Airen 4D is an upcoming ‘AI render engine’ for Cinema 4D
Cinema 4D plugin developer Merk (mervkilson) has released a demo video for Airen 4D, an intriguing upcoming “AI render engine” for Cinema 4D.
The plugin uses the Stable Diffusion AI models to turn simple block-out geometry into photorealistic renders, adding “intricate details, lighting effects and realistic textures”.
Use AI models to generate realistic ‘renders’ guided by 3D geometry and text prompts
Airen 4D integrates Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion AI models with Cinema 4D, using them to generate ‘rendered’ images from simple source geometry and text prompts.
The process replicates the effect of adding geometric detail, materials and lighting – you can set materials on a per-object basis – and rendering the scene in a conventional way.
According to the announcement thread on Twitter, the software runs offline, and users can choose which of the Stable Diffusion AI models to use.
There are no resolution limits to the images generated, and rendering will be “quite fast”.
The plugin can do “much more” than is shown in the initial demo, including generating AI backgrounds and 360-degree skies.
Best suited for still images, particularly for early design exploration
Initially, the main use case for Airen 4D seems likely to be still images: Merk notes that, without custom training data, “AI is still not good enough for consistent animation”.
Since the form of objects can vary between the block-out geometry and the final image, the workflow also looks better suited to initial design exploration than detailed visualization.
However, users can choose how much the AI will affect the geometry, including opting for a “a one-to-one pixel-perfect copy” of the original.
Price and system requirements
Airen 4D is compatible with Cinema 4D. The renderer is currently available to pre-order for $199.99 for Windows only.
Alpha testing will begin “in a few days” for people backing development on Patreon.
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