Hi...

I have Carrara ver 5 Pro that was given away free on a computer mags cd cover and was wondering if there are any good tutorials on applying materials and texturing in Carrara ver 5?

Thanks kindly...

Ken

 The texture editor in Carrara is very robust. I've covered many of the methods in my tutorials. http://www.markbremmer.com/3Bpages/tutorials.html 

I also have some free ones in the Dark Arts section also. Texturing is almost the most complex/versatile capability of Carrara. Like chess, the rules are easy to pick up but getting creative is where things get more fun.

Here's some others:
http://www.awbenson.com/tutorials.htm
http://forums.polyloop.net/carrara-tutorials/
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/tutorial/0/-/?tut_cat=11

Thanks kindly....

It's good stuff kenmo. Neat to see you over here in this forum too. You can also reverse engineer some stuff by looking at the existing presets. A lot of times, I find myself using one that's close and then tweak one or two channels to get what I want. (Old habit from Brycing too.) But there are still a lot of novel things that can be done in those textures which aren't really demonstrated in the standard presets. Sometimes you learn about those by examining downloaded materials to see how they did it.

Also if you have a particular specific thing to figure out, MarkBremmer and GKDantas here tend to really know their stuff. (There may be some others that pop in every now and then, but those two seem to be the main Carrara pros at R'osity.)

Also that two versions old Carrara from the mag is actually good. The more recent versions seem to be about fixing some bugs, integrating characters better ("Poser/Vicky" stuff), and adding things that deal with hair or Carrara's built in modeler. There might also be some novel plugin capabilities added, but I haven't really looked into that. If you're not too worried about those, the mag version is plenty full featured and capable of excellence.

Attached Link: Carrara 5 Pro handbook by Mike de la Flore

Since I'm having no luck finding any tutorials on how to assign materials (for newbies) and textures on the web for Carrara 5 Pro...

I've been considering purchasing this book...

Carrara 5 Pro Handbook by Mike de la Flor

http://www.amazon.com/Carrara-5-Pro-Handbook-Graphics/dp/1584504633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234202427&sr=8-1

Can anyone recommend this book? Is it aimed at Carrara dummies like me or for a more advanced crowd....

For most apps I use (Vue, Wings3D, Hexagon, Painter, Paint Shop Pro, Cinema4D) I'm usually able to find tutorials via Google...However it seems like a real chore to find anything for newbies when it comes to Carrara...

Cheers

Kenmo

Quote -  The texture editor in Carrara is very robust. I've covered many of the methods in my tutorials. http://www.markbremmer.com/3Bpages/tutorials.html 

I also have some free ones in the Dark Arts section also. Texturing is almost the most complex/versatile capability of Carrara. Like chess, the rules are easy to pick up but getting creative is where things get more fun.

Here's some others:
http://www.awbenson.com/tutorials.htm
http://forums.polyloop.net/carrara-tutorials/
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/tutorial/0/-/?tut_cat=11

I did in fact watch your videos. They are very professional. However I don't think they are aimed at Carrara noobs...and for your more meatier videos I must pay....

Cheers

Ken

 The Dark Arts one are for experienced users. The main set, including the free, first three sections and following are for beginner on up.

Your tutorials are awesome. Well narrated with lots of professional polish.  However as a complete newbie that did little to assist me...

Sorry but I need something that really starts from the ground floor and assumes the student knows nothing about Carrara....

I was able to learn Vue on my own. I've been a Vue user since version 3 but Carrara seems so much more complicated and capable then Vue...

Mark, thanks kindly though, I do appreciate your attempts to assist me but I'm completey lost in Carrara.  Perhaps the room type layout also adds to the confussion...

Cheers

Kenmo.

 Well, post back with questions and we'll get the answered here in the forum! :D

My question remains the same -are there any good tutorials aimed at a complete newbie for texturing and adding materials in Carrara Pro 5....

