Are you interested in a perfectly optimised Cinema 4D Workstation? This article explains exactly what hardware you need to maximise your 3D modelling, animation and rendering in Maxon Cinema 4D.
The diverse tasks within Cinema 4D require different hardware to perform well. So, for example, finding a configuration that can perform well at modelling and rendering can be a challenge.
There is no perfect one-size-fits-all Workstation for all Cinema 4D users. However, this guide will help you find a Workstation configuration tailored to your needs and budget.
MAXON Cinema 4D 3D Modelling & Animation Workstation
If 3D Modelling & Animation is your priority in a Cinema 4D Workstation, CPU clock speeds are critical.
Modelling & animation within Cinema4D is primarily a single-threaded operation, meaning it will only use a single core to perform that task.
Therefore you want to focus on maximising the performance of that core as much as possible.
AMD Ryzen™ and Intel® Core™ workstations offer high clock speeds and fantastic 3D modelling performance. Our WS IC Intel® Core™ and WS AR Ryzen™ Workstation ranges are our best offerings for single-threaded workloads.
The WS IC and WS AR Workstations don’t just offer fantastic modelling performance. They are also amongst our best value-for-money options available.
In contrast, CPU Rendering is a multi-threaded task, so if you need this capability, these may not be your most suitable Workstation options.
MAXON Cinema 4D CPU Rendering Workstation
Rendering is a highly multi-threaded scalable process within Cinema 4D.
That is a complicated way of saying that the more cores and threads available to render a scene, the quicker your system will perform.
AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Pro Processors offer up to 64 cores and 128 threads, making them ideal for a rendering Cinema 4D Workstation. Check out the WS ARTP AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Pro Workstations to discover our best Workstation for Cinema 4D CPU rendering.
These systems will cost more than the 3D modelling & animation solutions discussed earlier. But if you need high-speed renders, we cannot recommend them highly enough.
They also maintain good clock speeds, so these Workstations are no slouch when modelling or animating as well.
Choosing The Right Graphics Card
Professional NVIDIA RTX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards are currently the most popular choices for a Cinema 4D Workstation.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX offers the best bang for your buck and brilliant performance. For the average Cinema 4D user, these would be the best option for you.
Professional NVIDIA RTX (formerly Quadro) graphics cards generally have more VRAM than NVIDIA GeForce. The extra VRAM can be particularly useful if your Cinema 4D projects are substantially large.
Other applications can prefer Professional NVIDIA RTX graphics to run reliably. If you use other professional applications in your workflow, we highly recommend checking the requirements for those software packages as well.
Contact our expert consultancy team today if you are unsure which graphics option is right for you.
GPU Rendering Workstation Configuration
Similarly to CPU rendering, GPU rendering is a multi-threaded process. Rather than using your processor to perform renders, GPU rendering uses the thousands of cores in your graphics card.
Using one or more GPUs in your Cinema 4D Workstation to perform renders can supercharge the process to achieve renders exceptionally quickly.
AMD Ryzen™ or Intel® Core™ Workstations are the best options for modelling & animation workload, but they are limited to a single graphics card. Therefore, if you choose this platform and wish to GPU render. We recommend maximising the performance of your single card.
However, if you want to improve GPU rendering performance, AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Pro or Intel® Core™ X-Series Workstations support multiple cards. In this case, you may want to configure several slightly lower-end cards to maximise your budget and performance.
The Professional NVIDIA RTX graphics card range also uses a cooling method known as blower coolers. These coolers are generally smaller, push the hot air directly out the chassis and are usually better for multi GPU configurations.
Want to maximise GPU rendering performance? We recommend a Workstation with up to 4 Professional NVIDIA RTX graphics cards.
How Much RAM Do I Need?
The amount of RAM you need will vary from user to user and model to model. The larger or more complex your projects, the more memory you will require.
An average MAXON Cinema 4D Workstation primarily used for 3D modelling & animation will find 16GB sufficient. If you work on rather large scenes or have started rendering, 32GB should be ideal for you.
If you need even more memory, for example, if you use other programs that require it. All our Desktop Workstations support at least 64-128GB of RAM.