CINEMA 4D • FREE PRESET
Cover Flow.
A new way to present your next idea.
The Cover Flow preset for Cinema 4D recreates the browsing-style arrangement familiar from iTunes: a sequence of image planes with a featured item and surrounding covers. Use it as a starting point for presenting artwork, design variations or a set of images in a 3D scene.
The preset was originally created to demonstrate Image2Plane. The free archive contains CoverFlowPreset.c4d; it is a scene setup, not the Image2Plane plugin or a standalone installer.
Free resource from the Alpha Pixel library. Confirm your email to unlock downloads.
Cover Flow — original Alpha Pixel artwork.
FREE RESOURCE
AT A GLANCE
Cover Flow preset for Cinema 4D
at a glance.
Arrange image planes in a Cover Flow-style presentation.
Explore image count, Offset, Plane Rotation and callout controls.
Fine-tune Call Out Scale, Call Out Position, Scale Falloff and Circle Radius.
Built for your workflow
A closer look.
A new way to present your next idea.
REUSABLE PRESENTATION
A visual sequence.
A useful starting point.
Cover Flow turns a collection of images into a visual sequence rather than a flat contact sheet. The original preset was made to show Image2Plane artwork in a recognizable browsing-style arrangement, and then shared so others could explore the setup.
Start with a few images that are easy to distinguish. Check the featured cover and its neighbors before adding a larger collection. This makes it easier to spot a repeated image, an unexpected order or a plane that is facing the wrong way.
Keep the first test focused on the arrangement. Add your own lighting, materials and camera treatment once the covers are placed the way you want.
Repeated objects
Presentation
Cover Flow preset parameters in Cinema 4D
EXPLORE THE SETUP
Open the preset.
Make it your own.
The original User Data panel exposes seven controls: # of Images, Offset, Plane Rotation, Call Out Scale, Call Out Position, Scale Falloff and Circle Radius. The reference image shows those controls as they appeared in the original preset.
Begin with the image count and arrangement, then compare Offset and Plane Rotation. Adjust the callout and falloff controls one at a time so you can see their effect without changing the whole look at once.
The original bottom-aligned example needed additional preparation: the image planes were converted to polygons, then their axes were moved to the bottom using Axis Center. Keep that detail in mind when working with covers of different heights.
Parameters
Motion tests
Cover Flow preset parameters in Cinema 4D
START WITH A FEW COVERS
Build the sequence.
Then refine the look.
- Extract the C4D scene. Open
CoverFlowPreset.c4dand save a working copy before making changes. - Inspect the supplied setup. Locate the Cover Flow User Data panel and review the hierarchy before replacing or adding image planes.
- Prepare your artwork. Use a small set of recognizable images first. The archive contains the preset scene, so check any external image paths used by your version of the setup.
- Test the visible controls. Set a manageable image count, then compare Offset, Plane Rotation and the callout controls one change at a time.
- Review the camera view. Check overlap, facing direction and the baseline. Save a useful variation before moving on to animation or a larger set of covers.
This is an older scene preset. The original post does not provide a verified current Cinema 4D compatibility range, so check its behavior in your installed release before adapting it to production.
THE ORIGINAL ALIGNMENT NOTE
Different heights.
One baseline.
For the original bottom-aligned result, the author converted the image planes to polygon objects and used Axis Center to place each object’s axis at its bottom. A centered axis can leave differently sized covers sitting at different heights in an axis-driven arrangement.
Work on duplicates before converting parametric planes. In Axis Center, distinguish Axis to, which moves the axis without moving geometry, from Object to, which moves the geometry. Set the axis toward the bottom of each plane and check the arrangement again.
Maxon’s Axis Center reference explains the selected-object, axis and bounding-box controls. Use it to understand the operation rather than treating the preset’s layout controls as an automatic fix for inconsistent image-plane axes.
GOOD TO KNOW
Cover Flow
questions.
What is included in the download?
The archive contains CoverFlowPreset.c4d, a Cinema 4D scene setup. It is not a plugin installer.
Does it include Image2Plane?
No. The preset was originally built to demonstrate Image2Plane, but the plugin itself is a separate product. Inspect the supplied scene before deciding how to prepare your own images.
Why are the covers not aligned at the bottom?
Check each plane’s axis as well as its visible height. The original example used polygon planes with bottom-positioned axes; it did not achieve that alignment only by changing the Cover Flow controls.
Should I convert my only copy of an image plane?
Keep a duplicate first. Converting a parametric plane to polygons changes how you edit it, so preserve a version you can return to while testing the axis placement.
Where are the layout controls?
Look for the original Cover Flow User Data panel. Its controls include image count, Offset, Plane Rotation, Call Out Scale, Call Out Position, Scale Falloff and Circle Radius.
Has the preset been tested in the latest Cinema 4D?
This page does not claim a new compatibility test. Open a copy, check the controls and external images, and verify the arrangement in your installed release.
Where can I download it?
Confirm your newsletter signup to unlock the library, or open Freebie Downloads with the current password and choose Cover Flow. Explore MoSelector for another MoGraph preset workflow.
A little less setup.
A lot more creating.
Join the newsletter to unlock the freebie library. Confirm your email first, then use your password on the downloads page.
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