I got a full copy of RDS v.4 from ebay a few minutes ago for 20 bucks, it should arrive within 5 days. Then... I can go get the upgrade to Carrara for a mere $149.00, instead of the $400 they charge for the full version... w00t! (/me does the happy dance...)

It's the full and legal retail version :) /P

Well dammit.. I was looking forward to ripping you open about it being illegal :grins: Congrats.. very clever, grasshopper. Anz

Heh - they got another one up there for $5 right now - auction ends in five days... Go for it :) I guess I just wanted something like the 3DS Max I was once used to, and am having a hard time finding it among the cheaper/freebie modellers... here's how they stack up so far: AC3D is still my main toy, but it barely does convex hulls, can't do NURBS, shading, or even morphing, but it is the meanest vertex-mover on the planet - I've used it to build every freebie released to date :) OpenFX I played with this weekend, and it is more MAX-like than AC3D, but it has more than its share of bugs, and although it does a decent job of morphing, the other goodies are missing, and its interface needs a LOT of work before it becomes solid. Dunno, but for some reason, it takes more work than usual (though it does export in .3ds very nicely.) Gmax (as Little Dragon suggested) is great - problem is, it has a cookie requirement, and prolly spyware. Also, there's that extra "gmax->Milkshape->Crossroads->Poser" object conversion process just to get a model piece into Poser. Bleah :/ Carrara looks like a different story... with the RDS upgrade, that puppy is packed with a variety of goodies that I dare say beat the crap out of the old 3DS Max v.3 that I used to work in, and prolly approaches the latest versions as well, at only a fraction of the cost :) I look forward to hosing around w/ RDS when it gets here, then Carrara when I can get up the cash April 1st. /P

Congrats! I got most of my software that way. All in all, I probably paid much less than half the going list prices. Only got ripped off once (a pirated CD).

I make many my meshes in Raydream. I love her and will never give her up so long as she works on my OS. Very powerful program despite what others may say. To know her is to love her. :) Gratz.

If you ever get a pirated CD, your best option is to take it up with ebay directly; if it applies, also be sure to send off a mail to the Business Software Alliance (http://www.bsa.org). Even over one pirated copy knowingly sold on e-bay, you'd be amazed at how fast the thunder will come down on the culprit. Check this out: "Washington, DC (Tuesday, November 14) In yet another move to curtail online software piracy, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) today announced it has filed lawsuits in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and brought enforcement actions in Germany, charging dozens of individuals with selling pirated and counterfeit software on popular auction sites, including Yahoo, Ebay and two European auction sites, QXL and Ricardo." I made sure before bidding that mine came with the original software, books, and even the box. I kept a copy of the e-mail so that I have it on record that the seller stated that to the best of his (her in my case) knowledge, the item I was bidding on is the original retail product, and not a 'backup', 'OEM', or other copy. Ebay and lots of other auction sites allow you to ask the seller a question before placing any bids, and if a seller won't say that it's a full and legal retail product, then you simply don't bid on it. /P

oops - sorry 'bout the xpost, Anton :) I look very forward to using RDS when it arrives... which version do you have? /P

Yeah, I did email the sellers about that. They had a good feedback rating and responded that the software was legit. When I got it, I emailed them for my money back (got no answer, of course). I also emailed Corel, whose software it was a copy of. And I emailed eBay. The sellers were gone for about a month then came back selling the same stuff. I emailed Corel and eBay again but the sellers continued. Don't know if they're still there.

I have RaydreamStudio5.0 with a service patch so mabey 5.01. What is an xpost? I din't notice anything? lol. Anton

Anton: xpost = "crosspost" :)

Jackson: With a copy of that e-mail saying it was legit, you have a strong case to get a refund back form e-bay (though they do have a "caveat emptor" notice on all their software.) Also, even if they somehow didn't cough up the refund, dropping a dime on the bastard with the BSA would've cost him so much cash (I believe that the BSA sues for the maximum $150,000 for each instance of piracy found), that you would've at least had some sweet revenge. The reason I never really bother w/ hoping the software company takes care of it is because some companies are more anti-piracy than others... Curious labs would be bloodthirsty about it (and I mean aggressive), while Corel and id Software (Quakes 1-3) wouldn't be anywhere near as aggressive about their stuff being pirated (that is, if there's only one instance of piracy, then they prolly won't bother.)

The BSA on the other hand is damned aggressive WRT piracy - they LOVE generating piracy bust headlines.

HTH a little,

/P

You beat me out on the Ray Dream! I was bidding on the same thing.

Hehe - sorry 'bout that... I've been beaten out on one for so long, I was beginning to think I'd never see it :) There's another one up for grabs now (just search for "Ray Dream Studio") that ends in four days... /P

Is Carrara actually reasonably stable now?

One would hope - I honestly haven;t tried it yet, just that every CG freak I've talked to here in Utah gives it a thumbs-up, for being cheaper than 3DS Max but damned near as good, in some cases better. Ergo, I'm dying to get my hands on it :)

Eovia's Carrara is stable for me. I've been using it since its release and have had no trouble. Course, I didn't have too much trouble with the original.