Smart Content Not Showing Up
roberthutchinson
Posts: 306
I have purchased and installed Carrara 8.5 Pro and have DAZ Studio 4.7 installed with all of my smart content showing in that application. I do not have this smart content showing in my Carrara Smart Content Tab. It does show in the content tab. Some reason the smart content in Carrara is not seeing the smart content in DAZ appropriately to have it show in the Carrara Smart Content Tab. Help!
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If you really want Smart Content in Carrara, we can do that, but we have to cover an understanding of what's going on right now, with your system, so that we can make it work... okay?
So, if some of this gets too wordy or confusing, just copy the part that you don't understand and we'll go from there. Here we go!
DAZ Studio was getting development cycles while Carrara was not, so when it was given a newer database system, it changes the database over to that system - one which Carrara doesn't understand how to read, so it doesn't connect - but don't worry, there are options to go either way at this time, so we're cool!
To use the new Database system in Carrara 8.5, you simply need to download and install (and use) the new Carrara 8.5 Beta.
Here is the information and discussion thread for the new Beta:
DAZ 3D is pleased to announce the next public version of the Carrara BETA - version 8.5.1.12
To access the beta, simply install it using your DIM - which is the only way to install the beta. In order to do so, you'll need to open your DIM, go to Settings, and make sure that you have "Software" (probably already do) and (here's the important one for this beta) "Public Build" checked in the Downloads tab. Then the new beta will show up in your Downloads tab so you can download and install it - it will NOT overwrite your current official version of Carrara 8.5
(to be continued)
If you decide to go with the Carrara 8.5 beta route, and still cannot get connected (I doubt this would be the case), this links to two posts where I've finally got mine working, but I doubt you'll have these issues: How I've Finally got Postgre database working in Carrara 8.5 Beta
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The other way to get Smart Content working (I think) in Carrara 8.5 is to uninstall Postgre Database using DIM. Smart Content will still work in DAZ Studio 4.7 Pro, but it will use the Valentia Database instead of the newer Postgre - and from what I've read, the differences are minimal. DAZ 3D switched to Postgre for good reason beyond the scope of my current understanding, and eventually the official version of Carrara 8.5 (I think) will also be using it as the default system.
If you uninstall Postgre (using DIM) and Smart Content isn't working in either Carrara or DAZ Studio, then go to Program Files (86) > DAZ 3D > DAZ DIM (or something like that) and run the CMS exe., which is in a folder called cms, I believe (I'm not on my Carrara machine right now)
I hope this helps... let's see how you do, and/or if you have any questions from here ;)
Personally, I would suggest going with the Beta. It's the same as the version you're running now, except that it has some bugs fixed and it uses the current DAZ Smart Content database. Aside from that, it's exactly the same!
Taking this route, you'll want to make sure that you copy over Carrara Native Content and any plugins you may have installed. Here's an easy way to accomplish this task:
This is assuming that you're using the DIM. If you're not, simply download all of your Carrara addons and Native Content files (you may even still have them on your machine) and install them to the new Program Files > DAZ 3D > Carrara 8.5 Beta Public Build (or whatever it's called) folder.
Using your DIM, uninstall all of your Carrara addons, including the Native Content. Note: Carrara Render Node is only for secondary computers to be used for network rendering - you do NOT need this on your main Carrara machine.
Once uninstalled, you'll have them either in your Downloads or your Ready to Install tab
Go back into Settings and go the the Applications tab. See if the Beta is available in the list. If so, check it and deselect the other available Carrara installation. If this was possible, then just have DIM install the files to the default location, and it will install everything to the new Beta.
If the above was not possible, while in Settings, go to the "Installation" tab, and add the address to the new Beta to the list and get back out of the Settings window, and back to the main DIM.
In the Ready to Install tab, put a check in the box on the bottom: "Show Details"
In the drop down in that bottom window, select the Beta address as the location to install to and then install your files.
