Cinema4D (TUTORIAL) How to use Fields with Volume Builder

Notes Basically a field is a 3D pattern of varying density. They can be used as fall offs, as forces, and as actual 3D objects. Each field type has values in its 3D volume that vary from 0 to 1 or if you want to think visually, black to white. For example A spherical Field has 0 or black values everywhere outside the radius. But inside the radius it ranges from black or 0 on the outer radius and slowly fades to 1 or white on the inner offset radius, anywhere inside the inner offset radius is 1 or white. A Linear field is basically a 3d volume with a white to black gradient along the specified field direction. A random field creates a random pattern of densities within its volume. The 3D density pattern can be any of the C4D noises. A shader field is similar to random field but has more options. It allows you to select other types of 3D source to get its pattern from, such as particles for example There are many other types of fields but they all are patterns of varying density from 0 to 1. But one last field that is important to talk about is the group field. The field allows you to combine any number of fields together using blending modes. Using fields in a volume builder: The most important thing to know is that you can build a volume from a field, and that for every 3D point in the field, if the 3D density value (0 to 1) or (black to white) is greater than the volume builder surface threshold then the voxel (3D pixel) will exist, otherwise it will not. The default surface threshold is 0.5. So for example if you put a linear field into a volume builder it will create what looks like ½ a cube, because the values less than 0.5 will be empty and the values 0.5 or greater will be a voxel. For volume type “Signed Distance Field” there are no grey voxels. They are either on or off. To “see” the black to white values in a field change the volume builder type to “fog”. So what that means is that a spherical field in a volume builder will create a sphere with a radius dependent on the surface threshold value. So it will be less than the spherical field radius and greater than the fields inner offset