Is there a trial version of Carrara pro?
michaelcarter
Posts: 13
I've looked all over the Daz site and don't see a trial version available.
Certainly there's a 30-day or something? anyone know?
I tried tech support but just got the canned "we'll get back to you" response.
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No trial version at the moment I am afraid, sorry.
So it's "buy it and take your chances"... think I'll give Blender a try...
They do have beta's that are available to the public once they are at that stage in development. There was just a new version release a couple months ago so who knows when the next beta will be available.
I believe that you do not take any risks by buying it, you will not be disappointed!
I don't think there is an 8.5 trial but you could try version 8.
http://download.cnet.com/Carrara-8-Pro/3000-6677_4-10782148.html
There is of course DAZ 3D's famous 30 day return guarantee, if you really find that you can't get on with Carrara.
Can't really use a windows version, but thanks.
There is of course DAZ 3D's famous 30 day return guarantee, if you really find that you can't get on with Carrara.
I dunno - 4 days with no support ticket answer (to a simple "can I download a trial version"), all the support complaints on this forum... no way to download a trial, unless you luck out timing wise and grab a beta version (that's how you market software? By letting potential new users test a beta? I've never tried a beta of Photoshop....) and Daz seems to believe their market is 12 year old boys rendering almost-nude elf maidens or something... I guess I'm used to Adobe and Avid, but no, can't see whipping out a credit card just yet.
Found a V7 download but it crashed on every launch attempt. I liked Carrera's modeling tools in the past when they were owned by Eovia, but I'm doing production work & need to get models into AE via C4D or Element, on deadlines, for broadcast. Daz just seems a little off to me and I have no need to fit lingerie onto poser figures. I tend to just hire actual human models for that!
C4D's full packages are a couple grand, but they seem like a "real" software developer and I don't mind learning a new modeling style. Is Carrara even going to be around much longer in a world with Blender (free and regularly updated) and C4d Lite (free with awesome AE integration) (virtually every movie or big-brand TV spot you see went through after effects) when they seem kinda also-ran for someone simply considering a purchase?
(And can hot-nude-elf-maiden-3d-modeling survive in an era of free porn?)
I dunno - 4 days with no support ticket answer (to a simple "can I download a trial version"), all the support complaints on this forum... no way to download a trial, unless you luck out timing wise and grab a beta version (that's how you market software? By letting potential new users test a beta? I've never tried a beta of Photoshop....) and Daz seems to believe their market is 12 year old boys rendering almost-nude elf maidens or something... I guess I'm used to Adobe and Avid, but no, can't see whipping out a credit card just yet.
Found a V7 download but it crashed on every launch attempt. I liked Carrera's modeling tools in the past when they were owned by Eovia, but I'm doing production work & need to get models into AE via C4D or Element, on deadlines, for broadcast. Daz just seems a little off to me and I have no need to fit lingerie onto poser figures. I tend to just hire actual human models for that!
C4D's full packages are a couple grand, but they seem like a "real" software developer and I don't mind learning a new modeling style. Is Carrara even going to be around much longer in a world with Blender (free and regularly updated) and C4d Lite (free with awesome AE integration) (virtually every movie or big-brand TV spot you see went through after effects) when they seem kinda also-ran for someone simply considering a purchase?
(And can hot-nude-elf-maiden-3d-modeling survive in an era of free porn?)
If there's a trial version for Windows, I'm sure there is one for the Mac as well.
As to the rest, if you're upset about not getting a free trial for C8.5, fine, I can sympathize, but lose the snobbish attitude, okay? There's no need for it, and you're just alienating the people that have posted trying to help you.
I don't know what the "lite" version of C4D had that has you so excited. Usually the output resolution is limited, as is the tool set.
Before making broad generalizations about Carrara users, why don't you do a little research?
