There is a feature in Cinema 4D that I think is the most unused, most helpful feature there is. So useful, I’m calling this “The Best Cinema 4D Tutorial Ever!!!” So, what is it? It’s the ability to click on anything in the Cinema 4D interface and pull up the exact section in the manual that describes what it does. Just Right Click or Control Click on the setting you want to know more about and BOOM, you are there.
More Than Words
Of course there are tons of technical descriptions of what is going on behind the scenes in Cinema 4D, but there are also many visual examples to show you exactly what happens when you crank up that slider or click that button.
The Only Cinema 4D Book I’ve Read
You ever wanted a good book on Cinema 4D? No need to buy one just yet. Just print out some of these pages and follow along. There is even a section of tutorials on things like Modeling, Animation, Xpresso and Materials. Ever wonder why there are 9 different GI Modes? It’s in there. Want to know the difference between Mitchell and Cubic Anti-Aliasing? It’s in there, too. Want your render buckets to start from the top instead of from the center? Type in “Bucket Sequence” in the search feature of the help menu and find out how.
Really Nick? The Best Ever?
OK, OK. Video tutorials are still the favorite and most entertaining way to learn. But, I have learned so many useful things from the help menu, it’s worth making sure you know about it. I use it a ton because it’s so accessible and easy to use. When I ever get stuck, I check here first before searching google for tutorials or forum posts. Especially for some of the mundane things that really don’t have a tutorial. Things like learning what the MIN and MAX values do and what the different GI settings do are usually too dry for a video tutorial, but work great in the help. Go give it a try. I think you will be surprised.
So nice!
Exactly! The help menu includes all information step by step and from A to Z..of course tutorials are great but sometimes we only focus to what we need and skip over other important stuff. Thanks Nick, good suggestion for sure
Awesome! “check google” < EPIC!! lol
this is just fantastic.
Or you just hover the thing you need help with and press cmd + F1 (mac). Guess its like ctrl + F1 in windows
I fully agree with you Nick, but on a separate note, I wish there were also a printable pdf of the whole help file. I can’t stand reading pages and pages of technical stuff on my comptuer and would rather have a reference book sitting on my bedside table…How come Maxon does not provide it?
Hey I just had a whinge about the same thing A, should have read yours first.
Its a real pain in the ass.
Rather have it as a pdf for an iPad at the very least.
Every other piece of software I own can manage it, must be a classified document.
Well the help is actually in html (for mac in the {install root}\help\{lang-code}\html folder) so to read it somewhere else you could copy that folder and read it in any browser. The main index is 1000.html.
Cheers
http://www.maxon.net/downloads/documentation.html go down chose your version and get the quickstart its a .pdf you can download and print it so yeh
This is a good post, if only to prevent people from asking Nick so many dumb questions. Like “How do ya make ribbons!?”
cmd + F1 its been a great friend of mine since version 9.1.
The first thing i did when i began learning C4D was to read the entire manual.
I’ve always loved this feature. It is miles beyond any of the adobe help. I wish this was the industry standard for these sometimes very technical programs with individualized vernacular
So true!
Amen, bro.
I find myself trying to use the help click in other apps all the time!
Totally agree! Maxon have done a fantastic job!
The C4D help menu has saved my bacon a million times. The fact that you can right click on anything and get a thorough breakdown of what it is, how it works, and what each setting does is streets ahead.
As my sound design teacher would always say if you asked him a software related question: “RTFM!”
Thank you a lot for this Tutorial…
I´ve got only one question, is there any way to make the Fontsize bigger?
-Michael
You can change the font size by hacking the css file as follows:
CINEMA 4D R13/help/files/wickie.css
Open up wickie.css in a text editor and change the font-size on line 35 (body) from 11px.
You may need to adjust the permissions first.
I picked this tip up from a Maxon rep at a recent training day in London.
All the best.
Paul
Thank you! This is awesome.
