I'm kind of new to Carrara, and the Carrara forums. I see a good deal of complaining about Carrara here, and was wondering why. Is there is actually something wrong with the software? Is it unstable or buggy, or something like that? I don't want to invest my time and money in it and in learning materials for it.

Sorry if this is a sore subject or something, but I genuinely need to know before I drop a few hundred bucks on infinite skills videos and such.

Well, I think you will find a rather diverging set of opinions about it. I don't find Carrara faulty or buggy at all - it hasn't failed me yet.

In fact, there have been very few instances where I've reached the limits of it, and in some of those it was really the limits of my knowledge of it. Where I hit the wall, there are usually some workarounds or, at the worst - a commercial plug-in to add the functionality that I find missing in the core software.

It depends on what you want to be able to do with the software. For basic 3D which can combine modelling, scene setup, rigged DAZ content, morphing, basic UV-mapping, advanced shading, texturing, surface-painting, easy object replication, pretty nifty rendering and even python scripting (there is a plug-in for that) - I don't know of anything better for the buck AND easier to learn.

Blender is free and can do most of those things (except DAZ content), as far as I know, but I find the interface a hell-and-a-half to lean. I tried multiple time, including following tutorials for it - and ran away screaming each and every one of those times.

Carrara UI is visual, clean and once you understand the concept of different functionality tabs/rooms - very logical and a piece of cake to learn.

You can find example of my Carrara work in my Gallery (by NO means the best there is - there are better and much more talented and advanced users out there, but I don't use outside renderers, so it can give you a sense of what Carrara's native renderer can do in mediocre hands...)

Also, DAZ forums has the recent Carrara challenge with some work by Carrara newcomers, to give you a sense of what a newbie experience might feel like. It's in voting, too, so if you stop by in the next couple of hours - take a minute to vote, please! :)

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/49155/

P.S. About investment in tutorials: if you can find samples videos from both, compare Infinite Skills to Mark Bremmer's tutorials - they cover similar things, but there are some differences, so I'd look into it to see what's the best fit for you.

Also, most DCG plug-ins are a very worthwhile investment. Things like Shaders Plus, Shader Ops (1 & 2), Anything Goos are must haves in my book. There are also very useful Shoestring Shaders. And Toon Pro can be extremely useful for a variety of looks, not just strictly toon. It's not that you absolutely wouldn't be able to do without them, but they make life much easier and some very cool things possible.

The DAZ forum is heavily moderated, that is why you will see people freely discuss issues with carrara here you wont see on the DAZ forum.

The issues you may run into are mostly related to using DAZ content in it.

Carrara was once one of the best mid-range 3D applications.  There was a time it seemed if Daz was in a position to make it the best of all of their programs; a viable alternative to Poser with modeling and landscaping built in.  Somewhere along the way it became almost an afterthought.  Unlike Daz Studio which, despite being forever in beta, improved greatly in a few years, most all improvements to Carrara (while also forever in beta) seemed to revolve around catching up to D|S.  Carrara users waited ages for paid upgrades which ignored long standing complaints and instead were foisted half-baked Genesis compatibility and content management which from the sounds of things seems almost universally despised.  There's still a good program in there, but it should have been a great program by now given the amount of work the community has put into chasing and documenting its bugs - many of which would never have been introduced had Daz simply improved the areas that needed attention rather than shoehorning the bits and pieces of Studio the geniuses at Daz figured Carrara needed to fit in with their content-centric business model.

In their defense, there's no way they could continue developing Carrara and not include Genesis compatibility.  There are many Poser users who still can't accept that Poser isn't and never will again be ideal for using Daz figures.

My intention is to use Carrara to work from scratch, using it as a cheap alternative to Maya. I have a degree in digital media, and want a package I can make video game assets and cutscenes with. I will never touch Daz content with it. I have had my fill of that, having used Poser since version 4.

My intention is to use Carrara to work from scratch, using it as a cheap alternative to Maya. I have a degree in digital media, and want a package I can make video game assets and cutscenes with. I will never touch Daz content with it. I have had my fill of that, having used Poser since version 4.

Then you should have few issues. True DAZ has sadly lagged carrara behind the more up to date/pricy apps in it's never ending goal to make it Studio pro. Spending most of it's developmental time working to make it more DAZ content friendly. Out side of tweaking a few features most of C8.5 was to make it DUF/genesis compatible.

 Short answer is no, there is nothing wrong with Carrara.  It's actually pretty great. 

Now DAZ on the other hand... let's just say it's a good thing I don't have to be in love with the owners of the software to appreciate how great the software is on it's own... 

You mention that you have no intention of using DAZ content, so like Stanley said you should have very few issues, the main complaints with Carrara have been with little problems in using Genesis and Genesis2.  Still, for the main part Carrara can use Poser and DAZ content natively, which imo is a good feature to fall back on if you don't want to model everything yourself (but if the project requires that, Carrara can do that too) since there's a wealth of inexpensive fairly good quality content available to use.

But no, there's nothing inherently wrong with Carrara.  I've tried tons of different applications, and Carrara remains my favorite and by far the most useful.  And with the new concept that Stringtheory figured out of using soft-body proxy objects, it now can do dynamic cloth (with very quick sims too) at least in version 8+, as part of the Bullet physics engine (it just took someone with a bit of genius, like Stringtheory, to figure out how to make it work).

