MAXON, the leading developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, today announced immediate availability of a new plug-in for Adobe® After Effects® CS5 and CS5.5 that allows motion graphics artists to export projects directly into CINEMA 4D R13. This new capability broadens CINEMA 4D’s domination as the industry-leading 3D motion graphics toolkit, known for its seamless connectivity to popular 2D motion graphics and compositing tools. This new plug-in is the perfect companion to the CINEMA 4D composition import already widely used by broadcast designers worldwide. With the combination of these two plugins, motion graphics artists working on Windows and Mac OS X will enjoy easy data exchange to and from both applications.

The CINEMA 4D export appears directly in the After Effects export menu and generates a .c4d file containing 3D layers, cameras, lights, solids, nulls and footage. Even nested compositions are supported. All major layer attributes including animations (rotation, position, parameter, anchor points, POI, etc.), expressions, layer parenting, layer locking and layer visibility are retained. Render and document settings in CINEMA 4D are adapted accordingly to the After Effects’ project settings.

“The After Effects-CINEMA 4D workflow is the proven choice for top motion design studios worldwide seeking to easily integrate their 3D and 2D workflows,” commented Harald Schneider, managing partner and CTO at MAXON. “We are pleased to offer our customers this new After Effects export plugin so they can benefit by the increased speed, efficiency and tight integration between these two powerhouse software packages.”

“CINEMA 4D is a 3D package After Effects users have already come to know and love because of its seamless integration into After Effects,” said Steve Forde, product manager for Adobe After Effects. “The ability to bring assets the other direction as well will certainly enhance productivity and further solidify CINEMA 4D as an ideal 3D solution for motion graphics artists.”

Pricing and Availability

The new CINEMA 4D R13 exchange plug-in compatible with Adobe After Effects CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS5.5 is immediately available as a free download from the MAXON website, www.maxon.net/afterfx_e

About CINEMA 4D

MAXON CINEMA 4D is a professional 3D software package offering everything needed to create high-end 3D images and animations for film, broadcast, architecture, games, multimedia, design and engineering. Building upon more than two-decades of excellence, CINEMA 4D offers spectacular image quality and an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that puts professional results within reach of artists at all levels of CGI experience. CINEMA 4D delivers speed and productivity by taking advantage of the latest advances in processor technology, and offers configurations tailored to the distinct needs of specialized 3D markets.

About MAXON Computer

Headquartered in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, MAXON Computer is a developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. Its award-winning CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D software products have been used extensively to help create everything from stunning visual effects in top feature films, TV shows and commercials, cutting-edge game cinematics for AAA games, as well for medical illustration, architectural and industrial design applications. MAXON has offices in Germany, USA, United Kingdom, France, Japan and Singapore. MAXON products are available directly from the web site and its worldwide distribution channel. Specially priced learning editions of the company’s software solutions are also made available to educational institutions. To commemorate its 25 years impacting professional motion graphics designers, visual effects artists, architects and others in the creative community, MAXON will be hosting celebrations around the world throughout 2011. For additional information on MAXON visit www.maxon.net.