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1. Download and install: Visit corona-renderer.com/download to download Chaos Corona, install it and open Cinema 4D. You can read about installation and activation on our helpdesk if you need any assistance.
2. Introduction: A look at the completed scene, and a talk about what we are about to set up. Download the empty Interior Scene if you want to follow along.
3. First steps: Opening our blank scene with just the geometry and quickly exploring it, as well as setting Corona as the render engine for Cinema 4D to use.
4. Add a CoronaSky: We need some lighting in our scene as well. Let’s use the Corona Daylight system to get some simple realistic outdoor lighting. Along the top menu bar click on Corona > CoronaSky and a Corona Sky will be added to your scene.
5. Your first render/introduction to IR & the VFB: You can now do your first render. You will immediately notice that the scene renders extremely bright. This is because the default exposure is set up for an interior scenario with the Daylight system. To compensate for an exterior scenario, we can turn on tone mapping and dial down the exposure to an appropriate level that we are happy with.
6. Introduction to materials/Material Library: Now that we’ve added our CoronaSky to the scene and gone inside our room, we need to be able to see through our windows to allow light to fill our room!
7. Adding a Corona Camera to the scene: With our materials on the windows we need to setup a camera that we can render from – we create a Corona one (with a pre-applied Corona camera tag, from the Corona menu).
8. Render Settings: Let's head over to our Cinema 4D render settings tab, then to the Corona settings and we can set some parameters, such as Pass Limit/Noise level limit - which directly affects the amount of time the image will render for.
9. Adding Assets: Importing assets to our scene and assigning textures to them.
10. Additional lighting: We’ve got our main skylight but what about adding some additional lights to the scene…
11. Post Processing in the VFB: So we’re happy with our image, but how about pushing it to the next level with some post effects, here we look at further Tone mapping controls, Luts, as well as bloom and glare.
12. Experiment freely: From here on, you can keep experimenting with Corona's lights and materials – and generally have fun!