An alternate method to install all of your Addons and Native Content to the Beta would be to go to your Product Library in your DAZ 3D account and use the "download" buttons to simply download al of the files manually to your machine and install them to the beta manually.
I understand what you are talking about, but my first issue is that the beta does NOT show up in my DIM no matter how I fix the filter. I do not understand this in that I have purchased the Carrara Pro 8.5.
Okay, in the Downloads tab make sure you have the display hidden checked.
if you have that and all else fails try the link in the first post of that thread I linked to above.
Did you go to the 8.5 beta and put it in your shopping basket on the DAZ website ? you have to "buy" the beta before it will show up in your DIM.
Yes, I tried that but they want to charge me $199.00 for it.
It shoud be zero once you put it in your shopping basket.
From Dartans link above:
Nope!! $199.00
If you look up Carrara pro 8.5 (not the beta), does it say "Purchased" there ?
Yes, it does.
Ah, I have no idea then, after I purchased 8.5 pro I could put the beta in the basket and I got it for free,
no idea why that does not work for you.
I will put in a ticket.
Make sure your Download Filters in DIM include "Public Build".
So, my question is what version did I pay for? It says Pro 8.5...so now I have to purchase the public build for $199.00? That is a lot of baloney...I am really upset now!!
Could it be possible she's thinking of the original C8.5 beta and not the new C8.5.x beta (bug fix)?
If you open C8.5 Pro, do you have icons for the ocean primitive and the 3D paint tool? Do you have the option to select render passes in the render room?
I do not see any of that. My about says Carra 8.5 Pro Build 243 (64 bit)
Whomever was helping me before my last post went away, please let's continue.
Yes, I have these...I finally found them.
Okay... this is what I would suggest:
Submit a support ticket, if you haven't done so already. Don't wait... do it now.
Until they put it into your DIM downloads, play around with the Carrara 8.5 Pro version that you have. Smart Content really isn't anything that even comes close to exciting me in Carrara - I actually completely avoid that whole tab.
Use the Content tab instead. All Genesis related stuff will be under "People" in the "My DAZ 3D Library" category at the top of your Content tab.
Something very useful to know about current Carrara is that, other than Genesis, Genesis 2, the new DAZ Horse and Dragon 3 and the new Big Cat, etc., avoid using DAZ versions of content, at least as far as I have heard. If all you have are DAZ Studio versions of content installed, go ahead and give them a try. But if they just don't seem to work properly, chances are it's a format issue that can be corrected most easily by installing the Poser Runtime version of the content as well, and load that instead.
Don't get me wrong, they do have the DUF format working pretty well for Genesis and such, but it's the brand new feature that they've labored to get into Carrara, and it still has its problems, which will hopefully be worked out as they further develop Carrara.
Carrara has been made to work with Poser content quite some time ago, and it does that very well - just as one would expect it to work. You'll still need to do some reading around this forum, the manual, perhaps get some Carrara tutorial time in on using content and such before diving straight in.
Smart Content was designed around the newest DAZ Studio database setup in their side panes, and works a lot differently in that than it does in here. Perhaps it's just that I have worked with the Poser runtime style of locating content so long that I have got totally familiar with how and where to find the stuff that I've bought. Then I optimize that content for use in Carrara and save it in Carrara file saves to my browser in Carrara, which makes it very easy for me to find, since I've made my own cataloging system.
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I'm not really trying to down-play Smart Content just because "I" don't find it to be very useful in Carrara.
But I am trying to let you know to not feel as if you're being massively shorted somehow by not yet having access to the beta. I'm fairly sure that, once you have the beta and see the Smart Content system yourself, you'll agree that it is certainly not the best part of Carrara... not by a long shot. It's actually harder (for me) to find certain things than by using the Content tab.
Once you let DAZ know (they never check the Carrara forum, like they might the DS forum), it won't take long and you'll have the Beta, unless they've stopped issuing it for some reason.
Thanks, you have been real helpful. Now I am going to play. Support ticket has been put in.
