Below is a windows workflow to prep a file for rendering your Cinema 4D Lite project in After Effects. We will cover how to import your Cinema 4D file into After Effects and provide the essential render settings. The final product is a quicktime file.
Open After Effects
Open After EffectsMain nav bar> File> Import> File > then select your Cinema 4D Lite project.
New Comp
New CompLocate your imported file in the left Project panel, right click on the filename and select “New Comp from Selection”.
Adjust Settings
Adjust SettingsChange Cineware Render Settings from Software to Standard (Final). Hit caps lock at any time to keep your computer from kicking into overdrive.
Add to Render Queue
Main nav bar> Composition> Add to Render Queue.
Format
FormatIn the bottom Render Queue window, click on the blue text to the right of Output Module that says ‘Lossless’. Select Quicktime and click on the Format Options button.
Codec
CodecSelect ‘DHxHR/DNxHD” in the Video Codec Dropdown. Confirm resolution reads “DNxHR LQ 8-bit”.
Render
RenderIn Render Queue window, click on the blue text to the right of Output to, prompting you to choose a location to save your file. Finally, click the Render button in the top right corner of the render queue window! You may want to start your render at the end of the workday or over the weekend. Turn off sleep settings on your computer, or better yet, use a render farm like PixelPlow.com
