Over the course of this two part tutorial, Konstantin Muromtsev will show us how to create a truly unique, cinematic ship escape animation in Cinema4D. You'll learn how to use various tags, the Mograph tracer object, SweepNURBS and how to switch between multiple camera angles using the Stage object. This tutorial will help you understand some of C4D's post effects and how to create simple, yet effective standard and sketch materials for the project.
Step 1
To start, create a new Sphere object and make it very big and flat (about 5x2500x5000) using Scale in the "Coord" tab. Place it so it will create nice reflections on the surfaces (as shown). And then assign a light material.
Step 2
Create a new Plane object, and make it even bigger than the sphere (around 6000 at the side.) Place it on the opposite side of the scene and assign the light material again.
Step 3
Do a few test still renders and tweak the positions of the fake light objects.
Step 4
Time to add the effects. But before we do that, let's create some additional materials to use with Sketch and Toon (which is a special module for non-realistic rendering.) Create a new Sketch material (Material manager – File > Sketch material.)
Step 5
In the "Strokes" panel, check on "Enable". Experiment with the "Threshold" and "Join Limit" values (this setting speeds up calculations, and prevents strokes from being too short or too long.)
Step 6
In the "Adjustment" panel, check on "Relative" and set the "Start" and "End" amounts to 3%, with a "Variation" of 55% for both. These setting will add straight extensions to the lines.
Step 7
In the "Color" panel, change the color to Grey.
Step 8
In the "Thickness" panel, check on the "Along Stroke" and "Screen Angle" options, and increase the Thickness to 5-7. Under "Along Stroke" change the "Mode" to "Spline". You can also try experimenting with different graph shapes, to change the effect.
Step 9
In the "Render" panel, change the "Self Blend" mode to "Multiple" (this setting will make the stroke's opacity overlap.)
Step 10
In the "Clone" panel, check on the "Clone Strokes" option and change the "Variation" amount to 90%. Under "Variations" increase the "Line Offset" amount (this controls how far the clones are from the original stroke.) Change the "Distribution" mode to "Gaussian". Experiment with the H,S and V amounts as well (as these values control the color variation.)
Step 11
Decrease the "Offset" amount (offsets the Adjustment channel) and increase the Overshoot amount (adds variation to clones). Under "Transform" check on the "Incremental" option (each clone's transform will be based on previous). Add 1% or 2% to the "Scale X" and "Scale Y" values. Change the "Rotate" amount to 1% and increase the "Variation" to 40%-50%. Change the "Pivot" (center of rotation) to "Center". We will use this sketch material on the tentacles.
Step 12
Create another sketch material. In the "Strokes" panel, check on "Enable" and change the "Threshold" amount to 100. Also change the "Angle" to 360, and then set "End" to "Angle".
Step 13
In the "Adjustment" panel, slightly add 2%-4% to the "Scale X" and "Scale Y" values. Check on "Overshoot" and set it to 3%. Add Variations for every value changed.
Step 14
In the "Distort" panel, check on the "Curve Stroke" option and increase the "Step" value. Change the "Mode" to "Sin", "Displace" to 1 and decrease the "Wavelength" to 30-35.
Step 15
In the "Color" panel, change the color to vary dark Grey.
Step 16
In the "Thickness" panel, change the "Thickness" amount to 4. Check on the "Distance", "Along Stroke" and "Noise" modifiers. In the Noise options, change the "Mapping" type to "Screen", and set the "Anim" speed to 2 or 3.
Step 17
In the "Opacity" panel, change the Opacity amount to 70% and check on "Distance". Then Decrease the "Strength" value.
Step 18
In the "Clone" panel, check "Clone Strokes" and change the "Repeat" to 2. Make the "Start" and "End" amounts 5%, with a "Variation" of 12%. In "Variations", set the "Line Offset" to 4 and experiment with the "Thickness", "Opacity" and "Distort" amounts ( but keep them lower than 50%). Change both "Scale" amounts to 100%, and the "Offset" to 3. Slightly decrease the "Offset" and "Overshoot" amounts. This is the Sketch material for the ship.
Step 19
Create a new Sketch material. In the "Strokes" panel, check "Enable" and change the "Match" option to "Flat" (option that defines the algorithm of connecting lines, "Flat" ignores Z-Depth). Change the "Mode" to "Object", and "Start" to "Object". Increase the "Angle" value and "Set Direction" to "Counterclockwise".
