Cinema 4D to Vectorworks

[Francois Levy]

I know it's a backwards workflow, but I may have a new client soon who does concept/visualization in C4D, and I'd like to import their models into Vectorworks. They currently have this workflow: C4D --> SketchUp --> AutoCAD. Ultimately they should go: Vectorworks -->C4D, but I may or may not convince them to change their workflow. Meanwhile, can anyone tell me whether there's an export path from C4D to Vectorworks that preserves C4D NURBS? Their current workflow does not, obviously, and that's a headache for them.

[zoomer]

I am not sure if there would be any way to get NURBS healthy out of C4D.

 

But if I got that right, Allplan or Archicad have a bidirectional C4D exchange.

May not help in that case.

Unfortunately VW has no FBX or other typical import that 3D Apps use.

 

If I would need to import C4D to VW I would use DXF.

I just looked for any exchange possible on both sides and found OBJ.

3D only but at least it brings Meshes in.

 

 

[zoomer]

Hmmh,

DXF brings also 2D geometry and Classes for each object or groups which is nice.

But no Meshes, just separate 3D Faces which you would have to :

> convert to Nurbs > 3D Powerpack > Stitch and ....

before you can do anything useful with them.

 

Would be nice if C4D had an IFC export 😉

Edited June 8, 2018 by zoomer

[Art V]

What may work is to get Rhino3D, import the DWG file in there and export to OBJ and then import that to Vectorworks. This should give a much more palatable result than exporting from C4D to DXF as DXF/DWG tends to mesh and triangulate 3D objects (or it gets imported as such by other software trying to import DXF/DWG). It is an expense but in the long run it might be more cost effective than having to redo parts of the model or create time consuming workarounds etc. each time you have to deal with this C4D->DWG->VW route.

 

When I got access to Rhino 6 and imported a DWG 3D model in there it was much cleaner than when VW imported the same 3D DWG model. Exporting the Rhino import to OBJ and import that into Vectorworks gave a much better result than the direct import of the 3D DWG file. Of course things will depend on the kind of objects etc. but you could try a trial version of Rhino to see how well (or not) it works for your typical files.

 

The added bonus is that you will have another 3D tool that may allow you to create models that are less easy to create in VW. VW could benefit from copying some of the curve editing options of Rhino 6 (I don't know if Rhino 5 has the same level of functionality with that as I never used Rhino 5).

Edited June 8, 2018 by Art V

[zoomer]

I also thought at Rhino.

But those 3D packages like C4D offer a lot of import options but only a few to get things out.

And if, these are formats meant for other 3D packages, like FBX.

(Opposite to VW for 3D App exchange that gets lots of things out thanks to CineEngine, but not in)

So C4D can read but not write Rhino.

 

Its DAE would be nice but VW will not get it in.

 

That is why they go Sketchup in between.

But I would renounce of ACAD and just import SKP to VW.

[Art V]

Somehow I'm not too fond of Sketchup, and when it concerns NURBS I have more confidence in Rhino than in Sketchup to keep/generate clean(er) NURBS.

[Francois Levy]

Maxon lists these export formats for C4D that Vectorworks can also import:

 

3D Studio .3ds

DXF

STL

Wavefront .obj

 

I would guess that STL is polygons/meshes only, so probably not suitable for my purposes. I'll ask for 3DS, DXF, and OBJ and see which is the cleanest import into Vectorworks.

[zoomer]

Yes, STL is Meshes only.

(3DS, OBJ too)

 

Not sure if DXF has NURBS support (?) and if I don't expect C4D to use

such an export option. Looks like DXF has (But not Bezier curves !?)

[Art V]

DWG/DXF has splines which are B-Splines and not (composite) Bezier curves even though they seem to look like Bezier curves. These B-splines are basically NURBS curves.

[Cort]

Hi everyone, 

It has been a while since this topic was posted.

But I have a similar situation and would like to know if you can easily send VWX symbols back and forth between Vectorworks and C4D?

I'd like to start in C4D as creating things is so much easier and the workflow is quicker in Cinema. Does a CSV file carry this info from C4D to VWX?

Thank you!

[trashcan]

Just chiming in here. You can export OBJ from Cinema 4D and it seems to work as expected in Vectorworks. 

 

Exporting to DXF works too, and it looks ok but it is super slow in Vectorworks (even in wireframe). I suspect it's all the nurbs freaking out. So can recommend the OBJ workflow.