LAB MANUAL

COMPUTER GRAPHICS &

ANIMATION

Department of Information & Communication

Technology
Kebbi State University Of Science And
Technology Aleiro
(Faculty of Engineering)
Alerio, Kebbi State, Nigeria
System Requirements
Windows
The minimum system requirements for Release 20 on Windows are:
• Windows 7 with SP2 (all service updates), Windows 8.x, Windows 10
• Internet Explorer 8 or newer
• USB 2 port
• 4 GB RAM (8 GB RAM recommended)
• AMD or Intel-compatible 64-bit processor with SSE3 support
• OpenGL 4.1-capable graphics card (NVIDIA or AMD)*
• Monitor resolution of 1280x800 px with 24-bit color depth
• Approx. 8 GB hard drive space
Note: If the SSE3 support is not available, an error message will appear and the installation must be
terminated.9
macOS
Note: End all programs that require QuickTime (iTunes, App Store, etc.) as well as QuickTime
itself. Otherwise, an error message may appear at the end of the installation.
The minimum system requirements for Release 20 on macOS are:
• macOS X 10.11.6, 10.12.6, 10.13.2 or higher
• USB 2 port
• 4 GB RAM (8 GB RAM recommended)
• Intel 64-bit processor (Core 2 Duo or newer)
• OpenGL 4.1-capable graphics card (NVIDIA or AMD)*
• Monitor resolution of 1280x800 px with 24-bit color depth
• approx. 8 GB hard drive space
*The GPU renderer requires NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards for Windows and an AMD graphics card
with OpenCL 1.2 support or higher for macOS. We recommend 4 GB or more VRAM for GPU rendering.
Installing the program
Proceed as follows to install the program:

From the USB stick

Connect the USB stick to your computer. After the device drivers have been verified or installed it should be
displayed in the Windows Explorer or macOS Finder.
Open the USB stick via the Explorer/Finder to show its contents.
Double-click on the file MAXON-Start (.exe).

Note: The USB stick is NOT a read-only stick. Even though all files are marked as write-protected and thus
protected from deletion, it is in principle possible to format the USB stick. If you accidentally delete the contents
of or reformat your USB stick you can download the installation files at any time from your ePortfolio. If you do
not yet have access to your ePortfolio, please contact our support team for assistance.8

As a download
Unzip/unpack the downloaded Zip/DMG archive to your hard drive.
On Windows systems, 7zip or WinZip are recommended.
On macOS systems, you can simply double-click on the DMG archive.

Note: Do not copy individual files or start the installation from the ZIP archive.
Double-click on the file MAXON-Start (.exe).
This will install Cinema 4D, BodyPaint 3D, or Team Render. What you can install and use is determined by the
license you purchased, which is described in your registration letter and must enter during installation.

Note: Only install the program and the corresponding files on the computer on which you intend to use the
program. If you start the installation over a network you will generally receive an error message and the
installation must be terminated.
Interface
Let’s start with the most important step - starting CINEMA 4D. After starting CINEMA 4D you will see an image
similar to the following screenshot:

Rendered Viewport

Icon Pallet (Tools)

Objects Manager

Icon Pallet (modes)

Attribute Manager

Viewport
(Perspective View)
Material Manager Coordinate Manager

Clicking on the light blue Cube icon opens the parametric object selection window, which contains all of CINEMA
4D’s available parametric objects.

Click on the second icon to create a cube. Click and hold to see all available parametric objects. Before we
proceed we will increase the cube‘s subdivision. At the bottom right of the Attributes Manager you will find the
Segments X, Y and Z settings. Increase each value to 3
Note: after an object has been initially created it is a parametric object. It can only be modified as a whole and
not its individual surfaces (an exception is special deformers from the Deformer menu). Before you begin
modeling, the parametric object must be converted to a polygonal object. To do so, select the object you want to
convert and run the Make Editable command by pressing the c-key on your keyboard. You can now move or
modify individual points and surfaces.

