Maxon’s latest product releases for Fall 2025 are now available, introducing key updates to both Cinema 4D and Redshift. While the new version number might suggest a major overhaul, the changes are more nuanced, with one application getting a small update and the other receiving a substantial one. Here’s everything you need to know about C4D and Redshift 2026.
Cinema 4D 2026.0: A Minor Release
The latest version of Cinema 4D is a surprisingly small update, with the release notes listing only two general enhancements and bug fixes.
Source: maxon.net
Cinema 4D 2026.0: Two general enhancements
- The liquid simulation toolset introduced in the previous release get improved collisions with rigid body objects.
- There are also new options for interactive duplication of objects in the viewport.
New Logo
As part of Maxon’s new unified product logo system, Cinema 4D 2026.0 features a new, flatter logo. It’s essentially the old logo design, but now set inside a hexagon.
Pricing and System Requirements
Cinema 4D 2026.0 is compatible with Windows 10+ and macOS 14.0+. The software is available for rental only, with subscriptions costing $109 per month or $839 per year.
Redshift 2026.0: The Star of the Show
In contrast to Cinema 4D, the new Redshift 2026.0 is a substantial update, packed with powerful new features for VFX, motion graphics, and visualization artists. It’s a key part of the C4D and Redshift 2026 partnership.
Source: maxon.net
New Redshift Sun & Sky and Clouds object
Redshift 2026.0 includes a complete overhaul of how it handles exterior sky scenes, introducing a new unified sun and sky system and a new Clouds object.
The new Redshift Sun & Sky combines the sun and sky into a single light source, which functions like a dome light. This is a significant change from the old method of using separate infinite and environment lights. According to Maxon, this unified approach allows for a more accurate reflection of the sun’s size within a scene, particularly on specular surfaces. This new system also works more effectively with Brute Force Caustics. While it uses the same PRG Clear Sky model as the existing Physical Sun directional light, it provides similar controls, including support for light linking.
Source: maxon.net
For clouds, a new Clouds volume procedurally generates clouds using noise shaders. This tool offers two distinct modes: Fast Clouds, which renders as a background shader, and the more realistic Volumetric Clouds, which features full volumetric multi-scattering. You can use a range of parameters to control the clouds’ shape, position, and animation.
Both the Redshift Sun & Sky and Clouds volumes are available in all Redshift editions except for Maya, with Maxon promising to add them in a future release.
Full Scene-Unit-Awareness
Redshift 2026.0 is now fully scene-unit-aware, which simplifies the process of lighting and shading your scenes. Materials with physical properties, like subsurface scattering, are now fixed to real-world units (e.g., centimeters). Other parameters that describe a length, such as the Max Distance for ambient occlusion, will now automatically use the scene’s units.
To help with this change, a new Unit Conversion node has been added, allowing you to easily adjust the units used by any parameter. According to Maxon, this update makes it much easier to work with a lot of things, especially when importing and exporting proxies.
Other Notable Enhancements
The Redshift 2026.0 update also includes several other key improvements:
- Improved Bump Mapping: Redshift’s bump mapping has been reworked to maintain detail and sharpness regardless of camera position or render resolution. This was made possible by adding support for Open Shading Language (OSL) derivatives functions.
- Overhauled Global Fog: The UI for global fog has been redesigned to make it easier to use, with new default settings and a simple distance-based control.
- Wider Distorter Shader Support: The Distorter Shader, which warps one texture based on another, is now available in all host applications, including 3ds Max, Maya, Houdini, and Katana.
- USD Support in Maya: Redshift for Maya now supports USD (Universal Scene Description) Variants for both Materials and Objects.
Pricing and System Requirements
Redshift 2026.0 is compatible with Windows 10+, glibc 2.28+ Linux, and macOS 14.0+.
Its integration plugins work with a wide range of host applications, including: 3ds Max 2018+, Cinema 4D 2023+, Houdini 19.0+, Katana 5.0+, Maya 2018+ (Maya 2022+ on Linux). The development for the Blender plugin has been paused, so this update isn’t available for Blender.
The software is rental-only, with subscriptions costing $49 per month or $289 per year.
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