Which format is best for importing CAD files in Cinema 4D?

I have a bunch of models that I would like to render with Cinema 4D, but I having some trouble with importing the files in Cinema 4D.
I am able to import the file, however the quality of the file isn't good at all, the meshing is all wrong.
I would be glad if anyone of you can point me to some kind of tutorial or something related to this topic....

3 Answers

As the CTO of Okino and MAXON's Cinema4D conversion provider since the 90's I'd just like to insert a few tidbits of info:

- IGES 144/142/128 has been deprecated for a decade. There are 3 main versions of IGES: 1980's (bounded), 1990's (surfaced) and 2000's (BREP solids). 144/142/128 is the old 1990's version which all top-6 MCAD programs output by default and it is just technically bad.

- The "Engineering Bundle" is now obsolete as of 2011. For the first time in 14 years there is now a direct CAD -> native C4D conversion system via our recently finished PolyTrans-for-Cinema-4D system:

http://www.okino.com/solutions/c4d.htm

- In the direct manner in which I work with every Okino/Maxon customer, what you would normally do is email me (lansd@okino.com) with the name of your source MCAD program and I would tell you the technically proper way to source from that program. Every MCAD program uses and needs a different conversion method. 80% of my new customers do CAD conversion blindly and wrong, such as accepting whatever files are given to them, and then wonder why there is patch cracking or shading anomalies -- it's all about the sourcing of the data which is most important. I always make sure to educate and teach each of our Okino users how to do CAD conversion properly.

- And as a minor point, CAD -> C4D is always a 100% perfect process when done properly and using the correct file formats.

THe perfect Format to use it in C4D (importation) is Obj, FBX,

IGES 144 does the trick in most cases,
Engineering Bundle Edition (and Okino) import data in C4D as IGES 144/142/128.
regards