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Does anyone have any experience getting scenes from Cinema 4D into unreal 4?

Development Discussion Content Creation
#1

I already own a license of Cinema 4d Studio. So getting other software is not an option at the moment. One of the things I do is make apps. I want to start making 3D apps for mobile devices.
I tried Unity and that works, I can get stuff done. Then Unreal 4 came to Mac and I had another option all of a sudden.

How compatibel is C4d with Unreal? In Unity one method is just importing a c4d file (gets converted to FBX in the background), they recommend FBX and that works well. Animations get recognised etc.
Will animation work coming from C4d in unreal? etc. ?

#2

Works fine, be aware that Unreal uses X-axis for forward so for characters and things either model them that way OR what I am seeing a lot of in examples is rotate the character -90˚ inside his/her capsule

You have to export manually to FBX (2013 FBX is the supported one), export the FBX file somewhere and then in Unreal right click in the browser and ‘import to here…’ navigate to your FBX file.

If you leave combine on it will all become one mesh but I can see now way to break it apart again so if it was for example a plane with a prop either use two FBX’s or make sure you untick the combine option.

Its not as streamlined or as easy as Unity but it works fine.

#3

Thanks. The blueprint option looks really promising. That is one of the main reasons I would like to use unreal.
Still comparing. iOS support might be still a bit young on unreal. Good tip on the axis.

#4

Just something to keep in mind when using C4D: If you get an error that smoothing groups are missing, set a phong tat to the corresponding model (smoothing groups = phong tags in C4D).

Cheers,
Michael

#5

C4D automatically sets a phong tag to any new model. You’ll still get the smoothing error message in UE4, but the model will still look OK. Also create 2 Unwraps for each model. In your Objects outliner just select the UV tag then Control drag to the right of the first UV tag. Rename your left UV tag to 1 and the right to 2. You need a second for the UE4 lightmap. Alternatively you can create a second UV (and a 1st) in UE4 Mesh Editor that does not have to be identical to the first, it will use a limited algorithm when it creates a UV (a lot of the time it’s not to bad). The UV channels in UE4 are named 1 less e.g C4D UV channel 1 = UE4 channel 0 …C4D UV channel 2 = UE4 channel 1. There is a naming hierarchy in UE4 to import you own collision meshes.
This is a good link for exporting and importing FBX Static Meshes in UE4 it has a lot of naming conventions to follow but a lot of the one click exporting features are for MAX and Maya.

I have no idea about exporting animations from C4D but if anyone does, please let us know.

#6

Thanks,
ctrl/cmd dragging the uvw is smart, easier than the other methods I read.
I read that post. I hope the LOD can be done from Cinema 4D. But I will look that up when I get there. Not needed in the beginning. I am guessing that there might be a way to set it up from within Unreal too.

#7

Interesting, I got rid of the error messages by setting the phong tags to the meshes that didn’t have one. Are you on R15 too?

#8

Really? yes I’m on R15…I’ve had no luck exporting without a smoothing group error…always with a phong tag too…now I’m gonna have to start experimenting again.

#9

Yep, I just tested. I don’t get the errors anymore.

#10

Just PM’d you IMX…would really like to figure it out

#11

You just got a reply :wink:

#12

Hey IMX, be good to hear from you too on not getting the smoothing warnings.

#13

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience updating an imported .fbx in the regard of say slicing a face into it’s self an a new object? Pretty much having a new object in the hierarchy.