Cinema 4D R20 Released

Posted on by Andreas Block

The new major version R20 of Cinema 4D has been officially released.
Check out the new features of Cinema 4D R20 on maxon.net.

This time there are some major changes to the SDK:

  • C++ SDK comes with changed workflows and the new MAXON API (see blow)
  • Python SDK got extended by the new features and provides a nicer workflow via c4dpy
  • C.O.F.F.E.E. has been removed completely.

All C++ plugins need at least to be recompiled. Most likely the developer will also need to adapt to the new API.
Python plugins and scripts should still continue to work (with minor exceptions).

The latest version 20.026 (Service Pack 1) of Cinema 4D is available for download. Developers must use this or later versions of the SDK to develop C++ plugins for Cinema 4D R20.

Documentation and Downloads

C++

Python

DevKitchen 2018

Currently we are planning a DevKitchen embedded into the Cinema 4D SuperMeet 2018 in Frankfurt on November 1st and 2nd.
This will be a great opportunity for plugin developers to get informed about the SDK changes in Cinema 4D R20 and directly discuss with the MAXON’s SDK Team.
There is also the chance to present your plugins at the SuperMeet, please contact us separately via mail to sdk_support@maxon.net, if interested.

Please take a look at the announcement.
We will need a certain number of non-binding pre-registrations until September, 16th for the DevKitchen to happen.

New Support Forum

The new official developer support forum is now online at plugincafe.maxon.net. Please create a new account and use this forum for all future support requests and discussions on Cinema 4D plugin development.

Please make yourself familiar with the rules and procedures in this new forum as described in these threads:

As before, the forum can be used to create new unique plugin IDs. The IDs are created and listed on the “Plugin ID” page.

If you have a user account in the existing support forum, please access your account and store your plugin IDs locally.

New Documentation Online

C++

The documentation of the Cinema 4D R20 C++ SDK is now online. This documentation includes manuals about the new API as well as information on how to port older plugins to the new SDK.

General information on API changes and plugin development is presented on these pages:

Information on how to adapt existing plugins can be found on these pages:

Python

The Python documentation has been updated and extended, too.

Project Tool Available

The Project Tool is used to create the necessary project files for Microsoft Visual Studio and Apple Xcode. The tool can be obtained from the Downloads page.

More information on the Project Tool can be found in the documentation: Project Tool.

c4dpy Available

The c4dpy executable can be used as a Python interpreter in conjunction with various IDEs. The latest version is available on the Downloads page.

Example on GitHub

The examples on GitHub have been updated (well, actually by the time of writing this post the update was not complete, yet. The update will follow asap within the next days). All C++ example code can now be found in one repository.

The new repository contains these examples:

  • cinema4dsdk: The standard example project that contains code that uses both the “classic” API as well as the new MAXON API.
  • maxonsdk.module: A new example project using only the new MAXON API.
  • microsdk: A new example project showing a minimal project setup.
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Andreas Block

Fomer SDK Support Lead and Developer Over ten years of development in industry automation provided me with a good foundation of low level and FPGA programming knowledge as well as with insight into various operating systems. Cinema 4D has been a hobby of mine since it started to emit its first rays of light back in Amiga times (still known as Fastray back then).

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