What It Does
AEC4D PRO bridges Cinema 4D and After Effects by importing C4D scenes as native AE layers. It converts 3D objects into shape layers, nulls, cameras, and lights that you can animate and composite without leaving After Effects. The plugin is GPU-accelerated and supports both applications from older versions (C4D R17, AE CS6) through their 2026 releases.
The plugin remembers which C4D objects link to which AE layers, so you can re-export from Cinema 4D and overwrite existing layers in your comp without rebuilding your project.
Key Features
Text layer support. Import C4D text objects as AE text layers with proper horizontal spacing and unicode character handling. Useful for title animations built in Cinema 4D that need further refinement in After Effects.
Stage object handling. The plugin correctly interprets C4D stage objects, respecting their in and out points on the timeline even when project time doesn’t start at zero.
Overwrite mode. Select layers in your AE comp and re-import from C4D to update just those layers. This preserves effects, masks, and other modifications you’ve made in After Effects while syncing the underlying 3D data.
Camera import. Exports C4D cameras with film offset and focus distance preserved. Works with standard C4D cameras and newer Redshift cameras.
Footage and rendering import. Import textures, stills, and multi-pass renderings from your C4D project. The plugin handles relative render paths and sequences.
Composition markers. Export C4D markers to your AE comp for sync points and annotations.
Current frame export. Export just the current frame from C4D instead of the full timeline when you only need a still reference.
Who It’s For
Motion designers who model or animate in Cinema 4D but need After Effects for compositing, effects work, or client-requested changes. The overwrite feature is particularly useful for iterative workflows where you’re bouncing between the two applications.
Also valuable for studios with C4D-focused designers and AE-focused compositors, since it lets each person work in their preferred tool without format conversion headaches.
Pricing
Single user license costs $39.99. Floating server licenses are available for studios. A free trial lets you test compatibility with your C4D and AE versions before purchasing. Upgrade pricing appears for users who own previous versions (login required to see discount).