This SDK offers the most powerful toolset. It is the right choice if you need speed, full access to all parts of the application and want to create complex projects.
Development Environments
MAXON supports Xcode for the Mac and Visual Studio for PC. SDK Support can’t offer any support for other compiler or IDEs (e.g. no GCC compiler or Eclipse).
| Release | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Cinema 4D R25 | Visual Studio 2019 | Apple Xcode 11 (Intel) / Apple Xcode 12 (Intel and M1) |
| Cinema 4D S24 | Visual Studio 2019 | Apple Xcode 11 (Intel) / Apple Xcode 12 (Intel and M1) |
| Cinema 4D R23 | Visual Studio 2019 | Apple Xcode 11 |
| Cinema 4D S22 | Visual Studio 2019 | Apple Xcode 11 |
| Cinema 4D R21 | Visual Studio 2017 (see note in docs) | Apple Xcode 10 |
| Cinema 4D R20 | Visual Studio 2015 (see note in docs) | Apple Xcode 9 |
| Cinema 4D R19 | Visual Studio 2015 | Apple Xcode 8 |
| Cinema 4D R18 | Visual Studio 2013 | Apple Xcode 7 |
| Cinema 4D R17 | Visual Studio 2013 | Apple Xcode 6 |
| Cinema 4D R16 | Visual Studio 2012 | Apple Xcode 5.0.2 |
| Cinema 4D R15 | Visual Studio 2012 | Apple Xcode 4.6.3 |
| Cinema 4D R14 | Visual Studio 2010 | Apple Xcode 4.3.2 |
| Cinema 4D R13 | Visual Studio 2005 | Apple Xcode 3.2.6 |
While it is, of course, a good idea to own a CINEMA 4D license for plugin development, the free Demo version is already sufficient, as it includes the complete SDK.
Note that, depending on the C4D edition, parts of the API may not work. For example, you won’t be able to use MoGraph functionality if you only own a Prime or Visualize edition.
C++ Plugin Code Style Guide
In this document, you will find a public version detailing how we write C++ code at MAXON. Using this style guide can prove useful to facilitate collaboration and code sharing.
- Source publication on our community Github repository.
- Improve readability to the SDK support team.
- Establish a common ground to share code snippets on the SDK support forum.
How to get Plugin IDs
Public resources
Latest Relevant Articles
Cinema 4D R25 Release
On September 14th, 2021, Maxon released Cinema 4D Release 25 (R25.010). Please refer to the official article on the Maxon Website for further details. You can find the updated documentation for both the C++ and Python Cinema 4D SDK under… Continue Reading
Cinema 4D S24 SP1 Release
On June the 23rd, 2021, Maxon released Cinema 4D S24 SP1 (version 24.111). Please refer to the official article on the Maxon Website for further details. You can find the updated documentation for both the C++ and Python Cinema 4D… Continue Reading
Cinema 4D S24 Released
Cinema 4D Subscription Release 24 (S24) includes functionality to easily browse and obtain models, materials and other assets, and to intuitively place them within the scene. The release also includes key workflow enhancements and a sneak peek at the continued… Continue Reading
Cinema 4D R23.1 Service Release availability
On 11.11.2020 Maxon released Cinema 4D R23.1 (version 23.110). For further details see the official article on the Maxon Website. Besides the usual bug-fixes increasing the software reliability, R23 Service Pack 1 is the first version of Cinema 4D shipping… Continue Reading
Cinema 4D R23 Released
The next generation of Maxon’s professional 3D software delivers powerful enhancements to its animation and UV workflows, character animation toolset, and the inclusion of Magic Bullet Looks technology. The introduction of the new Scene Nodes system provides a preview of… Continue Reading