Few points I would like to make.

I challenge anyone to show me a recent thread that asks for Carrara to have ALL the features in Maya or C4D.

Actually I started this thread:

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2873410

to discuss about simple features, or featurettes, that would not take too much development time to enhance Carrara.

I don't expect Carrara to compete with a $5,000 package. But I expect it to at least compete with packages in its own price range like:

1. Shade, (www.mirye.net) which has a world-class renderer as good as VRay and supports Daz/Poser contents and sells for $499.- in its pro version.

2. Cheetah 3D (http://www.cheetah3D.com) which sells for only $99.- and has done right all the things that Carrara has done wrong,

3. Electric Image (http://www.eias3d.com) which sells for $900.- and is used by some prominent production studios

 This is what I stated in another thread regarding some features I'd like to see in Carrara:

 

What I would like to see in C9 is more accurate processing of light, flawless blending between NLA clips, native support for sketchup models, a renderer using Embree, a professional camera, a better, faster and easier to use particle generator comparable to Particle Illusions, a better spline modeler, an overhauled mataball modeler, a polygon modeler comparable to Hexagon, improved landscape tools, an HDRI lighting that resembles Lightwave's, a scripting language like XPresso in Cinema 4D, a storyboard room that actually works, a flawless live physics engine, better rigging and weightmapping tools, live preview renderer that even Poser has, tons and tons of improvements to the UI, and I could go on for another 10 pages.

 

Other than a scripting language similar to XPresso in C4D, all the other features I am asking are just rejuvenation features, nothing otherworldly.

If Daz3D's board of Directors decides to sell the company, none of its software products (Studio, Carrara, Hexagon, Bryce and mimic) will weigh much as assets on their balance sheet. Maybe $500K at most for all 5 of them combined.

I do not accept the 'If you don't like Carrara use something else' line of reasoning. Learning and using efficiently a 3D app is a long haul process and cannot be done overnight. I started with Carrara when it was called RDS 3.0, came back to it during Carrara 6.0, and since then it has been disappointment after disappointment.

A couple of examples of unacceptable developments by Daz that look more like a waste of time:

1. Smart Content: Does it even work? When I buy content I don't even install the Daz part, only the Poser part. So much for the Smart Content. AFAIAC the Poser library manager does a far better job than Daz's smart content, and I do not expect Poser dev team to spend any more time on it because it has all the features I would ever need.

2. Studio 3's multiple styles of interface (Carrara, Heaxagon, etc). What's the point for this, other than a useless exercise in style? Studio still doesn not have a decent timeline editor (you must buy a plugin for that), and they spend their time offering me multiple interface styles? How's that for disappointing waste of development time?

What I see in Daz3D is a company that cannot get the fundamentals right, and is engaging in a forward escape as a mean to correct the deficiencies of its products.

Lastly, you do not succeed in this market, or any market for that matter, by offering superior technology. You succeed by offering what customers need, by caring and giving them tools to solve their problems, by responding to their demands. The 'Hey, look what I got' approach seldom works.