Q: Are you new to Carrara?
I started into 3D by accident! LOL
I was making custom textures for a game called Neverwinter Nights, and was approached to join a team to be their texture artist, which I've accepted. After a short time working with the 3d asset modeler on the team, he got me going, introduced me to Poser 5 (new back then) and it was all over after that! He taught me how to model before the Poser thing, but I loved the idea of not having to go through the whole process of making all assets, plus I liked doing stills of characters and such.
It didn't take long before I started looking for something that could load files from Poser runtimes, or something similar, but also had modeling capabilities, and the only thing 'my' search came up with were threads of forums where folks were not being all that successful with LightWave - but they could at least get some imports working, but then they didn't have access to the morphs and such anymore. I kept a hopeful eye open, but was a bit disheartened. I really wanted to animate as easily as I could with Poser, and have access to all of the content - especially the content from a certain asset shop that I really liked called DAZ 3D, whom made a line of figures called Victoria and Michael! Tee hee hee!!! I got Victoria 3 and Michael 3 free and tried their first attempt at a rendering studio called DAZ|Studio 0.7 Beta, and they offered a few more cool 3D assets for free as well. It was their figures that really caught me. The shapes were the best darned things out there, and the morphs... oh man all those morphs!!!
I tried Victoria 4 when she first came out with some reluctance. Her morphs worked differently, she seemed a little more petite, and there wasn't a whole lot of extras available yet... and then... all of a sudden a new face was showing in their store, but it was not a figure, it was this glorious thing called Bryce 5 Pro! I downloaded and printed out the manual and bound the pages like a store-bought book. I still have that! It was while I was trying to wrap my head around how this crazy software works by reading bits of the manual when I had time (still didn't have the actual software), I was in a waiting room at a hospital when my daughter was ill and a fellow there had a laptop with a very recognizable 3d female model loaded up - but it wasn't Poser, nor was it D|S... whoa... look at those tiny Poser-like manipulators along the left side of the screen?
Whoa... it was Carrara 5 Pro!!!
Enough of my life's story! :ahhh:
Carrara 8 was in beta when my super-wonderful, beautiful sweet wife said to me when I got home after a long, hard day at work: "Dartan, you know that software and some kind of membership you wanted for $xxx.xx ? I want you to order that. I have it all saved up and an extra $100 for you to spend on goodies to help you get started"
OMG! I kind of stood there in shock for a few seconds... then I got online!!!
What a blast that was - the thrill of downloading all of that wonderful stuff!!! I still have a special folder containing everything that I purchased that glorious day!
The really cool thing is that Carrara has completely blown away my expectations of what I was going to use it for. Yes, I bought it for animating V4 and M4 characters, the Millennium Dragon 2, etc., while having the ability to model in my own movement morphs into conforming clothes and hair, as well as V4 and M4 themselves. There were some other clothing items that I wanted to try and fix poke through on.
My time with Carrara has really been a joy... and it was this forum community that really helped me to straighten my head around the differences and to introduce me to all of the vast extra features that I've never dreamed of having the ability to create with!
Now it's my favorite reason to turn on a computer! No PC game has come close to keeping me nearly as thrilled as creating an animation sequence in Carrara... not even close! I hate to beat the subject with a stick, but since there is so much to this software, it can almost have an effect of leaving a newcomer stuck in an awe, wondering what to do - there's so much - and it's all right there within the same easy grasp as everything else - right in front of you.
Just use the tools that ARE familiar right from the start and you'll see the similarities get easier. Then you'll start to realize some of the extra levels of bliss. And then more and more. Years later, you'll discover something else, even though you've been blasting away at learning new stuff all along! Freaking awesome!
Help > Carrara Online Help is an in-software link to the pdf User Manual, which is a fantastic tome to print out and stick in one of those giant 3-ring binders. Buy some extra ink first though! LOL
It's so nice to have a hard copy of that thing - it's a great book of Carrara and 3D software knowledge.
