THE IDEA
The main idea behind the CINEMA 4D Freestuff Drive is quite simple: to populate the C4D Freestuff here at Renderosity with goodies. I'm sure we all have old models, cool materials or maybe even complete scenes lying around on our hard drives (I know I have) so why not clean them up a bit and then upload them so others can use them?
**
WHEN**
The Drive will start Monday March 1 and continue to Monday March 15. That will give us two weeks to upload as much as we can.

WHAT
You can upload anything you want, just as long as you are the creator of it. Some of you have participated in the Speed Modeling Sessions and I'm sure many would find a good use for those models. Do you have a nice lighting rig? Upload that! Some cool materials? Pack it and upload it!

HOW
In order for as many as possible to use your files there are certain steps you can take:

• Clean up your scenes by deleting everything not necessary
• If your scene is using bitmaps make sure to perform a File > Save Project As to collect everything in a project folder
• If it's a simple scene you can consider exporting a OBJ version as well, for those using older releases of C4D or perhaps even a completely different package (make sure to include the OBJ in the project folder, ie. don't upload two freestuff items)
• If you decide to export OBJ make sure you do not export a HyperNURBs mesh as this will result in a very dense mesh. Delete the HN and export the low resolution mesh instead.
• Make a mention in the Notes section if OBJ is included.

THUMBNAIL
I have prepared a small piece of graphics you can add to your thumbnails in order to distinguish them visually from the rest. It's a yellow corner you add to your thumbnail making it look like this:

The corner is not mandatory, of course, but if you want to use it you can download a PNG from here: drive_corner.png. It has transparency so just add it to your 200 x 200 thumbnail and save as JPG and you should be ready to go.

REMEMBER
The Freestuff section has certain rules you need to follow when uploading so be sure to read the directions. The most important rule is probably the 3-to1-rule, meaning that you are allowed to upload 3 items per 24 hours, no more. Please keep that in mind, folks: 3 items per 24 hours. If you upload more they will get deleted. The approval rate is max 1 item per 24 hours so it might take some time before your item appears but just sit tight and they should be approved eventually.

That's it! Rummage through your old forgotten project folders and see what you can find. I'm positive we all can upload at least one item so get digging :)

/Anders

Hi

Good idea. One might still add Creative Commons licence type of the free usage terms.

Excellent. And it's an incentive to look through those old models/scenes and tidy them up!

The corner graphic is a great idea!

Going through old scenes, picking out stuff....

Anyone else find the darned thumb render the hardest part?

I don't use C4d but this is a fine idea and you should be applauded Cartesius, for yor efforts here.

Thanks but a big pat on the back should go to scanmead for reviving the idea :)

OK, I've just uploaded my first 3 items! Looks like I can skip the approval time as I'm a mod but I will play by the rules and wait 24 hours before next batch :)

/Anders

ooOOooo... Cartesius stuff! That's the better stuff! ;) Very nice render for the banner up there, too.

airflamesred, be sure to check the details, a lot of these will have an obj file, so anyone can used them.

I have a couple of swords (katana/hand&half bastard), a red leather armchair, a set of handcuffs, a brass padlock and key, an umbrella and possibly a flying chinese junk (I need to check with UVDan first as he make the basic mesh for me that I worked from). Have to go back and see if I can optimize them a bit.

Quote - ooOOooo... Cartesius stuff! That's the better stuff! ;) Very nice render for the banner up there, too. airflamesred, be sure to check the details, a lot of these will have an obj file, so anyone can used them.

Anyone??? :woot: :tt1:

Okay, you just combined "download" and "free" and "object" and "anyone." Off to download! :thumbupboth:

ETA: great idea, btw!

The freestuff section is filling up with some very cool models! Not only Cartesius to-drool-for things, but Spedler made a lamp I've been thinking about forever! Now waiting for Incarnadine's objects of destruction. ;)

If I learn anything from this, it's how to export obj files correctly, and use BP to nail down the uv's.

You know, a mini-challenge sometime in the future using as many of these items as possible  would be interesting...

Ah, this explains what's going on - I was confused by the mention of charity, when I couldn't find which worthy cause I was supposed to be supporting. :)

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, and thanks in advance to everyone who is about to do so. Keep the cool stuff coming!

The flying junk is pretty heavyweight with textures. Will have to take a look at how I can trim down a bit.  I have got my version 10 back in the machine so anything I haven't updated to 11.5 I can do at the earlier rev.

Just uploaded my 3 for the day. Gonna go through my stuff and see what I can bundle so it won't be for a single item download - more faster, basically.

I'm gonna guess since I'm using 9.6 that whatever I upload will be usable by anyone here with a later version of C4D - I think only 1 other person on the forums also has 9.6, so I feel it's pretty safe to not do an OBJ for these.

-Lew

4 more items, and we'll have added a whole page to the Cinema Free Stuff!! I've got one of them in the works... that just leaves 3 more...

There's some really handy stuff appearing, too.

I just d/l your suitcase cartesius - opened it up and imagine my suprise - found £34 grand in there!!

thanks

Ah ha! That's why that 'you won the BBC Lottery' email was in my mail today! Evidently each download of Anders' suitcase contains a large cash prize! ;)

I'm infatuated with his toonish television, and have to come up with a whole scene for that.

