where do u apply texture map? i can only find the bump map and it always came out like the emboss effect. and everytime i applied a texture map, an error occurs and i cant go back to the texture room to edit that particular part. is there a patch i can fix this problem?

splug55, I'm looking at the Carrara Bible for this-pg477 if you have it. 1. set you desired color in the color channel. 2. set the highlight and shininess channels to your taste. 3. leave the rest of the channels at default. 4. select the rectangle layer tool, and drag it on your object in the shader preview window. In the layer list look for your rectangle layer you just made and adjust the width and height, and the position numerically in the little whit boxes, start with small incriments, like .1 at a time to adjust. 5. select the blue button on your rectangle layer in the layer list, and choose texture map. Use the arrow buttons next to your texture map thunbnail to adjust the direction and such. Make sure sampling is clicked, no tiling, and possiblt make white invisible. I hope this is the info you needed, if not I'm sure someone elase in here will have the answer. I think the problem is that you are applying the texture map in the bump channel, which is not what you are after, I think! Are you using the Carrara Studio 1.1 patch? Just wondering, I'm sure you've got the patch though, so I couldn't tell you anything about the errors your getting. Good Luck! Your almost there! kaom

Hey splug55, I just got your instant message and replied to you. I had a feeling you didn't have the new Carrara Studio 1.1 patch. I used to get errors similar to the ones you got before the new patch(thank you eovia!.Once you get it installed, it should make things better. I think I informed you correctly on applying you texture map on your sparkplug, but there is a possibility I left something out. Go get the new patch and have fun, things should work better for you now. Render on man! kaom

Hi Splug, The last version of Carrara is 1.1 . If you have Carrara Studio, you don't need to patch it . You can grab the update for the Metacreations version at Eovia's site . To add a text using the rectangular layer, you can use the opacity channel . But the opacity channel doesn't use the coordinates of the rectangular layer, making it hard to use . So here is a little workaround : - first, add the rectangular layer to your object . - put the color of your text in the "shader" channel . - modify the coordinates of the rectangular layer to your needs . The text will appear in it . - now (here is the tricky part) hold down ctrl (on PC) and grab the rectangular layer to its "opacity" channel . This will copy the rectangular layer . - put you text texture in the "shader" channel of the opacity channel (see image) . The texture will now act like an alpha channel for your rectangular shader . Here it is ! I hope it helps you to understand how layers work . litst

litst, I have a question about this. Where is you texture "very old and rusty" in the shader tree? And I take it you use a Photoshop file for the map? Do you make an alpha channel in Photoshop? Or just make text on a solid white background and save it as a .psd file and use it that way? My inquiring mind wants to know! You are the texture master. You should write a book about texturing in Carrara, you would become rich very quickly, I'd be the first to buy it, seriously you should think about doing it, your the master! kaom

Lol Kaom : if you buy my book, then i'm rich ;) Seriously, i've been thinking about writing a book about shaders . But i think it's a bit soon right now ... I still discover tricks in the material editor everyday or so . For example, yesterday, i've find a way to use the same pattern in several channels without having to duplicate it . Now that i have the trick, i just gotta find a reason to use it ;) I'd love to make some tutorials or even a book in the future, it could be fun :) Now, the answers of your questions : - the metal texture is in the first multi channel . I've set the main shader of the object before i've added the text . - the shader editor doesn't read alpha channels of PSD files . I've made the texture in Photoshit, simply by creating a new file with a white background and add some text . Note that there are some text effects and that Carrara can read them well, allowing you to edit your text texture in Photoshit later if you need to . Oh ! i said "Photoshit" instead of "Photoshop" ! Just a slip of the tongue ;) litst

Cool I think I got it figured out now. Eccept on some surfaces the layer looks blotchy, and on others it looks great, I'm using jpegs instead of Photshit files, Photoshit 6 files don't seem to work too well, and I don't know how to save Photoshit 2.5 files from 6.01. I'm tryign to gigure out why it looks wierd on certain surfaces though, they are imported objects nad that may have something to do with it. Thanks, I'll be waiting for your book. kaom P.S. you should make some simple tutorials for us to learn by, we could all use it.

I'm using Photoshop 5, maybe that's the reason why . I always get a warning message that says that the image might not be compatible, but i haven't had any problem yet . Glad i could help litst

Litst, I'd buy your book, but only if you dedicate it to the Wisconsin Cheese Industry. That'd confuse 'em!

Yeah, call it "litst's cheddar cheese carrara tips" I must know, do you not like cheddar? I'm missing something here, Is cheddar a bad joke in France? I can send you some if you like, a big 10lb wheel o cheedar, and a box of crackers, and I'll include a 2lb Hickory Farms Summer sausage log too.LOL kaom

Cheddar is actually litst's favorite. He's just in denial about it, that's all.

I though so! We should send him a cheddar lovers package as a token of our grattitude to him for being such a helpful great moderator. litst, do you like sharp or mild cheddar? LOL kaom

Theresa, Kaom, These are the two things that i dislike the most : 1- Photoshit . I just don't like this software . I don't like it because i don't like it . I don't like Adobe, i don't like the filters, i don't like the layers, i don't like the offset tool, i don't like the pop-up menus, i don't like the brushes ... I could continue for long ! 2- cheddar . It's just water with a bit of plastic in it . I'm serious . litst

Yes i am . litst

Actually it's oil and silicone. I can understand why you don't like cheddar. You have some incredible cheese in France, If I were from France I probobly wouldn't eat chedar either. And I can understand your dislike of Adobe and Photoshit. I just use it because I hate Corels stuff, Photpaint and Draw do not work very well for me, I hate the interfaces. So I don't have any other alternatives to Photoshop, I guess I could use GIMP and it's free. Jasc Paint shop pro isn't too bad for a cheap program. Do you use anything other than Photoshop for image manipulation? Any suggestions of some great program that I don't know about? Deep paint is a great Photoshop plugin, and the brushes rule, I also use Painter 5.5, and I really like it, but I can't use it for everything I need to do. I guess I use Photoshop because I've used it for so long, and it's what I learned and used in college, so it's just a program of habit for me. MMMMMMM cheddar! LOL Any great French cheese you could recommend, I love all kinds of cheese,so I'm willing to try anything. kaom

I like Coulommiers, Chaumes and Port-Salut . Maybe my three favorites . I also like Infinity Textures : http://www.i-tex.de But Gimp and PSP are great tools and i'll have to find the time to learn them . Then, i promise i won't complain about Photoshit anymore ! :) litst