MAXON’s SDK Support team would like to give you a warm welcome. We invite every developer to come to our forum and exchange about Cinema 4D plugin development. Our goal is to make your plugin development as easy as possible. Therefore, we will do our best to make this a place where wisdom is shared amongst developers and where you will find the help you deserve, in order to get you going with your plugin development as fast as possible.
We aim to do so by:
- Answering your questions on the Plugin Café forum
- Writing and curating our SDK documentation
- Provide Training via tutorials, videos, code samples, etc.
What we do
- We will provide support for the C++ SDK, Python SDK, C.O.F.F.E.E. and Cineware, free of charge.
- We will provide support for the latest SDK release.
- Always use the latest version of CINEMA 4D (updates are available at http://www.maxon.net). The free Demo version may already be sufficient to develop plugins (this depends on the type of plugin though, as some parts of the API can not be tested with the free Demo).
That being said, we know you will want to support older versions of Cinema 4D with your plugins. Don’t expect us to answer questions on old SDK versions, just be glad if we do nonetheless. - We will try to give you precise answers whenever possible.
- Depending on the nature of your query, an answer can be made quickly or perhaps take several days. In general, it is our goal to get to you within two work days (although we cannot be asked to guarantee it).
- The SDK Support Team will assist in providing you with information when it is not already available through PluginCafé or the SDK documentation.
- If a bug (wrong SDK documentation or API calls failing to work) has been found, we will try to assist you to the best of our abilities, but cannot be asked to make changes to the SDK.
That being said, we have the ability to make changes to the API (fixing issues or adding new functionality), and while such efforts are managed at MAXON’s discretion, customer feedback is a key factor used for setting priorities.
What we don’t do
- We cannot help you learn C++, Python or C.O.F.F.E.E..
- We cannot debug your plugins.
- We will not write code for you.
- Depending on the complexity of your problem, we are not obliged to help you.
- We will not give support for non-public functions/variables/hooks.
- While discussing complex issues internally with the developers, we will not establish a direct channel or link to our developers.
- MAXON is not obliged to make any change to the SDK at your request.
Moderation – Rules for successful cooperation
By registering an account on the PluginCafé forum, you agree to the following guidelines and policies. These rules are there to maintain a healthy and enjoyable atmosphere, a level of professionalism and respect amongst users.
- Be courteous and polite. Show respect for the opinions and feelings of others. Use of the forums is a privilege, not a right.
- Don’t answer in the heat of the moment. You will be held responsible for your own words and any harm they may cause.
- The PluginCafé is a professional, moderated forum. We expect you to stay on topics relevant to Cinema 4D’s SDKs.
MAXON reserves the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread with or without reason or notice.
Any form of misbehavior will not be tolerated and may be cause for instant banishment from the PluginCafé. In moderate cases, one single warning will be emitted before banishment.
We will not tolerate :
- Politics or political propaganda in any form
- Potentially inflammatory discussions and artwork or comments regarding social issues such as racism, sexism, religion, xenophobia or sexual orientation
- Crude, derogatory, inappropriate or disrespectful remarks aimed at any individual(s). This includes comments directed at the work or posts of any individual(s)
- Spamming
- Hate speech
- Any comments made with the sole intention of disruption or to cause distress to any individual(s)
- Documents, images, movies or animations (in general: files or data) depicting any sexual act or abuse
- Unnecessarily violent, crude or obscene imagery
- The request or advert of copyrighted material (or links to such), serial numbers, cracks or illegally copied software documentation
- Threads advertising items for sale
- Posts that are potentially in breach of any NDA. This includes screenshots or any unlawfully acquired knowledge regarding beta versions of software that is not available to the general public. Even if you are not the one who signed the agreement, you are still not permitted to post such matter
- Totally ludicrous subjects
How to get support
See here
Legal terms
The SDK support services and documentation offered on this website are part of the Cinema 4D offering and are covered by its end user license agreement. Namely, MAXON cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss occurred during or after receiving support.
Our squad
Thank you for reading and sticking to these rules.
Please, don’t hesitate to provide your feedback on the PluginCafé forum and/or our work.

Riccardo Gigante
SDK Support Specialist
Passionate about life and any artistic expression around me.

Maxime Adam
SDK Support Specialist
In parallel to studying 3D in art school, I taught myself programming in C++ and Python. On multiple jobs in different companies I built up development experience by improving workflows with custom Cinema 4D plugins and scripts.

Manuel Magalhaes
SDK Support Specialist
As a computer scientist, i worked for several companies. I’ve learned and used Cinema 4D for over 10 years as a freelancer, developing tools and plugins. Now, I am helping as mush as i can, new developers to meet their goals.

Ferdinand Hoppe
SDK Group Member