Maxon has not published the .c4d layout, and no public reverse
engineering describes the contents of current files. What is established is how to
recognise each generation of the format, as recorded in PRONOM, the file format
registry of the UK National Archives. This page gives that and says plainly what is
unknown.
Generations
| PRONOM | Version | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| fmt/415 | Cinema 4D 4.x (earlier also called 1.0) | at offset 0: FORM, four bytes (the size), MC4D: a 12-byte IFF-style header |
| fmt/540 | Cinema 4D 5.x | at offset 0: MC50, four bytes (the file length), then a file type: PRF5, DOK5, CAT5 or FCV5; PRONOM calls it a 16-byte header |
| fmt/1180 | “Cinema 4D 6+”, used from Cinema 4D R12 onwards according to PRONOM | at offset 1: C4DC4D6 (43 34 44 43 34 44 36) |
The 4.x header follows the IFF pattern (FORM, a size and a form
type), as in other formats of Amiga origin; Cinema 4D began on the Amiga. PRONOM gives
no meaning for the 5.x file types, nor for the byte before C4DC4D6 in
current files.
00000000 ?? 43 34 44 43 34 44 36C4DC4D6What is not known
- The layout after the signature in files from R12 onwards: how objects, tags, materials, tracks and settings are stored, and whether parts are compressed.
- The meaning of the 5.x file types and of the four bytes PRONOM leaves unexplained in the 16-byte 5.x header.
- How the format changed between R12 and current releases.
Programs that read C4D files, such as Adobe After Effects through Cineware, use Maxon’s own code rather than a published description.