Attached Link: Full feature list for Carrara 4

It says upgrade $189, but the store lists the price as $199

One of the eovia guys clarified this on the yahoo Carrara group. The $189 is the electronic download that will be available when it's released. Here's the post:

The price for the Electronic Download (ESD) version of the Carrara 4
Pro upgrade will be $189 when available. The Physical version of
the upgrade is $199.

Only the Physical version is available for pre-book. The ESD for
$189 will become available once the product starts shipping.

Best-
Bob Stockwell
Eovia Corp.

Regards,
Eric Winemiller
Digital Carvers Guild
3D plug-ins for Carrara
http://digitalcarversguild.com

I wonders if "Symmeterical pointers" is added in Vertex and Spline Modeling room? If not then its not worth the upgrade until they add this important modeling function.

Man, I'm confused. Tried to read all the different marketing and versions and pricings. As far as I can tell the upgrade from C3 (or C2) is around two hundred bucks. If you order now they throw in a t-shirt. And what happened to the Amapi 7 package? I no longer see the reference to that being included. Nice list of all the stuff that's already in the program, but rather tantalizing hints about what got added. Particles and physics "improved?" A couple little things that look very attractive -- like combining sky effects with backdrop, or switching off shadows on individual objects. Thoughts?

Any hint on the size of the download? Even on high-speed connection, a DVD-sized download is chancy.

Attached Link: http://www.eovia.com/solutions/user_projects/user_proj_ms.asp

I am quite impressed on how they improved terrain editor, sky editor, and shader for realistic looking. I am still waiting to hear someone on "symmeterical pointers" for vertex/spline modeling.

Attached Link: http://www.eovia.com/products/carrara_pro/carrara_pro_full_features.asp

Thanks for the list. They did not take my suggestion seriously to implement symmeterical pointers in modeling rooms. It is very annoying to just use a mouse pointer and shift key all the time in Carrara 3. ZBrush have very good symmeterical function but there are pros and cons with the program itself. I hoped that Eovia would add this similiar symmeterical function to save some modeling work.

If that's a symmetrical magnet, brush or deformer that is mirrored on the other side of the reference plane, then I think they can probably get it working by 4.03 or 4.1.

I hope so. Do you work at Eovia?

By "symmetrical pointers" I assume you mean being able to push, pull or move vertices on one half of a symmetrical model and see the changes on the other half. Amapi Designer 7 does this and you can even push and pull on the original cage of a smoothed mesh and see the smoothed effects on the other half. Since Amapi D7 is included with C4, then they did sort of take your suggestion. If this is not what you are referring to then please elaborate on what "symmetrical pointers" are. Amapi Designer 7 is like the vertex and spline modeler together and on steroids, much better way to model than Carrara. Patrick Tuten

In carrara for symmetrical modelling , you can model half of your object , then in assembly room use "duplicate with symmetry" on the appropriate axis, align duplicate to the original half of your model. Then edit your model , and select "edit master object". You now model on one half and the changes automatically take place on the duplicated half. Use the scene preview in the modeling room to see the entire model while modelling in the vm. Mike

I am familiar with this. It is not something I would like to use. I am serious 3D modeling and I asked for symmeterical pointers nothing else.

What are "symmetrical pointers"?

I think GWeb is looking for symmetrical modeling. Some packages have a little option when turned on will mirror modeling changes done on one side of the model on the other. Most packages that have it are a little more integrated than Carrara's solution or Project Gemini, showing the changes directly in the modeler. I think I've used Lightwave's version, but it's been a while.

In some implementations, the UI will actually show two pointers, and I think that is what GWeb is referring to. I haven't seen this since the DOS days when applications painted their own pointer however, everything I've seen recently just uses the windows/mac pointer and mirrors the changes, but I don't spend much time outside Carrara so this may be more common than I believe.

It doesn't seem to me to be a show stopper feature since you can do symmetrical modeling using the dupe with symmetry trick or Gemini and true symmetrical modeling doesn't allow you to create anything you couldn't create with Carrara as-is, but it is a nice to have since you don't have to watch the changes in the preview window, you get the full UI.

Regards,
Eric Winemiller
Digital Carvers Guild
3D plug-ins for Carrara
http://digitalcarversguild.com

The symmetrical modelling GWeb is referring to (and Waldo did some time back, I remember) is that used in ZBrush. It is very useful in that program because of the way you can deform objects in much the same way you would model clay. There is even radial symmetry which you can set to how ever many 'pointers' you want which is a handy feature for decorating lathed objects, for example. Modelling in Carrara is geared to a different sort of modelling and I can't really see any huge advantage in using symmetrical pointers over the other methods, apart from as Eric says, being able to see better what you're doing (though Amapi allows this as has been mentioned). I'm slightly puzzled as to why GWeb won't use ZBrush for this sort of modelling, when it is one of the program's strengths and use Carrara for the sort of modelling that it is good at. Mark

And then there's Amorphium, which does that sort of thing in up to six symmetry planes at once (just in case you need to deform a starfish). Amorphium solved the lack of a symmetrical pointer long ago; at least in version 1, the first brush isn't visible either! (okay, it is visible when you adjust it -- but not during painting).

Just to add my 1 1/2 cents here. It's not that a symmetrical modelling feature is absolutely necessary, but it IS in most, if not all, comparable software (price-wise), and it is a great feature. I was seriously thinking aout upgrading but after carefully looking at the upgrade, I doubt it. There are too many other options out there in the same price range...C4D comes to mind. Not to mention that C4D has particles and a free plug-in that allows collions to objects, not just the floor. Don't get me wrong, I love Carrara. I go way back to using the stripped down version Of RDS...called Ray Dream, but I'm just disappointed in what C4 seems to be evolving into. Maybe it's just not for me anymore... I'm getting tired of waiting for an integrated modeller, better animation features, particles, etc... Sorry for the rant...just want to make my voice heard.

I've made animations in Carrara 2-3 that had objects collide with other objects. Not just the ground plane.

Shonner, Really, well that is great to here. I have never been able to do that. Can you tell me how you do it? Thanks

It is little bit difficult to use ZBrush with my Tablet PC because of interferces. And I have a bug probem with preview mode with ZSphere (adaptive skin). It grew spikes every time you use preview mode. I reported it to Pix and never got a reply for it. I sorta stopped using it because it lost some of my models. Carrara is easy to use with Tablet PC because of keyboard free interferce. Chris, it is in object's property and apply collison with it and enable collison detection in scene property (I think). Falcon, I won't buy Gemini Project because it is not real time symmeterical modeling like in ZBrush. There are alot of success stories with advantage of real time symmeterical modeling. It is always important modeling function because almost everything duplicate sides.

I guess what I really mean is particle collisions...they are limited to the floor.

Particles is particles much like any gas. If you want objects thrown up and land on something. You would need to use directional force to throw the objects with like you do with small pieces of papers. BTW it would be nice to have the particles with calculation based on area and density to create true gas explosion or water out from hose.

I would like to do the things I see over at http://www.nextlimit.com/html/vid_gallery.htm But for the price I paid for C4Pro, I'm happy with the physics that it does do (as long as there are no bugs).

Attached Link: http://www.kawachi.zaq.ne.jp/kurozuka/akurodigital/

Are you saying there's this kind of physics in Carrara now? I didn't see anything mentioned of fluid dynamics, or even spring systems. Nor any detail about how the particle system may have been enhanced.

Did you look at the videos? I have been waiting to buy this plug in for months!! He is doing a great job on it.