Check out this recently ended challenge: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/33072/
Then there's the Carrara Cafe: http://carraracafe.com/
There's also this short film hosted at the Cafe: http://carraracafe.com/modern-times-sci-fi-film/
My feelings are that if I need a realistic, high resolution human figure, why should I spend hundreds of hours conceptualizing, modeling, building morphs and deformations, UV mapping, texturing, rigging, setting constraints, weighting joint influences, etc. not to mention doing all the above for a wardrobe as well?
Even Maya has the Maya Doll. Maybe it's time to show a little respect.
Consider lightening up a notch - I commented on Daz as a marketer and what their site says about them, not the software or its users. My "broad generalizations" were about what Daz seems to consider their market to be and they came from legitimately trying to find the product.
Imagine you've heard of Carrara and you're in the market for 3d software, so you google it and find the Daz home page:
Huge banner (monster, red-leather blonde, tiny-bikini brunette, ken-doll as, umm, I dunno, if the Village People expected the Spanish Inquisition (And yeah, he looks exactly like a freakin' ken doll!!!)... Scroll down for monster with bikini girl and bikini-girl on mac screen. Go "WTF??" And click "products" link. Slideshow - ken-doll-in-a-tube, monster monster bikini girl ken doll bikini girl monster... scroll downm past the giant banner and THERE - four tiny logos, one being Carrara. Click!
There's the new Carrara package - it's not a bikini girl (it's a warrior goddess with wings!)(Oops. That's a tree, not a wing...) Bonus - video about vegetation improvement... it never actually shows a render, just the same awful veg. previz as the last decade of carrara. Screen grabs of interface. Table says there no compatible 3d figures and no compatible 3d software??
It's great that when trying to find out how to try the software, people on the forum can point me to actual work done with the product. But relying on the software developer, I've learned there's a market for modeling kinda-real babes and monsters (and buying lots of clothing for them, apparently) and that Carrara is somehow part of that scene, but is being marketed like it's a plugin or add-on. Carrara even comes with "Vicki and Walter" (or something, just glanced at that when digging deeper). It's the red-headed stepchild of their product line, from a company that (to the uninitiated) seems to be "3D barbies and kens" at least from the experience of trying to find out about the product. (And yeah, I know Daz bought Poser and Poser was a big deal, etc... I could see using that to storyboard action scenes or something...)
Carrara was at one time kind of cutting edge - it started as "Ray Dream Designer" and was a little shocking for the late 90's, model, texture, light and animate. You couldn't make "Jurassic Park" with it, but still... Anyway, company traded hands and even went under, development very slow... from V5 to 8.5 in about 14 years. I probably modeled a thousand beverage cans with V5 when the energy drink craze was at its height (even though it had a infuriating texturing system, I knew the ropes, which involved "hoping" and "cussing"). I've animated things for music vids and TV spots, made bits of print ads, etc. Screen grabs show the same interface, I'm curious if all the same bugs are there...
Regarding C4D Lite which yes, I'm "excited" about to say the least: It's included with After Effects Cloud. So I can take my footage, track the camera movement, add a C4D layer and create a model (or environment) in C4d, and AE will render it. The first time you grab a camera and shoot a test clip and have a cube or whatever in the scene, lit and in match-moved perspective - it's pretty stunning. Even if you've match moved and tracked and modeled before, it's usually a fistfight - now it's just bang, done. But that's Adobe. C4D Lite has limited modeling tools vs. the full ($3kish) version. But the integration for doing cinematic stuff is superb. I'd rather not drop the $$ on a full version, but learning time is more expensive for me. All I need to do is model, unwrap & texture at a level higher than the free C4D - I can bring models in no problem.
But my instinct says Carrara wont be a long-term reality - at some point I'll have to learn something else.
I'm a marketing guy. (You want to make a living as an animator, photographer, DP, whatever, these days you need to be a marketing guy or gal. You need to foremost see yourself as a part of upping profitability for your client or company - the way you do that is whatever your skill is.) Daz seems to be clueless about marketing their product (or they're just waiting for it to die), to the point I can't tell if I want to buy it or not, if it will suit my needs, if they're supportive, etc. Every piece of software I've googled, read about on a forum, visited their site (lately Twixtor, Film Convert, stuff like that - $180 - $1000 range) their presentation has made me think "oooh, I want that!" Their trial has shown me if I **really** do or not.
