Cinema 4D 2026.1.0 C++ SDK Documentation

Welcome to the Cinema 4D 2026.1.0 API documentation! For an overview of the changes in this release, please see SDK Change Notes for Cinema 4D 2026.1.0. For development support and general information about other Maxon APIs, please visit developers.maxon.net.

Getting Started

Learn how to get started with different aspects of the C++ SDK.

Quickstart

Take your first steps with the C++ SDK from downloading, to compiling, and extending it with your own plugins.

Getting Started: Foundations

Get to know important core concepts in the Cinema and Maxon API.

Getting Started: Scene Elements

Learn how to handle scenes and elements in them such as objects, tags, or materials.

Getting Started: Application

Learn how to carry out tasks such as creating dialogs and file handling.

Getting Started: Data Types

Get to know important data types such as strings and containers.

Plugins

Learn about the different plugin types that exist and common concepts used by plugins.

API Overview

Describes important aspects of the API and the different plugin types which can be implemented.

Development Requirements

Discover technical requirements and other basic information about developing plugins for the Cinema 4D C++ SDK.

Common Plugin Concepts

Get to know central plugin concepts such as registrations and nodes.

Plugins Messages

Learn how to use the plugin message system to react to different stages of a running Cinema 4D instance.

Projects

Learn the details of generating, compiling, and shipping your plugin projects.

Build Systems

Describes how to generate and define build system for Cinema 4D plugins, targeting Visual Studio, Xcode, and Ninja (Linux).

Development for Windows

Get to know what is important when developing and shipping plugins for Windows.

Development for macOS

Get to know what is important when developing and shipping plugins for macOS.

Development for Linux

Get to know what is important when developing and shipping plugins for Linux.

Best Practices

Discover recommend practices when using the Cinema 4D C++ SDK.

Code Style Guide

Outlines the rules with which Maxon formats C++ code.

SDK Programming Advice

Provides short advice and links for how to handle selected subjects in the Cinema 4D C++ API.

Debugging Techniques

Learn about techniques for debugging code for the Cinema 4D C++ SDK.

Migrating Plugins to the 2025.0 API

Learn how to migrate plugin code to the Cinema 4D 2025.0.0 C++ API.