How to Create a Switch in Cinema 4D: Part 2

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Final product image
What You’ll Be Creating

Follow this tutorial step-by-step to create a 3D Nintendo Switch model to use in video games, graphic design and illustration projects whilst learning Cinema 4D quickly. 

Some of the skills you’ll learn in this tutorial include creating basic 3D modelling, importing reference images, adding lighting to the scene and basic rendering techniques.

In the first part (How to Create a Switch in Cinema 4D: Part 1) of the two-part tutorial, I showed you how to:

  • How to Import Reference Images
  • How to Prepare for Modelling
  • How to Model the Switch

In this, the second part of the the tutorial series, I’ll show you how to:

  • How to Create Coloured Materials
  • Color in the Nintendo Switch Model
  • Render the Nintendo Switch Model

16. How to Create a New Material

Step 1

Located near the bottom of the screen there is a material selection window. Click on Create > New Material to create a new material to use that you can edit. 

Materials are used to colour in the the Nintendo Switch.

Select New Material from the menu
Select New Material from the menu

Step 2

Double-click on the new material icon (displayed as a sphere). This brings up the Material Editor, where you adjust the various properties of the material such as the colour, transparency and reflectance. 

For this particular style you’ll only be interested in flat colour (Luminance).

Open the Material Editor
Open the Material Editor

Step 3

Tick the button for Luminance and untick the boxes for Colour and Reflectance. This will give the cel shaded look for the final image. 

Select Luminance
Select Luminance

Step 4

Colour the body of the Nintendo Switch by adding the material to the object. Drag and drop the material to the object using the mouse. You can also drag and drop the material onto the object listed on the right of the screen. 

Drag new material on to the 3D model
Drag new material on to the 3D model

17. How to Adjust the Material Properties

Step 1

In the Material Editor, click on the arrow button next to Texture and select Sketch and Toon > Cel from the menu.

Select Sketch and Toon and Cel from the menu
Select Sketch and Toon and Cel from the menu

Step 2

Click on the new Cel button that appears next to Texture to bring up a new menu.

Click on the Cel button
Click on the Cel button

Step 3

In this new menu, adjust the settings as follows:

  1. Change the Diffuse to match the image at below. It should be grey scale with the colour getting light from left to right.
  2. Untick Camera.
  3. Tick Lights.
  4. Tick Shadows 
  5. Select Multiply from the drop down menu.
Adjust the settings in the editor
Adjust the settings in the editor

Step 4

Select a colour by double-clicking on the colour option box . 

The Material Editor gives many different options for choosing and picking colours. These include RGB, HSV and so on. 

Choose whichever option you’re most familiar with as a flat colour. Because of the Multiply shading mode, the different colour shades will also appear in the material.

If the material has already been applied to the model, the colour of the model will automatically be adjusted to the new material colour. This is useful if you change your mind on a certain colour or a certain part of the Nintendo Switch model. 

Choose the following colours for this tutorial:

  • R: 84
  • G: 100
  • B: 153
Create a colour for the object
Create a colour for the object

Step 5

Because you’ve already applied the material to the model, the colour of the Switch is automatically adjusted to the new material colour.

Apply the colour
Apply the colour

18. How to Adjust the Shading

Step 1

To get a  better idea of the shading and how our render will turn out as we work on it, click and hold the Render Button and select Interactive Render Region from the menu. 

Select Interactive Render Region
Select Interactive Render Region

Step 2

Use the mouse to adjust the window so that it fits around the Nintendo Switch model. Look for the very small arrow on the right hand side of the window and use the mouse to drag it to the top right corner of the box (this increases the resolution). 

Decrease the resolution by moving the arrow down if you find that the performance is decreasing.

Adjust the resolution
Adjust the resolution

Step 3

To change the way the light source is facing go to Options > Default Light.

You can also add a light object to the scene if you are more comfortable working that way.  

Select default light
Select default light

Step 4

Change the light source in the Default Light window. Click where you’d like the light source to come from on the sphere and it will sync with the view port. Experiment with different lighting positions to come up with a lighting situation that you like. 

This can be adjusted at anytime so you can change the lighting again if you changed your mind.

Change the lighting direction
Change the lighting direction

19. Other Lighting Solutions

Step 1

To set up the basic lighting, go to the Floor button located in the top menu bar. Primary-Click-Hold and then select Physical Sky from the menu.

Select Physical Sky
Select Physical Sky

Step 2

Make sure that Physical Sky is selected in the menu on the right, a new menu appears on the bottom right of the screen. Select the Time and Location tab and choose a time using the left and right arrow keys. 

This changes the lighting of the scene (according to the time of the day). Choose a suitable time to light up the scene. You’ll see how the lighting affects the scene in the viewport.

Select a Time
Select a Time 

Step 3

To add a light to the scene, select the Add Light button in the top menu bar at the top of the screen.

This creates a Light Object which you can move around the scene. Move the light object using the Move Tool to a suitable position.

Select the Add Light Button
Select the Add Light Button

Step 4

To customise the lighting further, experiment with the light object options in the bottom right of the screen. Here you can adjust the Intensity, Light Type and even Colour.

