These videos will guide you through everything you need to start building beautiful studio lighting setups in Cinema 4D. Watch them in order, or jump to a section below.
Video 1: Light Kit Pro Overview
Get to know the core features and how to use them.
Covers:
Cyc Object
Studio Object
Light Kit Browser
Light Navigation
Saving Studio Presets
Video 2: Render Engines and Product Lighting
Set up Light Kit Pro with your renderer, plus a product lighting walkthrough from Chad Ashley.
Covers:
Redshift setup
Octane setup
Arnold setup
Product lighting workflow
Quick Start
Install Light Kit Pro via the Greyscalegorilla HUB.
Load the Light Kit Pro 3 palette from the plugin menu and save it to your startup layout.
Set your renderer in Render Settings (Redshift, Octane, Arnold, Standard, or Physical).
Open the Light Kit Browser and double-click any preset to load it.
Set GI to 5 bounces — all built-in presets were built at this setting.
Render.
Core Concepts
Cyc Object
A parametric seamless backdrop — the curved infinity wall you see in real photo studios. Choose from several shapes including S Curve, C Curve, Dome, and more. Use the handles in the viewport to adjust size and shape. Apply a renderer-appropriate material from the Cyc Materials tab.
Light Object
All light types (Softbox, Ring Light, Umbrella, etc.) can be swapped between each other from the same object — no deleting and recreating. Lights are automatically created for your active renderer.
Key controls on every light:
Cast Light / Reflected Intensity — Control the illumination and the fixture's reflective appearance independently.
Normalize — Keeps brightness consistent when you scale the light (on by default).
POV Placement — Snap your viewport to the light's perspective to position it precisely.
Solo — Isolate a single light. Double-click any light's icon to solo it instantly; double-click again to unsolo.
Light Kit Studio Object
The parent container for your entire lighting setup. Drop lights and Cycs in as children to control them as a group.
Key controls:
Renderer — Switches all child lights to a new render engine at once.
Global Scale — Scales the whole studio to fit your scene.
Global Intensity / Temperature / Tint — Adjust overall brightness and color across all lights.
Light Kit Browser
Where you load and save studio presets. Double-click any preset to load it — it automatically detects your active renderer. If you switch renderers, you'll be prompted to confirm before loading.
To save your own preset: set up your lights as children of the Studio Object, frame your viewport, then click Save Studio in the Browser. The current viewport becomes the thumbnail.
Render Engine Tips
Light Kit Pro works with Standard, Physical, Redshift, Octane, and Arnold. Always run the latest version of LKP alongside the latest version of your renderer.
Switching renderers mid-project: Change the renderer on the Studio Object and all child lights update automatically. Note that Cyc materials don't convert — delete the old one and create a new renderer-appropriate material from the Cyc Materials tab.
For best results with built-in presets: Set GI to 5 bounces in your render engine settings.