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How to Add Caustics In Cinema 4D 48 Comments

In this video, I will show you how to set up some simple caustics on a scene. Caustics allows light to bounce off of reflective objects and go though refractive objects to produce realistic light patterns. Caustics can take a long time to calculate, but in product shots, it can really help with making the scene more realistic.

With Caustics

Without Caustics

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48 Comments

  2. Manny

    Awesome Tut Nick! Another tool for my tool box!

    Happy Holidays!

    Reply

  3. Mirko

    Nice, although it might have been a better example to use glass, since that is often where caustics are needed. Nevertheless, great tutorial as always. Keep up the god work Nick!

    Reply

  4. Jake

    Hey Nick! Nice Tuuut. Dumb unrelated question tho, what kind of keyboard you sportin? Cheers!

    Reply

  6. Markus Vad Flaaten

    LOVE your new site, brother! Practically every bit of it is embracing, just not that weird grey 45º drop-shadow on the text in the header items. That’s all, haha! :)

    Keep it up, you rock!

    Reply

  7. Kyle Brosius

    Hey Nick, I’m getting some strange display problems with the site. The text in the description for the tutorial runs into the column on the far right. Looks fine when I click on the link and go to the post though.

    Reply

  10. Zuhair

    Hi, Nick thank you for Tut.
    But i have problem with C4D R13 every-time I start it and add object the app not \ stop responding . In every time !!!

    Reply

  13. Emil Draws

    You can also use caustics with GI, i don’t know about the indirect illumination tho…

    Reply

  15. Baris Oktem

    Sorry, for dumb question but i really wonder what is this font that you use this site it’s looking great :)

    Reply

  18. Omar Gonzáles Díaz

    Hey Nick, just to thank you once again, but i have an idea. ¿Why dont you and chris do a tutorial togueter? A little modeling and animation from Chris and u in the second part de lightening, ¿What do you say?

    *A 5 min animation, a project for a commercial or something. Thank you!

    Reply

  20. ap.motiondesign

    Thank you Nick! Great quick tip!
    You’re making awesome things in simple way! That’s awesome!

    Thank you again!)

    Hi there from Russia :)

    Reply

  21. Dodge

    Hey there, Can you supply us with maybe some texture files? If not I understand why. My metalic structure isnt anywhere near as good as yours…. Id just like to see if spruced up.

    Reply

  25. Trevor Williams

    Very Pretty! I like how with caustics there is some light that bounces off of the surface to fill in some of the shadow areas.

    Reply

    • Gordon

      Nice tip FETHI. It definitely adds that little x-factor to the scene.

      Reply

  29. Arne

    what a bummer, isn’t enabled in the R12 Broadcast Version?

    Greetings

    Reply

  32. Fliso

    Hey Nick ich bin der Dave und komme aus Germany und ich wollte dir nur mal sagen
    das du echt der beste bist ich feier deine sachen du machst das echt gut
    und du bist echt ne hilfe ich bin ein grosser fan von c4d und es macht mir einen sehr grossen spass
    bei dir zu lernen ich würde mich über ne feedback sehr freuen wende magst kannste mich ja mal auf meine seite besuchen unter http://fliso-design.blogspot.com :) ja das warst dann erstmal ich wünsche dir weiter hin alles gute mfg Dave:)

    Reply

  35. Ashley Staggs

    Hi,

    Can caustics be used with the GSG Light Kit Pro???

    As I understand it, all lights are disabled in the scene and luminance is used.

    Thanks

    Reply

  36. Austin

    Im not sure why, but the floor I’m using isn’t picking up the caustics.

    I’m trying to animate some little crystals growing out of an arm rail in live-action footage.

    so, my floor is a cylinder (sized to match the real rail), and I have it textured with the background image set to “frontal” and a compositing tag to make it invisible against the background to catch the shadows and caustics.

    the shadows are being cast onto it correctly.
    but the caustics aren’t.

    I have everything checked from this tutorial and to double check, I set the caustics to render as a separate multi-pass.
    In the caustics multi-pass channel of a single-frame render, they show up, but in the overall composite render there’s nothing there, which makes me think it’s the floor surface.

    Any suggestions?

    Reply

  38. Stephen

    Hi Nick,

    Have you experimented with caustics using just GI and a luminance material?

    I’m working on a neon tube light which has the illumination on the material cranked up to generate more light and I wanted to add a bit more to it by adding caustics but not getting anywhere with the neon tube being the only light source.

    Cheers,
    Stephen

    Reply

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Comment Rules

This is a friendly community. Please treat everyone with respect. We don't all have to agree, but we do have to be nice. Criticism is fine, but rude comments and name calling will be deleted. Use your real name and don't be spammy. Thanks for adding to the conversation.