Cineware is incredibly slow

[ignaciofq]

So I don't know what's going on, I've tried everything I could find on Google and this forum and nothing seems to solve the issue.
I have Cinema 4D Student Version. In a C4D file I have something that pops in while rotating, with four simple materials. This file in C4D takes about one or two seconds per frame to render, which is not so fast, but it is pretty decent. Then I drag-and-dropped the file into the project I'm working on in After Effects, created a new comp and dropped the C4D file there. First thing I noticed is that I can't see anything on the viewport. I left the computer alone for about an hour because I had to do something else, and when I came back, the preview was rendered in Ae as I expected. Then I tried to start working on it, adding a solid layer to that comp just to begin, and the progress bar below the viewport starts going on as if it was loading a complex preview. I left the computer for about ten minutes and when I came back it was still loading. Then I thought restarting the computer may solve the issue. That time, when I opened the project on Ae, I got an error I googled and found out it could be solved by running Ae as admin. I did that, and in fact the error didn't show again, but still no preview.

In order to discard variables, I created a new project in Ae, because the one I was working on was becoming a bit heavy, dropped the same C4D file and nothing. Then, in a new C4D file, I created a simple cube with no materials, just like C4D creates it by default when clicking the cube icon, dropped that file into Ae, and again, NO preview. In fact, the whole time I've been typing this words, Ae's been running and is still "thinking" the preview for that simple cube.

Task manager shows an average CPU use of 50% for "Adobe After Effects CC 2017.1" and about 40% for "CineRenderAe", the total CPU use averages 98%. There's about 45% RAM still available. Even though it is definitively not a high end PC (2.66 GHz processor and 6 GB of RAM) I don't get why something that is a matter of seconds in C4D lasts about an hour in Ae with Cineware.

Some suggested solutions I've found and tried are running Ae as an admin, purging caches, and changing the TCP port in Cineware options (since this one didn't work, I turned it back to the default port). And still, no preview.

Thanks to anyone who may help me to find what's going on.

EDIT: Forgot to point out the versions I'm working with: Cinema 4D Studio R17.053 STUDENT (Build RB166656). After Effects 2017.1 14.1.0.57

[P.M.B]

Try installing the 2015 or 2014 version of AE (you don't have to uninstall your current version) How to Find and Install Previous Version of Adobe Apps in CC 2015 | Adobe Customer Care Team

Adobe updated the C4D renderer in their latest version and I suspect, based on my experience with it being extremely slow, they botched it.   I can no longer be bothered with testing their software for them so I have not.  But reinstalling a previous version and trying the same render will either confirm or debunk my suspicions.

I have posted questions asking people to give their experience with the new C4D renderer but nobody replied.

[ignaciofq]

Thank you! I have the 2015 installer so I'll give it a try and see if it works.

[ignaciofq]

I just tried with AE 2015.0 (13.5.0.347) and the same happened. Not even a simple cube could be previewed in Ae.

Thanks anyway Gutter-Fish​

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi ignaciofq,

Have you tried removing any plug-ins that you are using?

Thanks,
Kevin

[ignaciofq]

Hello Kevin, I don't have any third-party plug-ins installed.
I got support from Adobe, and a technician was controlling my computer via remote support, and for about two hours they tried everything they could. A new user profile, restarting into safe mode with networking, deleting the preferences of Ae, purging the cache, changing the TCP port, creating test files with both C4D Lite R16 and C4D Studio R17, disabling the security, resetting the driver of the GPU back to Microsoft’s generic driver, updating the Graphics Card driver even though I had done so recently.
So yes, If you have any other solution you might suggest, please let me know. This is driving me nuts.

[ignaciofq]

UPDATE: I've re-installed my computer, formatted C: and installed Windows from scratch. I tried the same example with the cube, and still nothing. Now it's getting really concerning.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi Ignacio FQ,

That sounds most troubling. Are you still working with support? Are they scheduled to call you back? If not, please PM me and I'll arrange for an escalation. Hope we can help you out of this jam.

Thanks ever so much!
Kevin

[ignaciofq]

Thanks Kevin, I'll send you a message.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hey There Ignacio,

Circling back. Did you ever get this perplexing issue solved?

Thanks!
Kevin

[ignaciofq]

Hi Kevin! I got an email from the support people, then I sent them the information they asked, and that's it. I got no reply from them. At the end I gave up and simply forgot the C4D-AE intergration and started rendering everything in C4D before dropping it to AE. What a bummer.

-Ignacio.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi Ignacio,

You received a note from Adobe support or from Maxon?

Thanks,

Kevin

[ignaciofq]

Hi, I got an email from Adobe Support.

[Kevin-Monahan]

OK, I filed another escalation for you. Let me know if they don't contact you in 48 to 72 hrs. Thanks! Kevin

[ignaciofq]

Hi Kevin, 4 weeks later, I haven't been contacted by them. Something I discovered was that also the Ae-Pr integration and the new Essential Graphics don't work. Those three features (including the C4D-Ae integration) must have something in common that is failing.

Thanks, Ignacio.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi IgnacioFQ,

Sorry about that. If you ever have this trouble again, feel free to send me a private message. You should be clear of this problem now if you update After Effects. Can you try it?

Thanks,

Kevin

[ignaciofq]

Hello, I always have the most recent version of all the programs. In fact, what I discovered is that besides the problem with Cineware and C4D-AE Integration, I also noticed that the new "Essential Graphics" feature that connects Ae with Pr also doesn't work. Honestly, I sort of gave up with this, but If you know anything else that might help, I'd really apreciate it.

Thank you, Ignacio.

[Kevin-Monahan]

In which way does it "not work?"

Thanks,
Kevin

[ignaciofq]

If you're referring to "Essential Graphics", what I'm doing is that I'm saving the Motion Graphics file in Ae, trying to import it using the EG window in Pr and then I get an error. I don't remember what the error said, but if you need that, I can reproduce the problem and take a screenshot if you want.
Also, I've noticed that Ae files imported into Pr work whenever they want. Sometimes they will import just fine, and sometimes I reopen that project and find that the Ae files I had imported before are now offline, and I can't import any other Ae projects.

I feel like all this features must have something in common that is failing and that has to be the cause of this.