How to use the A23D Asset Importer Plugin for Cinema 4D

The A23D Asset Importer enables you to download assets directly from the A23D website into your Cinema 4D scenes. It adds an A23D Bridge panel to track download and import progress, choose a custom asset folder, or import an A23D asset from disk.

Installing the plugin

Visit the Cinema 4D integration page.
Download the latest version of the plugin compatible with your Cinema 4D application.
Unzip the downloaded file. The extracted files include the A23DAssetImporter folder.
Open Cinema 4D.
Go to Edit > Preferences. On macOS, go to Cinema 4D > Settings instead.
Click Open Preferences Folder....
Close Cinema 4D.
In the preferences folder, open the plugins folder. Create it if it does not exist.
Copy the entire A23DAssetImporter folder into the plugins folder.
Start Cinema 4D again.

After installation, open Extensions > A23D Asset Importer. This opens the A23D Bridge panel. You can also open it with Commander by pressing Shift+C and searching for A23D.

Keep the A23D Bridge panel open or docked while importing assets from the website.

Downloading assets with one-click

Open Cinema 4D and keep the A23D Bridge panel open or docked.
If the panel says Connected, Cinema 4D is ready to receive assets.
On the A23D website, open the asset you want to import.
In the Software dropdown, choose Cinema 4D.
Choose the resolution you want.
Click Send to Cinema 4D.
Return to Cinema 4D. The A23D Bridge panel shows the asset as it downloads, unzips, and imports into the scene.

Browser permission

When you click Send to Cinema 4D, your browser may ask to allow access to apps on your device. Click Allow so A23D can connect to the A23D Bridge in Cinema 4D. If you skipped it, open site settings for www.a23d.co, allow Apps on device, reload the page, and try again.

You can also manually add https://www.a23d.co:443 to your browser's list of allowed sites to access Apps on device. This setting can be found at:

Chrome — chrome://settings/content/loopbackNetwork
Edge — edge://settings/privacy/sitePermissions/allPermissions/loopbackNetwork
Brave — brave://settings/content/loopbackNetwork
Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Device apps and services

Safari may not always complete one-click sending because of its local app connection behavior. If that happens, use Chrome or Edge, or download the asset and use Import from disk.

Keeping the panel open on startup

Cinema 4D can reopen the A23D Bridge panel automatically when it starts if you save it as part of your startup layout.

Open Extensions > A23D Asset Importer.
Dock the A23D Bridge panel where you want it in the Cinema 4D interface.
Go to Window > Customization > Save as Startup Layout.

The next time Cinema 4D starts, the panel opens docked in the same place. Keep it docked if you want One-click Import to work without opening the panel manually each time.

Using multiple Cinema 4D instances

Only one Cinema 4D instance receives website imports at a time. If you have more than one Cinema 4D instance open, click Connect in the A23D Bridge panel of the instance you want to import into.

That instance becomes the active receiver. Other open Cinema 4D instances will show as not connected until you click Connect in them.

Choosing a custom asset folder

In the A23D Bridge panel, open Settings and set Asset folder if you want website downloads saved to a specific location before import.

You can type a folder path or click ... and choose a folder. Leave the field empty if you do not need a custom location.

Importing an asset from disk

Use Import from disk when you already have a downloaded A23D asset on your computer.

In Cinema 4D, open the A23D Bridge panel.
Click Import from disk.
Select the extracted A23D asset folder.
Confirm the selection. The plugin imports the asset into the current scene.

Renderer and material setup

The plugin builds materials for the renderer active in your Cinema 4D render settings. If you use Redshift, V-Ray, Octane, Corona, Arnold, Standard, or Physical, choose the renderer you want before importing the asset.

Uninstalling the plugin

Close Cinema 4D, delete the A23DAssetImporter folder from the Cinema 4D plugins folder, and then restart Cinema 4D.