3D-Pangel

Well...prior to the subscription roll out you were able to show that perpetual upgrade information for multiple versions of C4D (Prime, Broadcast, Studio, etc). So why is it now so difficult? You did mention an impact if people own multiple MAXON products. Does that imply, as a Redshift owner, that my upgrade pricing for C4D and Redshift will be a bundled price that is lower than if I upgraded each separately? Just looking for clarity as what was once readily available information is now hidden (from a user perspective) and such invites suspicion. Dave

Perpetual upgrade pricing is still hidden and requires a call to the sales office. The only reason that I can think of this continual omission on their sales page and why it does not have an automatic "Buy Now" option is because perpetual upgrades are not part of MAXON's long term strategy....or that they have yet to decide if it should be a permanent part of their sales strategy. The deciding factor being the rate of annual perpetual upgrades --- if that option creates on-going revenue then it stays. If not, it goes (one less license type to manage). Only time will tell. I would love to get a solid reason from ANYONE on this as I think the answer would tell us a great deal about MAXON's view on perpetual upgrades. Dave

Sorry....but at a $69 Million dollar price tag, content is now more relevant than effort. Prior to his NFT windfall, his effort and discipline deserved praise and I too marveled at the effort without ever really seeing what he produced because that was not the point at the time. But that changed. What he created now needs to be evaluated given how much money was paid. Honestly, the guy has issues and it shows in his work....but is it art or is it a cathartic release on the part of the artist? Not sure I would pay $69M to see someone work out their problems.

Good point. We all get focused on something new while missing the most common. Anybody know how much power a data center pumps out? Huge. And they are everywhere. Want to lower carbon emissions? Log off of Twitter and Facebook. Also shut your cell phone off because those things are constantly talking to the network and all that conversation takes power. True...not as much as a render farm pumping out digital art but there are millions of cell phones out there so it adds up. I would love to see those voices most concerned about carbon emissions turn their attention to the impact cell phones and the data centers behind social media platforms have on the environment. That puts their cause squarely in their back yard to control and the sacrifice required to personally do something about even closer.

Okay..based on that link, I am not a fan as I had no prior knowledge of Beeple's work. I know that art is in the eye of the beholder so I will only speak for myself when I say that I found the subject matter rather disturbing, racist, misogynistically vulgar and overly violent. The quotes, written by Beeple himself under each individual work only support that conclusion. Was his art meant to be to be intentionally "edgy" as a means to deliver an "important" message? Not sure. Honestly, they read to me more like vulgar graffiti written on the side of a public bathroom stall than real art. But again, I speak only for myself. But whatever the intended outcome, he made a ton of money with it....which in itself is an interesting comment. I guess you need to be shocking more than good to be relevant in the art world. If I was MAXON, I would not be so eager to align myself with this work. Pretty sure that there are other artists out there who are forging their path in the NFT world that are far more deserving of MAXON's attention. Just look at the artists profiled at Kitbash3D or in our own Gallery at The Cafe! -- now that is art.

Well....as MAXON is now a parent company to Redshift, Red Giant and C4D, I can see the need for a separate logo....which implies that C4D's logo remains the blue marble we have grown to know and love just as Redshift and Red Giant have their own unique logo's. Dave

Someone at MAXON actually designed that logo? Are you sure? ...meanwhile...deep in the Millennium Entertainment corporate office a phone call is made to their brand protection team..... Dave

I agree. I think MAXON does themselves a disserve by calling these midyear releases S24...I mean they only had 6 months to work on it since R23. Rather, they should be called S23.5 in order to appropriately set expectations. Personally, I do like the new asset browser and place tools. The best plugin made by e-on for C4D was Carbon Scatter which they discontinued for reasons I cannot imagine so the new place tools are a welcome addition. The ability to download ONLY certain assets encourages me to use them more simply because prior to that change, you had to download 3 to 6Gb of content with each release and there was nothing that told you which content was new since the previous release and (more importantly) NOT included in the new library since the previous release (AKAIK). Thus I find myself with multiple content browser libraries on my hard drive taking up space. Talk about hard-drive bloat. So honestly, this is a great change. Also, always happy to see better Redshift integration as I purchased that software with their 30% off sale (it was a no-brainer purchase). Honestly, if you expect to see Redshift integration and are in need of a better rendering engine than AR, my gut feeling is that your best bet is to purchase Octane otherwise you will be waiting a long time for free Redshift. Should it happen in the future, then you are in a better position as you now have both Redshift and Octane. The continued improvement in animation tools are fulfilling a huge cry of past discontent among C4D users. Now, character animation is (IHMO) the toughest chore in 3D and skilled users are probably not in the majority. Therefore, you won't be hearing a loud chorus of praise from the user community for these changes. But if you are a C4D character animator, I would love to hear your feedback. Dave

