How to seamlessly integrate Cinema 4D files into Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine 5 offers so many creative opportunities for 3D artists that it can be almost bewildering for them to find a route into Unreal Engine that suits them. It can do so many things, such as character creation and animation with the incredible MetaHuman creator, or easy scene layout with its vast array of assets available in the marketplace. For many artists who are used to 3D content creation applications such as Cinema 4D and Maya, Unreal presents a new way of working that takes time to learn.

However, the potential speed of the real-time rendering options that Unreal Engine offers makes it a tempting platform for 3D artists, especially those who specialise in product and motion graphics rendering, which is a core area for Cinema 4D users. Handily, Maxon provides a version of Cineware, the model exchange protocol for native Cinema 4D files, for Unreal Engine. This makes it simple to import Cinema 4D files into Unreal without having to export to an interchange model format such as Alembic or FBX.

But once in Unreal Engine, how does an artist quickly build a scene to make the most of the software? Well, that’s where the Atlux plug-in comes in to offer a more ‘traditional’ layout environment that excels for existing 3D artists. Once installed as a plugin for Unreal, Atlux can create its own unique level within the software, which is the closest equivalent Unreal has to a new scene or file that sits within the larger Unreal project. Atlux can also easily add elements to an existing level. (Read our guide to the essential Cinema 4D plugins for more.)

If the artist still needs to import the Cinema 4D file, they can use the Cineware plug-in via the Datasmith Import menu option to insert the C4D file into the Atlux level, directly in the middle of the Atlux studio environment. From there, the artist can then switch between the Atlux preset scenes easily, some of which provide animation setups such as turntables or camera pans and dollies. These can then be turned into a sequence, the Unreal Engine equivalent of a linear animation timeline, before being rendered out as a final animation.

Rendering can be easily controlled through the Atlux interface with quick, simple access to the render engine and file output settings. This means that Atlux can be the singular interface the artist uses while working with Unreal Engine, making it an easy way to explore more of what it has to offer.

01. The Cinema 4D file

(Image: © Mike Griggs)

For this tutorial, a Cinema 4D scene has been created of a car model. It doesn’t have anything within the scene other than the model itself, although the Maxon Cineware importer can import the complete scene data, including animation. The file does need to be saved as a Cineware version. The Maxon Cineware plugin for Unreal is available for free from the Maxon website.

02. Get Atlux and check Unreal plugin

(Image: © Mike Griggs)

Atlux is available as a plugin at atlux.ai and has its own installer. However, both Atlux and Cineware for Unreal need to be enabled in the Unreal plugin menu (Edit>Plugins), and then the Unreal project needs to be restarted. Once Unreal has restarted, there should be an Atlux icon by the Platforms dropdown. Press on it to open the Atlux Interface.

03. Create the Atlux level

(Image: © Mike Griggs)

This Unreal project was created with a Blank Game preset, adding landscape and environmental lighting. Pressing on one of the Atlux studio presets will add these assets to the existing level if the Create New Studio Level option is toggled at the top of the Studio Preset list. This will create a new, clean Atlux level with only the Atlux studio elements.

04. Bring in your CAD file

(Image: © Mike Griggs)

To add the Cinema 4D file, go to the ‘Quickly add to Project’ icon (a cube with a green + symbol) at the top of the Unreal Window, select Datasmith>File Import, and then choose the Cinema 4D file required, in this example, the car. Unreal will ask where in the Content Directory to place the Cinema 4D assets. Choose what assets from the C4D scene are required, and press Import. The model should appear in the center of the Atlux studio.

Do you have a 3D trick or hack? Share your advice in the comments below.