The development cycle for Carrara is slow verging on non-existent.  But then again, it already does nearly everything, so even if there is never a Carrara 9 (which I believe there will be, if only to make Genesis/Genesis2 content work more seamlessly) it may not much matter.   In terms of finding an inexpensive alternative to Maya, I think Carrara is an excellent choice.  Actually it's a pretty narrow field of software that could possibly fill those shoes, at least inexpensively.  Carrara, possibly Blender... drawing a blank otherwise..

In terms of finding an inexpensive alternative to Maya, I think Carrara is an excellent choice.  Actually it's a pretty narrow field of software that could possibly fill those shoes, at least inexpensively.  Carrara, possibly Blender... drawing a blank otherwise..

Yeah, there seem to be less choices than just a few years ago.  Being a long time Poser user Shade 3D Professional has always tempted me, as it's in a similar price range (and could be purchased as a competitive upgrade from Carrara through its previous distributors - not sure if that's still the case) and features Poser compatibility.  Modo, Maya and Houdini also have indie and subscription versions, but I can't say I've looked too closely at either.    Just the other day on Steam I discovered Ray Supreme, which is described as "a full-featured, powerful and easy to use 3D modeling, texturing and rendering software that features many of the tools you would expect from any professional 3D software".  Never even heard of it before.

But I haven't completely given up on Carrara quite yet...  Just waiting for Daz to finally get all of their ducks in a row.

My intention is to use Carrara to work from scratch, using it as a cheap alternative to Maya. I have a degree in digital media, and want a package I can make video game assets and cutscenes with. I will never touch Daz content with it. I have had my fill of that, having used Poser since version 4.

Carrara should work just fine for your stated purpose. And Antaran is right, those DCG plugins are an outstanding addition to Carrara. I have almost all of them, and I use them to some extent every time I open Carrara, which is daily. :)

My intention is to use Carrara to work from scratch, using it as a cheap alternative to Maya. I have a degree in digital media, and want a package I can make video game assets and cutscenes with. I will never touch Daz content with it. I have had my fill of that, having used Poser since version 4.

Then you should have few issues. True DAZ has sadly lagged carrara behind the more up to date/pricy apps in it's never ending goal to make it Studio pro. Spending most of it's developmental time working to make it more DAZ content friendly. Out side of tweaking a few features most of C8.5 was to make it DUF/genesis compatible.

You claim to have a "degree" in digital media, yet you still waste your time and "education" on carrara.

I get it now. You clearly have a history of wasting lots of money on things of no value or usefulness.

Take the hint, DAZ doesn't give a squirt of piss about it's users as evidenced by how they keep you hanging on without even a glimmer of hope of making carrara any better than what it is.

Yet all of you keep coming back for more abuse, then complain when nothing changes - over and over again. Definition of insanity if I'm not mistaken.

My intention is to use Carrara to work from scratch, using it as a cheap alternative to Maya. I have a degree in digital media, and want a package I can make video game assets and cutscenes with. I will never touch Daz content with it. I have had my fill of that, having used Poser since version 4.

You claim to have a "degree" in digital media, yet you still waste your time and "education" on carrara.

I get it now. You clearly have a history of wasting lots of money on things of no value or usefulness.

Take the hint, DAZ doesn't give a squirt of piss about it's users as evidenced by how they keep you hanging on without even a glimmer of hope of making carrara any better than what it is.

Yet all of you keep coming back for more abuse, then complain when nothing changes - over and over again. Definition of insanity if I'm not mistaken.

You say that like anyone gives a flying rats hairless tail what you think.

Man, where's an iceberg when you need one?

Carrara 8.x works fine for your stated purpose, and most Poser-ready material works very well with only maybe a shader tweak or two. As stated, the product does not work so well on the Genesis-era Daz stuff, so if shy away from that for now. Even so you will also have a TON of ready-made content at your disposal. The modeling abilities are pretty awesome too, although I've had a bit of trouble figuring out how to properly set up UV textures- but that's just me because I'm a noob LOL! The product offers really quite a lot in its price range. I've used it for years now and have been relatively happy with the results. Do I wish Daz would give a bit more bandwidth to the product and better acknowledge its loyal user base - of course! But even if they never do another thing with it, I can get quite a lot out of it for the foreseeable future - so I'll keep on using it...

You claim to have a "degree" in digital media, yet you still waste your time and "education" on carrara. I get it now. You clearly have a history of wasting lots of money on things of no value or usefulness.

Take the hint, DAZ doesn't give a squirt of piss about it's users as evidenced by how they keep you hanging on without even a glimmer of hope of making carrara any better than what it is.

Yet all of you keep coming back for more abuse, then complain when nothing changes - over and over again. Definition of insanity if I'm not mistaken.

This guy's a cute one, isn't he? You should maybe go back to 4chan. I hear there are lots your kind there.

Hello ladies and gentleman,

titanic401 is a troll. Please don't feed him. He hijacked a thread in June and is very close to getting banned. He only shows up to insult members. His lack of any work and nothing but vitriol speaks volumes.

Mark

To get back to the thread,

there isn't anything wrong with Carrara.  Pretty much all of the constructive feedback written in this thread is practical.  Let's summarize.