Light Object adjustments
Light Object adjustments

20. How to Colour the Switch Screen

Step 1

To create a new material we can duplicate the material by holding CTRL on the keyboard and then using the mouse to click and drag the material to the side.

Duplicate material
Duplicate material

Step 2

Double-click on the new material to open up the Material Editor and select Luminance. From there we can change the colour to the following:

  • R: 81
  • G: 223
  • B: 185
Choose a new colour
Choose a new colour

Step 3

Apply the new material to the screen by clicking and dragging it directly onto the object.

Apply material to model
Apply material to model

21. How to Colour the Joy-Cons

Step 1

Create a new material. Duplicate a previous material in order to keep the settings from before.

Double-click on the new material to open up the Material Editor and select Luminance. From there we can change the colour to the following:

  • R: 61
  • G: 182
  • B: 255
Create a blue colour for the Joy-Con
Create a blue colour for the Joy-Con

Step 2

Duplicate another new material. Double-click on the new material to open up the Material Editor and select Luminance. From there we can change the colour to the following:

  • R: 255
  • G: 121
  • B: 122
Create a red colour for the Joy-Con
Create a red colour for the Joy-Con

Step 3

Apply the materials to the relevant Joy-Con’s by dragging and dropping the colours onto the objects in the viewport. 

Use the list of objects in the object manager on the right of the screen. 

Apply new materials to Joy-Cons
Apply new materials to Joy-Cons

22. How to Color the Switch Details

Part 1

To color the details of the Nintendo Switch (such as the joystick and the buttons etc.) we are going to use the dark blue material which was the first material created to colour in the screen.

  • R: 84
  • G: 100
  • B: 153
Use the first material
Use the first material

Part 2

Apply the material to the rail of the Joy-Con by dragging and dropping it onto the object.

Apply material to the rail
Apply material to the rail

Part 3

Apply the material to the four buttons of the Joy-Con by dragging and dropping it onto the button objects one at a time.

Apply material to the buttons
Apply material to the buttons

Part 4

Apply the material to the joysick of the Joy-Con by dragging and dropping it onto the objects.

Apply material to the joystick
Apply material to the joystick

Part 5

Apply the material to the “-” button and the “home” button of the Joy-Con by dragging and dropping it onto the objects.

Apply material to the buttons
Apply material to the buttons

Part 6

For the remaining details, create a new material which should be a slightly darker colour than the first material that was created. 

Choose the following colours for this tutorial:

  • R: 73
  • G: 87
  • B: 133
Create a darker material colour
Create a darker material colour

Part 7

Apply the new material onto the details highlighted in the image below.

Apply material to the details
Apply material to the details

Part 8

For the last part of the Joy-Con, use the main blue colour and apply it by dragging and dropping it onto the object.

Apply material to the object
Apply material to the object

Part 9

Repeat the same steps for the second Joy-Con and replace the blue material with the red material.

Apply the materials to the red Joy-Con
Apply the materials to the red Joy-Con

Part 10

For the final details of the Nintendo Switch apply the dark blue material as shown in the image below.

Apply material to the Nintendo Switch
Apply material to the Nintendo Switch

23. How to Render the Nintendo Switch

Part 1

Click on the camera button to return to the camera view. This should be the same composition used in the previous tutorial ‘How to Create a Switch in Cinema 4D: Part 1‘.

Switch the camera on

Part 2

On the top menu bar, click on the Render Settings button. This brings up the render settings window.

Click on the Render Settings button
Click on the Render Settings button

Part 3

In the render settings menu, you can change the options to what you need. First, tick the Save Settings to select a file location, file format and alpha channel.

Select Alpha Channel if you wish to keep the background see through.

Save settings
Save settings

Part 4

In the Output Settings choose the resolution, height and width of the image. 

Output settings
Output settings

Part 5

To ensure that the render is nice and sharp go to the Anti-Aliasing settings. Select Cubic (Still Image) which can be found under Filter. 

Anti-Aliasing settings
Anti-Aliasing settings

Part 6

To create the final image, click on the Render button. Remember to select the right view in the viewport (front, right, left or perspective etc.) and that you’re happy with the camera angle. 

Choose a suitable angle in the viewport by navigating around the scene.

Click on the Render button
Click on the Render button

Part 7

To create the final image, click on the Render button. Remember to select the right view in the viewport (front, right, left or perspective etc.) and that you’re happy with the camera angle. 

Choose a suitable angle in the viewport by navigating around the scene.

Click on the Camera button
Click on the Camera button

The End Result

Wait for the final render to finish. Once the render is complete you can repeat the steps above and change the camera or the view port to create a new image from a different angle. 

Throughout the course of the project you have successfully learnt how to:

  • Import Reference Images
  • Prepare for Modelling
  • Model a Nintendo Switch
  • Create Materials
  • Colour the Model
  • Render the Nintendo Switch

Feel free to share your own creations below. You can also export your image into Adobe Photoshop to enhance it further or to use it as part of a larger image.

Final Nintendo Switch render
Final Nintendo Switch render

Originally posted here: Envato Tuts+ Tutorials

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