Ok guys, Been feeling a like we may need some changes. 1.) Do we need a co-mod? I check on the forum a few times a day and 90% of the time, questions are answered before I even see them (which is great!). But, do you feel that we need somebody who can participate more than that? 2.) Back room. I started it, I haven't fussed with it for a while. Is it useful? Has anybody noticed the new tutorial engine here at Renderosity? I'm trying to get back to writing a new tutorial at least once every two months. 3.) Resource CD. We're coming up on the deadline for entries at the end of January. Nobody has added anthing this year and very few people buy it. With the new policies Renderosity has, I can sell it for $9.00 because they will do all the CD burning, labeling etc. for me. Is the resource CD something that I should continue or sack? 4.) Contests. Haven't even seen an entry to the current contest. Are the contests any fun? What should we do to make them better? 5.) Ten Minute Challenges. I think we need more of these. How about you guys? If we had a co-mod, maybe they could launch those on a scheduled basis. 6.) Chat sessions. I'm here tonight running the scheduled chat session. And............I'm the only one. No one else came. The only reason I scheduled this one out so far is because I had to go to Taiwan for a week. Would a chat session scheduled on a consistent basis work? So far, the interest has been thin. 7.) In general, people seem to be getting help. People seem to be having fun. I'm just wondering if there needs to be more? Post in this thread if you have thoughts and ideas! -Kix

Hi kixum, I check on the forum no more then a couple of times per week (not because I don't want to) but I can tell the Carrara's users here on Renderosity help us a lot answering the questions (I don't thing the moderator have to answer all the questions) I think the moderator should answer if nobody does it. The back room can be usefull if we ( the ones who isn't here often) can have valiable material extracted from the forum, like tips to solve some unusual problems (Ex: If you have some boxy artifacts using GI rendering mode and light "bleeding" on your rendering try to turn interpolation off) I don't know anything about the resource CD. Maybe it's time to you to tell us the importance of it. I love the contests! I'll work on my entry on the hollidays! I was wainting all week for this scheduled chat but my daughter (4 mounths old) get a cold and I just had time to log in around 1:00 AM. My vote is to have chat session scheduled on a regular basis. My sugestion is to have a link Carrara gallery-Forum. Every single image posted on Carrara Gallery should have a post here on the forum were the artist will be open for question about the technics and tips used on the rendering.( I notice that people use to ask question on the comments) I'm very happy about our forum and I hop we'll chat soon. Claudio Milczewski

Hi all, hi Kix, i'm here, i would want to say some thing about this, but i'm very sorry to tell you that i'm in terribly hurry with my work!! Wait for my opinion and my advices, i hope to come here very sooooon!!:)) A big hug to all:))) TOXE

Hi all n kixum, I think Carra backroom is great!!!, I think all the tutorials should go there . And I think ten min challenges should continue I get to see and learn lots of new stuff from those esp. I am a newbiew and still experiencing the wonders of Carrara.

Kix, 1) No, unless you feel you need some assistance. I say no, simply because last night I posted a question and had a great answer within hours. I don't post alot simply because I'm lucky enough to say, I have alot of work on the books. But I do visit 3 times a week and read through threads. Which seems always to give me another pearl of wisdom. 2) Haven't visited. Shame on me. But a forum can never have too many resource avenues. 3) I think the Resource CD is a great idea, but possibly could be handled a bit more proactively. Instead of waiting for volunteers, turn it into a marketing feature. Invite certain Carrara users (say 5-10 individuals) to utilize the CD to show their work and skills. Then market the CD within Rosity and other applicable sister sites. It would turn it into a specific project driven item. Just a thought. 4) I try to enter the ones I have time for...I see it as a community gathering event, and try to support when my schedule allows. 5) Another time sensitive issue. Haven't had the time to participate, but my schedule allows, I will. 6) Can't speak to this...I have chat in my own art forum TrollzBane, and I don't use it there. I just don't have time for chatting. 7) Agreed. Maybe it's not more needed, but rather a different rollout on all above. IMHO But I will say, the forum is VERY helpful, and I always leave knowing something I didn't before. And Kix, kudos to you for a job well done. Kat

I'm here Sunday morning on the scheduled chat session.( Fro 9:50 to 12:48) And............I'm the only one. Just Julian_Boolean came. Where are you Kixum?

Don't forget to put echo's Poser-to-Carrara tutorial in the back room or wherever Carrara tutorials go.