1.  DAZ has focused much of the development of Carrara on DAZ studio / Poser interfacing and capabilities.

2.  Carrara has had some significant upgrades for some things such as bullet physics and there have been rendering engines which can now interface with Carrara.

3.  In general, Carrara hasn't had the kinds of upgrades or updates that would keep it competitive with some of the bigger heavier hitting packages.  This aspect has been a significant problem for the code.  Carrara hasn't kept up with the market.  In addition, DAZ has had some issues with the user base.  As an example , there was a significant expectation that there would be version 9 by now and there are some changes which have been done to the code which a large portion of the user base are not happy with.

So, is there a problem with Carrara?  I think we are all wondering what the answer to that question.  There are a lot of us out here who have been using the code productively for a long time and we would like to continue doing that.  However, if things keep going the way they are, we will move on to other tools that can do the things we need to do.

Hope that helps.

To get back to the thread,

there isn't anything wrong with Carrara.  Pretty much all of the constructive feedback written in this thread is practical.  Let's summarize.

1.  DAZ has focused much of the development of Carrara on DAZ studio / Poser interfacing and capabilities.

2.  Carrara has had some significant upgrades for some things such as bullet physics and there have been rendering engines which can now interface with Carrara.

3.  In general, Carrara hasn't had the kinds of upgrades or updates that would keep it competitive with some of the bigger heavier hitting packages.  This aspect has been a significant problem for the code.  Carrara hasn't kept up with the market.  In addition, DAZ has had some issues with the user base.  As an example , there was a significant expectation that there would be version 9 by now and there are some changes which have been done to the code which a large portion of the user base are not happy with.

So, is there a problem with Carrara?  I think we are all wondering what the answer to that question.  There are a lot of us out here who have been using the code productively for a long time and we would like to continue doing that.  However, if things keep going the way they are, we will move on to other tools that can do the things we need to do.

Hope that helps.

Sounds reasonable. What other tools are you referring to, exactly? All I have seen in a similar price range is Blacksmith, and going up the price scale a bit, Maya LT and Lightwave.

Blacksmith

I meant Shade 3d there. Woops.

Hello ladies and gentleman,

titanic401 is a troll. Please don't feed him. He hijacked a thread in June and is very close to getting banned. He only shows up to insult members. His lack of any work and nothing but vitriol speaks volumes.

Mark

I am NOT a troll.

I am however an ex-carrara user who got wise and for the life of me can't figure out why anybody would continue to PAY for a old, worn-out piece of software that is no different or better than it was 10 years ago?

Does that sound like DAZ cares to you?

You call me a "troll", but prove me wrong on anything I've stated. If you want to ban me for stating my opinion, knock yourself out but all that will do is prove one of the other statements I made that if anyone dares say anything against DAZ they will be silenced.

And why? Because DAZ wants to keep you paying for software that hasn't had any new features or modelers for YEARS, features that are now considered basic to every other package around. Any motion tracking in carrara yet? Any compositing? Any animation drivers? Does carrara have access to any other rendering engine yet which isn't a creation of DAZ? Any softbodies? Any cloth simulation? Any smoke simulation? Any nodes? A built in game engine, perhaps? Any HD rendering yet?

I think you and I both no the answers to some, if not all, of these questions and that would be 'NO'. And why not? DAZ hasn't collected enough money yet? Why is it that carrara still looks and functions the same as it did 10 years ago? What's DAZ's excuse for that?

You accuse me of "hijacking" a thread - how is stating my opinion and asking legitimate questions "hijacking"? So, basically, anybody can post anything they want as long as you and DAZ agree with the content?

You claim I have no work to show? What "work" would you consider proper without being accused of "hijacking"? I can quickly go pose a figure, put a sword in it's hand, brag about my "degree" - which by the way is pretty much ALL carrara is still capable of these days.

Instead of throwing out accusations and calling me a "troll", why don't those who still think carrara is relevent and still insist on paying to keep waiting for a .xx "update" from DAZ, show their work. Just between you and me, there is no "update" is there? The reality of it is that DAZ is just collecting money based on the 'hope' of an update. And in the end, update or no, carrara will function the same as it always has - lousy.

So ban me if you don't agree with my opinions under the guise of being a "troll". Truth doesn't matter anymore apparently, unless it's the way somebody wants to hear it.

@Titanic401, 

Having a personal opinion about a software is fine. 

Attacking the users of the software is not - it violates the Terms of Service you agreed to when joining Renderosity.

Please see your site-mail for other notes I've sent you about this. 

To get back to the thread,

there isn't anything wrong with Carrara.  Pretty much all of the constructive feedback written in this thread is practical.  Let's summarize.

1.  DAZ has focused much of the development of Carrara on DAZ studio / Poser interfacing and capabilities.

2.  Carrara has had some significant upgrades for some things such as bullet physics and there have been rendering engines which can now interface with Carrara.

3.  In general, Carrara hasn't had the kinds of upgrades or updates that would keep it competitive with some of the bigger heavier hitting packages.  This aspect has been a significant problem for the code.  Carrara hasn't kept up with the market.  In addition, DAZ has had some issues with the user base.  As an example , there was a significant expectation that there would be version 9 by now and there are some changes which have been done to the code which a large portion of the user base are not happy with.

