Content Organization
Dondec
Posts: 243
Hi everyone,
A bit new here, and I'm trying to make sense of the Carrara Content tab. Everything I've got was all installed using DIM, but a lot of it seems scattered around or buried under vendor names. I'm using 8.5 Pro (and if it helps, I also have DS 4.6).
If you've got some clarity on navigating the Carrara Content tab, tips about finding things, helpful web links, or Reorganization strategies, please let me know.
Really like to clear up some of the fog before my next major project. Thanks so much!
- Don
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I can't help with DIM, the Smart Content tab or Genesis as I still use Carrara 7.2 Pro.
I can offer a little insight into the Content tab. The Content tab is where you would find Poser style runtimes. Some people create runtimes for specific figures, clothes for those figures, etc.
The basic runtime structure will be a folder called runtime. Within that will be a geometry folder, a texture folder and a library folder. The geometry folder holds the folders that contain the .obj files for the items you use. The texture folder holds the folders that contain the image maps for the .obj files. The Library folder's sub-folders are what you see in the Content Browser. Figures for instance will contain rigged/articulated items, such as figures, clothes, etc. The files contained are usually .cr2 files and refer back to the Geometry folder and Texture folder.
The Pose folder contains .cr2 files with pose information, as well as mat poses which is basically a .cr2 file that loads a specified texture set stored in the Texture folder. For instance, if you have a V4 in your scene. you may have a texture set with different make-up or eye color options.
Most vendors put their products in folder with their names. You could probably get away with putting all your pants (for instance) in a single folder in your Figures directory in the Library, but if you move the .obj files and texture files out of their folders, you will break the file path and Carrara will ask you to locate them.
There is a Carrara information manual as a sticky at the top of the forum. It was created by forum regular Dartanbeck. He has a discussion of the browser in post 83 found here.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/15970/P75
You will also find a lot of other very useful posts in the thread. Dart has organized the thread very well.
There's an important thing to remember about the Content tab in Carrara, when using the DAZ Studio Content Library:
Ignore all of the artist named folders, and go straight to "Animals" or "People", etc.,
For example, for Genesis and all of the supporting products for Genesis, go to People > Genesis > (and then to the proper category from there)
Now, I'd also like to point out that in its current state, Carrara works much better with models set up for Poser, except in the cases of Genesis, Genesis 2, and the newer DAZ Animals, like DAZ Horse 2, Dragon 3, Big Cat 3, etc.,
So when it comes to installing your products via DIM, make sure to set up at least one 'runtime' structure so that you may install the Poser versions of Cars, houses, machines, landscapes, plants, figures that are not Genesis (like V4, M4, LoRes figures from Predatron, etc.,) and use that (those) runtime structure(s)to load those item into Carrara for a much more effortless experience ;)
Here is an article I wrote regarding setting up custom runtimes using DIM:
Daz Install Manager - Installing Custom Poser Runtimes
Basic walkthrough of designing your own custom runtime structure
Once you have your content loaded into Carrara, you may have optimized it to work its best in Carrara, which can take some time - getting the shaders the way you like them and such...
This is a good time to save your work in the Carrara format. So an easy way to set up a really sweet organizational library can be found in this article:
Your Carrara Browser
Making great stuff isn’t as cool if you can’t remember where you put it. Let’s get some good habits going right from the start
I have a bunch of info to help get into the game of playing with Carrara in the sticky thread:
►►► Carrara Information Manual ◄◄◄
Once you get to grips with Carrara, and find out all of the cool things you can do with it, I think that you'll agree that it's just the sweetest suite of 3D tools in the Realm!
I'm getting to grips with a new full-time job, and it's been messing with my internet/computer time, so I'm not nearly as active on the forum as usual - but that's temporary, I hope.
I love that thread myself!
I use it constantly to research various aspects of Carrara, as I'm still a growing Carrara artist too... but it's refreshing to hear others say that it's useful and organized. Thanks diomede64!
Thank you evilproducer, diomede64, and Dartanbeck.
Following the ideas in Dart’s write up (thank you so much for this), I created People, Clothes, Hair, Buildings and Props RUNTIMEs for Gen4. For Gen 5 and 6 I've got CONTENT directories for People, Hair, and Clothes and a Daz Props. It’s been a slow go, I’ve got a lot of stuff, but yes I’m finally getting some clarity here. Its all visible in the Carrara Content browser and all works when dragging into a scene! A huge step forward.
