You are right too, in French, it's difficult to make the difference.
I don't want to oppose you, but the normal map works well in the glow Channel and also especially in the alpha channel…

But carrara is using it as a color map, not a normal map. In fact the only channel that will except the normal menu choice is the bump map channel. You can put a normal map in any other channel in the shader, but it will be used like any other color map/texture.

A normal map is a 3D bump map, not only does it give height like a bump map, it also gives offset and/or angle.

Let me whip up a demo, right now I'm hacked off because for some odd reason sometimes C8.5 likes to pick out random polys on objects; read as genesis clothes, when you use soft select, making it less then worthless.

a: The normal map made black and white, in the alpha channel.

b: The normal map in the alpha channel. As you can see there is no difference.

c: Gray color channel with a normal map in the bump channel.

d: The noraml map map black and white in the color channel and the normal in the bump.

e: The normal map in the color channel.

f: The normal map in the color channel and the bump channel.

As you can see the normal map only works as a normal map in the bump channel set to normal. Other wise it is just a color map like any other texture.

Thanks for your explanations, I did'nt know the difference between Normal and Color map, in my french version, it's the same word...

Thanks again !

Warning: DAZ content is now including link thumbs in their content that opens your browser and takes you to the DAZ store. Fun, fun, fun.

I am guaranteed against any form of hacking, this one included!

Actually I'm surprised it took this long, I was expecting it to be part of CMS long before now

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/49824/

C8.5 is set to use the old CMS not the new CMS. The C8.5.? beta is specifically to update carrara to the new CMS {as the rest of the so called fixes are for features that aren't broke in C8.5}.

Personally I'd recommend dumping both, they are far more trouble then they are worth. Oh ya, that is right, DAZ did shuve CMS down our throats with C8.5 by making it mandatory to use autofit. So I use Studio to preset my characters which doesn't need CMS to use autofit.

So why is it mandatory for C8.5 users when autofit apparently functions in Studio with out CMS?

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/48404/P45/

I'd love to get Philw up in here and explain this

"I think that DAZ are clearly working on a new version is a good sign, even if the developments are mainly targeted at content compatibility.  If they considered it a dead program, they would not be doing this.  It would be great to have further functional developments - and I agree that fixing the dynamic soft body so that it worked fully as a dynamic cloth simulation would be high on my list.  But DAZ tend to keep such things close to their chests until they are ready, so you are unlikely to get any sort of official response - even if it would be welcomed."

I have seen no evidence that this "beta" is any more then DAZ making sure their latest content leash version works on carraraests. I see nothing to lead me to beleve they are doing anything to fix all the issues with C8.5 and it's compatibility with DAZ genesis, G2 content. There is still damn little G2F/M content; poses mostly, that I can use directly in carrara.

It's my candid opinion the issues with C8.5 are a purposeful attempt to move carraraests to Studio. The way it stands it is piratically a necessity to use Studio to use genesis and especially G2 in C8.5. I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why CMS is mandatory for using autofit in Carrara. Or why no new poses for genesis or G2 work at all in carrara; I didn't want my $30 back i wanted working poses.

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/49977/

V4 clothes have DAZ's V4 morphs if they are custom morphs for V4 the clothes wont have them. I'm not sure of the operation but Studio can be used to add custom morphs to the clothes.

You can't effectively convert V4 to genesis, or in other words a triax weight mapped figure. Nothing will fit then.

Autofit only works with genesis and G2; and that is if and only if you install DAZ's content leash.

Poke away only works with genesis and is about the most horrendous way to fix poke through. Sort of like Cinderella's sisters cutting off their toes to try to get their foot in the glass slipper. {read the actual fairy tail not the Disney version}

Carrara has modeling in the assembly room for a reason, a very easy way to fix poke through by just pulling polys; too bad DAZ axed that option for genesis.

I am so freaking bored lol Winter so no yard work to keep me busy, and I am wound to tight to just set a play at my comp all day. {this ain't Colorado lol }

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/50028/

Love to see the camera settings, that looks like a wide angle lens zoomed in.

Stan,
In your precedent post, you speak about modeling in the assembly room…
Sometimes I uses it on characters or on clothing but if they are posed, they return to the zero pose, which is not quite practical.
Is this better in C8.5 ?

You're doing it wrong. When you have the clothes selected, click modeling in the assembly then animation mode, then you can work them in pose; don't waist your time trying with genesis, DAZ decided not to let you. Once in the right mode you will have to create a morph, then tug the pollies out. Works that way in C8. Not sure if I can track down a tutorial right now.

Thanks for the tip, I 'll try that tomorrow.

I don't know Genesis...

As much as I like working with genesis; with the creature morphs it can be any figure I want, DAZ's over the top protection of the figure makes it hard to work in carrara. For the previous 4 generations of figures clothing poke through was a fairly easy fix. But genesis changed that.

Before genesis I used Studio primarily for content repair and figure morphs; the Hex bridge became an essential tool for me. But since genesis; and my obstinance about using DAZ content leashes, Studio has become an invaluable tool for figure presetting; clothing.  Not actually a bad thing, the Hex bridge is right there to fix clothes that autofit mangles; like dresses. But DAZ not letting me use the invaluable tool of modeling in the assembly room, makes fixing posing poke through practically imposable to fix in carrara.

