Part of Cinema 4D Essentials
Thicken
Cinema 4DBeginnerFree
2 January 2023
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Thicken in Cinema 4D is a generator that adds thickness to thin or flat geometry, effectively creating a solid volume from surfaces. It’s perfect for turning planes or shells into fully 3D objects with depth.
What It Is
- Applies uniform thickness to selected geometry, creating volume.
- Works non-destructively as a generator, preserving original mesh.
- Controls include thickness amount and offset direction.
- Ideal for creating solid shells from single-sided surfaces or splines.
How It Works
- Select or create the base object (e.g., a spline or polygon plane).
- Add a Thicken generator from the Create > Generators menu.
- Make your base object a child of the Thicken generator.
- Adjust the Thickness parameter to set the desired solid depth.
- Modify the offset direction if needed to control which side thickness is applied.
- Render or continue editing; changes update dynamically.
Use Cases
- Converting flat splines or planes into 3D objects.
- Adding volume to architectural elements like walls or panels.
- Preparing models for 3D printing by ensuring thickness.
- Creating stylized objects with solid forms from simple shapes.
Benefits
- Non-destructive, allowing easy tweaking of thickness.
- Transforms 2D geometry into usable 3D solids quickly.
- Improves realism by adding volume to otherwise flat objects.
- Works well with other modeling and deformation tools.
More info here in the Maxon documentation.
Video Credit: School of Motion.
Description: This video demonstrates the Thicken Generator in Cinema 4D.
