A program of choice to many motion artists, Cinema 4D has a rather counter-intuitive method of producing depth of field. Both the camera controls and the way in which C4D handles depth maps can be a cause of major headache, especially for the newcomers to this program.

With the coding support from German motion artist and art director, Derya Ozturk, we have been able to construct an improved camera rig for Cinema 4D that should help you eliminate needless frustration, and get the results you need with just a few clicks.

Please note that while the tutorial will teach you how to use the preset, it will not show you how to construct the demo scene seen in the preview video.

As much as I would like to credit the awesome flute player who provided the audio for this preview, I was unable to locate the “patient zero” among dozens of videos around the net using this jingle. Whoever you are, kudos and don’t ever stop trying!

Code by Derya Ozturk
Concept and math logic by Quba Michalski

Running time: 46min
Difficulty: Easy
Required tools: Cinema 4D R11.5 or R12 (does not work with R13, sorry)
Optional software: After Effects, Frischluft Lenscare plug-in

Please, make sure to enable HD option when viewing the videos.

Preview video:

 

Tutorial:

 

UPDATED!
A new version of the Camera Rig has been released (already!). Please visit this link to find the release notes and download the latest version.

Download the files associated with this tutorial below:

You may also download the tutorial from its Vimeo page. The preview video can also be watched at YouTube.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.