So, is there a problem with Carrara?  I think we are all wondering what the answer to that question.  There are a lot of us out here who have been using the code productively for a long time and we would like to continue doing that.  However, if things keep going the way they are, we will move on to other tools that can do the things we need to do.

Hope that helps.

Sounds reasonable. What other tools are you referring to, exactly? All I have seen in a similar price range is Blacksmith, and going up the price scale a bit, Maya LT and Lightwave.

Well, of course there's always Blender. It's getting better with each update. I've played with it some, but I'm still more comfortable with Carrara. 3DCoat is reasonably priced and good at sculpting, 3D painting, uv mapping and retopology. It's also coming along as a renderer. Silo is a good, stable modeler. I use Silo as my modeler (because I just can't get my mind around Carrara's modeler), 3DCoat for 3D painting and mapping (Carrara has pretty decent 3D paint capabilities, but I like 3DCoat better), and I set up and render in Carrara. I use the many plugins for Carrara to tweak or create shaders for my models. I render in Carrara using the native renderer or I use Lux with the Luxus plugin. I've also used Blender's fluid sim capability and imported the result into Carrara for textures and rendering. It came our pretty well.

I also rig my models in Poser because that's where my experience is. Once I get more comfortable with my skills, I may move away from Poser, we'll see.

You can use Carrara in conjunction with a whole range of software to get what you're after. Carrara is flexible, stable and easy to learn. With Carrara, you're not tied to any one piece of software.

On question that I do have about Carrara: Does it have something along the lines of Maya's 'set driven key' functionality? What about proxy rigs?

On question that I do have about Carrara: Does it have something along the lines of Maya's 'set driven key' functionality? What about proxy rigs?

Someone more knowledgeable than I will hopefully post a better answer, but I didn't immediately know what either term meant.  A quick google search of 'set driven key' makes me think (if I'm understanding it correctly) that this would be similar/same as Fenric's ERC plugin for Carrara (http://www.daz3d.com/carrara-enhanced-remote-control is the product page at daz, which has more details) Proxy rigs when I googled, I didn't really understand, looked like there were a lot of possible definitions there.  Can you share what you are trying to accomplish or what the purpose of a proxy rig is?  That might better guide an answer, everything I could find on the term made me think this should likely be something Carrara can do, but I may be completely misunderstanding what you're seeking.

On question that I do have about Carrara: Does it have something along the lines of Maya's 'set driven key' functionality? What about proxy rigs?

No. None of those things.

Hope you didn't waste the money yet.

Set driven key in Maya is a thing that lets you set a keyframe at either end of a desired motion or change for one or more attributes (say, like a finger curl position) and then tie that to a change in a different attribute (for instance, a slider you construct). When you move the slider, it causes the finger to curl. The finger joints would be the driven, and the slider would be the driver. What you linked looks like you could get the same functionality out of it, just in a little bit of a different way, so that's good to know about.

A proxy rig is (iirc; it's been a while so I may be using the term incorrectly) is a rig with much more complex controls than the skeleton that is actually in a figure, which can be a simple IK skeleton. The animations done with the proxy rig are then retargeted to the simpler IK skeleton. The reason I would use this sort of a setup is that some game engines do not support very complex rigs. You can make the proxy a complex as you like, even having full production level controls, like something they would use on a Hollywood film's CG sequence, and have all that control, and then bake those motions out to use on the simpler rig that gets used in the game engine. It's not -that- important, but it's something I'd put on a wishlist for features.

Of course, Carrara has a Python plugin, so the community could code some of these missing things if they really wanted to.

Yes Fenric's ERC will do exactly what you describe for the set driven key.  In fact I remember one of Faba's earlier test animations that was coincidentally enough an animation made of a M4 hand with sliders which would allow each of the fingers and thumb to grasp/bend/curl straighten, move away from each other, clench, etc individually all based on a few slider objects she had set up.

For what you describe as a proxy rig, I'm sorry but I have no idea.  I know you can take existing bvh animations and put them on any skeleton, but I have very little experience with animation and I don't know if there are problems inherent in putting an animation  which was designed for a more complex skeleton onto a simpler skeleton (I suspect you'd be able to do it, but it would look a little weird and you'd get people walking above the ground or through it, etc).  I bet sci-fi funk could answer this in a second though, he does tons of excellent animation and would know.  There are lots of much more experienced carrara users than me who do animation stuff all the time, so hopefully one of them will see your question and answer better than I can.  

You've went well beyond my use of carrara. I've rigged and animated a few make human figures, but not went that far in to carrara's rigging abilities.

Black Days

I just wanted to chime in. Carrara is a GREAT programme. As far as I know, Version 6,7& 8 work very well (I personally still use C7Pro). I have very few issues with the software.

Most of the big problems came in with c8.5. Genesis & DUF issues seem to be pervasive. 

The main DAZ forum is heavily monitored, so you won't see many problems being discussed.

For your stated aim, the software should work perfectly fine. 

There are a LOT of low cost (or free) items already modeled for Carrara, in case you don't want to build everything from scratch.

If you run into any trouble, there are PLENTY of knowledgeable users to help you.

Best of Luck!

To everyone that gave constructive feedback in this thread, you have my thanks. I think I have the information I need to make my decision.

Just to shoot one more comment into this discussion, for modeling gaming assets, I'm highly confident you can do that in Carrara with no problem.  If you want to see modeling possibilities, go and look at my gallery.  Everything in my gallery (99.9995% anyway) was modeled by me alone all 100% Carrara.