Well...Beeple is the face of NFT (non-fungible token) based art...a blockchain data technique by which any digital content is established as ONE-OF-A-KIND. So because of that, Beeple "one-a-day" art just made him very wealthy and sold at auction for $69Million -- probably because it was the first maybe? BTW: If you want to see Beeple uncut and unfiltered, catch him at the Corridor Digital channel on YouTube. They also have a podcast on NFT's as well. Dave

A better spoiler. The business wizards at MAXON are going to announce tomorrow their sure fire and proven methodology for making money with C4D. Here is a sneak peak: Genius plan! Dave

Beeple uses his $69 Million dollar windfall from selling his crypto-art and purchases MAXON. As the new owner, he launches a new license program that if you create one piece of art every day between each release, then the cost of the next release is free. There is much rejoicing in the C4D community.

Interesting.....I always viewed his products as models of real world film/video production equipment and their place was in the pre-visualization of shooting set-ups prior to actual photography. Do these set-ups actually mimic via physical simulations the way real world cameras move? That is, how do they make the finished animation better? Dave

If MAXON purchased Insydium, then I would feel good about paying the annual $1000 for a perpetual upgrade as you would gain both Cycles GPU and a kick- particle, fluid dynamics, n-systems physics engine. But honestly, I feel that MAXON has more to gain by that acquisition than does Insydium -- so it probably will not happen. X-Particles is about 50% of the reason why I have not bolted to Blender. The Insydium team has just done a tremendous job with their pace of development, training, and being very fair with their upgrade pricing. Doesn't Insydium also push out a new release around this time of year as well? Their releases have yet to let me down --- always very exciting. Dave

Interesting discussion. I went to "Getting started" page at the SideFX site and reviewed their "Core Essentials" course outline. As expected, there is a lot of content on the interface, viewport navigation, snapping, etc. But what I was hoping to see are short mini classes into the basic functions of modeling: beveling, sub-division surfaces, extruding, etc. As a 5 hour "core essentials" course, I was a little disappointed. One other question: is EVERYTHING procedural in Houdini? I looked at Igor's node list for his golden ball (or golden snitch from Harry Potter), and there are over 70 nodes to create that object. I then wondered if modeling that in C4D would require over 70 modeling and texturing steps? I am thinking probably not. Now, as it is procedural, you are in fact creating a platform for multiple variations of that golden ball. As an analogy, the closet equivalent to C4D (pre-nodes) would be that you are creating a "golden snitch" plugin. But imagine if your only approaching to modeling anything in C4D was to create full plugin for creating that finished object! If you agree with that analogy, then as you get more involved with Houdini do you think that at some point you will be asking yourself: "Is the procedural approach really worth all this effort?" Or another way to look at is this: "How long do you think it will take you to get as proficient and as fast at modeling with Houdini as you are in C4D?" Dave

As all the modeling is procedural, then does it ONLY create quads? If so, you are starting on the right foot towards Cebera's standards 😀 One other question....what is the Help file like and can you search on an action you want to take and then get the recommended node with a full explanation of all its internal settings? Now I have ZERO understanding of Houdini, but I would imagine a good bridge between the destructive mode of modeling and the non-destructive procedural method of modeling is to help the user map their prior knowledge of destructive modeling commands (bevel, cut, bridge, etc) to the Houdini nodes (if they go by different names). Dave

So it is able to -- in real time -- work through the following steps: Figure out the 3D position of every pixel in the terrain that is has just scanned Form the 3D topology from those pixel positions Identify the gaps in that topology (or calculate the discontinuity in the surface mesh) Reverse calculate where the best camera viewing angle would be to fill those gaps Translate that viewing angle back into a real world GPS coordinate position, and finally Direct the drone to that position and angle. Once completed, the algorithm would have to recalculate steps 1 to 3 again to insure that gap was successfully closed before moving to the next gap. Well....color me amazed. I would imagine that all the drone pilot has to do is point the drone toward the main target, define a preliminary flight path around that initial target position and then make sure there is enough memory storage and power for the drone to complete its task. At this rate, pretty soon the only thing the VFX artist or team will have to worry about is whether or not there are enough Keurig cups in the breakroom. Dave

