Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
90 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 90 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 TECH TIPS by Joseph Herman E very year, right around SIGGRAPH (the annual pow-wow of all things computer graphics), MAXON unveils the latest version of its flagship 3D modeling, rendering and animation package Cinema 4D. And with it comes a host of new features and enhancements that makes 3D artists and animators stand up and take note. This year's C4D Release 18 is no exception. R18 includes things like a built-in Object Tracker, Voronoi Fracturing, enhancements to MoGraph, new modeling features and other interesting new additions to this mainstay of the production world. OBJECT TRACKING Let's begin with the new Object Tracker in Cinema 4D R18. Motion tracking, which is a closely related feature to object tracking, was introduced two years ago in R16 and seriously upped C4D's capabilities as a serious visual effects tool (in addition to the motion graphics and animation powerhouse that it already was). Motion tracking, or match-moving as it is sometimes called, allows you to process live-action footage shot with a moving or hand-held camera and solve for that camera resulting in a "virtual" 3D camera that behaves exactly as the original camera did in the shot. This allows you to do things like add set extensions or other 3D elements, such as telephone poles or dragons, to the live-action shot and have them align seamlessly with the original scene. With the right lighting and a few shadows, it will be hard to tell the difference between what was in the original shot and what you added later. While similar to motion tracking, object tracking is different in that, instead of tracking the camera, it allows you to track individual elements in the live- action footage. For example, suppose a flatbed truck was turning around a corner in the original shot and you wanted to add a missile launcher on top of it. Or you wanted to add a flower to a lady's hat as she rotates her head. Those movements are not based on the camera motion but rather on the movement of individual objects. All you need are some well-defined tracking markers affixed to the surface of those objects for the object tracker to work. Create 3D Objects – and Destroy Them Too! Cinema 4D R18 Offers Numerous Enhancements Cinema 4D R18's new Object Tracker lets you affix 3D models to moving objects in your footage. With C4D's new Voronoi Fracturing, you can now easily break your model into small pieces. This is especially useful for collisions and breaks, but also has a lot of other uses.