Every package takes some time to learn and Carrara is no different.  However, I think for the kinds of things you have mentioned, you will succeed with Carrara.

For my part, the kinds of things that I would like to see Carrara come forward with would be better clouds and atmospheric effects.  As for moving on to a different tool, Vue is a solution I have been considering.  To be clear, no package can do everything and even though Carrara can't do some things I want, I'm still generating a lot of great results with it on a regular basis.

One last note, a common thing I notice is that Carrara may not do things in the same conventional way that some other packages do but there is a very likely chance you can find a Carrara solution to do pretty much anything you want.  Just ask around here and we can very likely figure out a Carrara loophole to get you where you need to go.

  My simple answer is - for the "money" currently only $159 I think there is nothing better than Carrara  for an all round software that will utilise daz AND poser content and imports and exports a plethora of formats. It is not perfect and that is more Daz's fault through lack of interest in developing and marketing Carrara. Someone said it is little different to Carrara of ten years ago - not true of course - many things added since then. If you can live with the software as is there is a lot to learn about what it can do as any regular user will testify. Forget the negatives here and elsewhere and give it a try  

http://bond3d.wix.com/carrarators#!carrarcafe/c1ms5

 http://www.bond3d.byethost18.com/index.php

  My simple answer is - for the "money" currently only $159 I think there is nothing better than Carrara  for an all round software that will utilise daz AND poser content and imports and exports a plethora of formats. It is not perfect and that is more Daz's fault through lack of interest in developing and marketing Carrara. Someone said it is little different to Carrara of ten years ago - not true of course - many things added since then. If you can live with the software as is there is a lot to learn about what it can do as any regular user will testify. Forget the negatives here and elsewhere and give it a try  

http://bond3d.wix.com/carrarators#!carrarcafe/c1ms5

 http://www.bond3d.byethost18.com/index.php

"Many things added..." - like what, exactly?

  

Assuming 10 years ago we were with version 5 you've now got -

Bullet Physics 

Soft Body

Dynamic Hair

Paint 

Non Linear Animation Clips

Mimic for Carrara ( plug in)

and

 What’s New in Carrara 8.5? ( as listed by Daz)

⦁ Native DSON Importer means seamless integration of:

⦁ TriAxTMWeight Mapped figures (Genesis, G2F, G2M)

⦁ General Weight Mapped figures

⦁ Legacy Parametric Figures (4th Generation and earlier)

⦁ DSON presets

⦁ Scenes

⦁ Scene Subsets

⦁ Wearable(s) Preset

⦁ Character Preset

⦁ Properties Preset

⦁ Shaping Preset

⦁ Pose Preset

⦁ Hierarchical Material(s) Preset

⦁ Material(s) Preset

⦁ Shader Preset (preset must be for a Carrara shader)

⦁ Camera(s) Preset

⦁ Light(s) Preset

⦁ Support for multiple UV sets (through Hierarchical Material(s) Presets and Material(s) Presets)

⦁ Native AutoFit functionality means:

⦁ Conversion of legacy parametric clothing to TriAxTM weigh mapped figures

⦁ Automatic Morph Projection quickly gives you the fit you need for your figure’s shape.

⦁ Automatic Weight Map Projection allows AutoFit clothing to bend and pose smoothly with the figure.

⦁ Morphs built into clothing are carried through the AutoFit process.

⦁ Improved Sequencer, Keyframing and Animation Tools

⦁ New keyboard shortcuts to:

⦁ Play/Stop animation

⦁ Advance the frame

⦁ Preview a frame

⦁ Key Frame Filters

⦁ Sample – Creates a key at every frame of the animation.

⦁ Smooth – Smooth out wild keys to get an even looking animation

⦁ Reduce – Programatically determine which keys are unecessary and eliminate them.

⦁ Graph Editor Box allows for fine tuning of animations

⦁ Easily adjust timing

⦁ Simple yet powerful manipulation of amplitude

⦁ Scale, and translate key frames along the Graph Editor.

⦁ Marquee selection of key frames for Graph Editor.

⦁ Smart Content and Daz Content Management System Integration.

Not all is perfect but then you're not paying $4000 for the software.  

Assuming 10 years ago we were with version 5 you've now got -

Bullet Physics 

Soft Body

Dynamic Hair

Paint 

Non Linear Animation Clips

Mimic for Carrara ( plug in)

and

 What’s New in Carrara 8.5? ( as listed by Daz)

⦁ Native DSON Importer means seamless integration of:

⦁ TriAxTMWeight Mapped figures (Genesis, G2F, G2M)

⦁ General Weight Mapped figures

⦁ Legacy Parametric Figures (4th Generation and earlier)

⦁ DSON presets

⦁ Scenes

⦁ Scene Subsets

⦁ Wearable(s) Preset

⦁ Character Preset

⦁ Properties Preset

⦁ Shaping Preset

⦁ Pose Preset

⦁ Hierarchical Material(s) Preset

⦁ Material(s) Preset

⦁ Shader Preset (preset must be for a Carrara shader)

⦁ Camera(s) Preset

⦁ Light(s) Preset

⦁ Support for multiple UV sets (through Hierarchical Material(s) Presets and Material(s) Presets)

⦁ Native AutoFit functionality means:

⦁ Conversion of legacy parametric clothing to TriAxTM weigh mapped figures

⦁ Automatic Morph Projection quickly gives you the fit you need for your figure’s shape.