Concerning this mornings chat session, I'm still on Taiwan time and I literally (really really) fell asleep at my computer this morning in my big cushy chair and my wife woke me up when she came home for work. I'm terribly sorry. Thanks for all the responses. I can re-energize my efforts on the backroom and finish the brain trust which I originally generated. Now that I have hi speed internet, it should go easier. Reading EVERY single thread ever posted is a lot of work but it only needs to get done once. The resource CD was originally generated A LONG time ago to try and respond to the lack of freebies out there. It was also designed to be a captured and locked down resource for tutorials. Tutorials would come and go on the net but a tutorial on the CD was captured for all time. I still think this has great value. So.......... On the CD front, the deadline for submissions is the last working day in January. I'll be working on tutorials for the CD and I'll probably toss in some more objects and materials for fun. Anybody else who wants to add stuff, just email me. I think ten minute challenges are great and it always seems like it takes somebody to jump start them. I'll put a note on my calendar to do that once a month and anybody who wants to toss one in the hopper should do so! I've always felt the forum is a great place to get help. It seems like that's taking care of itself just fine and I'm VERY glad that's the case. Fantastic! Eovia has been super duper extra great about sponsoring the contests and continuing interest in our forum here so contests will still continue for as long as I can keep a sponsor on the line. I think they're a lot of fun and keep us tied together. So to sum up, I'll saw on the backroom some more. I would like some help and I think I'll cook up a contest to solicit that help. I've always wanted some cool buttons and a nice texture for the backdrop with a spiff header graphic. Where in the world could I find a better group of people to create that than here! More tutorials. More 10 minute challenges. Once again, sorry about missing the chat session my own self. Very embarrassing on my own part. If we still want chat sessions, then post here and we can work it out. Thanks again, -Kix

Thanks for everything Kix! I was too late to answer your questions but I agree on the above. Time is a worldwide problem I can see. I also do not have as much to spare as I would.

I could be wrong but I think one of the reasons the Carrara community can be a little less active than others on Renderosity is because many Carrara users are professional illustrators or designers that use Carrara as a tool & are quite frankly a little busy most of the time, unlike the Poser community for example that is largely made up of hobbyists. I think Renderosity's Carrara community is great, I often check it several times a week & find it extremely helpful. I think you've been doing a great job. Thanks Kix for all your good work. Grav.

I agree with the others Kix, you have done a marvelous job with keeping it both together and flourishing. I usually check it everyday, and have learned so much along the way. Sometimes helping someone else pushes me to investigate a feture I don't use often, or haven't got around to. (That old problem of 'time' creeping in again!) The tuts are great, and the backroom... well... it's a backroom! Sometimes you forget what you put into the backroom... until you need it! I think it's a great thing to have as a resource for the community. I think graviton hit the nail straight with the fact that most of us use C in our daily jobs. Keep up the great work! &ltimg src="http://market.renderosity.com/~carrara/emoticons/"cooldude.gif">

I think the Carrara forum is one of the most useful forums I participate in. Knowlegdable, helpful and supportive members make it an incredible resource. To answer your questions: I'm not certain that a co-mod is necessary. I believe this forum is very active and responsive. Unless of course you need to free up some of your time, then by all means get help. I like the back room. I like tutorials, even very simple ones that cover items like building textures and mapping or using that vertex modeler which is difficult for me. Don't know much about the resource CD. I really enjoy the contests and have started a project for every one of them but don't always make the deadline. They push you to build scenes outside your comfort zone. A lot of effort and time goes into the construction of many of these contest entries and I would prefer a real critique from all judges involved on their selections. 10 minute challeges - both interesting and fun. I've never participated in a chat session but am curious. Missed the latest because of scheduling conflicts. You've done a great job with this forum Kix hope all the suggestions above are beneficial. memaci

i love this forum and you did a great job kixum.i dont think that a co-mod is necessary.the backroom and the resorurce cd is very good and it is a good idea,i think it is great.im here every second day to check for good tips and other stuff.i learned carrara mostly because of this great forum.i like the 10 minutes challenges(it is awesome to see what other users can do in only 10 minutes). thank you all Dominik

I agree with just about everything said so far... I like the "professionalism" of this forum. I consider myself a hobbyist, but I've also been fortunate enough to have others want to use images that I've come up with professionally. And, although I'm making a living doing something totally different (I sell windows and doors for construction), graphic design was my major in college. And, frankly, getting willing and honest answers and advice from people who actually make a living at this sort of thing means a lot... for instance, without any conscious effort on his part, mmoir has shown me how I could effectively use Carrara in making architectural renderings for use in advertising my business. (Now if I only had time to create all of the things I've got in my head, and still run the business!!)... I like the 10-minute challenges, and seeing how different people come up with different solutions to the same problems. More of these would be great...

the forums great for helping...as far as contests and 10 minute challeneges im absent minded and can be easily distracted by a piece of aluminum foil sometimes..lol..i generally check the forum while im at work and dont have time for the challenges then...the resources here are great and the response times are really good too...i think we're all kind of co-moderators helping when we can..chiming in if we have something new or helpful to add to posts...

Thanks for all your work here, Kixum, it is appreciated even by a "silent visitor" like me. As a Carrara newbie, the backroom is helpful and I'm fascinated by the 10 minute challenges but don't feel that there's a need for much else.

I do agree with Graviton. The Carrara user base is way different from Poser, Bryce, Vue, etc. I suspect that most of us are in graphics professionally so, apart from lack of time, there might be the commercial copyright aspect of posting a client's work in the galleries.

Therefore I think that the more "cuddly, communal" activities aren't needed here. Don't get me wrong, I like the Poser and Vue forums especially the latter. I'm just saying that, because of the different inhabitants in the this forum there's less need for competitions, etc.