🧰 Cinema 4D Optimization & Cleanup Scripts

A humble collection of tools for cleaning, optimizing, and organizing Cinema 4D scenes — especially useful when dealing with imported OBJ/FBX/STEP geometry or preparing scenes for export.

Developed with the help of ChatGPT.

🔄 Converting to instances:

• Convert Duplicates to Instances (via Point Cloud).py
  Converts only duplicates of selected object(s) into instances using vertex cloud comparison. Best choice for messy CAD models.
• Convert Duplicates to Instances.py
  Converts duplicates of selected object to instances using fast hash matching.
• Swap Instances and Copy.py
  Copies selected objects to a new file without losing instances.

🎨 Materials & Tags

• DELETE DUPLICATE REDSHIFT MATERIALS.py
  Merges Redshift node materials with identical node graphs. Updates tags and deletes duplicates. Works with Open PBR and standard RS shaders.
• Delete Empty Material Tags.py
  Deletes unused texture tags from the scene.
• Delete Material Tags from Selected Objects.py
  Deletes all texture tags from selected objects.

🧼 Scene Cleanup

• Delete All Hidden Objects.py
  Removes all objects hidden in viewport or renderer. Ensures export-ready geometry. Doesn't delete anything linked to an instance.
• Delete Red Instances.py
  Deletes orphaned instance objects (those with no valid reference).
• Delete Empty Nulls.py
  Deletes nulls that have no children.

🧠 Hierarchy & Parenting Tools

• MOVE ON TOP.py
  Moves selected object(s) to the top of the Object Manager. Because sometimes you wanna keep 'em close.
• MOVE TO BOTTOM.py
  Moves selected object(s) to the bottom of the Object Manager.
• Set Parent & Put into.py
  First button sets a parent; second button moves selected objects into that parent. No need to drag and drop things through ten screens of object manager.
• Select Parent.py
  Selects the parent(s) of selected objects.

🧭 Object Selection Tools

• Select Active Camera.py
  Selects the currently active camera in the viewport.
• Select Same Instances.py
  Selects all instance objects that reference the same master as the currently selected instance. Does not select the master.
• Select Instances.py
  Selects both the selected object(s) and all instances that reference them. Works whether you select a master or one of its instances.
• Select Duplicates.py
  (Also listed under Converting to instances—this can be used purely to pick out duplicates before conversion.)
• Select Duplicates via Point Cloud.py
  (Also listed under Converting to instances—this is ideal for CAD imports where exact hash matching might fail.)

✍️ Naming & Renaming

• Rename Instance as Reference.py
  Renames selected instances to match their reference object’s name + "_instance".
• Rename all Instances as Reference.py
  Renames all instances in the scene to match their reference object’s name + "_instance".
• Quick Rename.py
  Rename selected objects quickly with prefix, suffix, or auto-numbering. Faster than the built-in tool.

📦 Misc

• Align Axis Rotation to World.py
  Realigns the pivot axis of selected objects to match world axes, fixing axis misalignments that occur after importing from other applications.
• RS Lights Include-Exclude Manager.py
  Provides a dialog for adding or removing multiple objects from Redshift lights’ include/exclude lists at once, and remembers your selections until the window is closed.
• README.md
  This file.

🚀 Installation

1. Locate your Cinema 4D scripts folder
   • Windows:

     C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Maxon\<C4D_Version>\scripts\
     

   • macOS:

     ~/Library/Preferences/Maxon/<C4D_Version>/scripts/
     

2. Copy the .py files
   • Place each script (e.g., Convert Duplicates to Instances.py, Align Axis Rotation to World.py, etc.) into the scripts/ directory.
   • You can organize them into subfolders (e.g., Cleanup/, Hierarchy/, Misc/)—Cinema 4D will detect any .py files recursively.
3. Restart Cinema 4D
   • After copying, close and reopen Cinema 4D so that it indexes the new scripts.
4. Accessing the Scripts
   • Go to Extensions → User Scripts in the main menu.
   • You should see each script listed by filename and be able to run them.
5. (Optional) Create Custom Menus or Toolbars
   • In Customize → Customize Commands, search for your script’s name and drag it into a menu, palette, or toolbar.
   • You can also assign a shortcut key for quick access.

That’s it—your cleanup and optimization tools are now installed and ready to use!