COURSES
The Key Concepts.
Stop tutorial hopping and learn the most important concepts and techniques that will make the biggest impact and help you master Cinema 4D faster with step-by-step courses.
The Ultimate Cinema 4D Guide
Everything you need to know about getting started in Cinema 4D and a 6 Month Step By Step Plan – Plus Q & A and Resources.
What you get with membership.
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TUTORIALS
The Coolest Project Based Effects.
Learn advanced Cinema 4D effects that will make your portfolio pop, and help you stand out from the crowd. All effects have been requested by members – as a member you can request anything and see what we’re working on here.
PROJECT FILES
Time-Saving Assets You'll Actually Use.
Stop waisting time on R&D – we’ve created a huge library of 3D assets, effects, and scene files you’ll actually use in your day-to-day motion graphics work – use them all royalty free.
SUPPORT
One-On-One Help & Support.
Membership gives you a direct line to a Cinema 4D professional so you’ll never get stuck again! Post your questions and find answers in the Cinema 4D forum, or ask privately via direct email or live chat.
Support From a C4D Expert - Just A Click Away...
Meet Your New Cinema 4D Wingman.
As a member you get direct help and support from Dave. No matter what the question!
- Technical Help
- Help With Your Project Files
- Troubleshooting
- Career Advice
Should You Learn Cinema 4D?
Let's Compare The Industry Leading 3D Packages
Cinema 4D
- Mainly Used For: Motion graphics, VFX, broadcast design.
- Price: $839 USD /year.
- Pros:
- User-friendly interface and short learning curve.
- Excellent integration with Adobe After Effects.
- Fast rendering for motion design and VFX.
- Cons:
- Limited for complex character animation compared to Maya.
- Expensive for hobbyists.
Used by: ManvsMachine, Imaginary Forces, The Mill, Territory Studio, Tendril, Buck, Prologue, NBCUniversal (broadcast design), Capacity Studios, Brand New School.
Maya
- Mainly Used For: Character animation, VFX, film, and game development.
- Price: $1875 USD/year.
- Pros:
- Industry leader in character rigging, animation, and simulation.
- Extensive toolset for VFX, used in major film production.
- Large community and resources for learning.
- Cons:
- Steep learning curve for beginners.
- Expensive.
- Heavy on system resources.
Used by: Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), DreamWorks Animation, Weta Digital, Blue Sky Studios, Animal Logic, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Moving Picture Company (MPC), Double Negative (DNEG), Framestore.
3ds Max
- Mainly Used For: Game design, architectural visualization, VFX.
- Price: $1875 USD/year.
- Pros:
- Excellent for modeling and texturing.
- Strong integration with game engines like Unreal Engine.
- Widely used for architectural visualization.
- Cons:
- Limited for character animation compared to Maya.
- Less intuitive interface for beginners.
Used by: Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, Crytek, Blur Studio, Framestore, The Mill, HKS Architects, Foster + Partners, Naughty Dog, BioWare.
Blender
- Mainly Used For: General-purpose 3D modeling, animation, VFX, game design.
- Price: Free (Open-source).
- Pros:
- Comprehensive toolset with modeling, animation, and rendering.
- Open-source with no cost, rapidly growing in popularity.
- Excellent for indie creators and small studios.
- Cons:
- Lacks the industry standard status of Maya and 3ds Max.
- Steeper learning curve for advanced features.
- Limited official support (but strong community support).
Used by: Embark Studios, Tangent Animation, Ubisoft, Barnstorm VFX, Theory Studios, Guru Studio, Blue Zoo Animation, Ian Hubert Studios, Crossfire Studios, CG Cookie.
Houdini
- Mainly Used For: Procedural modeling, VFX, simulations.
- Price: $269 USD /year.
- Pros:
- Best in class for procedural modeling and dynamic simulations.
- Used extensively in Hollywood for complex VFX.
- Excellent for large-scale particle simulations and destruction effects.
- Cons:
- Very steep learning curve, especially for beginners.
- Expensive.
- Less suited for simple modeling or animation tasks.
Used by: Pixar, Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Framestore, Double Negative (DNEG), Method Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Blur Studio, Rising Sun Pictures, DreamWorks Animation.