That is why I had to find another way to deal with it, and as such discover how easily it can be fixed using displacement in the shaders. The draw back is it often swallows small details like buttons and zippers.

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/50028/

This isn't a bug. Zooming in with a wide angle lens causes this, has since C5. The wide angle lens{50mm} is for vistas, large outdoor scenes. NOT close ups.

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/50149/

Please people, if DAZ wanted to retain us carraraests as customers they would fix C8.5 so the new content worked well in it. I let my PC club go and quit shopping at DAZ when my last 6 purchases didn't work in carrara. For me an update that doesn't address the issues introed in C8.5 is proof enough for me DAZ does not want my money, and has no interest in retaining me as a customer.

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/50212/

Carrara is not fading in to the sunset, it was burred in the back yard with Hex and Bryce.

People seem to be taking the beta patch as some sign DAZ is working on carrara. No DAZ just updated C8.5 to use with the new CMS build. PERIOD. end of line.

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/50275/

Wait till you try a pose on G2F/M. You will get an error message with any/all new poses from DAZ, and your figure will 0. 

It seems the cure all for this is to resave in Studio. I've compared poses and clothing files before and after resaves but have yet to see any difference in them other then one works and one doesn't. The only difference I see is the added .DUF to the thumb; and no changing the thumb name wont do.

 My experience is that old style poser poses work fine in G2F/M, as long as applied to the hip.  I don't every try to apply .duf or other studio files to G2F/M for this reason.

This would be more of a problem if I had any Genesis2 pose products, but I only have the one that came free with Victoria 6, and I would never use any of those, far prefer to use my old V4 pose collection, which are all Poser format poses.  I have no idea whether DAZ sells poser format poses for Genesis2 in any of their current pose products, though I would suspect so.  Thought I would mention and hope it helps, Stan 

Actually you can just select the figure and double click the pose. Some times the hands and neck needs a bit of tweakage. Even V3 poses work, but it's aggravating to buy a specific set of poses; like the mad doc/nurse/patience set, and them error out.

That's G2F, V3 pose, no adjustments; no that isn't the lighting, it's the v6 skin, yes I have the V4 uv set for G2F. Spent too much on the V4 elite skins to give them up ;)

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/48629/P135/

Just to be clear I currently I have the latest DS installed but am running 8.5Pro stable build 243 not the new Beta version so my comments relate to this setup.

OK so things are getting clearer - I must have misunderstood when you said [ above bold] “DIM won’t be able to uninstall or update it with one click,”

A couple of questions - 4 actually
1]  All items WITH or WITHOUT meta data will show under the Browser’s “Content” tab ?

Yes, all content will be shown in the content tab.

2]  Is Daz Studio still required to be installed in order for smart content to work? There was talk that this need would be dispensed with. 

No, but you will need Studio for something, it is, after all, a good tool for working content. As in many clothes and poses will error out in carrara, the fix is simple to resave them in studio.

3]  If I filter and DO NOT download DS versions of content am I “missing out on content ” that WILL work with Carrara ?

The Poser formats of genesis/G2F/M content wont work in carrara.

4]  What is your best advice because it seems to me I would have a great many items duplicated. I have never previously worried about getting any of the DS files even before DIM. 

Dump DIM, it is the rube Goldberg way to download and install. I don't use it and have no issues with content ending up in the wrong place, it's no better then any previous DAZ content installer. As in causes more issues then it solves. I'm a hands on sort of guy and have found automatic usually means autoscrewup.

Thanks for your patience and Merry Xmas to All. 

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/50312/

have to wonder if cobusp has C8.5. He doesn't mention which version of carrara he is using.

The problem is I have repeatedly, through the years tried to get carraraest to unite to pressure DAZ in to fixing carrara.

What is wrong with it, exactly?

Depends on what you intend to do, work from scratch or use content. You will encounter fewer if an issues working from scratch; although I am not a big fan of modeling in carrara, I'm just used to working with Hexagon.

The issues start when you go to use Poser/DAZ content. As in C8.5 was specifically built to use the latest dolly/Studio format. That would be DUF and the triax weight mapped figures Genesis/G2F/M. The problem starts with the release version having more issues then the last beta build of it, and after 2 years going on 3 no fixes from DAZ; don't get me started on this new beta.

My biggest issues is DAZ's customer content leashes DIM and CMS. And DAZ's attempts to force me to use them. As in in the beta of C8.5 autofit worked fine with out CMS installed, in the release it is mandatory. And DAZ's unwillingness to fix what it brakes.

In C6 we got dynamic hair, fun stuff, worked really good, DAZ borked it in C7; does not work near as well as it did in C6. In C7 we got modeling in the assembly room, a boon especially for fixing poke though; figures coming through clothes. DAZ borked it in C8{in the mil4 figures you have to create a morph to fix the poke through and if the clothes don't have morphs you're SOL}, then decided to disable it altogether with the new figures in C8.5

Not that there aren't ways around these issues, but DAZ seems quite disinclined to fix them so we don't have to use the work arounds.

Borked, a term stolen from the Swedish chief to refer to something not broken but not working as well as it did/could.