Solutions for Cache Issues in Cloth Simulations in Cinema 4D
What you're describing is one of those classic headaches that many of us suffer when starting to work with cloth simulations in Cinema 4D. Everything seems perfect during quick tests, but as soon as you hit Calculate Cache or simply play the animation from another point... bam! The cloth explodes, penetrates the character, or ends up completely deformed.
Why does this happen?
The most common cause has to do with the evaluation order and the simulation's dependence on the timeline. In Cinema 4D, the cloth (with the Cloth tag or Cloth Surface) needs the character's animation to be completely stable and reproducible frame by frame before calculating the cache.
The typical problem is that the character is being animated with deformers, IKs, or even Motion Clips that are not properly baked before doing the cloth simulation. It's like the cloth is in a hurry to go partying and forgets to follow the character's rhythm! 👗
Practical solutions you can try
Here are some solutions that usually work in these cases, especially if you're working with recent versions of Cinema 4D (R25, R26, or 2024):
- Make sure the character's animation is baked: Before simulating the cloth, use the Bake Objects option or Bake to Alembic if necessary.
- Calculate the cloth cache only after: The character's animation is completely stable.
- Check dynamic colliders: Make sure there are no colliders moving erratically between frames.
If you're using the old Cloth system, consider switching to the new Cloth Simulation System introduced in R25, which greatly improves stability. Avoid modifying the timeline or jumping frames after calculating the cache. If you do, delete the cache and simulate again.
If after all this the cloth still has ideas of its own and decides to become independent from the character, don't get frustrated. Remember that we've all been through it... The unwritten first law of cloth simulation states: The cache will always fail when you're closest to the final delivery. But with patience and these tips, you'll get the cloth and the character to dance to the same rhythm! 💃