X-Particles render issue

2025-12-15 15:44 UTC gpt-5-2 Open in ChatGPT ↗

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cinema 4d, x particles particles are not rendering to picture viewer but they do appear in viewport

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This is a very common X-Particles issue in Cinema 4D. If particles show in the viewport but not in the Picture Viewer, it’s almost always a render-side setting, not a simulation problem.

Below is a clear checklist, in order of likelihood 👇

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1️⃣ You’re rendering with a renderer that needs a bridge

X-Particles do NOT render automatically in third-party renderers.

If you use:

• Redshift
• Octane
• Arnold
• V-Ray

➡️ You must add the correct XP render object.

Fix:

• Redshift → XP Redshift Volume / Sprite
• Octane → Octane Object Tag or XP Octane Volume
• Arnold → Arnold Volume / Arnold Points
• V-Ray → XP V-Ray Volume

📌 Without this, particles will always be invisible in Picture Viewer.

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2️⃣ No XP material assigned

Particles render as nothing unless they have a render material.

Fix:

• Create:
  • XP Material (Standard/Physical)
  • or XP Sprite Material
• Drag it into xpEmitter → Materials tab
• Make sure it’s enabled

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3️⃣ Emitter render settings disabled

Viewport and render visibility are separate.

Check:

• Select xpEmitter
• Go to Display tab
• Ensure:
  • ✅ Render Particles = ON
  • Particle type matches your material (Points / Spheres / Sprites)

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4️⃣ Using Sprites but no camera-facing setup

Sprite particles can disappear if misconfigured.

Fix:

• XP Sprite Material → Orientation
  • Set to Camera
• Confirm sprite size is not near zero

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5️⃣ Simulation not cached (especially with Redshift)

Some renderers won’t evaluate live simulations correctly.

Fix:

• Add xpCache
• Cache the simulation
• Render again

📌 This is very important for Redshift & Octane.

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6️⃣ Render Settings: Physical vs Standard

Certain XP features behave differently.

Try:

• Render Settings → switch between:
  • Standard
  • Physical
• Disable Progressive temporarily

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7️⃣ Camera or clipping issue

Particles exist, but camera doesn’t see them.

Check:

• Camera → Near / Far Clipping
• Scale of scene (XP works best in real-world scale)

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8️⃣ Object Manager visibility flags

Yes, this still catches people 😅

Check:

• xpEmitter traffic lights:
  • Green/Gray for Render
• Not set to Editor Only

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Quick diagnostic test (2 minutes)

1. Create new empty scene
2. Add:
   • xpEmitter
   • XP Material
3. Assign material
4. Render with Standard Renderer

✔ If it works → your issue is renderer-specific ❌ If not → material or emitter setup issue

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Tell me:

• C4D version?
• X-Particles version?
• Renderer (Redshift / Octane / etc.)?
• Are you using sprites, spheres, or volumes?

I can give you exact settings once I know that.