by MAXON·Rendering
Images © MAXON. Used for product review; image policy.
Redshift sits among the more popular render engines in the toolfarm library, ranking ninth. Version 9.0.0, out in June 2026, keeps the Cinema 4D integration active with a new option to render mesh vertices as particles. A demo video is also available.
Redshift by Maxon is a GPU-based renderer that plugs into Cinema 4D. The same engine also runs in Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max and Revit, Foundry Katana, SideFX Houdini, Vectorworks and ZBrush, so the renderer isn't tied to a single application.
Running Redshift requires a compatible GPU. On Windows, that means an NVIDIA GPU with CUDA compute capability 5.0 or higher and 8 GB of VRAM, or an AMD RDNA 2 or later card with 8 GB VRAM (driver 24.Q3 or later). On Mac, it supports Apple M Series chips or AMD 'Navi' or 'Vega' GPUs and later with 8 GB VRAM or more. Redshift Live and Redshift for Vectorworks carry their own, stricter GPU minimums.
Version 9.0.0 was last updated on 11 June 2026. The 2026.7.0 changelog adds the ability to render any mesh's vertices as particles in Cinema 4D, limited support for the Material Tag 'repetitions' control on UVW sources, and a range of fixes across the Cinema 4D, Maya, Houdini and Vectorworks integrations.
Redshift by Maxon is best for cinema 4D artists who render on the GPU, and teams working across Maya, Houdini, Revit and other hosts that share the same Redshift engine.
Redshift by Maxon is completely free to download and use.
Redshift requires a compatible GPU on Windows. For NVIDIA cards, that means CUDA compute capability 5.0 or higher with at least 8 GB of VRAM. For AMD, it needs an RDNA 2 or later GPU with 8 GB VRAM or more, running driver 24.Q3 or later. Redshift Live and Redshift for Vectorworks set a stricter minimum on Windows, calling for NVIDIA RTX GPUs with 8 GB or more of VRAM. The developer's page lists the full recommended specs.
Redshift supports Mac hardware, running on Apple M Series chips or AMD 'Navi' or 'Vega' GPUs and later, each with 8 GB VRAM or more. Redshift Live and Redshift for Vectorworks raise the bar on Mac, requiring macOS Tahoe 2026.3 on an M3 Pro, M4 Pro, or higher. The Mac requirements differ from the Windows ones, so confirm your machine matches before installing.
Redshift is available for Cinema 4D alongside Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max and Revit, Foundry Katana, SideFX Houdini, Vectorworks and ZBrush. Revit support covers versions 2025, 2026 and 2027, added in the 2026.7.0 update. Because the same engine spans these hosts, teams moving between applications can stay on one renderer. That release also added Korean, Spanish and Chinese (simplified) language support to the Vectorworks build.
Redshift is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms for render engines can shift over time, so the developer's page is the best place to confirm current pricing and available options. The version tracked here is 9.0.0, last updated on 11 June 2026, a release that added new Cinema 4D rendering features and delivered fixes across the Maya, Houdini, Vectorworks and other host integrations.
Also in Rendering for Cinema 4D.
by Video Copilot
Video Copilot Pro Shaders for Element 3D and CINEMA 4D is a shader set for Cinema 4D. Built in universal formats, it works from a single product across 3ds Max, Maya, and the Element 3D plug-in.
by Chaos
Chaos V-Ray Premium brings the V-Ray rendering engine to Cinema 4D, bundled with a large library of 3D assets and materials, Chaos credits, Veras AI, cloud collaboration, and AI-driven scene, image and video tools.
by Chaos
Chaos Corona Premium is a CPU-based renderer for Cinema 4D from Chaos, offering unbiased and biased rendering with optional GPU AI denoising. It bundles AI features via Veras plus access to more than 18,500 3D assets and materials.
by Video Copilot
Video Copilot Pro Shaders 2 brings more than 300 tiled materials to Cinema 4D and Element 3D. The physical shaders simulate real surface properties across 12 categories, spanning metal, plastic, stone, plaster, fabric, and concrete.
by Chaos
Chaos V-Ray Solo brings the award-winning V-Ray rendering engine to Cinema 4D for individual artists, delivering physically accurate, photo-realistic rendering and simulation optimized for both animation and still images.
by Chaos
Chaos V-Ray Premium brings the V-Ray rendering engine to Cinema 4D, bundled with a large library of 3D assets and materials, Chaos credits, Veras AI, cloud collaboration, and AI-driven scene, image and video tools.
by Video Copilot
Video Copilot Pro Shaders for Element 3D and CINEMA 4D is a shader set for Cinema 4D. Built in universal formats, it works from a single product across 3ds Max, Maya, and the Element 3D plug-in.
by Chaos
Chaos Corona Premium is a CPU-based renderer for Cinema 4D from Chaos, offering unbiased and biased rendering with optional GPU AI denoising. It bundles AI features via Veras plus access to more than 18,500 3D assets and materials.
by Video Copilot
Video Copilot Pro Shaders 2 brings more than 300 tiled materials to Cinema 4D and Element 3D. The physical shaders simulate real surface properties across 12 categories, spanning metal, plastic, stone, plaster, fabric, and concrete.
by Chaos
Chaos V-Ray Solo brings the award-winning V-Ray rendering engine to Cinema 4D for individual artists, delivering physically accurate, photo-realistic rendering and simulation optimized for both animation and still images.
by Greyscalegorilla + KitBash3D
Greyscalegorilla Library brings scan-based materials, models, HDRIs and textures into Cinema 4D through the Cargo platform, with one-click sending of assets into your scene and an individual commercial license.
