD) support allows for smoother and more efficient asset movement between applications. Press release from Adobe: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/03/17/create-faster-export-smarter-whats-new-in-substance-3d-painter

Unless it’s not in File. Maybe it’s a tag? We’ll see!

it doesn't look like Maxon is streaming while at GDC, or at least I don't see anything on their YT or website. https://www.maxon.net/en/event/gdc-game-developers-conference-2025