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    SDK Programming Advice

    Table of Contents

    SDK Installation

    The Cinema 4D C++ SDK can be installed in any location on the file system. It is not recommended to install it into any of the OS application-referred folders (e.g. "Program Files" or "Applications")

    Handling API Functions And Classes

    • Include OS headers before Cinema 4D headers.
    • Keep code with shared OS and Cinema 4D calls as small as possible and gathered in one place (better portability and less data type conflicts).
    • When handling the classic API, only use the actual routines. Never use the C4DOS structure directly.
    • Do not use global static classes of complex types. Elementary data types (Int32, Float, Char etc.) are allowed, see Primitive Data Types Manual (Classic).

    Using Native Cinema 4D Workflows

    • Make use of Cinema 4D's concepts of writing data to files. See HyperFile Manual and DescribeIO Manual.
    • Deliver a functionality-complete integration of the plugins to support all Cinema 4D features and grant a consistent user's experience across plugins' use (e.g. see Undo System Manual).

    Defensive Programming

    • Always do "defensive programming". Check pointers and results everywhere.
    • Any API function may fail. Check for everything, even if it seems obvious e.g. NewMem().
    • Any division needs to be checked for 0.0.
    • Not every element of Cinema 4D is implemented as a plugin, so GeListNode::GetNodeData() might return nullptr.
    • The order of evaluation depends on the compiler and platform. Make sure that operations are always called in the desired order. For example the functions of a pseudorandom number generator must be called explicitly in the correct order.

    Portability And Compatibility

    • Only use Cinema 4D data types to ensure easy porting to other platforms. See Data & Algorithms.
    • Make use of external resource files. Do not hardcode descriptions, dialogs and strings. See Resource Files Manual.
    • Always use constants to avoid compatibility problems.
    • Provide different binary versions of your plugins to support older versions of Cinema 4D.
    • Plugins compiled with a newer API will not load in an older version of Cinema 4D.
    • Information about previous Cinema 4D versions is only available for convenience. Only the latest API version can be supported. To maximize compatibility with a certain Cinema 4D version use the corresponding API.
    • Plugins compiled with older API will not automatically load in Cinema 4D R20 or newer versions. See Plugin Migration.

    Memory

    • Only use the Cinema 4D memory model for maximum speed and stability. See Memory Allocation and Entity Creation. If a plugin uses its own memory handling it won't benefit from Cinema 4D's memory model.
    • Use reference counted elements whenever possible to avoid memory leaks. See References.
    • Double-check your cleanup code in PluginEnd() and C4DPL_ENDACTIVITY. See Plugin Messages.

    Critical Plugin Hooks

    Further Reading