I model in Hexagon 2.5 & Wings3D. A little in C4D but not a lot. I also use 3D Coat but it is over kill for basic texturing..... I presently use Vue 6.5 Pro Studio and just upgraded to Vue Pro Studio 7.

I'm having stability issues with Vue 7 and little support from e-on, I'm thinking on jumping ship to Carrara. I would like to learn how to texture and add materials in Carrara....

Thanks kindly....

Kenmo

http://carraralounge.com/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=download

16 vids in this particular tute- about as good as tutes get

(After Marks!)

Brian

Sorry and no offense meant BUT where is the free spirit and willingness to share things here...  Most of the links that a are being posted is to someone trying to sell you something...!!!!

This was not the norm for Renderosity when I signed up  7-8 years ago... It seems the desire to share that was so free  flowing here has been replaced by people more intent on hawking their wares...

Please lock this thread as it's quite obvious no one is willing to help or share...

Hi Kenmo, 

Apologies, didn't mean to frustrate you. 

Well, adding materials in Carrara is just like in C4D and Vue - drag and drop onto your object. Carrara a la it's precursor, Ray Dream, was one of the first programs to have drag and drop functionality of shaders - Poser was in the same family back then. 

We do have many user based tutorials as threads in this forum that can be tracked down with a search. But they are specific to a certain need, like creating a stone texture on an open box.

If you are trying to build a specific shader, please let us know what it is. Shader design can be one of the most complex things to learn in Carrara, not because it's hard, but because it's so versatile. 

Many folks here are well suited to help solve problems and questions (for free by the way, myself included) but mega-general requests are tough to do because there is no target, not end result. 

In fact, I barely scratch the surface of shader design in my series and it's about four hours long. If you're looking for a complete start to finish tutorial series on how to use Carrara that is free, I'm not aware of one. 

Sorry but I give up on asking for Carrara assistance here. I'm going to purchase the Carrara Pro 5 Handbook I mentioned....

So please close this thread.... I'm outta here....

I know how you feel kenmo. But have patience, and try not to burn any bridges. Yeah, it seems a good deal of the better English-language Carrara sites are looking for scratch more often than not. (Unless you can read French, then you may have more options. I know I can't, and good luck with web-translators on technical subjects.) However I suspect if freelance work is as hit or miss for others as it is for myself, I can't entirely blame them for seeking out extra scratch that way. (Even if it doesn't always fit what seems to be the spirit amongst most software apps. And yes, we're probably spoiled from Bryce and the open source apps.) Good tutorials do involve work to make afterall.

As for the materials browser, it's that panel at the bottom of your screen. (You may have to look for "browser" under the view menu if it's not there. Also start a new file first, I don't think Carrara defaults with an empty project upon start like some other apps..) There should be two tabs down there on the lower left. One says sequencer. That's all your timeline stuff if you're doing animation. Since you want materials, pick the browser one if its not up front already. Then you'll see another set of tabs inside that. If have something placed in your scene, you can pick the shaders tab. There will be another area inside that where you can scroll around. Then it's drag and drop like was said before. (Easy peasy!) It actually makes sense ones you figure out where the stuff is.

On the right side panel, you'll also have another area for shaders. Double clicking on an shader there will let you edit that shader for the scene. You can also drag an edited shader from there to the browser, in order to save it as your own. When you get to the specifics in that area, you can get your questions answered on this forum. (It also helps if you do a few screen grabs too, if not entirely clear on different buttons and gizmos or whatever.)

It would be nice if Daz could work out their manual a little better. (I'd suspect they probably are doing so for one of the newer releases.) The manual for 5.1 is really obtuse in places, and I have found a tutorial or two in video format linked from GKDanta's site that explains things a lot better than that manual does. (But be prepared to turn the volume way up on some if you're hard of hearing or have weak PC speakers. They have the audio levels a bit too low, but I suppose that's still better than badly blown out and clipping audio from going too far the other way.)

