Hello There :o) I am trying out the Carrara 3 Demo and I am already falling in love with this app :o) I am now exploring the tree lab and have a question for you.... Is there a leaf shape that I have to use to be able to use my own leaf texture map or do I have to replace the leaves by planes ? Or what is the best way to apply your own leaf map in an existing leaf shape ? Please, bare with me, I am new to this :o) Thank you very much for your time and your help Elaine

Hi Elaine, I've not experimented much with the tree lab but here's how I applied texture and transparency maps to the standard Aspen tree. The maps were 600 pixels square. First I loaded the Aspen tree. Switching to the Texture there is a basic Layers List shader for the tree. Note that there's a layer for 'leaf'. Load your maps in this layer, the texture in the Colour channel and using a Multichannel mixer to get the transparency. HTH Mark

And this is what the render looks like!

I should have said 'switching to the Texture room'. :-)

Actually, I've been playing a bit more and there's a better way to do what you want. I've not time to write it up now but I'll do so tomorrow. Mark

Thank you very much Mark :o) Sorry for my late reply, I was at work... There was something I was doing wrong, because even if I changed the leaf texture with my texture map, I was still getting the default shape of the leaf.... I am going to try this with your settings :o) Your help is very appreciated :o) Elaine

A little later than I had hoped, a few more thoughts: In the Carrara Studio 3 folder there's a subfolder called Data and inside that, one called Plants. This is where the leaf shape files are kept. They are .car files. It's possible to make a new leaf shape, save it to the Plants folder, and then apply it to a tree but you have to edit the text file called LeavesInfo.txt to get your new leaf to show up in the Leaf type dropdown in the Modelling Room. The stalk is important in how the leaf displays on the tree so if you're really set on making a new leaf shape it's simplest to adapt an existing shape, saving it under a new name (or saving the original as a different name so that you won't have to edit the LeavesInfo.txt file). If you're keen to experiment with transparency mapping (as in my original posts) then the simplest way is to make a square leaf shape. Otherwise, unless you map the textures to the leaf shape you're using parts of your design are likely to fall off the leaf shape - as in fact happened with my original idea. HTH Mark

Hey, I thought I'd put my 2 cents in on this topic. I've done a fair amount of experimenting with this. It is not necessary to edit the text file, a new leaf put in the Data - Plants folder will automatically show up in the drop down in Carrara. I believe the best way to create a new leaf is to model the shape as simply as possible and then apply the texture with the UV editor in the vertex modeler. My experience is that using a transparency to create the shape is unnecessarily cpu intensive. This test render has 2 custom leaf shapes and some other modified stock leaves. falconperigot is right, if you model the stem Carrara will be able to detect where to attach the leaf.

Here is the palmetto leaf texture.

Here is the palmetto leaf shape applied to the photo in the UV editor. No transparency was used.

Thanks a lot for all your inputs :o) Pretty nice leaves Patrick... but I guess I will have to stick with transparency mapping or a square leaf because I have no experience with modelling yet. I am using Poser, Bryce and Vue for now and that is why I am trying Carrara. I would love to learn to model. I love the feel of this app and I sure hope that Eovia will indeed release a plugin for Poser. It would make Carrara a tool of choice for me :o) BTW, is the manual that comes with Carrara detailed enough for me to learn how to model ? Elaine

WOW! This is amazing what you can do with the UV editor!!! You make it difficult not to order right away.........LOL Elaine

Thanks, It is really not that hard. All you need to do is take a photo of a leaf, drop it on one of the planes in the vertex modeler and click/trace around it. Put it in the UV editor and apply your same photo as the texture, then move any points that are off the edges. Use layers list for the shader with the same photo with parametric mapping. You don't really have to model, just trace. Maybe I'll write a tutorial for the next 3DXtract. The manual is okay, the C3 Studio handbook is better. Don't forget you get Amapi if you buy Carrara also, contrary to what some people say, I think Amapi is easy to learn and way easier to model with than Carrara.

Thanks again Patrick :o) I will try that leaf trick for sure :o) I really think I am hooked now, I guess you will have another newbie asking lots of question when I will order my copy :o) Elaine

Thanks for the input Patrick - and yes, you should write a tutorial for 3DXtract. Incidentally, I found that the new leaf generally only turns up in the dropdown after restarting Carrara (which is where I was going wrong). Mark