• About
  • Archives
  • Advertising

NYCPPNEWS

NYC Production & Post News

  • Home
  • Directory Listings
    • The Standby Program
    • Brooklyn College
    • Brooklyn Workforce Innovations
    • Columbia University Film Program
    • Downtown Community Television Center
    • Electronic Arts Intermix
    • Film Biz Recycling
    • Freelancers Union
    • Independent Filmmaker Project
    • Manhattan Edit Workshop
    • Mediakite Training Center
    • New York Film Academy
    • New York Film/Video Council
    • New York Institute of Technology
    • New York Production Alliance
    • New York Video School
    • New York Women in Film & Television
    • NYU Film & Television
    • Post New York Alliance
    • The Independent Film School
    • International Film Institute of New York
    • The New School – Documentary Studies
    • The New School — MA in Media Studies
    • Union Docs
    • Upstate Independents
    • Syracuse Film Office
Home » Maxon Punches Up Cinema 4D Learning

Maxon Punches Up Cinema 4D Learning

As is readily apparent from some of my past writings and reviews, CINEMA 4D is a very sophisticated, deep and multifaceted 3D animation and design package with such features as high-end subdivision modeling, advanced rendering, dynamics, and animation capabilities.

But that’s only the beginning. Let’s not forget the endless creative possibilities of MoGraph and state of the art character tools. I haven’t even mentioned hair, particles, 3D painting, and UV mapping options. And there’s more. Much more.

With one program offering so many capabilities, an important question becomes: how does one effectively learn, let alone master, all of the facets of an app as deep as CINEMA 4D? True, it does come with reference documentation accessible through the help menu. This is, in fact, done well. But, similar to many other large packages, the standard help menu doesn’t go deep enough in addressing the intricacies of the program or discussing higher level approaches like best practices.

That’s why Maxon created Cineversity. This online repository of video tutorials will take you through all aspects of the program. New users and aspiring gurus can dip into Cineversity’s vast warehouse of knowledge to learn new things, brush up on what they already know or venture into areas that they don’t.

The news here is that Cineversity has recently undergone a major redesign that makes this “University of CINEMA 4D” much more of a treat to dive into.

Users can access tutorials either as free users or as Premium members (which requires a paid subscription). Many of the free video tutorials will help newcomers get started and introduce them to important concepts. However, if you want to go deep, many of those lessons are only available to Premium users.

Another handy feature for Premium users is the ability to make your own playlists, placing the videos in whatever order you like. You might make a playlist about rigging, for example. Watch it whenever you like, and pick up where you last left off since Cineversity keeps track of which videos you’ve already seen and those you haven’t got to in the playlist. Want to brush up on the subject later? Simply resurrect the playlist and watch it again, since it is saved with your account.

However, one of the coolest things about the new playlists is that you can share them with others or even search other people’s playlists. This brings curation into your learning, which is a good way to discover more about a certain subject and find things you may have missed. For those who want a more regular learning experience, Cineversity also pre-curates “official” playlists.

Want to follow along? A number of tutorials offer associated lesson files, and you can download them right from the Cineversity site.

Searching tutorials in Cineversity

If you’re a teacher at a school that offers CINEMA 4D, you might like to set up a “teacher account.” This can allow you to add some structure to the lessons via custom playlists that students access via coupons made available to you. You could then monitor which tutorials your students watch, and make sure they view all the videos in the assigned playlist.

The Cineversity website also offers Cineversity Live, Maxon’s bi-weekly webcast with tips and other info about Cinema 4D. The updated site also features a Wiki knowledge base where premium members can contribute to and share information relevant to CINEMA 4D users and digital artists in general.

Wikis and curated playlists are just some of the up-to-date approaches to know-how on the site. Paul Babb, president and CEO of Maxon, U.S., expressed enthusiasm about the changes, and noted in a prepared statement that the site’s approach will increase “the artist’s proficiency and productivity.”

While CINEMA 4D’s user interface is very intuitive, any one working professionally in the industry knows that regular learning needs to be part of your schedule if you hope to stay current to today’s dizzying pace of tech changes.

Of course knowing a few more tweaks or a better way of working than the next guy can be a critical asset, giving you a competitive edge.

So what’s it cost? Premium membership starts with a one-time fee of $295; you can renew annually for another $95. Not bad if you compare it to the cost of courses at specialized institutes or universities, and a pretty good deal if you want to grow your career.

Cineversity is located at www.cineversity.com

About Joe Herman

Joe Herman is a filmmaker, artist and post production specialist and writes often about the industry. You can reach him at joe[at]legendmultimedia[dot]com. Or reach and follow him on Twitter @JoeHermanTweets.

Community & Partner Links

How Sony’s New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films

Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma’s Boy to Venom.

Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

U.K. Extends COVID Insurance Scheme; Distributes $21 Million in Cinema Grants

The U.K.’s insurance scheme for film and television has been extended until April.

Known as the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, the groundbreaking £500 million ($676 million) fund assures productions that they’ll receive financial support in case of COVID-related losses. The program has so far accepted 100 qualifying productions.

To read the full article in Variety, click on this link. 

Film Commish announces date for production restart

In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.

She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish’s bloggy sort of news column, click here.

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

If you want to start production, here’s the latest news from the Mayor’s Office

Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there’s a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.

To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls

NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan’s board can’t be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn’t qualify for benefits.

In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

Russo Brothers Received Close to $50 Million From Saudi Bank

Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.

The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film “Avengers: Endgame,” quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

  • About
  • Archives
  • Advertising
Copyright © 2021 NYCPPNEWS | Site Built with Studio Press Genesis