This forum has a plethora of education built in to it - just from people asking questions and then a whole discussion erupts containing many workflows towards getting the intended query resolved. There are also some threads which were made right from the start to tell folks how something can be done. Sometimes it can be a really great experience to just click through the pages, browsing the titles of threads, looking for something of interest. It's amazing how much you can learn like that.
Carrara Information Manual sticky thread has a pile of links in it that index to some of those threads, even though I haven't updated it in a while, there's still an excellent selection of stuff in there, including an index to Cripeman's excellent free video tutorials, quite a few written tutorials, SciFi Funk has a large list of fine, lengthy tutorials of inspiration and some really handy ideas that really stick with you as you take on creating and saving gigantic scenes with multitudes of people and vehicles, buildings and everything else, there is a link to some preview sample videos of the Infinite Skills Carrara training courses taught by our very own Phil Wilkes, knower of everything Carrara, piles of other links to topics that I wrote as I learned them - often a consolidation of what I've learned between asking here and figuring out the rest in Carrara...
Yikes look at the time!
Sorry for going on and on so.... :shut:
Anyways, if you are new to Carrara, Welcome aboard, and welcome home! Home is, after all, where the heart is!
Q: Are you new to Carrara?
I started into 3D by accident! LOL
I was making custom textures for a game called Neverwinter Nights, and was approached to join a team to be their texture artist, which I've accepted. After a short time working with the 3d asset modeler on the team, he got me going, introduced me to Poser 5 (new back then) and it was all over after that! He taught me how to model before the Poser thing, but I loved the idea of not having to go through the whole process of making all assets, plus I liked doing stills of characters and such.
It didn't take long before I started looking for something that could load files from Poser runtimes, or something similar, but also had modeling capabilities, and the only thing 'my' search came up with were threads of forums where folks were not being all that successful with LightWave - but they could at least get some imports working, but then they didn't have access to the morphs and such anymore. I kept a hopeful eye open, but was a bit disheartened. I really wanted to animate as easily as I could with Poser, and have access to all of the content - especially the content from a certain asset shop that I really liked called DAZ 3D, whom made a line of figures called Victoria and Michael! Tee hee hee!!! I got Victoria 3 and Michael 3 free and tried their first attempt at a rendering studio called DAZ|Studio 0.7 Beta, and they offered a few more cool 3D assets for free as well. It was their figures that really caught me. The shapes were the best darned things out there, and the morphs... oh man all those morphs!!!
I tried Victoria 4 when she first came out with some reluctance. Her morphs worked differently, she seemed a little more petite, and there wasn't a whole lot of extras available yet... and then... all of a sudden a new face was showing in their store, but it was not a figure, it was this glorious thing called Bryce 5 Pro! I downloaded and printed out the manual and bound the pages like a store-bought book. I still have that! It was while I was trying to wrap my head around how this crazy software works by reading bits of the manual when I had time (still didn't have the actual software), I was in a waiting room at a hospital when my daughter was ill and a fellow there had a laptop with a very recognizable 3d female model loaded up - but it wasn't Poser, nor was it D|S... whoa... look at those tiny Poser-like manipulators along the left side of the screen?
Whoa... it was Carrara 5 Pro!!!
Enough of my life's story! :ahhh:
Carrara 8 was in beta when my super-wonderful, beautiful sweet wife said to me when I got home after a long, hard day at work: "Dartan, you know that software and some kind of membership you wanted for $xxx.xx ? I want you to order that. I have it all saved up and an extra $100 for you to spend on goodies to help you get started"
OMG! I kind of stood there in shock for a few seconds... then I got online!!!
What a blast that was - the thrill of downloading all of that wonderful stuff!!! I still have a special folder containing everything that I purchased that glorious day!
The really cool thing is that Carrara has completely blown away my expectations of what I was going to use it for. Yes, I bought it for animating V4 and M4 characters, the Millennium Dragon 2, etc., while having the ability to model in my own movement morphs into conforming clothes and hair, as well as V4 and M4 themselves. There were some other clothing items that I wanted to try and fix poke through on.
