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Probably Dumb Novice Questions

TynkereTynkere Posts: 834
edited January 2018 in Carrara Discussion

Hi everyone,

Sorry if long, but questions might need some background.

Was bummed out that apparently you can't add a carpet of grass & flowers to a set like terradome3-- terrain needs to be flat.  (According to Poser users at a site mostly dedicated to wildlife, plants, etc.  I would mention it, but gather there was some controversy at DAZ a long time ago and don't want any trouble... indecision)

Anyway, a member at the other site chimed in, "FYI.  You can do that in Carrara."

Cool! 

But then I check here, and seems to have been some acrimony about G3 or something.

I do know that as a new user about 99% of my 'human' stuff is G3/G8 so apparently I'd need to work on Genesis/G2 figures, learn which ones from Poser would work, and or find out if "Dawn/Dusk" would work. 

So... lets take a couple of quick renders.  See if Carrara can do what I'd like to do with 3D art which is mainly wildlife & rural stuff.  smiley

Quick IRay of "Old Chap" and "Songbird Remix."   No depth of field in the render or spot to bring out his face.   The bird itself is almost lost.  Really dumb, but assume this app has camera, DoF, lighting etc. ?

 

 1.) Pose bird in DS with G2 or earlier, etc.  Carrara will generate nice carpet of flowers, grass, etc., on the rolling hills behind him?

I'd also like to do close in work as shown in a quick 3DL render.

Straight out of the box birdie (shadows at 50% is all) with a bush prop from DAZ store on sale for $1.99 I think.  So the prop was never meant to be shown this close.  I can probably find better plant props (Lisa's Botanicals?) but same basic question. 

2.) Could this be imported into Carrara?  Again, does the app actually make things like plants, tress rocks, etc., or for really close in work--  these would have to be purchased?

Assuming I can get a nice carpet of grass on the rolling hills in first render, or maybe a thicket in the second render... 

Carrara Pro (with more resources) is only $45-- could snag it with store credit.

So why is the stand-alone $105!  : 0 ! 

Sorry, but that doesn't make sense-- no disrespect or anything.  One is 32 bit & the other 64 or something?  Plug-ins?  There must be some reason.  I wouldn't think one would be twice as much as the other without a reason.  So what's the catch? 

3.) What is the difference between Carrara 8.5 stand-alone, and the "pro" version if they both say version 8.5?  (The descriptions seem the same)

Thanks for reading and being patient with me.  Am very interested in it, but figured I'd do a little research & ask first.

--Bruce 

 

 

Post edited by Tynkere on

Comments

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,964

    Again, does the app actually make things like plants, tress rocks, etc., or really close in work, these would have to be purchased?

    sure you can make all that stuff, and much more - have a look at the threads linked here : https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/45254/learning-tips-and-tricks-from-prior-carrara-challenge-wip-threads/p1

    as for pricing Daz's choice is their own. Get the Pro. Ask for your money back if you dont like it.

    Carrara is a great program, but always remember, read the manual,

    You'll need to get someone else to answere the genesis question

     

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,334
    edited January 2018

    Thread about 8.5 Pro:-

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/57305/carrara-8-5-vs-carrara-8-5-pro

     

    Darts thread on the information manual, also includes video tutorials

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/15970/carrara-information-manual/p1

     

    Misty's G8F and G8M presets :-

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/180916/beta-g8f-carrara-preset/p1

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/193901/g8-male-beta-carrara-preset-up-freestuff/p1

    Misty also has presets for G3F and G3M at Renderosity, search for MistyLaraPrincess.

    These enable the G3F/G3M/G8F/G8M figures to be used in Carrara. DAZ3D must be used to convert the G3F/G3M/G8F/G8M clothing to Blended weight, some clothing does not convert and will crash Carrara.

    http://carraracafe.com/category/tutorials/  ; - look down the page to "How I can use Genesis 3 in Carrara – Tutorial Series by Misty Lara"

     

    DOF tutorial by Cripeman:-

    http://carraracafe.com/tag/depth-of-field/

    Trees on Terrain tutorial by Cripeman :-

    Surface Replicator tutorial by Marcelo Teixeira :-

     

    For Plugins do a Google search for :-     Inagoni    -     Digital Carvers Guild    -     Sparrowhawke3D

    List about Carrara Plugins:-

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/290982/#Comment_290982

    Post edited by Bunyip02 on
  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,988
    edited January 2018
    Tynkere said:

    Anyway, a member at the other site chimed in, "FYI.  You can do that in Carrara."

    Cool! 

     

    Thanks for reading and being patient with me.  Am very interested in it, but figured I'd do a little research & ask first.

    --Bruce 

     

     

    Hey Bruce that was me over at the Hivewire forum that made that post....

