Tips & Tricks for CINEMA 4D Release 8 and modules

Xpresso	User Data Fields Xpresso Tag Properties Referencing Objects
Thinking Particles	Numbering Particles
Animation	Keyframe Selection
Interface	Multiple Attribute Manager
Back to R8	Home

Xpresso

User Data Fields	User Data fields are the best way to interact with your Xpresso setup without opening the Xpresso editor. You can use them to enter, store and display data.
Xpresso Tag properties	The Xpresso Tag properties are very similar to the User Data Fields. They are not created in the Attribute Manager, but by creating Input Ports for the main Xgroup (represented by the Xpresso Tag). The advantage over User Data Fieleds is that you don't have to create them for every object, you can simply copy the Xpresso Tag.
Referencing Objects	The default type of reference when you drag an object into the XPresso editor is "Absolute Reference". This will create a direct link with the object in question. However at some times it is favorable to use a "Relative Reference", i.e. when the Xpresso Tag should be copied to another object and perform it's function with that object instead of the former. Think of some kind of target Xpression that will align the object with the Tag to another object. Here you would use an absolute reference for the Target and a relative Reference for the aligned object. This way you can copy the Tag on every object you want and it will be aligned automatically.

Thinking Particles

Numbering Particles

If you want to know the order in which particles were created you can store this information within the particles. Just create an integer channel (available in the TP Manager) for the particles. Now you connect the "Birth Num" output of the PStorm or PBorn nodes to set the channel for each particle. This is used in the TP Softbody example.

Animation

Keyframe Selection

Keyframe selections will help you to record only specific object properties while autorecording. You can select the properties you would like to record by Left Click and modify/extend it by using the Shift and Ctrl keys as qualifiers . If you want to record single values of a vector you have to deactivate "Link Vector Subchannels" in the Animation menu. Now you can activate Auto Keyframing and only the properties that are included in the Keyframe selection will be recorded .

Interface

Multiple Atribute Manager

When switching very often between the attributes of a few object (like when tweaking a Thinking Particle scene) you can create locked instances of the AM for every object by clicking on the icon to the right of the lock symbol. However this will clutter your interface with many AMs. An easy solution is to dock those AMs together and rename them so you got all essential Properties within a minimum of mousclicks and with a minimum of screenspace. You are not able to save this (the link between tha AM and the object will get lost) but it's done in a number of seconds and will help you very much.