Getting started

On 04/11/2013 at 14:56, xxxxxxxx wrote:

User Information:
Cinema 4D Version:   R14 
Platform:   Windows  ;   
Language(s) :

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Hi !

i got interested into your website while starting to look at how to create a cinema 4d plugin. Well, it's a super wide field, and if possible, could you help me narrowing a bit what i should look for ?

here it is, where i am : i see tutorials with codes ( that off course i don't understand ). but first, i don't know how a code can be transformed into a cinema 4d plugin interface on the right, or like vray or surface spread . i'm very curious about the principle behind this. where should the code go, once i can understand codes, and how to write them ? any particular software ? formats ?

my plugin idea would be kinda close to surface spread in some ways.

and should i go into the python, C++, coffee directions ? i was advised to go into the python direction.
well, that's all for now ;)

thanks for your attention.
best,
Adrien

On 04/11/2013 at 16:17, xxxxxxxx wrote:

please guys, try to remember when like me, you were scared by all this language and wierd symbols :)

this video seems very well made, but while i may have a little better perspective of the programming field, i'm maybe even more lost npw, and i strongly want to give up, i don't know how my brain will enter this world lol.

what would help me doing "tilt" ?

i'd like my plugin to be already written lol.
i have no idea how such command lines will create a function that does complex calculations, and quite specific ...
wow.

On 04/11/2013 at 17:32, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Hi Xplorer,

don't be too panicky about not getting a response straight away. Users of this forum are spread over the world and many may be asleep at the moment =)

Getting started with plugin making can be a frustration, particularly if you're like me and are starting without any C++/python/coffee knowledge to start with. I can only say it's just the nature of the beast that it will look daunting to begin with.

But for example, to make a C++ plugin, you need a separate compiler program like Visual Studio Express if you're on Windows, or Xcode (I think) if you're on Mac. I'll let you do the further searching there. For Visual Studio, once you've installed it, open up the Cinema example project that's located inside Cinema's plugin folder. The folder is called cinemasdk. Once you've looked through and compiled those examples, you might like to copy that project to a new folder, and start playing around with things in the copied version, such as changing some names, or starting values etc to see what it does.

ScottA has some good tutorials and source code examples to look into. His website can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/scottayersmedia/scripting

Also do some searches on this site - use the advanced search link and make sure to use the options to search for older topics as there would be startup-like posts floating around from sometime a go I imagine. Possibly even some I started!

Other than that, python and coffee plugins can be made inside Cinema itself with the Script Manager (as opposed to C++ plugins that need to be built outside of Cinema first). The Script Manager is located in the Script menu. Find some examples, copy them into the script console, and go from there!

Hope that gets you started in someway.

WP.

On 04/11/2013 at 17:41, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Hi WP ! Thanks a ton !
yes, this isn't something that isn't going to learn me patience ha ha.
But i'm thinking : if i don't stop observing and trying, questioning, understanding little by little, i may move forward !
tonight at least, i felt like i knew more than before i started he he ...

Sure, great advices, i'll start with what you recommended, as well as something which felt quite clear in the beginning, to start with C++. here :
http://www.microbion.co.uk/graphics/c4d/create_plugins2.htm

but i may try python, so i'm directly in c4d, very convenient indeed.

and i like the idea to play with portions of codes, combining them, and see what it does as you said. ( but is it really that simple, to combine different codes ? )

well, if any other idea for a beginner comes up, i'm listening ;)

many thanks
best,
Adrien

On 04/11/2013 at 18:02, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Hi Xplorer,

it's not possible to combine c++ with python style coding if that's what you were thinking. You'll only be able to use python in the python coding console. Same principles apply to coffee and c++. But at least python and coffee you can do inside of Cinema.

I had forgotten about Microbian's site - there's some good little trinkets of code on there too. There are a few others if you want to do some google searches too.

It's really just about trying to understand the basics of how it works - and the base of how each coding type works, i.e. what do you need to start making a c++ plugin, or what lines of code will get you started with a python plugin etc. I found once I could grasp those base steps, the rest began to slowly make more sense.

I'm certainly not on the same level as the more seasoned programmers here (there's many things about c++ in general I don't understand yet), but I can vouch for things making more sense the more you see things at action, especially in your own code! Good luck.

WP.

On 05/11/2013 at 09:07, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Originally posted by xxxxxxxx

I'm certainly not on the same level as the more seasoned programmers here (there's many things about c++ in general I don't understand yet), but I can vouch for things making more sense the more you see things at action, especially in your own code! Good luck.
WP.

That's really the key.
The most important thing to do is type the code. And type the code over, and over, and over. Until you don't even think about what you're typing anymore.

There's something that I call "Burn-in-Time".
Which is the time my brain needs to look at some new code, and be so comfortable with it that I can type it from memory.
Once my brain is comfortable enough with the way the code looks. Then.. I have a much easier time understanding how it works. Because my brain's neurons aren't distracted with fighting with how strange it looks.
This can sometimes take days, or even weeks.

Which leads me to the single best teaching tool anyone can ever give you:  The code itself!
Nothing teaches you better than having the code. So you can practice typing it, and play around with it. To see how it works.

If you type the Python code that other people post. It shouldn't take you very long to get comfortable with it. But you have to allow your brain that required "Burn-in-Time".
It's really quite magical how our brains can see something as complete jibberish. But after we type it a few dozen times it suddenly becomes more understandable.

-ScottA

On 05/11/2013 at 09:30, xxxxxxxx wrote:

yes, i plan to make it only in Python, so i'm directly on c4d.

"or what lines of code will get you started with a python plugin etc. I found once I could grasp those base steps, the rest began to slowly make more sense."

"Which leads me to the single best teaching tool anyone can ever give you: The code itself!
Nothing teaches you better than having the code. So you can practice typing it, and play around with it. To see how it works.

If you type the Python code that other people post. It shouldn't take you very long to get comfortable with it. But you have to allow your brain that required "Burn-in-Time"."

Exactly what i'm thinking, and that's great advices guys, thanks.

the thing is that now : how to start typing code ?

i now know how to open a python console in c4d, and i see portions of codes, supposed to do things, at microbion or other places. but i don't know yet how to start writting a code, how these lines are supposed to be all together, if you consider the whole page of code, as they seem to be organized and i'd be affraid to miss the big lines of how it's supposed to be organize so the function works and doesn't bug.

basicaly, when you start Learning to type code, how does it look like ?
is it like a site where it says :
"if you write :
"class, alpha, resume, end 8546 999 ...." ( typing anything just for the xample ), it'll have this effect ... and if you type this ( other line ) it'll mean this ... " etc etc

where could i find something to learn typing, as a newbie, you know, not jumping from basic stuffs to a field i can't understand ?

yes, i'm sure the brain can find a way at some point, after some burning time. so i'm encouraging myself thinking: not giving up that easyly, asking advices, dive into this world i can't understand now ... things will change at some point.

On 05/11/2013 at 09:32, xxxxxxxx wrote:

mh, found this too :

http://www.cineversity.com/wiki/Category:Scripting/

ok, i'll narrow down a few sites and tutorials, and work on it. i'll expand the field after that. little by little, or it'll be too hard.