I understand, it would be a great idea not only to improve the performance of the dynamic link between both applications, but also to improve much more the compatibility between After Effects and Cinema 4D to get to the level of controlling some parameters of the Cinema 4D scenes within the After Effects interface. That would make them unstoppable :)

@ Pablo
A Compositing tool is a tool where every dicipline of CG comes together, so it has to understand everything and give some options to manipulate those inputs.

Today its absolutly normal to cut, color key, color correct, 3D track and animate in compositing-tools but this are all disciplines where other tools a better and more specialised in.

Todays cinema movies are mostly projected in 3D stereo (so the have to be composed in 3D), we have new media like VR, AR where everything has to be in 3D space.

So in the future (most comp tools have that already) it will be absolutly normal that every compositing tool has to have the possibility to do simple 3D tasks without switching everytime to a specialised 3D tool. This specialised 3D tools are useful for comlicated muscle, water, hair, physik and crowd simulation but not to create simple primitives! that was back in 1995 where i started with CG :D

It is pure nonsens to switch for simple 3D task in Motion Graphics or Camera Mapping back and forth ...and in my opinion thats exactly the discipline of After Effects.

I really think, if AE dosn't have in 5 years a simple, well integrated 3D Engine. The next generation of artist and students won't use it like today.

@ Pablo
So which discipline is After Effects stand for?
Compositing? than you ned simple 3D in 2018... is it for Motion Graphics? ...than you need simple 3D in 2018

Dont unterstand me wrong! it has not to replace specialiced 3D programms but it should understand there files and should be able to make little changes or adjustments without switching all the time. Cinema 4D is only one of many 3D Tools out there! ...Today you have to switch to Cinema 4D if you only want a 3D tube in space - thats nonsens!

In my opinion I think that is no the best idea for that thing. Because the 3D discipline is not the discipline of After Effects, such as sound editing into After Effects (it has some sound effects, but thats it) I think the best thing Adobe and Maxon could do is improving the dynamic link between Cinema 4D and After Effects to a higher level, such as between the other Adobe video apps (more or less in real time).

8 years ago i asked here for a real 3D engine inside of After Effects to not loose ground against other compositing tools - my advice was to invest in Cinema4D. And yes, you did something like that but you made only a link between that tools - but that is by far not enough!!!

In 2018 even 399€ gimmick tools like "Hitfilm Express" have more advanced 3D engines than After Effects and therefor no one use After Effects in the movie-business anymore.

Its realy a shame that even beginners and hobbiest can´t do there simple 3D comps without an extern plugin from Andrew Kramer (3D Elements) inside of After Effects.

3D is standard and everywhere!

So what we need is:

A good and solid 3D engine direct in After Effects were we can import textured and animated .fbx, abc-files, cameras, tracking data, 3D particles,3D pointclouds etc.

A tools to create simple 3D geometry for camera projections, VFX and Motion Graphics.

Simple tools to deforme, texture and animate objects

A intelligent bone-tools with presets for simple animation (also in 2D!!! (like a modern Duik-Tool))

A inteligent, nodebased 3D particlesystem

A GPU based render

A 3D tracking tool were we can help the algorithmen in a advanced mode.
-Set relations between points (distance, line, flat surface ect.)
-Lens distortion
-Object-tracking
-Export/Import to other applications.

... there is a lot to do because the future will be a combination of real footage and realtime 3D - also in composting tools! - so get rid of that 25 year old core!

PS:
And please do not integrate the 3D Element plugin!!! - We need a real, solid 3D engine and no gimmick anymore!!!!!!!!!

Nvidia Optix technology, drastically increase rendering speed and integration of 3d models and raytracing.

Working in the 3d space of AFX is such a pain! Often I try to avoid it or look for workarounds(someimtes using C4d to set up cameras and lights to than pass it over to AFX just to not have to navigate it in AFX)

It is not easy to navigate the 3d space as it doesn't use industry standart shortcuts to start with.
In addition it is so hard to grab these little 3d widget handles. I constantly select another layer when I try to move the one I focus on. If we would have the option to restrict the movement of a layer (to XY, YZ or XZ a standart in all the 3d apps) it would be so much easier to move a layer.

Than there is the constant problem with the different 3d spaces:
1. Please unify the 3d space so that also Plug in Developers can use it and not have to set up there "own 3d space" which would make it so much easier to have different Plug ins interact with one another.
It is probably a huge task to develop but for me it would make so much sense in a long therm.
2. To have the 0,0,0 Point in the upper left doesn't make sense anymore in my eyes. This would exchanging data with 3d apps a lot more streamlined (even though all the scripts and plug ins seem to deal with the offset)