CINEMA 4D R11, Part 2: Advanced Render 3, MoGraph, MOCCA, and Hair is the second of a multi-part review covering MAXON's new CINEMA 4D Release 11's offerings. Because this product has so many items available for the user, I could not do it justice in a single review, and so I will break it down in separate reviews. This second one will cover some of the modules that are available to enhance product functionality.
As I said in my first installment, CINEMA 4D R11 is the latest release of the commercial cross-platform, high-end 3D graphics application from MAXON. Because of its modularity, the core product gives you everything that you need to create high-end 3D images and animations. When you need additional features, you can get those as well. There are a number of integrated modules that are available for purchase individually or in bundles. I will now take a look at four of the modules.
Advanced Render 3 Module
Advanced Render 3 takes your rendering to the next level. While the standard renderer produces great output quickly, the Advanced Render module has advance features like Global Illumination and Caustics for better realism. These will give you much more photorealistic images.
As light spreads out on its own in the real world, it is reflected as it hits objects. Depending on the object's surface characteristics, it can do many things. Light can be cast through a window where it will then reflect off other objects, or it can diffuse when passing through others. With Global Illumination, rendering lets every object within a scene act as a light source. In Release 11, the GI rendering was completely re-written to be more powerful than ever, now claiming faster speeds and reduced artefacting as well as flicker-free animation ability.
Caustics on the other hand are the phenomena that happen when, say, light is aimed into a swimming pool. The light that is displayed when going through a transparent material and broken upon entry and exit are a natural effect of caustics.
Caustics provide more realism for your 3D objects by simulating the hyper-focusing of light as it reflects off of surfaces, or within the volume of an object. To calculate caustics, the Advanced Render module actually fires photons into your scene. As these electronic rays of light get focused and distorted, the rendering engine displays the lighting effect in the image.
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