As with most creative software platforms, there is a ton to learn. And as with most creative software platforms, there are lots of resources to learn online. You just have to know where to look.
The case is no different for the immensely popular 3D modeling and animating platform Cinema 4D. C4D has been making a name for itself for years as it becomes more robust and continues to integrate with After Effects, making it the 3D tool of choice for many motion graphics and broadcast design studios and freelancers.
Here are some of the great places you can learn Cinema 4D online, at a reasonable cost, or even for free in some cases.
Greyscalegorilla
We’ve featured Nick Campbell and Greyscalegorilla before. That’s because Nick has been making tutorial videos for years for After Effects, but also for Cinema 4D. In fact, he’s got quite an extensive library of C4D tutorials that are all free to view at your leisure.
Try starting with the Introduction To Cinema 4D section that includes 20 hours of tutorials for free.
Then you can start digging through the rest of the 400 tutorial videos on the site, many taught by Greyscalegorilla founder Nick Campbell, but also from other teachers like EJ Hassenfratz, and Simon Holmedal.
All of the tutorials at Greyscalegorilla are free to view, so you’ll probably be spending lots of time here. As you get more and more involved with Cinema 4D, consider taking a look at the products Greyscalegorilla has created for C4D. This is where they make their money after all.
Products in the Greyscalegorilla store include Light Kit Pro for better lighting, and Texture Kit Pro, with tons of custom textures.
Regardless of if you buy anything from Greyscalegorilla, they are a great resource for the C4D community to learn and grow.
hello LUXX
hello LUXX is the brainchild of Tim Clapham, and serves as a blog, tutorial library, and paid learning platform. Tim covers all sorts of 3D and design programs like After Effects, Houdini, and Cinema 4D.
As for the Cinema 4D resources, let’s first discuss the tutorials. In the tutorials section of the site, you can easily filter to find all of the free C4D tutorials Tim has created, currently over 80. Topics include basic concepts like “Lighting Presets” and “Quick Tips For Textures”. Plus there are very specific tutorials like “Soft Body Dynamics”.
Either way, there is a lot of material here for users to get familiar with for free. And if you find that you like what hello LUXX has to offer in the free tutorial section, you can move onto the training section, where you can purchase more in-depth lessons on the inner working on Cinema 4D.
In this paid section of the site, you’ll find things like “Introduction To Cinema 4D” for $99, and “Interiors In Cinema 4D” a 7-hour training session aimed at creating building interiors for $79. There are a range of options if you want to spend a little money and try out the much longer and more in-depth courses at hello LUXX.
Pluralsight
Pluralsight is a subscription service formerly called Digital Tutors that offers a ton of courses for all design disciplines. Being that Cinema 4D has gotten so popular, there is a large collection of content for C4D on Pluralsight.
The current C4D library includes over 110 courses ranging in length from about 30 minutes to over 13 hours. And the content is quite varied with introductory courses, basic animation courses, and more detailed concepts like budget visual FX with C4D, and product modeling, and character rigging.
The beauty of Pluralsight is that the subscription includes access to all of the content on the site, so if you are also a user of After Effects, Illustrator, Unity, or any other number of design applications, you’ll get extra bang for your buck. And your buck comes in at $29 a month for a basic membership or $49 a month for a PLUS membership, which includes project files, and certifications.
Just remember that it takes time to view everything. So, with a monthly membership, make sure to set aside the time needed to get your money’s worth.
Cineversity
Cineversity might be the biggest site for learning anything and everything related to Cinema 4D. It’s constantly being updated with new tutorials and tips all the time. At the time of this post, the tutorial section housed almost 1150 tutorials. Some of these are very short tips and some longer concepts. But either way, there is something for everyone.
A range of filter options in the tutorial section helps you find the content you want by sorting tutorial length, instructor, discipline, tutorial type, and more.
Although about half of the tutorials are free to the public, the other half are only accessible with a Cineversity Premium membership.
The Premium membership gives you access to the entire library of tutorials, custom playlists, access to the forums for posting questions, and commercial-free viewing of Cineversity live. But the cost for a premium membership comes in at $295 for the first year, and an annual $95 renewal fee.
When you break it down, that’s only about $25 a month for the first year, and $8 a month for future years, but you are required to pay for the full year at once. So, try starting with some of the free tutorials and see if Cineversity is right for you before taking the plunge on a membership.
There are plenty of other resources for learning C4D online, including many YouTube channels and other online learning platforms like Lynda.com, but the ones above give a wide range of options for different user levels, and a range of prices to match your budget.
If you have a favorite place to check out C4D tutorials and training, let us know in the comments below.
