Thicken

Thicken in Cinema 4D is a generator that adds thickness to thin or flat geometry, effectively creating a solid volume from surfaces. It’s perfect for turning planes or shells into fully 3D objects with depth.

What It Is

• Applies uniform thickness to selected geometry, creating volume.
• Works non-destructively as a generator, preserving original mesh.
• Controls include thickness amount and offset direction.
• Ideal for creating solid shells from single-sided surfaces or splines.

How It Works

1. Select or create the base object (e.g., a spline or polygon plane).
2. Add a Thicken generator from the Create > Generators menu.
3. Make your base object a child of the Thicken generator.
4. Adjust the Thickness parameter to set the desired solid depth.
5. Modify the offset direction if needed to control which side thickness is applied.
6. Render or continue editing; changes update dynamically.

Use Cases

• Converting flat splines or planes into 3D objects.
• Adding volume to architectural elements like walls or panels.
• Preparing models for 3D printing by ensuring thickness.
• Creating stylized objects with solid forms from simple shapes.

Benefits

• Non-destructive, allowing easy tweaking of thickness.
• Transforms 2D geometry into usable 3D solids quickly.
• Improves realism by adding volume to otherwise flat objects.
• Works well with other modeling and deformation tools.

More info here in the Maxon documentation.

Video Credit: School of Motion.
Description: This video demonstrates the Thicken Generator in Cinema 4D.