Reference

C4D (Cinema 4D)

C4D is the native project format of Maxon Cinema 4D, a 3D modeling, motion-graphics, and animation app. A .c4d file holds the full scene — geometry, materials, lights, cameras, and animation — and is meant to be opened in Cinema 4D.

Files & formatsGeneral

C4D (Cinema 4D)

Also known as: .c4d file, Cinema 4D project, Maxon C4D

Native project format of Maxon Cinema 4D
Stores the full scene, not a render
Common in motion graphics; export to FBX/OBJ to share

What a C4D file holds

A .c4d saves the complete Cinema 4D scene: objects and their hierarchy, materials and textures, lights, cameras, rigs, and keyframed animation. It is a working project, not a finished render.

Cinema 4D is heavily used in motion graphics and broadcast design, often alongside After Effects.

Sharing C4D work

Opening a C4D fully requires Cinema 4D. To hand a model to another app, export to a neutral format like FBX, OBJ, or glTF; to share the result, render to video or images.

Related terms

Keep reading the reference.

Files & formatsFBX (3D)FBX is a rich 3D interchange format owned by Autodesk that can carry geometry, materials, textures, rigs, and animation in a single file. It is the common pipeline format for games and film, and files tend to be large because they bundle so much.General Files & formatsOBJ (3D model)OBJ is a plain-text 3D geometry format that stores a model’s vertices, faces, and texture coordinates. It is one of the most widely supported interchange formats, but it carries no animation and stores materials in a separate .mtl file.General Files & formatsBLEND (Blender)BLEND is the native project file of Blender, the free 3D software. It saves an entire scene — models, materials, textures, lights, cameras, animation, and even editor layout — in one binary file, so it is a working document rather than an interchange format.General