Maxon ships Cinema 4D 2026.2, unveils Cinema 4D for iPad beta
Maxon has released Cinema 4D 2026.2, the latest version of its 3D software for motion graphics, VFX and visualization work.
The release features the Fabric Brush, a new physics-based tool for sculpting realistic folds in cloth, plus smaller updates to Maxon’s 3D modeling, animation and motion graphics toolsets.
Maxon has also announced more details of Cinema 4D for iPad, the upcoming iPad edition of the software, and opened a registration webpage for the public beta.
Physics-based Fabric Brush sculpts realistic folds in cloth
The main new feature in Cinema 4D 2026.2 is the Fabric Brush: a physics-based tool for sculpting cloth and other soft materials.
Although it’s a modeling tool, it is powered by Cinema 4D’s cloth simulation system, meaning that fabric deforms automatically into realistic folds and wrinkles as you sculpt it.
In the video above, it looks like it achieves results similar to Blender’s Cloth Brush, and the cloth brushes in ZBrush, Maxon’s digital sculpting software.
Updates to Cinema 4D’s core toolsets
There are also smaller updates to Cinema 4D’s core toolsets.
For 3D modeling, the Bend deformer gets new modes for creating C- and S-shaped bends, and Edit Isolines works within symmetry objects and on subdivision surfaces.
For texturing, the Material Manager gets a new Active Object tab that shows only materials applied to selected objects.
For animation, a new Align Tangents command automatically aligns the tangents of two neighboring keys on an animation curve.
For motion graphics, the Target Effector gets a new Loop setting.
For rendering, a new Command Line Argument node passes data to XPresso setups during command-line rendering, making it possible to render variants of a scene automatically.
Maxon’s Redshift renderer, now included with all Cinema 4D subscriptions, gets a lot of new features, including Redshift Live, a new real-time render engine for interactive previews that replaces the existing Rednshift RT: you can find more details in our story on Redshift 2026.4.
Now supports Windows on ARM
In addition, Cinema 4D now natively supports ARM processors on Windows.
That should improve performance and reduce memory usage on the growing range of Copilot+ PCs – primarily laptops and 2-in-1 tablets – that use the Windows on Snapdragon platform.
Announcing ARM support earlier this year, Maxon Director of Product Rick Barret said that native support “uses 1.5GB less memory, with performance gains of more than 50%.”
Cinema 4D for iPad: in beta soon
Maxon has also revealed a few more details about Cinema 4D for iPad, the new iPadOS edition of the software, which it announced earlier this year.
Like the existing iPad edition of ZBrush, it will include features from the desktop software – initially a subset that will “evolve over time” – including “Redshift capabilities”.
As well as exchanging files with the desktop edition of Cinema 4D, users will be able to open sculpts created in ZBrush directly inside the app.
According to Maxon, it will be possible to control Cinema 4D for iPad via touch gestures alone, although you will have a better experience if you use a Pencil Pro stylus.
It will require a relatively recent iPad – the minimum spec is a M2 processor, which means a 2022 iPad Pro or 2024 iPad Air or newer – although Maxon recommends at least a M3 chip.
Maxon hasn’t announced pricing yet, but says that it will be “as accessible as possible”.
If it follows the same model as ZBrush for iPad, the app will be included with desktop subscriptions to Cinema 4D, with users only paying to use it completely independently.
Maxon will be demoing the beta of Cinema 4D for iPad at next week’s NAB 2026 show: you can register for the beta once it becomes available via the link at the foot of the story.
Price, system requirements and release date
Cinema 4D 2026.2 is compatible with Windows 10+ and macOS 14.0+. It is available rental-only, with Cinema 4D subscriptions costing $109/month or $839/year.
Cinema 4D for iPad will require an iPad with a M2 processor or higher: Maxon recommends at least a M3. It is due for a commercial release in “late 2026”. Maxon hasn’t announced pricing.
Read a list of new features in Cinema 4D 2026.2 in the online release notes
Read more about the new features in Cinema 4D in the online manual
Register for the beta of Cinema 4D for iPad
Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.