I'd be tempted to do some really basic stuff on YouTube. But my problem is I'm using older hardware. A single core CPU + limited memory (1 gig seems to be limiting when doing some video stuff) while trying to run a full-screen recorder and Carrara which both want to hit on the hard drive doesn't work very well. If it weren't for that, I'd probably have a few very short clips on the basic newb type stuff. (Sometimes it's actually best to make the tuts right after you figure out a thing or two yourself, because then you remember where your own pitfalls were.)

Thanks pauljs75. I know you from the Wings3D.com and of course here... You are always extremely friendly and helpful...

I have no problem with Mark and others making money from their efforts after all I'm a capitalist at heart... Mark's tutorials are quite impressive but beyond my present Carrara skillset... I watched all of his  free tutorials...

What really saddens me is the direction Renderosity seems to be taking lately. It's so different from when I joined.... What initially attracted me to Renderosity was the openness of sharing, and  the free spirit & willingness to help... It was an atmosphere of cooperation and a place that encouraged the exchanging of ideas....

Now it seems it's more about competition then cooperation.  People are afraid to share their secrets...  But will sell you a ti or two...

Geekatplay.com is more like the Renderosity I joined. It really has a sense of cooperation and sharing.... Lately Renderosity is the last place I post a question... I really hate to post this but I'm being sincere...

A few weeks ago I posted in the Vue forum at Renderosity my problems with Vue Pro Studio 7.0. I've been using Vue since version 3. I've never posted anything negative before about Vue YET I was accussed of trying to turn people away from Vue? Why would I do that after spending $200 on an upgrade???? I also recieved site-mail from one of the attackers where he threatened to post a reply belittling me...

I will not be posting any more questions, queries or asking for help in the Carrara forum at Renderosity...  I am truly sorry....

Cheers

Kenmo

Kenmo

The official Carrara7Help Manual pdf really is about as good as any 3D app provides.(And the young lady doing it is brilliant--more will follow.)

Get it and print it out!

I am a fan of printed manuals and have both the C4 and C5 versions--which I constantly refer to.

Brian

I learned the Carrara shader from the Carrara manual PDF.  And from looking at how the sample models that come with Carrara were shaded.  Carrara comes will lots of example models and scenes to examine.

Quote - I learned the Carrara shader from the Carrara manual PDF...

So do I. RTFM allways help. ;)

You can get the 3dxtract Carrara mags here:

http://forums.polyloop.net/software-misc-logiciels-divers/7809-all-3dxtract-available.html

Carl Desmond has stopped making them and offered them for free.

@kenmo..i understand your frustration with the material room..i have all but given up on carrara..i use it only to do indoor scenes ,and only with my poser/daz studio runtime..also because i am used to the y axis being up..i don't use the modeling room ..i just use hexagon(which i had first anyway).

the render engine and the lights are excellent in carrara..i have rendered the same scene in poser,daz studio,vue and carrara..and carrara beats them all..especially indoor scenes
but being so hard to make materials..kinda ruins the fun of experimenting .creating of materials seems harder than it was in bryce..which i loved but had the same problem..creating materials..and thats what made me switch to vue..even though its only the easel version of vue,,it does its job,for out door scenes.i watched a carrara training video for version 5 i think it was vtc training..i had 6 standard..and when it got to the materials room..i got lost..

all i really tried to do was make water..the one that ships with carrara doesn't look right to me..i went in the materials room to change  it..fiddled with the setings,based on common sense..and got almost opposite of what i expected..ok so i reset it..and did opposite of my original tweaks thinking the results would be opposite of my last results..and got a totally different result.

everytime i fool with the material room..i end up having to go to the gym and beat on a punching bag..thank the stars i don't have high blood pressure or i would have stroked out by now.

anyway i do feel for you kenmo

Strange how others minds must work!

I think the whole Material/Shader set up in Carrara is better/simpler/easy to learn than any other app--from XSI through to Bryce!

Brian