Cinema 4D Shortcut Keys

Sometimes the only thing you need to maximize your workflow is an understanding of shortcut keys, so we've made the ultimate guide just for you. Stretch those fingers, because it's time to dive into the most important hot keys for Cinema 4D.

By School of Motion7 min read

Want to improve your workflow in Cinema 4D? Learn these hot keys!

The difference between a beginner and master in Cinema 4D often comes down to knowing your keyboard shortcuts and how to streamline your workflow. We're always pushing the community to LEARN THOSE HOT KEYS, so we decided to buckle down and put together our ultimate guide. If you want to add a little jet fuel to your 3D animation, this is the article you've been waiting for.

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Cinema 4D Shortcuts PDF

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You'll want to have a basic understanding of Cinema 4D before diving in, just to provide context for all the keys we'll be listing below. Bookmark this page so you can always come back and refresh your memory.

If there is a specific function you need to find, use Ctrl + F to search (PC) or CMD + F (MAC).

Ultimate Guide to Cinema 4D Shortcut Keys

File (Open, Save, etc)

Function	Shortcut Keys
New	Ctrl + N
Add	Shift + Ctrl + 0
Open	Ctrl + 0
Close All	Shift + Ctrl + S
Save As	Shift + Ctrl + S
Save	Ctrl + S
Quit	Ctrl + Q

General

Function	Shortcut Keys
Close Window or Project	Shift + W
Close Window	Ctrl + W
Close All	Ctrl + Shift + W
Quit	Ctrl + Q
Cut	Ctrl + X
Copy	Ctrl + C
Paste	Ctrl + V
Delete	Backspace
Select All	Ctrl + A
Invert All	Shift + A
Deselct All	Ctrl + Shift + A
Undo	Ctrl + Z
Undo Action	Shift + Z
Redo	Ctrl + Y
Commander	Shift + C

Object Manager

Function	Shortcut Keys
Merge Objects	Shift + Ctrl + 0
Show Search Bar	Ctrl + F
Show Fitter	Ctrl + U
Project Information	Ctrl + I
Group Objects	Alt + G
Expand Object Group	Shift + G
New Object as Parent Object	Alt + Create Object
New Object as Child Object	Shift + Create Object
Select Object, Including Child Objects	Click with RMB

Picture Preview

Function	Shortcut Keys
Render to Picture Viewer	Shift + R
Fullscreen Mode	Ctrl + F
Play	Spacebar
Set as A	A
Set as B	B
Swap AB	S
Set as Preview Start	I
Set as Preview End	O
Zoom In/Out	+/-
Switch 100% and Fullscreen	Double-Click

Motion Tracking

Function	Shortcut Keys
Move Sequence	Alt + MMB
Scale Sequence	Alt + RMB
Sequence Fullscreen	Alt + 0
Create User Track	Ctrl + LMB
Lasso Selection	LMB
Zoom	Alt

Project

Function	Shortcut Keys
Open Render Settings	Ctrl + B
Open Project Settings	Ctrl + D
Open Preferences	Ctrl + E
Open Project Information	Ctrl + I
Activate Object Manager	Shift + F1
Activate Materials Manager	Shift + F2
Open Timeline (Dope Sheet)	Shift + F3
Open Layer Manager	Shift + F4
Open Attributes Manager	Shift + F5
Open Picture Viewer	Shift + F6
Open Coordinates Manager	Shift + F7
Activate Asset Browser	Shift + F8
Activate Structure Manager	Shift + F9
Open Console	Shift + F10
Open Script Manager	Shift + F11
Open Customize Commands	Shift + F12
Open Heads Up Display pop-up	V

Material Manager

Function	Shortcut Keys
Load Materials	Ctrl + Shift + O
New Material	Ctrl + N
Replace Material by Another	Alt + Drag and Drop
New PBR Material	Ctrl + Shift + N
New Node Material	Ctrl + Option + N

Attribute Manager

Function	Shortcut Keys
Parameter to Default	RMB + Arrow
Increase/Decrease Parameter Change Speed with Arrows	Alt or Shift
New Attribute Manager	Shift + F5

Timeline

Function	Shortcut Keys
Open Timeline Window	Shift + F3
Key Mode / F-Curve Mode	Spacebar
Make New F-Curve Timeline with Selected Tracks	Ctrl + Spacebar
Record Active Objects	F9
Record Current State	Q
Play Backwards / Stop	F6
Stop Playback	F7
Play Forwards / Stop	F8
Autokeying	Ctrl + F9
Add Keyframe to Selected Track at Current Time	Q
Goto Start of Animation	Shift + F
Goto Previous Key	Ctrl + F
Goto Previous Frame	F
Goto Next Key	Ctrl + G
Goto Next Frame	G
Goto End	Shift + G
Goto First Key	Ctrl + P
Goto Last Key	Ctrl + 0
Frame Selected	S
Frame All	H
Goto Current Frame (Cursor Dependent)	Ctrl + F
Goto Start	Alt + F
Goto End	Alt + G
Frame Preview Range	Alt + H
Goto Next Marker	Shift + N
Goto Previous Marker	Shift + P
Goto First Marker	Ctrl + Shift + P
Goto Last Marker	Ctrl + Shift + 0
Region Tool	R
Ripple Edit	Alt + R
Automatic Mode	Alt + A
Show Search Bar (Cursor Dependent)	Ctrl + F
Show Filter	Ctrl + U

Key Interpolation

Function	Shortcut Keys
Auto Tangents	A
Break Tangents	B
Zero Angle (tangents)	0
Zero Length (tangents)	L
Clamp	C
Linear	Alt + L
Step	Alt + T
Soft	Alt + 5
Ease In	Alt + 1
Ease Ease	Alt + E
Ease Out	Alt + O

BodyPaint

Function	Shortcut Keys
Rotate Brush Clockwise	Alt + .
Rotate Brush Counterclockwise	Alt + [
Increase Brush Size	, or [
Decrease Brush Size	. or ]
Increase Brush Hardness	Shift + ]
Decrease Brush Hardness	Shift + [
Increase Brush Pressure	Ctrl + I
Decrease Brush Pressure	Ctrl + [

Modeling

For these shortcuts, press the keys in the sequence described.