You did it, guys! We've added over a page of new Free Stuff in just one week! And it's all quality items. I had to compare what you made with the free items in the other 'high-end' platforms here, and, once again, the Cinema Forum rocks! The overall quality and diversity is really impressive. I look for models all over the web for inspiration, and no site out there can best what you've uploaded here, not even the pricey commercial model sites. 

Keep it going! It's Alive!

Mine aren't showing up yet - I hope I did it right.

1 - Right-Click - New>ZIP Folder - name it.
2 - Drag and drop my C4D object files into the folder.
3 - Upload the ZIP folder with the thumb I made.

This sound right? I've never made ZIP files before, so if I'm missing a step or procedure, lemme know and I'll redo them.

-Lew

I use Iceows, and with that you select everything you want to zip, right click, and follow the prompts.

When uploading, did you select Cinema4D? Did you get a message that the files uploaded, and you'd get an email when they are approved? Sometimes it takes quite a few minutes, and I'm not sure what happens if you close the window before it finishes.

I honestly don't remember, or felt I had gotten a prompt to wait for anything - I vaguely recall a generic something like "it has been uploaded", and then I merely clicked to upload more until I hit 3 items.

I'll give it another day or so and try again - we'll see.

I AM keeping in mind that I can always upload regardless of the drive - I just wanted to get a bunch of stuff in there during the drive.

-Lew

Oh - and yes, I chose Cinema 4D.

Anders??? Seen Lew's stuff anywhere? Did they go walkabout?

I don't have anything particularly good in C4D but I did make some nice cheen mats a while back for a project last year I think.  So I've uploaded those.

Nice idea, but why do we have to stop on March 15th?

No reason at all to stop March 15, I just picked to weeks where we all really chip in and upload a few items.

Lew: I've checked and your items are still in pending for some reason. Drop me a site mail and we'll fix that (if this was your first time zipping I bet the files got messed up somehow and one of the Freestuff mods are sitting on them to get a second review or something).

I still have more items to upload :)

/Anders

Got it sorted with BobbyStahr - they're going up!

Thanks everyone-
-Lew :-)

Well, Lew, the first one is verrrry cool! And Fran's shaders now have me totally distracted, having to play with those... We do love textures...

People I don't know are beginning to show up, and with amazing things! Who knew there are such talented, silent people out there?!

Really  appreciate these freebies, guys, but is it possible they could be posted in 3ds as well. As it stands, C4D is the only way to convert these items to a format non Cinema owners can use and buying it just for that is not on, and I can`t model to save my life. :O)

Still working on a few others - I had HN'd them before saving them, so basically need to recreate them with a lower poly-count.

Sambucus - mine have an OBJ included with the C4D object- does that help?

Yes indeed , thank you, thundering1

It may be over, but I'm still redoing some of my models. Gonna have to forgive me for still putting on the .png of the Charity Drive - I find it cute!

-Lew
(I know - I should stop using it...)

png away, Lew! ;) I like it too.

And I'm reworking a couple of things, too. Funny how it looks ok when you're using it, but it's not good enough to give to someone else.

(Hoping the machine keeps limping along... and I stop breaking things around the house! I'm in major "let's fix this... oops!" mode.

"Funny how it looks ok when you're using it, but it's not good enough to give to someone else."

I know! That is so true!! :-)

I made these models knowing I only had to see part of it (why take the time to detail the far side of the Sulako...?), or this seam didn't matter since I was gonna cover it up, or because it was gonna be far away I knew the details didn't have to be perfect - but now I'm gonna be giving to someone else to play with and I've got some cleaning up to do!

Some of them are so sloppy it's funny I got away with what I did!

Oh well, going to bed... More model cleaning tomorrow night.

-Lew

:) It's good to hear someone else does this. The not-so-good bit doesn't show, is hidden by lighting or textures... sort of a virtual kludge. I just opened an ottoman that looked great in the render, but looking more closely, there are reversed normals, unwelded overlapping points, and the skirt doesn't line up properly with the cushion. Starting from scratch on that one. geez

Accuracy level is high with model kit parts even more accurate.

Becco, I'd sure like to have a closer look at your excellent model! Can't wait for the release. :-)

contrafibbularities: Try not to look too close! I have given this release more thought and have decided that UV mapping will be retained - it seemed a bit mean to expect others to UV sub assemblies from scratch. The hundreds of poygon selection tags that this model used will not be included though. I'm also considering reduced size texture maps that would be a good guide for anyone wishing to paint the Eagle themselves.

Materials used at present are all Maxwell Render ones - they will go too, being replaced with C4D ones that can easily be adjusted and rendered using Cinemas' own render engine.

The revised intentions will take a little longer to do but I feel the downloadable will be that much better.

Downloadees will also need to adjust the C4D mats that are applied to the various metal items. I have forgotten much of what I knew about Cinema materials!

Becco: 
I'm mainly interested in studying the geometry and trying to learn a few things from you. I'd like to see, too, how you used the Meier plugin. It will be a rare opportunity to get a close-up look at an excellent 3D model, one doesn't get that too often, at least not for free. If I ever build my own Eagle (don't have any concrete plans for that yet), I couldn't ask for better references than your accurate work.

And I can wait, of course. Didn't mean to rush you. What I meant is, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on that Eagle. :-)

I have been stuck in real life issues (haven't even had a chance to turn my render machine on) for the last while. Hoping to this weekend to make a start on some of the items.

edited to remark that the issues are just a lot of work where i work. Not a bad thing, just bloody busy.

We've been ramping up production on a number of things as well - still got a few more models I wanna upload myself.