Refraction becomes a key visual cue when trying to create a thin glass object in a render. When rendering in Cinema 4D, there is a little more to it than just changing the refractive value and hitting render.

…Simply applying a glass material to an enclosed object results in a lot of refraction…

Here, 3D Artist Noah Witchel offers a quick tutorial, showing how you can create a thin glass look in C4D — Like the type of glass you would see on a light bulb or a vase.

One method is to create a cloth object and set a thickness for the object that you want to render. If you don’t have the Studio edition of C4D, there is another way.

You can use the “old school” tried and true method of creating a walled object by using two objects. This is something that can also work when trying to describe two objects that have different refractive values within close proximity to each other… Such as water in a glass.

This is a quick tutorial on achieving a proper “thin glass” look such as that which you might see on a light bulb or vase.

Simply applying a glass material to an enclosed object results in a lot of refraction, suggesting the object is made of solid glass. These tips will help your objects look as though they are made of delicate, thin glass instead.