Anyone able to give Cinema4D help?

[Enjay]

If anyone uses Cinema4D and knows how to render an image with a transparent background, I'd appreciate some clues.

I'm a complete n00b with the program. I just wanted to render a simple model as a PNG with a transparent background.

---

Very simple - it is just a higher resolution version of this:

I looked at a couple of tutorials online and they all told me to go to the render settings. The problem was, the options that they told me to look for were not there and when I found what looked like the correct option elsewhere, it was greyed out. The option is just a simple check box saying "Transparency" which I want to enable for PNG output.

Eventually I found a clumsy work-around. I created a project in an older version of Cinema4D, enabled transparent rendering, saved it, and then opened the project in the newer version. Voila! the option was now enabled. So, I was able to get my image rendered (see spoiler), but I'd rather not have to go through that process again.

For info, the versions that I have access to are:
r11.5 (old, but simpler, quicker and easier)
r18 - really only useful to me because files saved in version r11.5 cannot be opened in versions newer than r19. So if I want to upgrade a r11.5 file to r21, I have to open it in r18, save it and then I can open it in r21.
r21 - the newest version I have access to via my work. I *think* the program is up to r25 now but r21 is newer than r11.5 (obviously) and has more features. However, it is more complicated and, importantly for this thread, I can't seem to find how to enable transparent rendering in it without going through the daft process outlined above.

So, anyone know?

[Xeotroid]

In the Save tab of Render Settings, tick the Alpha Channel checkbox. Don't bother with the other two checkboxes (one is for un-premultiplied alpha, apparently used in compositing, and the other outputs a separate image for the alpha).

Now rendering an image with nothing behind it (or only sky/physical sky) will correctly give you an alpha channel.

[Enjay]

Aha! Thak you. I'm away from home eight now but I'll look for that when I get back.

[Enjay]

Sorry about the huge delay - that pesky real life thing got in the way.

I think I have set things up as you described:


But the model is still transparent in the editor:


and renders as a completely black image.

If, however, I import exactly the same model into an older version of Cinema 4D and then upgrade it as described in my post above I see this:

and that renders just fine.

So, any idea how I can make it look solid in r21 without first importing the model in r11.5, upgrading it to r18 and then finally opening it in r21?

I've had the same problem with other obj models that I have imported and the only solution that I have found had been that upgrade route but I'm sure it's just me not knowing the program and where to find the options.

[Xeotroid]

Imported OBJs and FBXs might have the Transparency channel in the object's material turned on even though it shouldn't be active (I usually just discard the material and make a new one because imports often change the most random of values). So, make sure that it is disabled:

---

Also, depending on what style you're going for (if it's the style of a game with no glossiness/Phong/reflections etc.), the Reflectance channel should be turned off as well (especially if the material doesn't have a bump or normal map, the low-poly flatness then really shows).

The only other reason why an object might be transparent in the editor I can think of is if X-Ray is active. However, that option has no effect on the final render.

[Enjay]

That's exactly what I needed. Editing the materials like you suggest fixes the problem.Thanks.

Unfortunately, another model that I am loading has lots of texture definitions, so that one will take a little longer to configure... or maybe not because guess what I finally just noticed?




Quite why I hadn't spotted it before, and quite why it defaults to enabled I have no idea, but unchecking that meant the model loaded with opaque textures.

Without you prompting me to consider textures, I still might not have spotted it, so thanks again.