Are you interested in diving into the world of 3D modeling and animation with Cinema 4D? If so, this article is for you! But if you’re a beginner looking for a free starting point, consider trying Blender, an open-source software.
It’s always beneficial to learn alongside a community. For Cinema 4D enthusiasts, we recommend joining the online community r/cinema4D, where you can share your work, seek assistance, and discover valuable resources related to Cinema 4D.
In this Best Courses Guide (BCG), we’ll delve into top-notch online courses to enhance your Cinema 4D skills across various learning styles and expertise levels. Our selections encompass a wide range of options from Class Central’s extensive catalog of over 500 Cinema 4D courses.
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Top Picks
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Why Choose Us
Class Central, a hub for online education, has facilitated 60 million learners in finding their ideal courses. With over a decade of experience in curating online education, we have compiled a catalog of 200,000 courses and 200,000 user reviews. Our team, consisting of avid online learners, has collectively completed over 400 online courses, including full online degrees.
Courses Overview
- 1 free course and 7 paid courses
- 4.2K learners following the Cinema 4D subject on Class Central
- Courses in this guide have garnered over 22K enrollments and views
- Udemy is the most featured provider with 5 courses
If you’re new to Cinema 4D and wish to explore the software without a financial commitment, consider the “Getting Started With Cinema 4D” course. This beginner-friendly course is part of the “Cineversity Getting Started Series” by Maxon, the creators of Cinema 4D. Led by E.J. Hassenfratz, a creative director at School of Motion, this course introduces you to the fundamentals of Cinema 4D while working on an initial project. You’ll gain hands-on experience with project files created using Cinema 4D 25 and cover topics such as interface navigation, key shortcuts, advanced features like MoGraph, UVs, lighting techniques, animation methods, and more.
| Provider: Maxon – Cineversity |
| Instructor: E.J. Hassenfratz |
| Level: Beginner |
| Workload: 6-7 hours |
| Certificate: None |
For serious learners ready to delve deeper into Cinema 4D, the “Cinema 4D Masterclass: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners” is a comprehensive choice. Led by Ozgur Gorgun, a Maxon Certified Cinema 4D Instructor, this course aims to elevate your Cinema 4D skills from novice to proficient user. Gain insights into modeling, lighting, texturing, animating, industry-standard techniques, and more. Interact with the instructor and fellow learners in a dedicated learning community, and upon completion, receive a certificate acknowledging your proficiency in Cinema 4D basics.
| Provider: Udemy |
| Instructor: Ozgur Gorgun |
| Level: Beginner |
| Workload: 8 hours |
| Enrollments: 13.5K |
| Rating: 4.6 (3.6K ratings) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
For those seeking a solid foundation in polygon modeling, the “Cinema 4D Complete: Vol. 2. All about Modeling!” course is an ideal choice. Led by Lionel VICIDOMINI, a Paris-based Maxon Certified Instructor, this course delves into precise polygon manipulation, spline usage, geometric commands, generator and deformer utilization, OpenVDB parametric modeling, and practical workshops to create diverse objects.
| Provider: Udemy |
| Instructor: Lionel VICIDOMINI |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Workload: 22-23 hours |
| Enrollments: 2.4K students |
| Rating: 4.7 (345 ratings) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
Continuing the learning journey, “Cinema 4D Complete: Vol. 3 Unleash the power of Mograph!” by Lionel VICIDOMINI focuses on advanced Mograph capabilities. Dive into core Mograph concepts, effector libraries, field and effector combinations, generator applications like Voronoi Fracture, volume and field blending techniques, organic growth systems, and more. Enhance your animation skills through practical exercises integrated into the course structure.
| Provider: Udemy |
| Instructor: Lionel VICIDOMINI |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Workload: 19 hours |
| Enrollments: 1.7K students |
| Rating: 4.5 (171 ratings) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
If you’re keen on exploring 3D animation through a 2D lens, “3D for 2D Animation: Getting Started in Cinema 4D” offers a crash course tailored for individuals acquainted with 2D animation. Learn modeling and animation basics in Cinema 4D, and explore techniques to achieve a 2D drawn animation appearance using Sketch and Toon. Engage with instructor Russ Etheridge, a UK-based Animation Director and Designer, and share your projects for constructive feedback from peers.
| Provider: Skillshare |
| Instructor: Russ Etheridge |
| Level: Beginner |
| Workload: 2-3 hours |
| Enrollments: 2.7K students |
| Rating: 100% recommended (28 reviews) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
If you’re grappling with extended rendering durations in Cinema 4D, consider enrolling in the “Redshift for Cinema 4D Masterclass” to maximize GPU rendering efficiency with Redshift. Optimize your rendering process, such as lighting techniques, advanced material creation, depth of field effects, scene optimization, and denoising configurations, to produce photorealistic outcomes swiftly.
| Provider: Udemy |
| Instructor: Ozgur Gorgun |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Workload: 5 hours |
| Enrollments: 1K students |
| Rating: 4.5 (216 ratings) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
Check out the instructor train scene example created in this class.
If you prefer a hands-on approach to learning Redshift for Cinema 4D, the “Create A Space Train Scene With Cinema 4D & Redshift Render” course provides a practical guide. Learn basic modeling tools, master the Redshift Render Engine, optimize render settings, forge extensive scenes swiftly, and create captivating camera animations for cinematic flair. Engage with instructor Don Mupasi X Visualdon and peers for project feedback.
| Provider: Skillshare |
| Instructor: Don Mupasi X Visualdon |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Workload: 2-3 hours |
| Enrollments: 1.5K students |
| Rating: 100% recommended (26 reviews) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
Enhance your proficiency in motion tracking with Cinema 4D in the “Motion Tracking with Cinema 4D” course. Acquire critical skills for integrating 3D objects into live-action footage by utilizing Cinema 4D’s advanced 3D tracker. Delve into video capture techniques, tracking methodologies, scene calibration strategies, object tracking, planar tracking, and lens distortion workflows, all under the guidance of instructor Lionel VICIDOMINI. Download lectures and exercise files to practice and perfect your tracking abilities.
| Provider: Udemy |
| Instructor: Lionel VICIDOMINI |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Workload: 5 hours |
| Enrollments: 697 students |
| Rating: 4.7 (78 ratings) |
| Certificate: Yes, available |
Why Trust Us
Class Central, a leading resource for online education, has aided 60 million learners in discovering their ideal courses. With over a decade of expertise in online education, we have curated a vast collection of 200,000 courses and 200,000 user reviews. The Class Central team comprises avid online learners who have collectively completed over 400 online courses, including full online degrees.
Our Selection Process and Testing Methodology
Identifying the “best” courses can be overwhelming, even for individuals immersed in the online learning realm. Here’s how we approached this challenge:
Initially, we scoured Class
