DS content in Carrara 8.5?

Kharma

Is it impossible to use DS content in Carrara using the new database which I now have, or would I have to go back to the Valentina one? I don't have my Carrara installed right now but was going to reinstall until I thought I read somewhere that I would have to revert back to the old database to use my content

arcady

I've been using Daz Studio content just fine. I'm "newly returning" as of almost a month now - all fresh installs Daz wise, though I plugged in a decade old runtime from poser that's on an external drive... as well. And my Carrara is a fresh 8.5 pro install (I can't even install my old version 5 as I lost the box or papers or something that had the serial number).

My most recent image in my gallery here was set up in Daz and rendered in Carrara.

Dartanbeck

Carrara's Smart Content tab does require the Valentina version of CMS.
But if you simply ignore that Smart Content tab (see below), your DS content will work pretty fine!

Content Tab for DS Content:
I don't actively use DS, so I still install most of my content as I did before the newer DS structure, when it still used the Poser Runtime structure. But I do use the DS structure for Genesis and other Triax figures, as that's the only way they work.

So in the Content tab, under "My DAZ 3D Library", I immediately scroll to "People", and from there I find everything that has to do with Genesis, Genesis 2, and their related items, like clothing, props, etc.,
...and then "Animals" for Horse 2, Dragon 3, Big Cat 2, etc.,

Kharma

Ok that sounds good as I don't use smart content at all, just the content tab and my own categories. I do have all my content installed by DIM to an external HD but tthat shouldn't cause a problem should it? Carrara should still see it correct?

evilproducer

Kharma said:

Ok that sounds good as I don't use smart content at all, just the content tab and my own categories. I do have all my content installed by DIM to an external HD but tthat shouldn't cause a problem should it? Carrara should still see it correct?

You may have to point Carrara to the runtimes on the external drives the first time. Then it should remember the locations provided the drives are mounted.

To point Carrara to a runtime, select the Content Browser tab, and on the top right side of the browser window there is a little, black icon. Click it, and it will give you the option to add a runtime. I don't know if the Auto Detect Runtime scans external drives or not. BTW, the icon is contextual, so if you're in the Objects Browser, or Shader Browser, it will give you the option to add folders of those items.

A note about my screen shots: I don't have C8.5, so I don't have the Smart Content tab, just the plain Jane Content tab, so my screen shot will look slightly different than your version, but from what I've seen the icon is in the same spot.

Kharma

thank you evilproducer, that helps :) For some reason I always find installing Carrara and its addons difficult as files don't seem to end up where I want them or I can't find them from inside carrara...why I do not know.

Diomede

Kharma said:

thank you evilproducer, that helps :) For some reason I always find installing Carrara and its addons difficult as files don't seem to end up where I want them or I can't find them from inside carrara...why I do not know.

,

Hi Kharma. Welcome to Carrara. Some tips for three categories of content follows.

1) content that is specific to Carrara - I have also had some issues installing Carrara-specific content, and then finding it later. In general, Carrara-specific content should be installed in the same directory as your Carrara program. For example, your folder that has the Carrara program will also have a folder called "presets" with subcategories for scenes, objects, shaders, etc. If you buy a set of shaders for Carrara, then they should end up in the shader category within your Carrara folder. Unfortunately, I have found that using DIM, or just extracting to the Carrara folder will sometimes create a new shader folder (in this example) and install the content there. If so, then you have to find the new folder and manually add it to your browser using the icon that EP showed above. This can happen sometimes even if you use the DIM to download, and even if you have correctly told the DIM where your Carrara program is. Annoying? Yes. But there are some great products by Howie Farkes, Ringomontfort, PhilW, Dartanbeck, and others that are definitely worth the trouble. Fenric has a shader plugin (not sure if sold in the Daz store) that you should get as soon as you can.

2) content in the "poser runtime format" for generation 4 figures and earlier - Content for Victoria 1,2,3,4, Michael 1,2,3,4, Aiko 3, David 3, The Freak (3), The Girl (3), etc., sometimes called the legacy figures, is created and stored in a runtime/libraries file structure with subfolders for characters, poses, props, etc. You will see some content in this format in the browser folder called "My Daz 3D Library Runtime". Note the word runtime in the name of the folder, which is used by a program called Poser.

Carrara will load other content in this format directly if you add the runtime that contains the content to your browser using the icon that EP showed in the post above. This includes the runtime in any Poser program installation. You will probably want to adjust the shaders, but other than that, this content will be easily used within Carrara. This includes using figures in the Smith Micro Poser family through Poser 7 (so called G2 figures Sydney and Simon). There are many other 3rd party figures and content in this format and structure, such as RDNA's unidwarf, which will also load directly in Carrara and work well in general.

The Poser/Smith Micro folks then came out with their version of weightmapping with Poser 8 and above. These weightmapped figures (including Rex, Roxie, Dawn, Tyler, Miki 4) do not work very well in Daz Studio or Carrara. There is a Carrara plugin by the great Fenric to facilitate use of such weightmapped figures in Carrara. Personally, I still find these figures more trouble than they are worth, but your experience may be better.

3) content in the "genesis DSON format" for Genesis, Genesis 2 Male, and Genesis 2 Female - Carrara 8.5 was created largely to facilitate use of Genesis-related content in Carrara.

First, there is a useful method of using such content, but that does not take full advantage of the all of the capabilities of Carrara. That is, you can easily use Daz Studio and Carrara the way people use Studio and Bryce. I mean that you can load your Genesis1,2f,2m figures in Studio, then morph, clothe, and pose your figures, save as a scene, then open the scene in Carrara to insert an outdoor landscape or indoor setting. You will likely want t adjust some shaders.

Second, and more powerfully (but also with more hiccups), you can load Genesis and Genesis 2 directly to Carrara from a folder called "My Daz 3D Library". This is my preferred use of such content. You can then pose, morph,... within Carrara without ever opening Daz Studio. Note that the word runtime is missing in the folder name. Again, you will likely want to adjust some shaders. Also, people have reported some problems with auto-fit, poke through, and a few other functions when using this method. Reports vary according to figure, content, etc. If you run into too many problems using this method, and want to use a specific piece of content, always remember the first method of saving a scene from Daz Studio and loading in Carrara.

Cheers