Mograph Techniques: Rigging a Robot Arm in Cinema 4D

Learn to rig and animate a 3D robotic arm in CINEMA 4D.

Learn to rig and animate a 3D robotic arm in CINEMA 4D. EJ Hassenfratz leads this project-based learning experience, which relies on C4D's inverse kinematics (IK) tools. First, you'll prepare the model hierarchy for animation, before adding joints and applying an IK tag that transforms your joint system into an IK chain. Then you'll animate the entire rig and use constraints tags and Xpresso data to control all the moving parts in the arm. Last, EJ shows you how to render the project and import it into After Effects for further refinement.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Choosing the right version of CINEMA 4D
• Using the exercise files

1. Preparing the Model for Inverse Kinematics (IK)

• Describing the model setup and hierarchy
• Understanding IK and forward kinematics

2. Creating the IK Chain

• Introducing joints
• Applying an IK tag
• Freezing and resetting transformation values

3. Adding Animation Controls

• Adding a Constraint tag to keep parts aligned
• Creating Xpresso user data to control rotation
• Constraining a part's movement range with the Range Mapper node

4. Animating the Robot Arm

• Setting up the rig for animation
• Animating the arm movement using keyframes
• Using position, scale, and rotation constraints to place a logo element

5. Rendering and Finishing in After Effects

• Setting up to render by adding Compositing tags and multipasses
• Importing the rendered project into After Effects
• Adding depth of field and motion blur in After Effects

Conclusion

• Next steps