I'm a damn American consumer - make NOT parting with my cash too painful to contemplate!
Hi,
here is the Mac trial version:
http://download.cnet.com/Carrara-8-Pro-Mac-64/3000-6677_4-75362544.html
rk.
I dunno to me, he sounded very familiar with Carrara and it appeared that he was just trying to publically talk himself out of buying it.
I use Carrara because it's easy. Also have Lightwave3D, 3DCoat and Zbrush (Adobe products Photoshop and Aftereffects) to help even out the rough edges.
The problem with the expensive packages is the expensive training. After you spend about $10K on training, one might start to eek out something presentable if they are halfway talented.
Regardless, it takes years to learn 3D which ever route one chooses. It's not for the fainthearted and has no easy buttons.
My advice, build a 3D toolbox, not a brand name kingdom.
Also, learn that failing is part of learning and grin about it over some cookies and milk.
if you do not want the skimpy Daz dollies esp Genesis you do not need C8.5
get C7 from 3D World magazine #133 maybe and maybe upgrade to C8.1 if desired
or run a Windows emulator on your Mac for that Cnet trial
there are many ways to do what you want if desired.
Daz does what is marketable for them
there are lots of modelers and original figure creators on this forum and carrara cafe but nobody sees any reason to alienate the premade content buyers like me as both work well together.
We are a happy bunch and you are most welcome, some even use gasp! Lightwave and other "Highend" apps too!
Thanks - I tried that one but it's 8 and crashes on 10.7x - my understanding is I need 8.5 to run on a newer OS. (10.7 isn't even that new). Zero interest in putting windows on my machine to run one app - heck, I'd have to buy a copy of windows...
And yep, I've got experience with older versions of Carrara but I'm a couple OS versions past feasibility... and I need something where I can wrap UVs, etc. Blender's just bizarre but capable, still poking around.
Someone mentioned a "famous 30-day refund" but there's simply no mention of that that's findable on the site - a quick google ("daz 30 day money back") finds support threads of people who've never gotten sales support and are kinda PO'd - with no Daz moderators chiming in.
I'll keep looking around or see if Daz responds to my support request... 5 days in on that one! Thanks for all the input, everyone.
Thanks - I tried that one but it's 8 and crashes on 10.7x - my understanding is I need 8.5 to run on a newer OS. (10.7 isn't even that new). Zero interest in putting windows on my machine to run one app - heck, I'd have to buy a copy of windows...
And yep, I've got experience with older versions of Carrara but I'm a couple OS versions past feasibility... and I need something where I can wrap UVs, etc. Blender's just bizarre but capable, still poking around.
Someone mentioned a "famous 30-day refund" but there's simply no mention of that that's findable on the site - a quick google ("daz 30 day money back") finds support threads of people who've never gotten sales support and are kinda PO'd - with no Daz moderators chiming in.
I'll keep looking around or see if Daz responds to my support request... 5 days in on that one! Thanks for all the input, everyone.
Yes, 30 day refund policy. It is written at the URL below along with how to read a product page from DAZ.
http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/artzone/pub/software/generalhelp/howtoreadproductpage
The longer version of the 30 day refund policy is in the right hand column of this page.
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/forums/21985197-100-Money-Back-Guarantee
Yes, 30 day refund policy. It is written at the URL below along with how to read a product page from DAZ.
http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/artzone/pub/software/generalhelp/howtoreadproductpage
The longer version of the 30 day refund policy is in the right hand column of this page.
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/forums/21985197-100-Money-Back-Guarantee
And as an addendum to that, please do remember that CS ihas been suffering with quite a lot of tickets having been filed after the last couple of sales, and do have a bit of a back log. Normally ticket turn round is pretty quick.