Cinema4D MCP — Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server

Cinema4D MCP Server connects Cinema 4D to Claude, enabling prompt-assisted 3D manipulation.

Components
Prerequisites
Installation
Setup
Usage
Development
Troubleshooting & Debugging
File Structure
Tool Commands

Components

C4D Plugin: A socket server that listens for commands from the MCP server and executes them in the Cinema 4D environment.
MCP Server: A Python server that implements the MCP protocol and provides tools for Cinema 4D integration.

Prerequisites

Cinema 4D
Python 3.10 or higher

Development Installation

To install the project, follow these steps:

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/ttiimmaacc/cinema4d-mcp.git
cd cinema4d-mcp

Install the Package

pip install -e .

Make the Wrapper Script Executable

chmod +x bin/cinema4d-mcp-wrapper

Setup

Cinema 4D Plugin Setup

To set up the Cinema 4D plugin, follow these steps:

Copy the Plugin File: Copy the c4d_plugins/mcp_server_plugin.pyp file to Cinema 4D's plugin folder. The path varies depending on your operating system:
- macOS: /Users/USERNAME/Library/Preferences/Maxon/Maxon Cinema 4D/plugins/
- Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Maxon\Maxon Cinema 4D\plugins\
Start the Socket Server:
- Open Cinema 4D.
- Goto Extensins > Socket Server Plugin
- You should see a Socket Server Control dialog window. Click Start Server.

Claude Desktop Configuration

To configure Claude Desktop, you need to modify its configuration file:

Open the Configuration File:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- Alternatively, use the Settings menu in Claude Desktop (Settings > Developer > Edit Config).
Add MCP Server Configuration: For development/unpublished server, add the following configuration:
"mcpServers": { "cinema4d": { "command": "python3", "args": ["/Users/username/cinema4d-mcp/main.py"] } }
Restart Claude Desktop after updating the configuration file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cinema4d": {
      "command": "cinema4d-mcp-wrapper",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Usage

Ensure the Cinema 4D Socket Server is running.
Open Claude Desktop and look for the hammer icon 🔨 in the input box, indicating MCP tools are available.
Use the available Tool Commands to interact with Cinema 4D through Claude.

Test directly from the command line

To test the Cinema 4D socket server directly from the command line:

python main.py

You should see output confirming the server's successful start and connection to Cinema 4D.

Troubleshooting & Debugging

Check the log files:
tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
Verify Cinema 4D shows connections in its console after you open Claude Desktop.
Test the wrapper script directly:
cinema4d-mcp-wrapper
If there are errors finding the mcp module, install it system-wide:
pip install mcp
For advanced debugging, use the MCP Inspector:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv --directory /Users/username/cinema4d-mcp run cinema4d-mcp

Project File Structure

cinema4d-mcp/
├── .gitignore
├── LICENSE
├── README.md
├── main.py
├── pyproject.toml
├── setup.py
├── bin/
│   └── cinema4d-mcp-wrapper
├── c4d_plugins/
│   └── cinema4d_socket_plugin.py
├── src/
│   └── cinema4d_mcp/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── server.py
│       ├── config.py
│       └── utils.py
└── tests/
    └── test_server.py

Tool Commands

add_primitive: Add a primitive object to the Cinema 4D scene.
apply_material: Apply a material to an object.
create_material: Create a new material in Cinema 4D.
execute_python_script: Execute a Python script in Cinema 4D.
get_scene_info: Get information about the current Cinema 4D scene.
list_objects: List all objects in the current Cinema 4D scene with hierarchy.
load_scene: Load a Cinema 4D scene file.
modify_object: Modify properties of an existing object.
render_frame: Render the current frame.
save_scene: Save the current Cinema 4D scene.
set_keyframe: Set a keyframe for an object property.
create_mograph_cloner: Create a MoGraph Cloner object (linear, grid, radial).
apply_mograph_fields: Create and apply a MoGraph Field (spherical, box, etc.).
add_effector: Add a MoGraph Effector to the scene.
create_light: Add a light to the scene.
apply_shader: Create and apply a specialized shader material.
animate_camera: Create a camera animation.
create_abstract_shape: Create an organic, abstract shape.
apply_dynamics: Add dynamics (rigid or soft) to an object.

Recent Fixes

Fixed Grid Cloner creation issue by providing correct parameter IDs
Fixed MoGraph Fields application by defining proper field type constants
Improved hierarchical display in list_objects command
Enhanced cloner visibility and creation reliability