All, We should be thankful that Adrien pointed out the issue. Regardless of your position or circumstances regarding financial support, his points are valid in that having ads get in the way of the Cafe experience is NOT good for the Cafe in any way. Let's not misinterpret bringing up a valid complaint against site performance with a negative opinion on how the Cafe funds its activities. Thankfully, our valiant owner is on the case and working to a solution. BTW: Regardless of the new name, this place will ALWAYS be "The Cafe" in my mind. Regardless of whether or not the site embraces other software programs (which would be great), it will always be "The C4D Cafe" to me. In fact, I feel compelled to shout that out that fact right now: Core4D really is THE CINEMA 4D CAFE There, that should annoy a few people....and they know who they are. Dave

The only footprint I make on the web is here at the Cafe (I avoid all social media platforms). Shamefully, for quite some time I only supported them by buying their products (mostly tutorials) and it wasn't until recent events that I became a monthly contributor. Over time, I hope people realize what a gem this place is and open up their hearts and their wallets to keep it going. We have some top notch people running it -- top notch in their C4D knowledge as well as their character. My fear is that the Cafe is a place that people largely take for granted like I did for all these years. Only until it is gone will you realize what you have lost. Dave

Dan, First off...still love your work and still mourning your absence from the plugin market. With that said, I am NOT against paying for upgrades. Here is what I am NOT willing to pay for: 1) Bug fixes...sorry, but that also includes stability improvements. 2) New licenses to match C4D upgrades (eg. same program, no major code changes, just generating a new license to work with a new version of C4D) 3) Renting the same (and not improved) program year after year. Here is what I am willing to pay for via an upgrade pricing model: New major architecture changes to continue working with significant changes to C4D's core architecture -- in essence I do believe setting up the program to work with future C4D releases is a worthy investment on my part as with it comes the potential for the next three items: New features Speed improvements Scale improvements (ability to handle much large object sets, better viewport performance, etc). And here is what I am absolutely dead-set against and where I think GSG crossed the line: Having to buy into leasing a much larger set of products in order to keep my plugin current. Why do I have to buy materials and training if I just want my plugin to work with future versions of C4D? Seriously....what were they thinking? Sorry, if I want textures I can go to Pixel Lab (who offers just as much variety in textures and models for various render engines plus ODB based products as well -- and at a much fairer price --- especially when you catch them on Black Friday). For training, I can go to Core4D, Rocket Lasso, Eye Design, Wolf 3D and a thousand other YouTube channels. Dave

What is really scary is that Greyscale Gorilla is now going the 100% subscription route. All perpetual license sales are ending. As an owner of their plugins (Signal and GorillaCam) they will only support perpetual users through the next release of C4D. If I want their plugins to work in a version of C4D after that, I have to purchase their entire subscription service for $400/year. Honestly...that is outrageous. I always appreciated their tutorials and what they did for the community but now they are as evil as Adobe (IMHO). I personally hope GSG fails at this venture and realizes that a good portion of their market is filled with people who reject all forms of subscriptions or who use C4D subscriptions begrudgingly. Even if you are forced into C4D subscriptions, you do have a choice for their plugins, libraries and tutorials. GSG is NOT the only game in town in those areas. So I want them to fail because imagine if EVERY plugin developer, tutorial maker, or library developer went to a subscription model? How much are you willing to pay EACH year for access to HDRI images you may not even be using on a regular basis? Overall...ridiculous and down right greedy. They are dead to me. The best part of GSG was Chris Schmidt so I am very glad he left GSG and is now running his own show at RocketLasso. ...and now a short plug for RocketLasso (Disclosure: I am not an affiliated with RocketLasso, Chris Schmidt or anyone who works with RocketLasso) Great site....clear well thought-out instruction. Chris simply is a great teacher. Yes...it tends to be a little heavy on the MoGraph side, but EVERYTHING you learn is ALWAYS very practical that can be applied to ANYTHING. Chris also personally responds to email (having contacted him relative to some Xpresso courses). He is extremely knowledgeable in just about all the areas of C4D. Definitely a site worth checking out. Plus RocketLasso is starting to make plugins (Recall seems very cool). Dave