    Maybe check out the Gallery for Carrara images -- here is the link to do that .. that may give you an idea.. and check out the links provided by these awesome members that have already posted as well yes

    Here is my entry in the latest Hivewire render comp held last year which was awarded a prize.. done in Carrara
    You could also check out my Gallery at Hivewire as they are all done in Carrara as well..
    Here is my Gallery here at Daz

    Ken's birds load into Carrara with little fuss.. adjustments have to made with texture settings and such but this has to be done with most stuff.

    When Carrara 8.5Pro is on sale you could pick it up for well under $50.. just got to keep an eye out. Don't purchase anything but the Pro.. you get both 32 & 64 bit versions.

    The Pro has 64bit and hair tools and a few more things the standard doesn't. There's a comparison chart somewhere @Dartanbeck

    You can create/model your own trees, rocks ect... you will need great textures for closeups which can be purchased if you can't make them yourself.

    Hope this info is a help to you... yes

    Post edited by Stezza on
  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,988

    Some more renders...

    click image for bigga

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,988

    a couple more....

    all done with Carrara

     

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,334

    Lovely work Stezza, and a few from me.

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,988
    edited January 2018

    top shelf @Bunyip02 yes

    Really shows off Carrara's capabilities...

    here's another quick one I just did between overs in the cricket.. I think Stoinus just reached his 50 smiley

    quick render eg.jpg
    1121 x 656 - 527K
    Post edited by Stezza on
  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    Tynkere said:

    Hi everyone,

    Sorry if long, but questions might need some background.

    Was bummed out that apparently you can't add a carpet of grass & flowers to a set like terradome3-- terrain needs to be flat.  (According to Poser users at a site mostly dedicated to wildlife, plants, etc.  I would mention it, but gather there was some controversy at DAZ a long time ago and don't want any trouble... indecision)

    Anyway, a member at the other site chimed in, "FYI.  You can do that in Carrara."

    Cool! 

    But then I check here, and seems to have been some acrimony about G3 or something.

    I do know that as a new user about 99% of my 'human' stuff is G3/G8 so apparently I'd need to work on Genesis/G2 figures, learn which ones from Poser would work, and or find out if "Dawn/Dusk" would work. 

    So... lets take a couple of quick renders.  See if Carrara can do what I'd like to do with 3D art which is mainly wildlife & rural stuff.  smiley

    Quick IRay of "Old Chap" and "Songbird Remix."   No depth of field in the render or spot to bring out his face.   The bird itself is almost lost.  Really dumb, but assume this app has camera, DoF, lighting etc. ?

     

     

     

    This first scene (Jackson's Field) comes with a native Carrara version included, that allows you to tweak all the surface replicators for denser grass, flowers etc. The DS version is fixed with what you see, cos it came out before the likes of Ultrascatter became available.

    Answering your other questions in general: Don't bother with the standard version of Carrara - it's only 32-bit and lacks some of the extra tool that Pro has. And Pro is frequently highly discounted to make it much cheaper.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588

    Quick and dirty (terrain) answers:

    Tynkere said:
     

     1.) Pose bird in DS with G2 or earlier, etc.  Carrara will generate nice carpet of flowers, grass, etc., on the rolling hills behind him?

    Yes.  In terms of terrain, whether the focus is close in or far away, Carrara eats Daz Studio's lunch.  And as TA pointed out, that first scene (Jackson's Field) you posted above was created by TA, and has a native Carrara version which is much better than the DS version.

    Tynkere said:
     

    2.) Could this be imported into Carrara?  Again, does the app actually make things like plants, tress rocks, etc., or for really close in work--  these would have to be purchased?

    Yes, you can make all you terrain objects in Carrara.  Or you can purchase items as well. 

    Tynkere said:


    So why is the stand-alone $105!  : 0 ! 

    Do not try to understand DAZ sales logic.  You will fail.

    Tynkere said:

    3.) What is the difference between Carrara 8.5 stand-alone, and the "pro" version if they both say version 8.5?  (The descriptions seem the same)

    Get the pro version. 

  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    UnifiedBrain said:

    Yes.  In terms of terrain, whether the focus is close in or far away, Carrara eats Daz Studio's lunch.  And as TA pointed out, that first scene (Jackson's Field) you posted above was created by TA, and has a native Carrara version which is much better than the DS version.

    I did at one time have a thought to do an update with smaller models and better instancing (through Ultrascatter), but the experiment that I did with Hemlock Folly showed that the amount of time needed vs the additional revenue generated meant the time would be better spent making something new. That set has since become a Daz O, so the idea is now moot.

  • TynkereTynkere Posts: 834
    edited December 2018

    Wow!  Where to even start!  Thanks for the many replies. 

    I’m semi-retired and in my 50s, so you wouldn’t think I’d be shy or hesitant in posting, but had worried my topic might be mistaken as trolling or something.  So now I can just type “HW3D” without feeling like I’m walking on eggshells or somethign! 