A few follow on questions:
• When there are 3 files associated with a product, as DS, PS and Legacy, I’m guessing I only need to install either the DS or PS one, the Legacy one I can ignore (I have Carrara 8.5 Pro and DS 4.6)
• When there’s as DS installer, and a much smaller PoserCF file (poser content file?) you need to install both of them in a DAZ Content file (not Poser runtime). Do I have that right?
• Generally I find the PS (poser) install works best. In some cases the DS ones don’t appear in the Carrara browser. I'm guessing incompatible file formats?
Thanks again for your thoughts. This is a huge step forward for me.
- Don
You don't need the PoserCF's (Poser Companion File) -- that's only needed for using DSON content in Poser 9 and up. They won't work in Carrara.
When there are both DS and Legacy versions, the DS version will be DSON content that will work in Carrara. When there's only DS and PS, the DS version may be DSON content (which will work in Carrara) or may be older DS formats (which won't).
...and the Genesis stuff only works in Carrara 8.5, and I imagine later versions - but later versions do not yet exist! LOL
Here's how I've been treating my content with DIM:
(Please keep in mind that I use a large drive on my workstation, which doesn't run much more than Carrara, DS, Howler, and my movie editing software - so I have a lot of space to work with)
First of all, Genesis. Genesis is an elaborate setup and a real leap in 3D figure technology. There's a lot more to it than what it might appear to a casual user. In the beginning, DAZ 3D performed updates as they worked toward perfecting the system, which required that older files got deleted as new ones were introduced. This even includes the common file format, which changed from .dsf to .duf
In the software, you don't see the file extension, so you don't see which is the dsf and which is the duf. So, by using DIM everything that needed to go away went away, and I was left with a clean install. Also, I don't want the whole Genesis system getting confused across multiple libraries - so I stick with just one. When I said Genesis just then, I was also referring to all of the rest of the new Triax Rigged figures, like the new horse, the new dragon, the new big cat, etc.,
Also, the DS Library already separates everything in a manner that I would use as separate libraries anyways, so I lost the need to do so. They put animals in Animals, etc.,
================================================================================================
I don't ask this of others... but "I" am a huge DAZ 3D fan!
That said, I have abundant faith in the idea that DAZ 3D is going to work on Carrara and get all of this stuff grooving my socks off in time. I'm not growing money in my yard - the stuff just doesn't grow in Wisconsin. So I'm a patient man when it comes to Carrara development and even appreciate that we don't see new versions every year or so - since I just can't help myself but to buy the latest as it becomes available - I have to... my entire soul depends on it! LOL After all... Carrara and Project Dogwaffle Pro: Howler are my main two reasons to turn my computer on in the first place - besides my coming in here to hang out, converse, and offer my opinions, advice, nonsense... you know....
Anyways, that's my reasoning for installing DS versions of things that I currently only use Poser versions of. Never know, it might just end up where DS stuff works better in Carrara? Who knows. But as long as I've got the space....
...and I always eventually upgrade to a larger main drive for my system. Windows loves having blank space to work with during optimizing files for efficiency, and I like Windows to feel efficient. Besides, my upgrades make new storage drives for my ever growing collection of animation renders, which I save as Full Frame avi, so they're quite large! LOL
But in the meantime, I am enjoying tweaking around with some Genesis figures that I've made, using Carrara's modeling tools to model stuff around Genesis and exporting over to DS (obj format) to mess around with DS's fantastic Content Creation system Tools! Fun!
But my main project is still pushing on with the excellent Generation 4 figures! As much as I love the new G2 male and females (they're shapes are vastly superior to anything I've seen to date), my animations work works very well using M4 and V4 and my loads and loads of Poser content! Yummy Fun!
I'm working with my Beautiful, Wonderful, Reason-for Living , Wife, on getting time back for pouring into Carrara again. My new job has taxed me from free time, getting into a whole new sleeping pattern. That's a rough endeavor for me. But when we get this time into my hands, I have a bunch of YouTube sessions in the works that I look forward to completing. This topic might be a great subject(OT, not this Off topic babble! LOL) to add to the list!