Step 20
In the "Distort" panel, check on the "Curve Stroke" option. Change the "Type" to Bezier and increase the "Displace value" (the strength of the Displace channel). Experiment with the Type, Octaves and Scale. Set the "Anim Speed" to 1 (this material will be used for the nozzle's fire and needs to be in constant motion).
Step 21
In the "Color" panel, change the color to White.
Step 22
In the "Thickness" panel, check the "Distance" and "Along Stroke" modifier options. In the "Along Stroke", change it from "Range" to "Custom" and the "Mode" to "Spline". Experiment with the Spline (graph) shape.
Step 23
In the "Clone" panel, check "Clone Strokes", and change the "Repeat" to 5. Increase the "Start", "End" and both "Variations" to between 10-25%.
Step 24
The next material will be different from the previous one. It will not use the "Clone" channel to create an interesting look. We'll use the "Opacity" channel with a few modifiers instead. Create new "Sketch" material and under "Strokes", check "Enable".
Step 25
In the "Distort" panel, check "Curve Stroke" and increase the number of steps (to achieve a smoother look). Experiment with the "Type" and increase the "Octaves" value.
Step 26
In the "Color" panel, change the color to a dark grey.
Step 27
In the "Thickness" panel, increase the "Thickness" to 30.
Step 28
In the "Opacity" panel, check the "Along Stroke", "From Line" and "Noise" modifiers. In "Along Stroke", change the "Mode" to "Spline", and draw a Spline with mostly max values, leave the start and end at minimums.
Step 29
In the "From Line" modifier's options, change the "Strength" to 500% and draw a spline with a Max value near the center. Under "Noise" decrease the "Scale" to 10%, and slightly decrease the "Brightness". Also increase the "Contrast" to between 50%-60%.
Step 30
Open the "Render Settings" and add the "Sketch and Toon" effect.
Step 31
In the "Lines" tab, check "Outlines" and drag the "Sketch" material for the ship to the "Default Visible" field.
Step 32
In the "Render" tab, change "Line AA" to "Normal". If you're planning to use Multi-Pass, check "Post Render" (Note: the quality of anti-aliasing will decrease).
Step 33
In the "Shading" tab, set both the "Background" and "Object" to "Off".
Step 34
Now we need to assign Sketch Style tags. To do this, just drag the Sketch materials to the corresponding objects. This action will create a Sketch Style tag and assign the Sketch material to it. This tag will have similar options to the "Sketch and Toon" effect, and can be used to override global "Sketch and Toon" settings.
Step 35
Try using different "Type of Lines" for objects. For Example: check "Contour" for the nozzle's flames to add additional lines and achieve an interesting effect.
Step 36
We need to exclude our fake lighting from being seen by the camera and Sketch engine. To do this, add a Sketch Style tag (without a material) and a "Compositing" tag. In the "Sketch Style" tag, uncheck every type of line.
Step 37
In the "Compositing" tag, uncheck "Seen by Camera". Now our fake light is invisible to the viewer, but can still be seen in the reflections.
Step 38
The scene still lacks a background and we need to correct it. There's many ways to do this, a sky object, background object or a background object in Sketch and Toon (I prefer to use a Sky object).
Step 39
Another post effect that will be added to scene is a "Vector Motion Blur". This effect is based on an object's speed and the camera's shutter angle. Change the "Shutter Angle" (it defines the length of the blur trail) to between 120-150. Change the "Phase" amount to -100% (-100% – behind the object; 0% – at both sides; 100% – the blur moves ahead). Decrease the "Density" amount (blur coverage) and Increase the "Samples" amount (blur resolution). Note: This effect can only be seen in video, still renders will not show it.
Step 40
Tweak the "Output" and "Save" settings (I used 1280x720 for the "Width" and "Height", and "QuickTime Movie" as the "Format"). Don't forget to change the "Frame Range" to "All frames" or "Preview Range".
Step 41
In the "Anti-Aliasing" settings, change the "Anti-Aliasing" to "Best". For animations, different filters can be used, but "Animation" or "Sinc" are the choices I picked. ("Animation" is fast and smooth, "Sinc" has much better quality, but needs more resources and time). Finally Render out the animation.
And that concludes the Ship Escape tutorial!