Unreal Engine
- Mainly Used For: Real-time 3D, game development, virtual production.
- Price: Free (5% royalty on commercial products over $1M).
- Pros:
- Industry leader in real-time rendering, especially for games.
- Advanced visual scripting and real-time ray tracing.
- Free for most small-scale projects and creators.
- Cons:
- Requires powerful hardware for optimal performance.
- Steeper learning curve for non-programmers.
- Royalty fees for larger commercial projects.
Used by: Epic Games, The Mill, Weta Digital, Digital Domain, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Bad Robot, Ford Motor Company (real-time visualization), ZOAN (VR and AR development), Quixel, Ninja Theory.
Why Choose Cinema 4D?
Cinema 4D is a versatile and user-friendly 3D software known for its intuitive interface, making it ideal for artists across various industries. It’s widely used for motion graphics, animation, product visualization, and architectural rendering. With powerful tools and reliable performance, it’s a top choice for creative professionals looking to produce high-quality 3D content fast.
- User Friendly & Intuitive
- Shorter Learning Curve
- Flexible
- Career Opportunities
- Strong Community
- Regular Development
How Much Do C4D Artists Get Paid?
Motion graphics can be a high-paying career, depending on your location &skill level.
United States
Fulltime:
Beginner: $45,000 – $55,000
Intermediate: $60,000 – $75,000
Advanced: $85,000 – $100,000+
Freelance:
Intermediate: $78,000 – $156,000 (daily rate: $300 – $600)
Advanced: $182,000 – $312,000+ (daily rate: $700 – $1,200)
United Kingdom
Fulltime:
Beginner: £30,000 – £35,000
Intermediate: £40,000 – £50,000
Advanced: £55,000 – £70,000
Freelance:
Intermediate: £52,000 – £91,000 (daily rate: £200 – £350)
Advanced: £104,000 – £156,000+ (daily rate: £400 – £600)
Europe
Fulltime:
Beginner: €30,000 – €40,000
Intermediate: €45,000 – €60,000
Advanced: €65,000 – €85,000
Freelance:
Intermediate: €65,000 – €104,000 (daily rate: €250 – €400)
Advanced: €130,000 – €208,000+ (daily rate: €500 – €800)
Australia
Fulltime:
Beginner: A$50,000 – A$65,000
Intermediate: A$70,000 – A$85,000
Advanced: A$90,000 – A$110,000+
Freelance:
Intermediate: A$91,000 – A$156,000 (daily rate: A$350 – A$600)
Advanced: A$182,000 – A$260,000+ (daily rate: A$700 – A$1,000)
South Korea
Fulltime:
Beginner: ₩35K – ₩45K
Intermediate: ₩50K – ₩65K
Advanced: ₩70K – ₩85K+
Freelance:
Intermediate: ₩60K – ₩96K (daily rate: ₩250K – ₩400K)
Advanced: ₩120K – ₩168K+ (daily rate: ₩500K – ₩700K)
Guide Only. Based on 2023 data. Sources: Freelance Informer, Creators’ Rights Alliance, Motion Design Industry Servey. Freelance yearly income estimate based on daily rates.
C4D Plugins We Recommend
As a Beginner You Dont Need Any Plugins, But Here's a Few We Use Every Day...
Quixel Bridge
Price: Free with Epic Games account
Cinema 4D plugin that connects to the Megascans library of high quality 3D scanned assets.
Maxon One
Price: $426 on top of C4D subscription
While not really a plugin, Maxon One is a licence upgrade for Cinema 4D that gives you access to loads of handy prebuilt assets and effects and software.
Substance
Price: $49/month
High quality proceedural (mostly) materials. The plugin itself is actually built into Cinema 4D – materials are yours forever at about $1 each.
Drop & Render
Price: From € 0,0050 Octanebench 2020 point per hour
Our go-to Render Farm for Cinema 4D projects when we’re in a hurry – great price and great integration with C4D.
Other Apps We Recommend
Other Software We Use in Our Cinema 4D Pipeline All The Time
Davinci Resolve
Price: Free or $295 for Studio Version
We recently switched from After Effects to DaVinci Resolve for color grading and compositing – it’s free and the color correction tools are the best in the industry – highly recommended if you’re using ACES workflow.
