Hexagon to Carrara
Zach Wilson
Posts: 92
I made a simple cube in Hexagon then exported as a .car file with the all settings at thier default but when I try to open the file in Carrara I get an I/O error occurred while executing open. So does this still work with Carrara 8.5 or do I need to just export as an obj file which seems to work.
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It didn't work, but now it does. They were giving Hex a 64 bit upgrade and working on the Mac version. My version of Hexagon is 2.5.2.137 which is sitll Beta. I just did a test. Created a simple sphere in hexagon and extruded one face. I saved the result as a CAR file using the Hexagon save dialogue. I opened directly in Carrara. No error. No problem.
Aha! Caution. Hex version 2.5.2.137 does not work on Mac Catalina, according to the product page. Not sure if there is a work around. Might ask in the Hex forum.
https://www.daz3d.com/hexagon-beta
It is a Beta public build. Windows, apparently.
I see the problem I thought my 2.5.2.109 was the latest Hex. So I got the beta went to download it via DIM from the Hexagon Beta Product page it launches DIM but doesn't do anything after that.
I am quickly out of my depth.
On installing the latest Beta for Hex, see https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/256961/hexagon-beta-version-2-5-2-137-updated/p1
About all I can offer is to ask if you enabled show public beta in DIM.
Thanks for the forum link and yeah public beta under downloads in DIM was unticked.
Who would even think that Carrara artists would ever want to use Hexagon?
But it's a great little modeler! I've been using it more and more lately - not really to model anything, just doing tweaks. But still!
I haven't tried the 'Save as CAR' yet. Gonna have to play with that! :)
Hey Diomede, thanks for all the help and links!
Speaking of, has anyone here tried UV Mapping in Hexagon?
UV Mapping was a hot topic here for a while there. Remember Garstor? :)
Just curious if anyone's tried it. I keep jumping straight from render back to animation, simulation, save and render... over and over.
One of these days I need to just take a break and experiment with things unknown!
Hex is an awesome program. I used Hexagon as a modeller even before I started modelling in Carrara. UV's are another animal altogether, they make it seem so simple in the multitude of video tuts I've aquired over the years but uv mapping has always been a stumbling block for me. I quess that's why I've opted for pre-made models, but simple stuff I can do, like a cube.
Geek@play did some great tutorials for Hexagon, I think I downloaded all of them, and that's how I started modelling in Carrara, using those Hex tuts as a guide
Anyone try Wings 3D? Open source and it looks a bit more friendly than Hex. I was just reading about it yesterday, so am curious.
Our friend, Age of Armour has a few cool video tutorials on Wings3D
Another near-free option that Fifth Element uses, and looks really good is Silo
I gave up on looking - at least for now. I've decided that Carrara and Hexagon already do everything I ask them to, and modeling is not my main forte`, so I decided not to undergo more rigorous software education for the moment.
But that's me
Thanks, Dart! It's worth a look. I never got on with Hex but maybe that was because of the crash issues back then.
Silene
Hex still crashes. I like a lot about it, but I have models that are too corrupted to load. No thank you. Carrara gives a better experience there. Also, if you're one of those people who cares a lot about topology, Carrara has wonderful spline-based surface tools. But Carrara suffers the same fate on Mac as every other program that uses OGL or OCL. Current Mac OS won't play that. Apple cares only for their own Metal 3D technology.
Wings... I've seen people do cool stuff with that, but could never wrap my brain around it.
If one is looking for other options besides the rapidly developed new Blender, one might try the free anim8or.
3D modeling is both simple and difficult, depending on what must be done.
Stezza's Wacky Modeling ~ In Carrara ~ thread is an excellent example of this. I like how he reminds us from time to time when he starts from a cube, but the end result is an organic being. This is the most commonly used practice of creating new 3D models. If you read what he's saying, it also appears that he enjoyed quickly doing what he did to make the current result.
With any 3D modeler, the more we practice on subjects we actually want to make the more comfortable all of this becomes.
The way my text book explained it is to think of a six-polygon cube as the initial clump of clay. Instead of kneading it into a workable state, we subdivide or extrude our cube. Just like working clay, if we want to make a certain shape we have to squeeze, pinch, push and pull the clay into that shape. Like working clay, we begin with the most basic of shapes that just take the mass closer to the final shape, even though it's still Incredibly far away from the finished shape.
It's a patience game - and the more we practice the better we get. The better we get the less we realize that we're being patient - because everything just works, or we fix it.
Expensive studio software is expensive because of the constant development. 3D software is made by very smart people - and very smart people are expensive. Many new features make for more options toward end results, but they don't change the fact that we all have to be able to model what we want to model in any 3D software before most of these modern advancements become a benefit.
I no longer have that text book as I gave it to evilproducer the first time we met in person. It had instructions for modeling a human figure using two methods - polygon modeling and Nurb modeling. Carrara 3 Handbook shows how to make a human using the Spline modeler.
There's a Lot to making a human especially if the intention is that the end result is a rigged figure.
With any kind of 3D modeling, just keep in mind that we all suck at it until the time comes that we don't.
Sorry for the OT babble!
This is Vyusur, showing what an educated 3D model artist can do with Carrara's vertex model room
This is Fifth Element (remember him?) rendering in Carrara the things he's modeled in Nevercenter's Silo
This is Stezza, showing us all how to make a convincing tennis ball in Carrara's vertex modeler... and then some
Getting back on topic, here's a very basic tutorial by Daz 3d on an earlier release of the new, free Hexagon
and here's a video playlist of older Hexagon tutorial videos
Hexagon Tutorial Videos Playlist
I went out of my way not to say the B-word, but B2.8+ is a game-changer.
If you want to breathe new life into old .3ds models, Carrara wins. No contest! It simply wins, and I tried several other solutions on the way to that determination.
And I will stand on the opinion, despite good results attained by folks like Arki, that Hexagon is not a stable, reliable solution.