Function	Shortcut Keys
Create Point	M > A
Bridge	B, M > B
Brush	M > C
Close Polygon Hole	M > D
Create Polygon	M > E
Edge Cut	M > F
Iron	M > G
Knife	K, M > K
Magnet	M > I
Mirror	M > H
Set Point Value	M > L
Slide	M > O
Stitch and Sew	M > P
Weld	M > Q
Weight Subdivision Surfaces	M > R
Bevel	M > S
Extrude	D, M > T
Extrude Inner / Inset	I, M > W
Matrix Extrude	M > X
Smooth Shift	M > Y
Normal Move	M > Z
Normal Scale	M > -
Normal Rotate	M > ,
Split	U > P
Reverse Normals	U > R
Remove N-gons	U > E
Subdivide	U > S
Melt	U > Z
Collapse	U > C
Triangulate N-gons	U > T
Disconnect	U > D
Align Normals	U > A
Make Editable	C
Retriangulate N-gons	U > G
Un-triangulate	U > U
Move Object without Children	7 + LMB
Move	E
Rotate	R
Scale	T
Toggle Active Tool	Space
Toggle Modeling Mode	Return
Undo (action)	Shift + Z
X-Axis / Heading	X
Y-Axis / Pitch	Y
Z-Axis / Bank	Z
Select All	Ctrl + A
Select Connected	U > W
Deselect All	Shift + Ctrl + A
Lasso Selection	8
Live Selection	9
Rectangle Selection	0
Invert	U > I
Convert Selection	U > X
Outline Selection	U > Q
Fill Selection	U > F
Grow Selection	U > Y
Ring Selection	U > B
Loop Selection	U > L
Shrink Selection	U > K
Volume Mesh	U > H
Mirror Selection	U > V

Editor

Function	Shortcut Keys
Object Manager	Shift + F1
Materials Manager	Shift + F2
Timeline	Shift + F3
Layer Manager	Shift + F4
Attributes Manager	Shift + F5
Picture Viewer	Shift + F6
Coordinates Manager	Shift + F7
Content Browser	Shift + F8
Structure Manager	Shift + F9
Script Manager	Shift + F11
Customize Commands Manager	Shift + F12
Change Coordinates System	W
Close Window	Shift + W
Delete	Backspace / Delete
Heads Up Display	Hold V
Togle Parent Generator	Q
Modify Interactive Animation Timeline	J + LMB
Help (Select Property Name)	Ctrl + F1

Sculpting

Function	Shortcut Keys
Smooth for All Brushes	Shift
Reverse Brush Effect	Ctrl
Switch Symmetry	Alt + X / Y / Z
Move / Scale / Rotate Template	T + LMB

Viewport

Function	Shortcut Keys
Render View	Ctrl + R
Redo Camera View	Ctrl + Shift + Y
Undo Camera Move	Ctrl + Shift + Z
Adjust Camera Focal Length	Hold 2 + RMB
Show Axis	Alt + D
Configure All Views	Alt + V
Configure View	Shift + V
View 1	F1
View 2	F2
View 3	F3
View 4	F4
All Views	F5
Redraw View	A
Frame Geometry	H
Frame Selected Elements	S
Open Display	N
Gourad Shading Mode	N > A
Gourad Shading with Wireframe	N > B
Quick Shading Mode	N > C
Quick Shading with Wireframe	N > D
Constant Shading Mode	N > E
Hidden Lines Mode	N > F
Lines Mode (Wireframe Only)	N > G
Wireframe Mode	N > H
Isoparms Mode	N > I
Box Mode	N > K
Skeleton Mode	N > L
Tags Mode	N > O
Use Backface Culling	N > P
Use Textures	N > Q
View Active Objects in X-Ray	N > R
Isoline Editing Mode	Alt + A

Asset Browser

Function	Shortcut Keys
New	Ctrl + N
Search Bar	Ctrl + F
Computer	U
Desktop	D
Home Directory	H
Presets	P
Catalogs	C
Recent Items	R
Search Results	S
Favorites	F

Rendering

Function	Shortcut Keys
Render Settings	Ctrl + B
Make Preview	Alt + B
Interactive Render Region	Alt + R
Render Active Viewport	Ctrl + R
Render to Picture Viewer	Shift + R
Render to Picture Viewer (IR)	Ctrl + Shift + R

Look at you! Now you've got a handy guide—some would even say the "ultimate"—to all the shortcuts in Cinema 4D. If you're pumped to get back into the program and go straight coconuts, maybe it's time you challenged yourself even more...with Cinema 4D Ascent.

In Cinema 4D Ascent, you'll learn to master marketable 3D concepts in Cinema 4D from Maxon Certified Trainer, EJ Hassenfratz. Over the course of 12 weeks, this class will teach you the fundamental 3D concepts you need to know to create beautiful renders and tackle any task a studio or client might throw at you.