Hi Folk, 

Here is a fast way to create a cityscape to be used in the distance with Carrara. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/Sparetime3x

Have fun!

Mark

Going to watch now.. thank you!

Great one!

Nice and sweet.

The replicator is SO sweet.

Well of course now that I know surface replicator exists, what about object based replications and how do you make them appear random like traffic or describe motion?

My other question which popped up while playing with shaders (coming from poser to Carrara) is getting use to which channels do what and how certain maps accept the black, grey scale, and white values for say a bump map or glow. Do you know of a good tutorial page on these that explains what each part of the multishader does and how to use it? Also the Alpha Mat shader use is a puzzle to me as is the Adobe AE plugin.

Thanks again Mark, I've been touring your website to, it's fustrating as I see some pretty neat stuff, it's a steep learning curve without a manual or how to guide to use the various features of this software.

PhotoJoe

Hi Photojoe, 

Probably the best way to start seeing how Carrara works is to deconstruction (or at least look at) the scenes that ship with the program. Tons of information there. The program does come with a manual but there is much that isn't said in it's pages, for sure. 

Mark

You will find a lot of tutorials at www.carraracafe.com 

I just found CarraraCafe a few days ago.

I use to think Adobe was king of poor documentation, I never knew there was worse.

From what I've gotten Carrara to do (I did figure out how to make instances move), with a better explanation and some better support they could displace poser.

Hey has anyone done a tutorial on using the Adobe AE plugin and Carrara for live action and digital mats?

 The other tutorial I'm searching for is work around for lack of a dynamic cloth simulator.

Joe

Don't forget to try Marks tutorials at VTC.com.  Even the older Carrara 6 tutorials are useful for the basics of using Carrara.  For the cost conscious, the monthly subscription is good since you get to checkout tutorials for other apps.  The do have sales occasionally.

The CarraraCafe is also good.  With Mark's tutorials, I feel as if I had a classroom instructor.  With Cripeman, it's like I have a buddy beside me showing me how to do stuff.

By the way there is a cloth simulator for Carrara 8.  I believe it's been there since version 7.  Check out infiniteskills.com or the daz3d channel on youtube.  They use a flag on a flagpole tutorial, but its basically introduces you to the feature.

The documentation that comes with Carrara makes sense if your already familiar with the program. 

Don't overlook the shader tutorials that can be combined with the surface replicator to create better layouts for your city.  You can even put streets with cars.  I did have a problem with street lights, but I think I can figure it out now.

So I used surface replicator with trees, which leads to another question, if your using terrian and your made roads, how do you make a map to make sure the replicator stays away from the roads and the buildings?

Sort of stuck on figure out how to cordinate the two.

As I stumble upon things, anyone have tips for capturing the the screen for tutorials, both in vid and screenshots?

Joe

You will need to have a manually created texture map for that and load it into the replicator color channel. 

I have a little tutorial about making  a road on a terrain (I don't know if that is what you meant when you say "your made roads") but it would essentially the the inverse of the texture map of the road - used as a replication channel. 

I was seeing how you set the enviro to large, however when I import poser characters they are ultra tiny. Is there a work around or a better way of going about it?

My current thought is to build several terrain sections put in a road, using the large view for creating backgrounds and then the seperate terrian sections for close up work.

Since everyone has been helping, I should show what's been done so far. Well aside from the city view.

Cheers,

Joe

Thanks Mark.  Your tutorials are great.  Photojoe, I think you can get all you need from tutorials like the one provided here, or at Carrara cafe, or searching youtube, etc. 

I recently decided to get a formal courselike tutorial from infiniteskills.   I probably wouldn't have done it but there is a big discount if you accept delivery through the ipad app (and I assume for the tablet competitors).  For example, I got about 9-10 hours of Carrara training for $9.99.  The general purchase price for disc or download is much higher.  There is a beginners course and an advanced course.  I've been doing a little bit of the beginner's course each night.  In my case, I think it will be worth it to get the advanced course - given the price.  I like it because the courses are organized and flow from one to the other. 

I'm sure the VTC courses would also be comprehensive and worth checking out. I just happened to get the one from infiniteskills.  It all just depends on how organized you want to be. 

@photojoe, 

The "large" scene size should only really be used with landscapes only. The 'medium' size is what you'll need if you are working with Characters or objects. 

The scene sized only effect 2 things: 1) light/cloud effects and scaling, and, 2) DAZ content scaling to match the scene. (non-DAZ imported content will ignore the scaling parameters on import)

So, working at the medium size is typically what I do when there is more than just a landscape involved. 

Mark

diomede, the question is more pipeline then a how to. Got the vids as well. During Mark's vid it got me thinking about how to go about doing something that isn't really covered.

Any solutions for blending terrians sections from one section to another, Mark? Also what do you use to record your tutorials? Fraps? Do you know of a good program for screen captures (for those of us with 2 monitors)?

Joe

There are options for setting up terrains for tiling in the landscape editor. However, to my eye, patterns become rather obvious quickly. Instead, I'll create multiple terrains and simply arrange them, each slightly lower than the other, as they recede in the distance. 

Alternatively, if you download USGS terrain data and use a product like DCG's Ground Control, creating expansive terrains is super easy.