[TUT] Cinema 4D - Shattering Text [TUT]

[Fragma]

So I've been planning on writing up this tutorial for a while now.

I will be going through a few basic features on Cinema 4D which will allow you to create an animated text effect as shown below.




First things first, you're going to need to add some text.

Under "Objects" > "Spline Primitive", select "Text".

You should now have something like this:




Now under your "Objects Manager", select your text layer. You should now see some properties in your "Attributes Manager".

The only property we will be changing, is the text, located under the Object tab.

Change your text, and choose your desired font.


Next, we need to make your text 3 dimensional. So, go to "Objects" > "NURBS" & select "Extrude NURBS".

Now drag your Text Layer into the Extrude NURBS layer in your Objects Manager.




Now we will add some colour to your text. In your "Materials Manager", select "File" > "New Material".

Double click on your new material, and you will now be faced with your "Material Editor".

We will only be using Colour, and Specular.

Make sure both of these options are ticked, and then have a little play around with the settings until you're happy.

Once you like the look of your material, simply drag it on top of your text layer.




Now before we can start adding effects, we need to make our text editable. So select your Extrude NURBS layer, and then go to "Functions" > "Make Editable".

For this tutorial, I will only be adding a shattering effect to my text, so go to "Objects" > "Deformation" > "Shatter".

Now you need to drag your shatter layer into your Extrude NURBS layer, and place it ABOVE Cap 1 & Cap 2.




Finally, we can start to animate the damn thing!

On your timeline, located above the Materials Manager, make sure your green marker is placed at the beginning (on 0F).

Now select your shatter effect, and you will see a bunch of properties in your Attributes Manager.

Select only the Object tab, and you will see 4 properties;

Strength, Angle Speed, End Size and Randomness.

Hold down CTRL and click the small circle located to the left of each property, so they are coloured red, like so:




This will add a key frame for each property at the start of your animation.

Now all you need to do is, drag your green marker along your timeline to 60F (or longer/shorter if you wish).

Have a play around with your shatter settings until you're happy with the end result of your "Explosion", and key frame each property again.

Now if you press play, you can see what your animation will look like!


Hope this is helpful to some!