Cinema 4D Tip: Consolidate Geometry with Connect Objects + Delete

When a scene starts to bog down or becomes hard to manage, consolidate geometry with Connect Objects + Delete to cleanly merge parts into a single, efficient mesh.

When to use it

• Importing CAD/kitbash assets that arrive as dozens of tiny objects.
• Preparing props for real-time engines where draw calls matter.
• Baking procedural stacks (generators/deformers) into a stable deliverable.
• Simplifying scenes before handing off to other artists or exporting via FBX/Alembic.

Workflow essentials

• Safety first: duplicate your selection or save incrementally. Consolidation is destructive.
• Make parametrics real: for generators and deformers, use Current State to Object to freeze what you see (note: this bakes the current frame).
• Select the target objects, then run Mesh > Conversion > Connect Objects + Delete. You’ll get one merged polygon object, originals removed.
• Immediately run Mesh > Commands > Optimize. Set a sensible tolerance (based on your scene scale) to weld coincident points and eliminate stray doubles.
• Check shading: if the result looks faceted or blotchy, remove any Normal tag, keep a Phong tag, and adjust the Phong Angle. Use Align Normals if needed.
• Materials: Cinema 4D preserves material assignments using Selection tags. Prune duplicates, rename cleanly, and keep only what you need.
• UVs: multiple UVW tags can carry over. Decide on a primary UVW tag, rename it clearly, and make sure materials reference the intended tag.

Performance and quality tips

• Viewport speed: fewer objects typically means faster redraws and simpler object managers—big wins for lookdev and animation.
• Rigging caution: Connect changes point order. Avoid merging skinned parts post-bind unless you plan to transfer weights (VAMP/Weight Manager) and rebake.
• Instancing strategy: if you rely on Instances/Render Instances for memory savings, don’t connect them. Merge only unique geometry that benefits from being a single mesh.
• CAD imports: delete imported Normal tags before connecting if they cause shading artifacts; rebuild smoothing via Phong instead.
• After booleans/volumes: connect and then Optimize to remove stray points/edges; follow with Mesh Check and the Mesh Inspector to catch non-manifold issues.

Stay non-destructive until the end

• Use the Connect generator for a live, procedural merge. Enable Weld and set a Tolerance to preview the final result. Collapse with Current State to Object only when ready.
• Assign a shortcut (Customize Commands) to Connect Objects + Delete to make cleanup part of your routine.

Export-ready checklist

• One clean polygon object, welded and optimized.
• Consistent normals and reasonable Phong shading.
• Consolidated materials and purposeful Selection tags.
• Verified UVW tag(s) and texture links collected with the Project Asset Inspector.

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