⦁ Automatic Weight Map Projection allows AutoFit clothing to bend and pose smoothly with the figure.

⦁ Morphs built into clothing are carried through the AutoFit process.

⦁ Improved Sequencer, Keyframing and Animation Tools

⦁ New keyboard shortcuts to:

⦁ Play/Stop animation

⦁ Advance the frame

⦁ Preview a frame

⦁ Key Frame Filters

⦁ Sample – Creates a key at every frame of the animation.

⦁ Smooth – Smooth out wild keys to get an even looking animation

⦁ Reduce – Programatically determine which keys are unecessary and eliminate them.

⦁ Graph Editor Box allows for fine tuning of animations

⦁ Easily adjust timing

⦁ Simple yet powerful manipulation of amplitude

⦁ Scale, and translate key frames along the Graph Editor.

⦁ Marquee selection of key frames for Graph Editor.

⦁ Smart Content and Daz Content Management System Integration.

Not all is perfect but then you're not paying $4000 for the software.

All these "features" are only good if you want to keep suckling at the DAZ content teat and dropping your money down their toilet, plus all of these "features", like everything else in craprara (oops, typo), only works half-assed at best.

I can do all this plus a 1000 times more using Blender AND it costs NOTHING!

So where did you get the "$4000" figure? Let me guess, you actually paid $4000 for some piece of software? You must be one of the "if you don't pay through the nose for something, it's not as good" crowd. I imagine you would pay just about any amount to DAZ for the "priviledge" of being able to pose halfnaked girls in "fantasy armor".

I especially love the Marquee selection of key frames for Graph Editor and the Play/Stop animation "features"... seriously?

Only to a carrara user would this be considered worth paying for, any normal person would have thought you would able to "marquee select" anything at all after version 1.

Marquee selection IS NOT a feature, it's should have been in there already.

"Play/stop animation" - so not only can you "play" an animation, but you can "stop" it too?!?!  OMG - way to go DAZ for setting the bar so much higher.

Any normal person would know how to post using a quote with out adding their post to the quote. Something that seems beyond your ability. If you can't manage something that simple on a forum how can you possibly use any comp graphics software.

For some one so in to Blender you seem to not exist on the forum or in the gallery. Do you actually do anything besides come here to run down carrara and it's users?

No? Then pick up that soap box and go gripe else ware. You're just spitting in the wind here, no one cares what you have to say.

Any normal person would know how to post using a quote with out adding their post to the quote. Something that seems beyond your ability. If you can't manage something that simple on a forum how can you possibly use any comp graphics software.

For some one so in to Blender you seem to not exist on the forum or in the gallery. Do you actually do anything besides come here to run down carrara and it's users?

No? Then pick up that soap box and go gripe else ware. You're just spitting in the wind here, no one cares what you have to say.

Somebody woke up on the wrong side of their empty wallet this morning... How is it my fault you cashrara (oops, typo) people keep taking it in the ass from DAZ? How's that "update", the "update" you've been complaining about for the last 2 years, working out for you?

You have the power to "stop and start animations" now. Don't let all that new carrara functionality you keep paying for go to your head, with great power comes great responsibility. Just think how many more halfnaked nuns you can pose now.

My wallet isn't empty, I don't shop at DAZ, I haven't paid for an update for 2 over years, not sure what delusional world you are getting your information from.

In fact you would be hard pressed to find any one on this forum guilty of what you are accusing us of. The carraraests here spend very little if anything at DAZ on any sort of a regular bases.{an issue of DAZ"s own creation}.

The only thing I can figure is you are a very frustrate petty individual that has been banned from the DAZ forum so you bring your impertinent petty arguments here, were no one really cares what you think. Then you get agitated when we ignore you or tell you your opinion means little more then a popcorn fart in a high wind.

And I'm working on quitting smoking so in a mood to argue

I managed yesterday on 3 cigs and 3 pieces of nicerett gum. Figure I'll get out of the cigaret habit then the nicotine.    

My wallet isn't empty, I don't shop at DAZ, I haven't paid for an update for 2 over years, not sure what delusional world you are getting your information from.

In fact you would be hard pressed to find any one on this forum guilty of what you are accusing us of. The carraraests here spend very little if anything at DAZ on any sort of a regular bases.{an issue of DAZ"s own creation}.

The only thing I can figure is you are a very frustrate petty individual that has been banned from the DAZ forum so you bring your impertinent petty arguments here, were no one really cares what you think. Then you get agitated when we ignore you or tell you your opinion means little more then a popcorn fart in a high wind.

And I'm working on quitting smoking so in a mood to argue

I managed yesterday on 3 cigs and 3 pieces of nicerett gum. Figure I'll get out of the cigaret habit then the nicotine.    

Want a cigarette?

i'm luving it so far.

my only complaint is sometimes it doesn't let me know it's busy, i'm clicking away not realizing it's chewing on a few clicks ago.

but i'm working on a dual core >.< 

I've stepped away from carrara for a while. Playing NFSW again. DAZ's last patch was a jank, destroyed any hope I had of DAZ every fixing C8.1 or there ever being a C9. And I just wont be janked around by DAZ anymore.  