Two icons to the right of the Cube Primitive symbol (black cage with white points and turquoise inner) are the
Generator objects. The most important of these is the Subdivision Surfaces object

If a polygon object is a sub-object of a Subdivision Surfaces object (create a Subdivision Surfaces object and drag
the polygon object onto the Subdivision Surfaces object in the Object Manager) it will be virtually subdivided to a
higher degree. Visually it will be comprised of many smaller polygons than before the subdivision (the object
automatically looks softer/rounder). As you can see in the next screen shot: The outer mesh (light blue) shows
the polygon cube’s actual subdivision. The finer inner mesh (blue) shows the subdivision of the Subdivision
Surfaces object. Change the cube‘s display mode by selecting (deactivating) Options/Isoline Editing in the
Viewport’s menu and switching to Gouraud Shading (Lines) in the Editor’s Display menu. In the end it’s up to you
how you want your objects displayed in the same menu. Then switch to the Use Polygon Mode in the left Icon
Palette. However, for this tutorial, this is the most effective way to show the effect Subdivision Surfaces objects
have on polygonal objects or primitives since it shows how the cube is subdivided and the final result is therefore
also easier to visualize

The advantages, especially in modeling, are obvious. Since the object contains few points (edges/polygons) that
can be edited it remains very manageable. You can drag just one point of the original wireframe and the
Subdivision Surfaces mesh, with its finer subdivision, will follow the point being dragged (The image below shows
the same Cube object - one with Subdivision Surfaces and one without).
If the polygon object were made up of such fine subdivision modeling, it would be much more complicated. You
would pull one point and only one point would be moved. All other surrounding points would retain their
position. You would have to move each one individually in order to achieve the desired shape.5

Navigation in Cinema 4D

The first symbol (click – hold – move the mouse) moves the view. The second symbol (foreshortened double
arrow) lets you dolly in and out and the third (curved arrows with a dot in the center) lets you rotate the scene.
Selecting the little rectangle to the right will divide the entire view panel into four views, giving you multiple
viewports to use. Each of the four views has its own little rectangle which, when clicked, enlarges the respective
window. Create a new scene (main menu: File/New) and subsequently a new Cube in that scene. Zoom out a
little and select the word Cube in the Object Manager. The cube’s axis will be visible in the editor window.

Each of the axis‘ arrows can be selected and dragged in its corresponding direction. This prevents the object from
being dragged in the wrong direction in the editor view. It is often impossible to see in which direction an object
is being dragged in a 3D view. A similar method of moving an object in a single direction is to lock a specific axis
in the command palette. This prevents an object from being moved in the direction of an axis that has been
locked unless you click and drag one of the object’s own axis arrows. These objects are not locked. Select the
Cube object and then click on the Scale function at top.

The ends of the axis‘ arrows have changed from arrows to boxes. Dragging these boxes will scale the object along
that particular axis. Parametric objects (not converted polygon objects) will display little orange handles.
Important: If you are in Edit Point Mode or Edit Polygon Mode, only the selected points or polygons will be
scaled. In addition, we can no longer see the little orange handles as a result of having made the cube editable.
They make it possible to stretch and squash the parametric object on the corresponding axis. The final icon in
this group activates the rotation mode. A series of rings will appear around your object - clicking and dragging
one of these rings will allow you to rotate the object in the respective direction (heading, pitch or bank).
Tutorial 1: Null Object: Creating a Solar System
 Create a SPHERE by clicking and holding down the blue cube at the tools bar (rename it as SUN)
 Change the color by turning on the basic color objects
o Change the display color to ORANGE

 Duplicate the SPHERE X 3, by selecting the move tool + Ctrl, move the Z-axis (blue arrow)
 Rename the second and third duplicates as MOON and EARTH
 Change the colors and the radius (25, 10).
 To create the setup
 Crate a null and name it as EARTH CONTROLLER
 Make the EARTH CONTROLLER inside the sun and set the coordinates to 0,0,0
 Put the EARTH inside the EARTH CONTROLLER
 Create a second null and name it as MOON CONTROLLER with coordinates 0,0,0
 Make the MOON CONTROLLER inside the EARTH
 Set the MOON object inside the MOON CONTROLLER.
Tutorial 2: Creating a Simple Dining Table

 Create a cube and name it as tabletop [x=600, y=10, z=300]

 Create a second cube and name it leg 1 [x=10, y=300, z=10]

 Align the table top and leg 1 using the orthographic views (middle click (use the top right view))
 Select leg 1 change the coordinates x = 295 z = 145 and Y = -155 (to bring the leg down)
 Duplicate the legs. Change the coordinates to x = - 295
 Duplicate leg 1 and leg 2 Coordinate z = -145 ( Too center all views (Alt + H))
 Create a null object and put all the object as children of the null
 Rename the null to table.
Tutorial 3: Creating a Chair
 Create a cube name it SEAT x = 200, z = 200
 Create a second cube name it LEG x = 10, y = 200, z = 10
 Align leg 1 coordinates x = -95, z = -105 y = -95

