Cinema 4D's Viewport Navigation is Choppy or Laggy on macOS

Ronald McGlynn
Ronald McGlynn
  • Updated

Problem: Cinema 4D's viewport becomes choppy or laggy and slow to update when the application window is maximized or takes up most of the screen on a Mac with a large, high-resolution display. Navigation may only update when you release your input, rather than in real time. The issue does not occur when the window is reduced in size, and is not caused by scene complexity.

Solution: This is a macOS display management issue related to how the system handles windows across multiple screens or in full-screen mode. Enabling Displays have separate Spaces in macOS System Settings resolves the lag. If your display supports ProMotion (variable refresh rate), setting a fixed refresh rate may also help.

Fix: Enable "Displays have separate Spaces"

This is the most common fix for this issue, particularly when using multiple displays.

Step 1: Open macOS Desktop & Stage Manager settings
  1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen.
  2. In the sidebar, select Desktop & Dock.
Step 2: Enable "Displays have separate Spaces"
  1. Scroll down to the Mission Control section.
  2. Enable the toggle for Displays have separate Spaces.
  3. Log out and log back in to apply the change (macOS requires a session restart for this setting to take effect. If the issue persists after logging back in, try a full system restart)
Step 3: Test Cinema 4D
  1. Relaunch Cinema 4D.
  2. Maximize the window or expand it to fill your display and test viewport navigation.
  3. Viewport navigation should now be smooth and update in real time.

Alternative Fix: Set a Fixed Refresh Rate (ProMotion displays)

If your display supports ProMotion (variable refresh rate) and the above fix did not resolve the issue, try setting a fixed refresh rate.

Step 1: Open Display settings
  1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu ().
  2. Select Displays from the sidebar.
Step 2: Set a fixed refresh rate
  1. Look for a Refresh Rate dropdown on your display.
  2. Change the setting from ProMotion or Automatic to a fixed rate such as 60 Hz.
  3. Relaunch Cinema 4D and test viewport navigation at full window size.

Tip

If your display does not show a ProMotion or Refresh Rate option, try lowering the resolution by one step below the highest Retina setting in System Settings > Displays, then test viewport navigation again. This can help confirm whether the issue is tied to the pixel count being rendered at full window size.

If you are still experiencing choppy viewport navigation after trying these steps, please submit a support ticket and our team will be happy to assist you further.

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