Any time that you can narrow down or eliminate the amount of keyframes that you use in an animation, the more flexible your workflow will remain. Cinema 4D has has plenty of methods to automate animation, one of the most key is using Xpresso.
Xpresso System Presets
- Rotate: Animate and offset rotation values
- Action Timer: trigger animation with a start and stop frame
- Random Integer: Returns a whole number
Mographcandy.com’s Dan Conrad gives a look into automating animation in Cinema 4D and covers the basic functions of the Xpresso nodes that can replace keyframes.
In this Cinema 4D tutorial we will go over the basic functions of the Action Timer, Time Control, Random Integer, and Rotate helper nodes under the X-Pool Xpresso System PresetsDan Conrad, MographCandy.com
Xpresso System presets are pretty self explanatory on to themselves, but as Dan notes, a new world of possibilities opens up when you use objects to drive their attributes. As an example, in the video the rotate tag is really simple to use, but you can connect a cube’s position on the Y axis to drive the rotation of another object.
Dan takes a look at the functions of the Rotate Helper, Action Timer, Random Integer, and Action Timer in the Xpresso toolbox, and shows some practical examples for each. Check out Mographcandy.com for the Cinema 4D Tutorial | Automate Animation Using Xpresso System Presets: Action Timer, Time Control, Random Integer, and Rotate.
Going Further
We have had the opportunity to see other examples of using Xpresso in Cinema 4D creatively for automating animation over the years. Check out some of the tutorials for using Xpresso automation.
Ahmed El-Hofy shows how to use the Range Mapper Node in Xpresso with a couple of practical examples in creating an automated door and an automated clock animation: Automate Animations in Cinema 4D Using the Xpresso Range Mapper Node
safina3D shows how to drive automated animation for a wheel in Cinema 4D using thinking Particles and Xpresso together: xPresso & Thinking Particles to Automate Wheel Rotation in Cinema 4D
Dave Koss offers a look at using Xpresso to drive multiple gears in a system in Cinema 4D: Driving a Master and Slave Gear System in Cinema 4D using Xpresso
Matthew Pearson shows how to use Xpresso to simplify repetitive tasks: Tasking Xpresso in Cinema 4D for Repetitive Animation, Creating and Animating Neon Lights
Eric Liss covers the use of the Time Node in Xpresso to drive animation easily: Using an Xpresso Time Node to Drive Animation in Cinema 4D
David Biederbeck shows how to drive animations with objects using the Xpresso Tag in C4d: Using the Xpresso Tag to Drive Object Animation in Cinema 4D
Dan conrad shows how to use the animation from an object to drive another using the track node: Understanding the Track Operator Xpresso Node
