Learn Cinema 4D, from the ground up, in this intro to Cinema 4D course from Maxon Certified Trainer, EJ Hassenfratz. This course will get you comfortable with the basics of modeling, lighting, animation, and many other important topics for 3D Motion Design. Master basic 3D principles and lay the foundation for more advanced subjects in the future.
Jul 11, 2022
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1:00 pm
UTC
"Signing up for Cinema 4D Basecamp was the best decision I have made in my Motion Design career. EJ keeps you spellbound with his Cinema 4D magic and showmanship. He does more than just teach you the tools, he gets you comfortable enough to explore and create on your own." - Vishal Varghese, Spring 2018
EJ Hassenfratz is a multi-Emmy award winning Motion Design artist & tutorial artist based out of the Mile High city of Denver, CO. EJ comes from a family of designers. Both his father and uncle were Art Directors for broadcast news stations, where EJ cut his teeth in the industry. Inspired by his wife who teaches special-needs children, he started Eyedesyn, a motion design blog to give back to the community that helped him be successful in the field of Motion Design. He’s been fortunate to work with clients like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike, ESPN, and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
Meet your classmates, get comfy with the course format and dive right in with your first project designed to build that muscle memory!
July 11
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1 Projects
Nothing happens in 3D until there’s some geometry, and in the first week you’ll learn about all the various ways to create it. You’ll use primitives, splines, generators, and you’ll even get a crash course in some basic modeling techniques.
July 18
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2 Projects
In the world of 3D it’s lighting that shapes your image. You’ll learn the basics of lighting techniques, ways to create more realistic lighting and shadows, how to control reflections, and other ways to light the scene besides using… ya know, lights.
July 25
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2 Projects
Take a week off to focus on any lessons and homework you’re behind on. We’ll also use this time to give you some insights on how to approach learning something as complex and deep as a 3D package. Watch out for a cameo from Beeple.
Aug 1
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1 Projects
This week you’ll learn how the keyframe and graph editor systems work in Cinema 4D, and you’ll also learn many other ways to create movement using some of the amazing tools built-in to the software.
Aug 8
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2 Projects
The MoGraph tools in Cinema 4D are incredibly powerful, and will give you wizard-like abilities once you wrap your head around the way they work. This week dives deep into this toolset with lessons on modeling and animating using MoGraph.
Aug 15
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2 Project
Another down week to focus on work! We’ll also go into the weeds a bit to talk about scene management. You'll learn the tricks of the trade and keep your scenes nice and optimized to save on your render times.
Aug 22
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0 Projects
In this week, we’ll focus on using the principle of Staging and the camera tools to create well composed scenes and dynamic camera movement. To work in 3D, you need to become a bit of a Cinematographer, and we’ve got you covered.
Aug 29
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2 Projects
In this week, we’ll focus on using the principle of Staging and the camera tools to create well composed scenes and dynamic camera movement. To work in 3D, you need to become a bit of a Cinematographer, and we’ve got you covered.
Sept 5
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2 Projects
In this week, we’ll focus on using the principle of Staging and the camera tools to create well composed scenes and dynamic camera movement. To work in 3D, you need to become a bit of a Cinematographer, and we’ve got you covered.
Sept 12
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0 Project
Our student community is welcoming, diverse, and growing rapidly.
Cinema 4D Basecamp is for the true 3D beginner. You could be brand new to the tools, or someone who is self taught but doesn't feel confident using the software. In this course, you'll learn foundational principles along with best-practices that you need to start diving deeper into the world of 3D. This course will get you comfortable with basics of modeling, lighting, animation and many other important topics.
You do not need to have any prior experience with 3D software before taking this course. We recommend that you have some basic knowledge of design and animation before taking this course. It is also recommended that you have a foundational knowledge of After Effects to complete some of the later lessons, and understand some of topics discussed in this course. Taking After Effects Kickstart is recommended if you do not have After Effects experience.
Required Software
Cinema 4D R20 (Note - A complimentary Cinema 4D license is provided and can be used for the duration of the course.)
After Effects CC (16.0 or Higher)
Premiere Pro CC 2018 (12.0 or Higher)
Minimum System Requirements for Cinema 4D
Windows 10 64-bit on Intel or AMD 64-bit CPU with SSE3 support or MacOS 10.12.6+ with 64-bit CPU running on Intel-based Apple Macintosh
4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended), OpenGL graphics card supporting OpenGL 4.1 (dedicated GPU recommended)
The GPU renderer requires an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card on Windows or AMD on MacOS that supports OpenCL 1.2 or newer. Metal support requires MacOS 10.14.6 or newer. We recommend at least 4 GB VRAM for GPU rendering.
Nope! After you enroll, you will receive a complimentary Cinema 4D license to use during your course. While you're waiting for your course to begin, you can download a free 14-day trial of Cinema 4D directly from Maxon's website.
Yes, we are!
Cinema 4D Basecamp is a 12-week course. Lessons become available at a specific time each week but you can watch them and do your work whenever it is convenient for you. The lessons include pre-recorded videos, podcasts, PDFs and assignments with working files.
All student work is critiqued by our highly trained Teaching Assistants. School of Motion TA's are professional 3D Artists with real life experience in the industry.
During the course you will be invited to a private classroom that contains all of the students and Teaching Assistants in your session. This is a great tool for connecting, asking or answering questions, sharing thoughts or insights, and winning cool contests!
Cinema 4D Basecamp is a 12 week course. You'll have the flexibility to watch the course content and complete your course work on your schedule. However, you can expect to commit at least 15 - 20 hours per week on course material. The video lessons are 1-2 hours in length. There are 14 assignments total. Assignments are typically assigned on Mondays and Thursdays with soft deadlines the next day. We have designated catch-up weeks built into the schedule so students have extra time to complete their assignments if needed. There is also an extended critique add-on for those that want more time with a Teaching Assistant after the 12-week course or need more time to complete assignments towards earning a credential.
Yes, if you complete, submit, and have 70% of your course assignments approved by your Teaching Assistant you will be eligible for a Course Credential through Credly. With your Credly Course Credential, you can share your accomplishments across your social networks, the blockchain, or to print out yourself.
Yes! Once you complete Cinema 4D Basecamp, you’ll have lifetime access to all the course lessons and materials, so you can revisit them whenever you like. Also, if we make any changes to Cinema 4D Basecamp following your session, you’ll automatically receive access to the latest version.
Please note: Video critiques change each session, so you’ll only have access to the video critiques during the session you're enrolled in. The written critiques you receive in your homework locker as well as the classroom content will also remain available to you forever!