I might get back to carrara, but I am done with DAZ. That last patch that didn't actually fix anything just proves they don't want me as a customer.

I've stepped away from carrara for a while. Playing NFSW again. DAZ's last patch was a jank, destroyed any hope I had of DAZ every fixing C8.1 or there ever being a C9. And I just wont be janked around by DAZ anymore.  

I might get back to carrara, but I am done with DAZ. That last patch that didn't actually fix anything just proves they don't want me as a customer.

WHAAAAT!!!!  But you've got all those "new features", you can start AND stop animations now!! So everything I said has been spot on - have fun waiting....

Hey Titanic, sorry you're stuck with only Blender.  That must suck.  

Not that Blender's not a good app to have in your toolkit.  Hey, it's free, I think everyone should have it (and I'm baffled why you seem to think that those of us who use Carrara magically somehow don't have access to it).  But if I were trapped on a desert island and could only bring one software with me... yeah, Blender doesn't make the cut. 

I feel a little sorry for you in this thread.  It's pretty obvious you don't know what you're talking about, for example you've been wrong on 70% or more of your negative claims about Carrara.  It's like you're criticizing some other made-up software that you cooked up in a delusion.  You were probably thinking that everyone reading your posts would marvel at how wise and witty you are.  Yeah... not so much. Though I don't doubt you've gotten a few snickers, it's not that we're laughing with you, but more that we're laughing at you.  :)

These ain't the Daz forums, bro.  No one here is a 'Daz-defender'.  And of all the people in the entire universe you decide to pick out for criticism as being too willing to spend money on DAZ and defend DAZ software with their every waking moment...  you pick ManleyStanley!!!  LOL!  Sorry, man, you really don't know Manley at all, do you?  And you have no clue how stupid it makes you sound when you single out Manley and try to cast him in the role of "Daz fanboy".  It's hilarious to watch you flail  :)  

 I'll give you a hint.  Stanley was banned from the Daz forums because he was deemed too critical of Daz.  He's like inverse of Dartanbeck.  Oh wait, you wouldn't know who Dartanbeck is, because you don't really know anything about Carrara.  If you did really know anything about Carrara then I'd assume you would already know who Manley is and what his position is, and that he's the ultimate exact opposite of the 'undyingly faithful daz fanboy' you seem to have mistaken him for.

 Those of us who actually have and use Carrara already know what the real problems, drawbacks, and shortcomings of Carrara are, and it doesn't show much similarity to the weird critiques you've given so far.

 And hey, good luck finding that mythical 'daz fanboy' you want to argue with, strawman-style.  I highly doubt you'll find him on this forum.  Maybe if you've got the intelligence to create an account and post over at the Daz forums you'll have more luck.  Over here, you just sound like an idiot muttering to himself.  But at least it's fun watch, so please feel free to carry on.  I enjoy watching epic fails as much as the next person - so please, just keep being you, guy!  :)

 *Why Carrara Hair is Awesome: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsz65nEkq5U

Hey Titanic, sorry you're stuck with only Blender.  That must suck.  

Not that Blender's not a good app to have in your toolkit.  Hey, it's free, I think everyone should have it (and I'm baffled why you seem to think that those of us who use Carrara magically somehow don't have access to it).  But if I were trapped on a desert island and could only bring one software with me... yeah, Blender doesn't make the cut. 

I feel a little sorry for you in this thread.  It's pretty obvious you don't know what you're talking about, for example you've been wrong on 70% or more of your negative claims about Carrara.  It's like you're criticizing some other made-up software that you cooked up in a delusion.  You were probably thinking that everyone reading your posts would marvel at how wise and witty you are.  Yeah... not so much. Though I don't doubt you've gotten a few snickers, it's not that we're laughing with you, but more that we're laughing at you.  :)

These ain't the Daz forums, bro.  No one here is a 'Daz-defender'.  And of all the people in the entire universe you decide to pick out for criticism as being too willing to spend money on DAZ and defend DAZ software with their every waking moment...  you pick ManleyStanley!!!  LOL!  Sorry, man, you really don't know Manley at all, do you?  And you have no clue how stupid it makes you sound when you single out Manley and try to cast him in the role of "Daz fanboy".  It's hilarious to watch you flail  :)  

 I'll give you a hint.  Stanley was banned from the Daz forums because he was deemed too critical of Daz.  He's like inverse of Dartanbeck.  Oh wait, you wouldn't know who Dartanbeck is, because you don't really know anything about Carrara.  If you did really know anything about Carrara then I'd assume you would already know who Manley is and what his position is, and that he's the ultimate exact opposite of the 'undyingly faithful daz fanboy' you seem to have mistaken him for.

 Those of us who actually have and use Carrara already know what the real problems, drawbacks, and shortcomings of Carrara are, and it doesn't show much similarity to the weird critiques you've given so far.

 And hey, good luck finding that mythical 'daz fanboy' you want to argue with, strawman-style.  I highly doubt you'll find him on this forum.  Maybe if you've got the intelligence to create an account and post over at the Daz forums you'll have more luck.  Over here, you just sound like an idiot muttering to himself.  But at least it's fun watch, so please feel free to carry on.  I enjoy watching epic fails as much as the next person - so please, just keep being you, guy!  :)

 

 *Why Carrara Hair is Awesome: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsz65nEkq5U

Heh heh. I popped in here to say the same thing, Jon, but you said it better than I would have. :) Oh, and I agree....Carrara hair is awesome! Love those tutorials. Does that make me a jonstark fanboy? Do you have t-shirts?