Daz 3D Studio
Price: Free with Paid Assets
Free character and environment designer software that works well with Cinema 4D. (See our course for full workflow).
Mixamo
Price: Free
Great tool for quickly rigging and animating characters to use in Cinema 4D.
Marvelous Designer
Price: $280/year
The cloth simulation tools in Cinema 4D are great, but Marvelous gives you much more control and detailed sims, plus you can create outfits and cloth designs quickly and easily.
Forester
Price: $620 (with both packs)
Great tool for creating trees and plants in Cinema 4D.
Recommended Training
Free and Paid courses and training we recommend.
Motion Design School
Price: $300 – $400 per course
Some great beginner and advanced courses with a more direct teaching method.
School Of Motion
Price: $700 – $1000 per course
Pricey but comprehensive beginners courses.
Patreon
Price: Varies
Learning directly from your favorite artists on Patreon can be very cost-effective – usually a monthly fee.
Cineversity
Price: Free with C4D subscription
A huge range of tutorials and courses by the Maxon team and guest artists. Some stuff is quite old and it can be a bit hard to find what you need.
CG Shortcuts
Price: From $22/month
If you want straight-to-the-point, easy-to-follow training covering all the most important aspects of Cinema 4D, you could always try CG Shortcuts membership – you’re already here after all and it’s more cost effective than the other options;)
Recommended YouTube Channels
The Best YouTube Channels For Learning Cinema 4D
CG Shortcuts
Shameless self promotion, you might have seen our tutorials if you found your way here;)
Effectatron
Tutorials and Training by proliffic C4D artist and YouTuber Derek Kirk – emphasis on Redshift Renderer.
Greyscalegorilla
I’m sure you already know about Greyscalegorilla, they’ve been making Cinema 4D tutorials longer than anyone else, full of high quality content and resources.
i_go_by_zak
Some very detailed tutorials concentrating on Cinema 4D color workflows, Redshift and Davinci Resolve.
Maxon Training Team
A huge range of tutorials and content by the team at Maxon, great way to keep up with all the latest tools and techniques – we love the quick tips!
New Plastic
Great looking Cinema 4D tutorials with emphasis on Octane Renderer.
Rocket Lasso
Advanced training and live streams with Chris Schmidt – the best place to go for a detailed breakdown of each new version of Cinema 4D.
Ross Mason
A great collection of Cinema 4D tutorials specializing in lighting and rendering with Redshift, specifically for branding.
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Blender is a powerful, free 3D program that excels at versatility but lacks a specific focus. Cinema 4D, though paid, is tailored for motion graphics artists, with regular updates designed for their needs. While Cinema 4D is expensive and lacks a free learning edition, its specialized tools make it ideal for motion graphics. Blender is a great starting point for beginners on a budget, with the option to switch to Cinema 4D for more specialized work later.
Lifetime membership is a one-off fee that gives you access to everything on our site – all courses, all tutorials, all downloads and support – FOR LIFE.
Lifetime members also have the ability to request content and vote for what topics we cover next.
Unlike the Monthly or Yearly membership, Lifetime is yours forever so you also get unlimited access to anything we add in the future (we upload new stuff every week).
Lifetime membership is only available a few times per year, we send out an email to members and newsletter subscribers when it can be purchased.
You will have access until the renewal date, if you have chosen to cancel prior to renewal you will not be charged, but you will lose access to all member benefits (courses, files etc).
NOTE: Lifetime Memberships are not charged a renewal.
Yearly & Lifetime membership includes access to all courses. Monthly membership gives you access to blog tutorials and downloadable assets only – no courses.
Membership here on our website is a more complete package because Patreon has several limitations. Here’s the key advantages on each platform:
Membership here
- Includes Full Courses (Yearly + Lifetime)
- Includes Redshift Material Library
- Includes more digital assets (Due to Patreon file size limits)
- Is better organised into categories and sections
- Better search options
- Better quality subtitles (Directly from script)
Membership Patreon
- More convenient if you already use Patreon
- Videos can be viewed offline via Patreon App
Aside from that, both memberships include new content every week, the ability to request content, and support.
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