New C4D Soft Body Dynamics, Filling a Cube with Shapes by Derek Kirk

This is a quick, hands-on look at the new Cinema 4D solver. You build a simple glass cube, drop in a bunch of shapes, and let Soft Body Dynamics do the squishy work until everything settles into a tight, render-ready pack.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Set up the new soft body simulation system in Cinema 4D
• Build a cube collider and prepare shapes for packing
• Tune pressure, stiffness, damping and friction for stable results
• Control emission, initial state and collision to avoid explosions
• Light a transparent container and render a clean final animation

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic familiarity with Cinema 4D interface and object navigation
• Tools: Maxon Cinema 4D with the new unified simulation system
• Hardware: Minimum 16GB RAM, dedicated GPU recommended for smooth playback

📝 Description

This class skips theory and goes straight to the fun part. You start with an empty cube and end with it packed full of soft shapes that actually deform, press against each other, and settle like real inflated toys.

Derek walks through the new simulation workflow in Cinema 4D — where to click, what each setting does, and what to ignore. You will learn why shapes blow up or fall through, and how to fix it fast with substeps, collision thickness, and proper scale. No old cloth hacks, just the current soft body tag.

It is short on purpose. Once you get this cube-fill working, you can reuse the same setup for product shots, idents, or those satisfying motion design loops clients keep asking for.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Motion designers who want a fast intro to soft body sims in C4D
• Beginners to dynamics looking for a small, finished project

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Derek Kirk is a 3D artist and motion designer teaching practical Cinema 4D workflows on Skillshare. He focuses on short, project-based classes around simulation, lighting, and rendering, so students leave with something finished they can post.

🏁 Final Result

• A loopable 3D animation of a transparent cube filled with colorful soft body shapes, lit and rendered for portfolio