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Cinema 4D Lite

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Limited version of Cinema 4D bundled free with Adobe After Effects

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Cinema 4D Lite screenshot See all screenshots
  • Deployment On Premises
  • Starting price Free
  • Free trial Not offered
  • Best for Freelancers, SMEs, Agencies

What is Cinema 4D Lite?

Cinema 4D Lite is a limited but feature-rich version of Maxon's Cinema 4D that is included free with every Adobe After Effects subscription. It is not sold as a standalone product; it can only be obtained by owning After Effects, and it can be launched either from within After Effects via the Cineware integration or as a separate standalone application. It provides core polygon and parametric modeling, keyframe animation with the Dope Sheet editor, basic materials and lighting, and camera and scene setup tools.

Compared to full Cinema 4D, Lite excludes MoGraph, Redshift rendering, advanced simulation tools, and the Physical and ProRender render engines, and it is not compatible with third-party plugins such as X-Particles. Files remain compatible with paid versions of Cinema 4D, giving users an upgrade path through Maxon's full Cinema 4D or Maxon One subscriptions, which are priced separately from After Effects.

Key Features of Cinema 4D Lite

Cinema 4D Lite lists 8 documented features, including Cineware live integration with Adobe After Effects, Basic polygon and parametric modeling tools and Keyframe animation with Dope Sheet editing. The list below covers what the product does rather than how it is marketed.

  • Cineware live integration with Adobe After Effects
  • Basic polygon and parametric modeling tools
  • Keyframe animation with Dope Sheet editing
  • Standard (non-physical) renderer for previews
  • Basic materials and lighting tools
  • Camera and scene setup tools
  • Standalone launch outside of After Effects
  • Project file compatibility with full Cinema 4D

Cinema 4D Lite Pricing

Cinema 4D Lite lists one plan, at Free.

Included with After Effects

Free

Requires an active Adobe After Effects subscription

Cinema 4D Lite is bundled at no extra cost with After Effects and cannot be purchased on its own; full Cinema 4D and Maxon One are sold separately by Maxon.

Cinema 4D Lite Specifications

Cinema 4D Lite is available on Windows and macOS. It has a free plan.

Deployment
  • On Premises
Billing cycle
Monthly
Desktop
  • Windows
  • macOS
Languages
  • English
Built for
  • Freelancers
  • SMEs
  • Agencies
Support
  • Email
  • Tickets
Integrations
Adobe After Effects (Cineware)
Public API
No
Free trial
No
Free plan
Yes
Runs in browser
No
Customisable
No
Website
maxon.net

Cinema 4D Lite Videos

Cinema 4D Lite Screenshots

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Cinema 4D Lite FAQs

No. Cinema 4D Lite is not sold separately; it is included free with an Adobe After Effects subscription.

Lite excludes MoGraph, Redshift rendering, advanced simulation tools, and the Physical and ProRender render engines, and does not support plugins like X-Particles.

Yes, it can be launched as a standalone application in addition to being accessed through After Effects via Cineware.

Yes, project files remain compatible, giving users an upgrade path to the full paid version.

Cinema 4D is developed by Maxon, a company headquartered in Germany and owned by the Nemetschek Group.