 Duplicate leg 1 x = 95
 Duplicate leg 1 & 2 z = 95
 Create a 3rd cube name it BACK x = 200, y = 200, z = 10
 Align z = -100 + 5 y = 100+5
 Create a null name it CHAIRMASTER y = -5-200
 Select all objects and place the inside the CHAIRMASTER
 Change the display of the null to the rectangle, the orientation of camera = XZ, radius = 166
Tutorial 4: Combining two different files together
If you have a scene and would like to place some of the objects you created earlier
 Select file from the objects managers
o Merge objects

o Select file name(Table)

 Repeat the above step to add the second object (Chair )

 Select Chair master, 0,0,0
Tutorial 5: Creating a simple MUG CUP
 Select the cylinder primitive
 From the object properties select the radius 4cm, height 10cm
 Frame the selected object (cylinder) by pressing H, S

 Enable gouraud shading (display) with lines ( set rotation segment as

14)
 Make cylinder editable by pressing C key on the keyboard
 Select polygon mode ---- CTRl + A, Right click and choose optimize from the context Menu

 Select all the polygons at the top (live selection tool)

 Right click and select extrude inner from the context Menu press I (set offset of 0.5 from the attributes
manager
 From the context menu select extrude (D) and extrude down. Set an offset of -9.5
 To create the Hand
 Use the loop/path cut tool to cut loops from the hand of the mug
 Select two Polygons from the side of the mug where the blue arrow is coming out of the mug then
extrude outwards x 2

 To connect to the two sides

 Angle the polygons inward by selecting the edge mode and the select the edge on the bottom top
handle and the top button handle
 Click and drag backwards
 Us the bridge tool to bridge the two selected polygons
 Loop/cut tool to create the extra curve at the handle (50%)
 Move the loop outward about (using the edge mode)

 Smooth the mug back out by using a subdivision surface tool

 make the cylinder the child of the subdivision surface
 Name Your Object Properly
Tutorial 6: Your First Animation

 Create a cube X = 20, Y = 20, Z = 20

 Select Fillet R = 2cm
 Create Sphere R = 10cm
 Create Plutonic R = 10cm
 Taurus X = 40, Y = 8, Z = 40

 Create a Cloner
 Make all objects child of cloner
 Change cloner mode to GRID ARAY size (100, 100, 100)
 Change cloner count (10, 10, 10)
 Apply random effector
 Check Scale Size ---- Uniform Scale (-0.5)
 Check Rotation ( 3600, 3600, 3600

 Create a sphere
 Add Simulation Tag To Cloner (Rigid Body )
 Collision [Inheritance Tag] apple Tag to children
 Individual Element [ALL]
 Force [follow Position (5)]
 Add Simulation Tag to Sphere [Collider Body]
 Decrease Cloner Count to 6, 6, 6

 Add vibrator to sphere [check enable Position]

 Increase Frame to (500)
 Increase amplitude to 200, 200, 200
 Apply light [set light to Camera]
 Check Camera
 Apply Random Materials
 Change Color
Tutorial 7: Rendering
Lets us Render tutorial 5

 Select Render ---- Edit Render Settings

 Select effect --- ambient occlusion
 Maximum Sample 128
 Accuracy 100 %

Select anti-aliasing
You can choice geometry, best, none depending on the performance of your computer
Select global illumination under effect
Change record density low under irradiance cache
Under save change format to Jpeg
Create a new folder renders
Output use all frames
Select render to picture views
Tutorial 8: Loop Animation

Change FMS to 60 – under attribute manager [Mode]

Crate cube X = 15, y = 100, Z = 100
Select Graud Shading tool
Make the cube editable (C)
Select all edges
Right click on the edges use
Bavel 100 [offset 10, subdivision 10 ]

Make smooth using loop selection tool bavel ( offset = 0.5)

Create cloner [make cube child of cloner (position X = 50, y = 0, z = 0 [count = 50)
Create a plain effector on cloner(Mograph) [ uncheck position, check rotation()]
Select Falloff – linear field
Change cloner position X= -100
Change linear field position X = 100
Change plain rotation R.P = 200, frame = 200

Create cloner animator [position animation]

Make sure it is at the start select P.X and position [-100]
Go to the end change position [-350]
Select Position
Change graph editor of cloner
Select timeline from window
Select graph editor choose linear
Change frame to 195
Create sphere R = 28, segments = 100
Coordinates Y axis – 76
Crate rotation Animation on sphere
At 0 frame select R.B
At frame 195 – R.B 360 check R.B
Change graph editor of sphere
Create linear
Create Camera
Check camera[ focal Length = Normal]

Add light [ Area Light ]

Lock camera position [rigging -- Protection]
Take light up [rotate P - 900]
Apply area light -- sky
Right click on sky [render Tags -- Composition
Uncheck seen by Camera
Add background
Render --- Render Physical