Tripped across this site: wParallax that makes a OSL based plugin that creates a "room with one polygon" --- in essence an OSL shading system that converts EXR images into parallax views of an interior room by shading only 1 external polygon on the model. Very cool as it allows models of building facades to become complete interiors --- thus close-ups of those buildings are now possible. Unfortunately, as it requires OSL, it is only for C4D using Octane. I understand that Redshift is currently implementing OSL so maybe this will come to Redshift in the future as well. If you have Octane, you can actually download a free model from their web-site using this technique (scroll to the bottom of their home page). Between wParallax and Embergen, Octane supports some pretty cool stuff for C4D. Not so with Redshift as the plugins it supports (Hair Farm, Forest Pack, etc) are all Maya, Max plugins. Oh well. Dave

Well....by deprived do you mean loss of Cineversity? True that hurt but let me ask you this, how many improvements have they made to Advanced Render since MAXON purchased Redshift in 2019? I think there is more user manipulation going on than just withholding Cineversity. I think the perfect world for MAXON is that every users moves over to a subscription for ALL their products. That is why they came out with MAXON One. All the incentives are moving in that direction with negative incentives (eg. removal of Cineversity, big price increases) for people who choose a different path (eg. perpetual licenses). People are willing to play along with this plan as long as these programs continue to improve with each release either with more features and/or increased stability or power (eg. more object handling, better viewport performance, etc). People intrinsically want to see that they are getting something for their money beyond simply being able to use the program. But what NO ONE thinks about is that at some point in the future, the pace of development will slow down as the programs mature. Then the subscription user begins to ask the questions like "why am I paying $X a year just to use a program this is not improving". I think Adobe users will resonate with this opinion as they have been making these complaints for quite some time now. Unfortunately, Adobe stock continues to rise despite these complaints so while they may be winning financially their user base is extremely upset and complaining as they feel trapped. That is the long term price you are paying for your subscription licenses today. They seem like a great deal now but at some point you will feel the trap of having to continually pay for something you do not feel justifies the cost. Dave

Wow. Really amazing work and it captures so many aspects of the show that I have forgotten over the years (or put out of my mind given that the potential for something mind-blowing in the final season ended as mere dream). The only thing more outstanding than the modeling, effects, composition, texturing, camera work, pacing, editing...etc..etc...was the lighting. Just gorgeous. Was everything 3D? Was the horse 3D? Did you sneak in any live action and/or photo clip art as a multiplane effect anywhere? Sorry...I have to ask because scenes towards the end really do read as real to me. Even if it was clip art, it was very well implemented. My only disappointment is that you did not (or could not due to copywrite issues) use music by Michael Giacchino (Lost's original composer). Using the last 90 seconds of music from "Parting Words" would have just risen the piece to a different emotional level (IMHO). I actually keyed your video to that final segment of the music (fade in the music starting at 3:48 based on a 5:20 long cut of Parting Words). What makes it cool is that the classic weird musical flourish of strangeness that is typical of all Lost music which appears at the end of "Parting Words" coincides with the final scene of the island and title card. As the music builds to that point throughout the video, you should try it as it will give you chills. But still...amazing. Dave

I really don't think it was Igor's idea to change the domain name. It would make no sense for the reasons stated. To help illustrate my point, I offer a hypothetical question: How long do you think a site with the domain name "DisneyCafe" would be allowed to exist? I think that example should help people understand exactly what was behind this change. Dave P.S. BTW: "DisneyCafe" is available for sale at GoDaddy.com....go ahead and buy it and then set your stop watch to see how long it takes for a bunch of lawyers to contact you.

Agreed and agreed! But I do think it will be some time until MAXON considers the indie market simply because there is no compelling financial need for them to do so right now. Listen to this podcast from Corridor Digital (at this point - around 1:06:50) of their artists talking about C4D vs. Blender vs. Max and why they are moving to C4D. Their biggest criticism is when companies stop investing in developing, growing and/or fixing issues with their programs. They are drawn to C4D because they feel it is still being improved and is growing and well supported by tons of tutorials. So as long as C4D has that type of draw, MAXON will do nothing. Now, at some point in the future, C4D's core will be fully implemented, the gap in features between it and its competitors will be slim enough not to be factor in any decisions and the whole market begins to become a commodity. Every package will only be differentiated by the loyalty of their user base rather than their feature set. All markets reach this point. I have no idea how many years away this will be, but it will happen. It will ONLY be at that point that MAXON tries to expand their user base by going after indies because they will no longer be able to do it by its features. In short, don't hold your breath until then. Dave