Speed Up Your Workflow with The Cinema 4D Take System

Learn how the Cinema 4D Take system can give you more options and less hassle when iterating for your clients in this Cinema 4D Tutorial.

Learn how the Cinema 4D Takes system can give you more options and less hassle when iterating for your clients in this Cinema 4D Tutorial.

The Take system was one of the reasons I made the switch from 3Ds Max to Cinema 4D. Not many 3D apps can claim to have solved the render pass problem without a clumsy UI or buggy workflows, but Maxon has definitely done that in my opinion. I made this video for those who have not yet tried takes but maybe are aware of its benefits and believe me, no matter how you use C4D, Takes can help you.

What will I Learn?

This is a quick introduction to Takes for those who may have known about them, but have not used them in their everyday workflow. It’s also a great video for those who are looking for a refresher on what the Take system is capable of.

What are Takes?

In a nutshell, Takes allow you to save many, many versions of your file in one scene. Sounds crazy I know, but this is nothing new to most other DCC apps. Ever have a client ask if they can get an alternate color on an asset in your scene? You could create a separate scene file, change the color, name it accordingly (so you don’t forget) and be done. Now, what if your client comes back and says they want a slightly different camera angle. You would have to merge that camera change back into that alt color scene and any other alternate scenes you had to create. Takes eliminates this confusing and messy workflow and allows you to make multiple versions of your scene in one project.

When should I use Takes?

I use takes whenever I know I’m going to need options. Options either for myself or for my clients. Working with takes is a much easier way for my brain to keep organized. Otherwise, I end up with folders filled with scenes and it becomes difficult to remember what scenes have what changes/assets/cameras.

Where can I learn more about Takes?

Cinversity has some great tutorials covering Takes. Check them out here.

Get all the Chair models used in this tutorial for free from Dimensiva here.