And,Titanic, I actually do use Blender, too along with 3dCoat, Silo, Marvelous Designer and whatever tool I might need to get the job done. We like Carrara, but we don't live in a 3D software vacuum. Unlike some.

 :)  Thanks, David.  No t-shirts just yet, I don't even consider myself of 'intermediate' expertise just yet, but I got so jazzed about the discovery of how killer and easy Carrara hair is to work with, not to mention how realistic in animation, that I had to put it out there for others to see.  I'm still playing and learning as I go.  Just the other day I realized for the first time that we can increase the air dampening over and beyond the 100% setting.  Not sure what use I'll make of it yet but seems like it could add some interesting possibilities.

Right now I'm 'hair crazy' and having a blast making different styles and animating, but hey I'm just learning this stuff on the fly and making it up as I go along :)  I'm just glad if the vids weren't too boring and maybe added some cool new tricks to your toolkit.   Don't know if you've been following the threads over at Daz about the animated dynamic clothing proof of concept that Stringtheory developed, very interesting stuff, seems some of the folks who are experimenting are getting very fast and accurate cloth sims, though I have yet to book some time to really dig in and play with it myself. 

 It's kind of crazy how much stuff Carrara can do, seems like every week someone else makes another discovery or unlocks another hidden feature of something no-one knew Carrara could do before. I often feel like Carrara is less of a predictable software well mapped out in manuals and more of a piece of alien technology we're all trying to reverse-engineer.  Kind of fun to unlock the puzzle.

 Carrara isn't my only app, it's just one of my favorites in the toolkit.  Ironically Daz as a company is one of my least favorites to buy from, but eh who cares about Daz, they know nothing about Carrara anyway  :) 

WHAAAAT!!!!  But you've got all those "new features", you can start AND stop animations now!! So everything I said has been spot on - have fun waiting....

I've said ad nauseum my issues are with DAZ, not carrara. Carrara is my be all end all CG app. I'm just frustrated DAZ has done nothing to retain me as a customer. I have a huge; 120 gig, selection of older content I can easily use in carrara. But since most new content or at least new content for the new dollies, doesn't work or work well in carrara there is no reason for me to shop at DAZ. I can get far more carrara compatible content from other sources. I stepped away from carrara to get over the frustration of trying to use the new DAZ content in it and change my mind set back to using the old content. I needed a brake. But DAZ has pretty well destroyed my hopes DAZ would ever do anything with what is the best CG app in it's price range.

So now is your time to put up or shut up titanic, link us to what YOU have done in Blender, or step away.

Folks, let's keep the conversations away from personal challenges and attacks. We're better then that.

WHAAAAT!!!!  But you've got all those "new features", you can start AND stop animations now!! So everything I said has been spot on - have fun waiting....

I've said ad nauseum my issues are with DAZ, not carrara. Carrara is my be all end all CG app. I'm just frustrated DAZ has done nothing to retain me as a customer. I have a huge; 120 gig, selection of older content I can easily use in carrara. But since most new content or at least new content for the new dollies, doesn't work or work well in carrara there is no reason for me to shop at DAZ. I can get far more carrara compatible content from other sources. I stepped away from carrara to get over the frustration of trying to use the new DAZ content in it and change my mind set back to using the old content. I needed a brake. But DAZ has pretty well destroyed my hopes DAZ would ever do anything with what is the best CG app in it's price range.

So now is your time to put up or shut up titanic, link us to what YOU have done in Blender, or step away.

First let's see something BESIDES posed, naked DAZ figures in some of your work - ever do anything ORIGINAL? Any schmuck can pose SOMEBODY ELSE'S models...

Jon

You're right. Carrara is a GREAT piece of software. 

If I really weren't so busy trying to keep my head above water, I would sit down and learn Carrara from the ground up. 

As far as hair goes, I LOVE Carrara Hair (actually I think it was Stan who turned me onto how cool it renders.)

Unfortunately, sometimes the hair goes crazy (for me at least) in some animations (and a few stills). 

I still love Carrara hair.

Titanic

I was going to respond to you in detail, but Jon said, basically most of what I wanted to say.

I have Cinema4D as well as Carrara. I LOVE my Carrara.

Everyone here is pretty clear and realistic about what issues exist for Carrara and what our own personal problems with the software.

I was almost banned and had a number of posts removed, so I'm no Daz fanboy.

I have had a few cash flow problems as of late, so I haven't spent much money period (and none at Daz since the PA sale).

A lot of us just want Genesis and duf format to work as promised in Carrara.

I want the clothes to fit and things to load up right.

Vicky 1,2,3, & 4's clothes fit without all kinds of fuss.

Most OBJ object load up right. Why not DUF?

I would be first in queue for some of Daz's G2F products. Those women are killer.

But for me, this stuff HAS to work, I work professionally and I can't waste a lot of time trying to mess about.

Anyway Titanic, please stop picking fights because the fanboys aren't on this site.

We're just regular people who want our software to work and to get the updates we paid for.

Best of luck!