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VERDICT: Improved interface, object and layer handling and amazing integrated 3D painting add greatly to CINEMA 4D’s existing power, usability and value.

CINEMA 4D 10 is a heavyweight professional 3D package, but surprisingly simple...

This core usability is enhanced in this latest release with a spruced up interface boasting new icons and workspaces and a new integrated browser-based help system. Otherwise the most apparent improvement, for those with compatible hardware, is the new Expanded OpenGL support which provides more realistic visual feedback including realtime reflections, bumps and hard shadows. This enhanced onscreen display gives a better indication of what your final scene will look like but it still can’t compare with the final rendered results. This is where version 10’s new Interactive Render Region capability comes in allowing you to mark up your viewport, or a section of it, to be automatically rendered as soon as you pause working.

The working environment has been improved with new layer handling and automatic rendering.

Alongside its interface the other secret of CINEMA 4D’s excellent usability is its object based approach in which, for example, you can drag a Rectangle object onto a HyperNURBS object to automatically subdivide it then drag on a Deformer object to taper, bend or otherwise manipulate the results. Apart from simplicity the huge benefit of objects is that they are non-destructive so can be retrospectively fine tuned. The problem is that for large scenes and complex models it can become difficult to find the object you want to edit. Not any more. Version 10 adds a new View menu to the Object Manager which lets you filter by object type, interactively search by name, flatten the hierarchy, set a new root, move up a level and so on.
Even more impressive for scene organization is CINEMA 4D 10’s new layer system. Using the new Layers Browser palette you can quickly add objects, such as all of a scene’s lights or the multiple meshes from an imported CAD file, to their own new layer. You can then quickly toggle the display of all objects on the layer, or all objects not on it. You can also toggle the rendering, locking and animation of all layer objects and toggle their display of generators, deformers and expressions. Most powerful of all is the option to switch a layer or multiple layers to Solo mode in which case only their objects are displayed not just in the Viewports but within the Object Manager, Material Manager and the Timeline. This means that you can instantly simplify even the most complex scenes to work with just those elements you are currently interested in and then switch back as soon as you’re finished. Brilliant.
The new global layer system also comes into its own for animation with the Layer Browser replacing the Timeline palette’s former local system. Other changes to the Timeline include the incorporation of the F-Curves palette for graphically managing the interpolation of multiple animated tracks and a new toolbar offering quick access to the most important commands. There’s also new power including a Ripple Edit mode which determines whether the position of surrounding keys are affected during edits. The functionality is impressive but the full Timeline can be intimidating which is why CINEMA 4D also provides the cut-down and always visible Animation Palette with which you can quickly record keyframes. This has been massively enhanced with a new Timeline Ruler that now shows frame numbers and the presence of keyframes and even enables basic edits along with a new PowerSlider with which you can control the length of the overall animation and of the current playback selection.