Cinema 4D Tip: Production Polygon Optimization Checklist

Proactive polygon optimization keeps scenes responsive and render times under control. Use this checklist throughout production, not just before delivery.

• Model lean from the start
  • Block with low‑segment primitives; only add segments where they affect the silhouette or deformation.
  • Use Subdivision Surface with edge creases/weights instead of adding multiple support loops.
  • Favor bevels with small widths over dense chamfers; bake micro‑bevels to normal maps when possible.
• Tame generators and splines
  • Subdivision Surface: keep Editor Subdivisions low; raise only for final renders.
  • Sweep/Extrude/Lathe: set Intermediate Points to Adaptive with a sensible Angle/Max Length; avoid Uniform with tiny steps.
  • Volume Builder/Mesher: increase Voxel Size; dial up Adaptivity; limit Smoothing iterations.
• Use instances and proxies
  • Prefer Multi‑Instance for MoGraph and repeated assets; switch to Render Instances when compatibility is needed.
  • For Redshift, keep heavy assets as proxies to minimize scene RAM and speed IPR.
• Level of Detail (LOD)
  • Set up LOD objects to swap in lighter meshes based on distance for both viewport and renders.
  • Keep material variations consistent across LODs to avoid shading pops.
• Reduce and retopologize intelligently
  • Polygon Reduction generator: preserve boundaries and UVs; restrict by Selection Tags to keep critical areas crisp.
  • Remesh for clean, even topology, then reduce; it often deforms and subdivides better than chaotic meshes.
  • Bake detail from high‑poly to normals/displacement; use baked maps on a lighter render mesh.
• Shading over geometry
  • Prefer Normal/Roughness maps to fake micro‑detail; reserve displacement/tessellation for hero close‑ups.
  • Tune Phong/Normal Tag angles instead of adding control edges; use Phong Breaks selectively.
• Deform where it matters
  • Isolate dense topology to deforming regions; keep static sections low‑poly with baked detail.
  • Limit Deformer and Generator effects to Selection sets to avoid subdividing the entire mesh.
• Viewport and diagnostics
  • Enable viewport HUD statistics (poly/point/object counts) to monitor impact in real time.
  • Keep Editor Subdivision, Hair, and Cloner preview counts conservative; raise only when reviewing.
• Clean and consolidate
  • Mesh > Commands > Optimize to weld strays and remove unused points/polys.
  • Align/Flip Normals to fix shading without adding geometry.
  • Connect Objects + Delete after booleans/volumes to collapse construction history and then reduce.
• Export smart
  • Triangulate only at export (FBX/GLTF) and include normals to preserve shading; keep source files quad‑based.

Establish a poly budget per asset and enforce it via LOD and review gates. Small, continuous savings compound into dramatic performance gains.

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