Oh, F1, So easy. Now I could remove ur blog from fav
Hello Nick,
So nice to hear your voice, you are such a nice presenter, sometimes its not about the knowledge but how you present it. we love learning from you, I hope you can take help from Chris Schmidt’s on some advance stuff and present it yourself… no offense to Chris, he is a nice artist and presenter but we come to GSG because of you
its like we went to see spiderman film and found Ironman there.. he might be more powerful but want to see spiderman 
All the best dude..
Aftab
Grand evercool tip!
I use cmd_f1 alot on icons but never realized it works with text & menus as well
Hi Nick, thanks for the amazing tutorials. I have some text animation thats really giving me hard time, its based on the Scion XB Splicer TVC i found on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D31kR-tax-g
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Ronnie
only motext animation.
download the video, watch it carefully frame by frame!
The most important point in this tutorial: Try to figure it out ON YOUR OWN before defaulting to Google!
If you’re ever bored, just ctrl+F1 on some obscure option button or checkbox you’ve never used before and away you go.
Hey Nick
I was wondering how come there is no pdf file of the cinema 4D manual?
When I look at the help manual online it is so small and for some reason when I hit the command + keys damn thing just stays the same.
Also I can’t put it on my iPad for when I want to put myself to sleep at night.
Real pain
Totally agree! Maxon have done an outstanding job!
C4D has ruined every other application’s help system for me. Adobe’s CS help feels like banging rocks together.
lal. really think , its better with a PDF version ^^
Nice.
{http://peedy.tv/blog}
thanks Nick great tip!
@Ronnie
the best way to find out how an animation is done is watching it frame by frame. Download it and watch on quicktime.
4 Minutes of my life I won’t get back. Thanks for that. RTFM.
Thanks a lot Nick, I’ll post the final animation video when completed.
Thanks
Thanks Nick, as always appreciate you digging out these little gems.
Have to give it to MAXON they did a GREAT job with the help files.
i would appriciate any comments or constructive critism for this animation i have just made, what do you think guys? http://vimeo.com/31071593
i like the animation, I see that your using ease-ease allot for the camera animations. although this is good for long sweeping shots, for shorter shots i would try linear animation. It makes the animation look sharper.
creo que ustedes aún no han visto este video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLFOlvDgcAQ&feature=channel_video_title
Please get Simon Holmedal back for some advanced tutorials!!!!
How have i not looked at the help-file yet. I guess i was just turned off by some other programs help-files, thanks nick.
small typo “Just print these out some of these pages…..” in the “The Only Cinema 4D Book I’ve Read” paragraph. O
Thanks for that! All fixed.
Thanks,
But frankly, content of this tutorial doesn’t justify the topic’s name. It’s sufficiently exaggerated.
Good food for google’s BOTs, but not a best way to attract visitors on your site.
Disappointed…
Hey Nick, could you use your magic and show us how to do this in Cinema?
http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2011/05/light-kit-pro-adidas-shoe-spot/
Very nice tip. Thanks!
Thanks Nick and good advice! This persuades me I should really sit down and read that manual properly.
it’s so sweet, thanks!
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@Adrien > on macs, you can right click in any help page and choose “print”, and then print it to a PDF.
That is a bit of an overstatement. Sure the manual is useful to look some stuff up, but the examples it uses are sometimes so vague and brief. I found a search in any cinema4d forum is usually way more informative than reading the manual.
Also, your layout is still all-kinds of messed up in Opera.
realy thanks for this tip
It is an awesome feature. I converted the help to a PDF document long ago, simply because it explains what everything does.
I haven’t compressed it down for my iPad yet though…I really should do that but it is pretty damn big.
Thanks Nick…as always!
Hi Nick,
(that was not an Nick I believe)
Every time I visit your 3D ‘Gorilla Jungle’, I get a smile on my face.
It’s so nice and many thanks for the work you do.
I’ll be back
Guys That Want A Downloadable .PDF Go Maxxons Website The Go Documentation And Look For Your Version And Click One That Is Around 28 mb And When It Opens It Give You A Chance To Download And Print
This has changed my life. Not the first time you’ve done that.
Thank you Nick Campbell.