    @ Head Wax

    Thanks for the link, and yes-- will definitely need docs.  30 days isn’t much time for such a powerful app.  A preview of a sphere and me messing around with surface settings had it looking reflective, etc.  Then my test render <1 second.  It’s a flat disk on a black background ha!  I’m going to save it as my first Carrara render.  Go in and just messing with stuff.  Not very methodical.  ; ) 

    @ Bunyip02

    Will have to explore your links of course, but you can use G3/G8?  That’s great news.  I’ve only been at this 3 months, but was surprised how many scene subsets, facial & hand poses, etc. I’ve made.  Mainly version 7 characters like Darius, but quite a few for a customized Vicky 8 and now Owen.  Also good news with “Old Chap.”  He’s quickly becoming a favorite until they put aging morphs on sale again.

    @ Stezza

    Ha!  Small world I guess.  LisaB was nice enough to change my user name at HW to avoid confusion.

    Thanks for the tip.  This app might be just what I was looking for, but obviously high learning curve.  At the risk of sounding philosophical, anything in life worth having requires work I suppose.  

    Anyway, terrific renders!  As an amateur photographer into birding, one really did land on a long 400mm fixed length I had setup on a tripod & remote cable.  Birds enjoy messing with photographers.  ; )

    @ Bunyip02

    Also some amazing renders, and looks like experienced users can do so-called “NPR” too.  That is very cool!  I think a member named “Wowie” is working on a 3DL “Shader” with a UI that looks like mission control from NASA, but if I can learn that (and also the one for Carrara now) ---> total freedom!

    @ Tango Alpha

    Good to know about “Jackson’s Field.”  The ‘wizard’ stuff is grayed out, and in playing with it, also got a MsgBox.  CD-ROM.  I’m better off uninstalling and using WinRar or something?

    Anyway, 3D is very small world I guess.  The file “Jackson’s Field !Full.duf” is the one I want to select, or download and manually extract to another directory, “Bruces_Car8_Stuff” etc.?   

    @ Unified Brain

    Heh.  The store seems kind of crazy.  I can understand sale items, but not within 30 days of one another.  Example: purchase AoA lights bundle at 30% PC+ I think.  Then they put it on 'fast grab' for 70%!  So now, I think twice.  Do I want to risk it, or just wait until ATI tells me it's 70% off again.  Seems like they're kind of shooting themselves in the foot, but what do I know.

    @ Everyone

    Thanks again for all the replies and great renders.  Better be off now to HW and thank members there also.  

    Best

    --Bruce 

    ---
    Edit: weeding out old imgur files.  PM broken links.

    Post edited by Tynkere on
  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,334
    edited January 2018

    Hello Bruce

    NPR rundown:-

    Carrara has a filter called Toon! part III which gives nice results with a little experimenting.

    Digital Carvers Guild has a filter called Toon! Pro

    YAToon can be found from http://carraracafe.com/news/yatoon-2-0-released-free-open-source-toon-rendering-plugin-for-carrara/

    GMIC can be found at https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/200861/gmic-new-plugin-available-now-for-windows

     

    I also do a lot of post work with the following tools:-

    Fotosketcher (freebie)

    PhotoDonut (freebie or paid)

    Filter Forge (paid)

    Topaz Studio (paid)

    Dynamic Auto Painter (paid)

    Others like Headwax and Stezza also use some other software to get some great results.

    Carrara Toon part III.png
    2272 x 1040 - 414K
    Post edited by Bunyip02 on
  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311

    HI :)

    If you're "Scene wizard stuff" is not available,. you'll need to download and install the "Carrara Native Content" installer,. which contains the Wizard stuff, and a bunch of example starter things to get you up and running.

    some time ago,.. Carrara was split into two parts,. the Main program installer,.. and a Native content installer,.. to make downloading easier, and to allow for beta releases of the main program without the need for the extras.

    you should also have some additional "bundled" content from Daz3D (figures, hair etc) when you buy carrara,. which should include Carrara Shaders for those figures.

    Carrara can open DUF scene files,. but for "Jacksons field" It has a Carrara version,.

    so it should be a matter of Browsing in Carrara to locate that scene file,. and double click to load it

    Some info which may help,..

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/dq3htdm6bx5qjye/Carrara_first_steps.zip?dl=0

  • TynkereTynkere Posts: 834

    Thanks for additional info.  Got the "wizard" stuff to work, but (just an unhappy coincidence?) DS smart content thinks I need to install almost all products, and the DIM will crash on any attempt to DL "Daz Studio Default Resources 4.9"

    Maybe because it's already installed?  O_o

    I *knew* I should've just done manual install!

    Anyway, just wanted to thank for additional info., and uhm... If anyone happens to be good at tech support and the DIM-- I started a topic at 'Nuts & Bolts' devil

    Thanks for reading

    --Bruce 

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