Nodes will arrive to Cinema 4D

[Bullit]

Nothing like competition to make stifling companies start moving... http://www.cgchannel.com/2020/07/maxon- ... t-neutron/

Maxon has unveiled Project: Neutron, a new node-based architecture for Cinema 4D, promising to enable users to do anything from procedural modelling to motion graphics via a visual programming workflow.

Create anything from models to motion graphics by wiring nodes together
Described by Maxon CEO David McGavran as the “future of Cinema 4D”, Project: Neutron is an ongoing project to implement a node-based core architecture for the software.

It forms part of a series of updates to Cinema 4D’s core, which also resulted in the node-based material system introduced in Cinema 4D R20.

Project: Neutron takes the same visual programming paradigm – author complex systems by wiring nodes together – and extends it to a much wider range of tasks.

The livestream showed a range of potential use cases, including creating a motion graphics effect consisting of an array of animated spheres and scattering a forest of procedural trees across a landscape.

It can even be used for procedural modelling: one demo showed it in use to create the scales on a 3D fish.

In a tweet, motion designer and Cinema 4D trainer EJ Hassenfratz described the system as “Houdini4D?”, in reference to the similar node-based workfoows available in SideFX’s procedural 3D software.

‘Blazingly fast’ – but completely optional
McGavran described the Neutron Engine as “blazingly fast”, commenting that Maxon was testing it with scenes containing multiple millions of objects.

However, Project: Neutron will “enable node-based workflows, not enforce them” with an implementation similar to the Cinema 4D Object Manager, which creates nodes invisibly in the background of a scene.

“If you’re not interested in digging into nodes, you’re not going to have to,” said Paul Babb, Maxon’s global head of community. “You’re going to have the same playful creative workflow [as before].

Project: Neutron will be available as a preview in the next version of Cinema 4D, although it isn’t clear how much you will be able to do with it: Maxon says the the first release won’t provide an “end-to-end workflow”.

The toolset will be fleshed out over subsequent releases.

From minute 14

[opoppopopp]

OK, node based modelling, particles, kinematics maybe...some road again...
We used to have a general purpose node system...

[Bullit]

I like that when you click on node you already have the options of it. On another hand maybe you might not have several opened

[NNois]

duhh, left to right seriously ? ... too late I'm now used to top to bottom node building of Houdini

[opoppopopp]

due to the more often wide screen monitor, I consider horizontal node layout is more ideal.

[Bullit]

Good point.

[NNois]

due to the more often wide screen monitor, I consider horizontal node layout is more ideal.

for shader building maybe but for the rest it must be top bottom just like a shematic view, always top bottom, we can't shift your mind like that when switching between obj and geometry ;-)

[Bullit]

But can you shift your mind from side to top in a second when you go from shading to the "rest" , please no. Consistency.

[Mathaeus]

One of very few advantages of using Maya for several years, is that I don't care anymore about that flow orientation thing, could be bottom to top and right to left, if works.
Another question is, in which version of Cinema we'll see Neutron? I guess only in most expensive one, or they''ll find some way to provide ''enough'' crippled Neutron in cheaper Cinemas.

[jonmoore]

One of very few advantages of using Maya for several years, is that I don't care anymore about that flow orientation thing, could be bottom to top and right to left, if works.
Another question is, in which version of Cinema we'll see Neutron? I guess only in most expensive one, or they''ll find some way to provide ''enough'' crippled Neutron in cheaper Cinemas.

There's only one C4D these days - the one you rent! The one advantage is that there's no more poor mans C4D, the bad, there's no longer an ultra-affordable C4D option (never mind permanent licenses).

I'm with you ref not caring about left / right or up / down node flows, I'll happily work with both. Years of working with SOuP in Maya has probably reinforced that mindset (as well as Fusion and VOPs in Houdini).

That bit that will interest me most is the manner in which X-Particles hooks into Neutron. The thing I hate most about X_Particles is that it's like working in an ocean of Uber-modulate nodes. They try so hard to provide every new trend in motion design coming out of Houdini and Maya that everything is so bloated it's often hard to focus in on the flow of a procedural setup. X-Particles was originally developed by a team with a fanatical hatred of nodes so it will be interesting to see if they now have people on board who understand the advantages.

As to Neutron itself, I like what I see so far. I'm hoping that Maxons usual lazer focus on artist-centric UX will provide a better procedural nodes solutions than ADSK's efforts so far with Bifrost Graph - which for me takes all that's great about ICE and buggers everything with an appalling UX. The one good thing about the Bifrost Graph is the automatic typing and context stuff, but in general, it's like wading through treacle when compared to ICE.

[Bullit]

Thanks for the feedback Jon.

Mathaeus, things don't get messy faster?

[Mathaeus]

Mathaeus, things don't get messy faster?

If this is about ''bottom to top, right to left flow'', that's a bit sarcastic. In Maya it's possible to see ''loops', where connection is taken from one node, plugged into another node and result is returned back to first node. Sometimes there is advantage of that, let's say with parent matrix output in transform node. If something changes the parent, there is no need for rewiring. But, of course, solution is messy, like a lot of other things in Maya.
Back to Cinema, I'd believe they will find a human friendly way, as usual. They also have a lot of freelancers using C4d for everyday tasks, I believe they will find a good way for ''packaging'' - that is, how easy is to utilize a set of nodes, created by someone else. So there is good chance to see the creativity, able to help in everyday work of c4d users. Good news, in any way.

[Bullit]

Thanks. Yea it is good the nodes are more in use, e might get better development

[Bullit]

https://forums.cgsociety.org/t/project- ... ow/2059573

Pretty interesting stuff with the new node system demo. I’m curious about how the system is supposed to flow though. In this example he shows the flow going backwards? The Distribution Op connects to the Sphere that connects to the scene?

In the next example this is reversed, where, more logically, the Sphere connects to the Distribution Op.

Can anyone shed some light on that? Cheers.

Srek

More details will come later, but in the first case it is matrices being created (Distribution) and then get a geometry assigned (Sphere), in the other case a geometry is created (Sphere) and then multiplied (Distribution).
Neutron is flexible like that, the advantage of being able to do both is that the Distribution can influence individual spheres parameters in the first setup, while in the second the sphere can influence the distribution. Of course you can change both later on.

In relation to the video above.