My time with Carrara has really been a joy... and it was this forum community that really helped me to straighten my head around the differences and to introduce me to all of the vast extra features that I've never dreamed of having the ability to create with!
Now it's my favorite reason to turn on a computer! No PC game has come close to keeping me nearly as thrilled as creating an animation sequence in Carrara... not even close! I hate to beat the subject with a stick, but since there is so much to this software, it can almost have an effect of leaving a newcomer stuck in an awe, wondering what to do - there's so much - and it's all right there within the same easy grasp as everything else - right in front of you.
Just use the tools that ARE familiar right from the start and you'll see the similarities get easier. Then you'll start to realize some of the extra levels of bliss. And then more and more. Years later, you'll discover something else, even though you've been blasting away at learning new stuff all along! Freaking awesome!
Help > Carrara Online Help is an in-software link to the pdf User Manual, which is a fantastic tome to print out and stick in one of those giant 3-ring binders. Buy some extra ink first though! LOL
It's so nice to have a hard copy of that thing - it's a great book of Carrara and 3D software knowledge.
This forum has a plethora of education built in to it - just from people asking questions and then a whole discussion erupts containing many workflows towards getting the intended query resolved. There are also some threads which were made right from the start to tell folks how something can be done. Sometimes it can be a really great experience to just click through the pages, browsing the titles of threads, looking for something of interest. It's amazing how much you can learn like that.
Carrara Information Manual sticky thread has a pile of links in it that index to some of those threads, even though I haven't updated it in a while, there's still an excellent selection of stuff in there, including an index to Cripeman's excellent free video tutorials, quite a few written tutorials, SciFi Funk has a large list of fine, lengthy tutorials of inspiration and some really handy ideas that really stick with you as you take on creating and saving gigantic scenes with multitudes of people and vehicles, buildings and everything else, there is a link to some preview sample videos of the Infinite Skills Carrara training courses taught by our very own Phil Wilkes, knower of everything Carrara, piles of other links to topics that I wrote as I learned them - often a consolidation of what I've learned between asking here and figuring out the rest in Carrara...
Yikes look at the time!
Sorry for going on and on so.... :shut:
Anyways, if you are new to Carrara, Welcome aboard, and welcome home! Home is, after all, where the heart is!
Yes, I am new to Carrara. I purchased version 8 way back a few years ago but never got to use it. I have been stuck in DAZ Studio, which I love. I have Poser 2014 I am trying to learn...that seems a bear. I purchased Animate2 in DAZ Studio to explore animation, but not satisfied in the jumpiness. I started looking for a software program that was great in animation and landed on Iclone6. I almost purchased that until I read that Carrara was much better. So, I purchased Carrara 8.5 Pro the other day. I know that I can do a lot with this version, I just am a person who likes to work with cutting edge software. This is why I am a beta tester for DAZ Studio. I was just looking to get the Carrara 8.5 Pro Beta Public Build to play with it along side the stable version and could not justify why I could not get it free like everyone else who purchased C8.5 Pro. Anyhow, thanks for the welcome and I liked your story very much. I accidently landed in 3D modeling one day way back with a software program "Crazy Talk". I liked making pictures of myself and my cat talk with this software. I then started reading and exploring how to make 3D models from pictures. I accidently landed at DAZ 3D while on an internet search and then I started spending money. Vickie4 was my girl..then, the rest is history, some 1100 plus items I have purchased form DAZ and Renderosity. I love making still models, as well. So, that is my story so far. I am addicted to this so much that I have over 200 items in my wish list yet to purchase....I think I cannot be cured! I look forward to hearing from fellow modelers such as yourself and anticipate learning so much more from everyone else's learning experiences. Her is one of my latest models. She is fun to work with.
Yes, I am new to Carrara. I purchased version 8 way back a few years ago but never got to use it. I have been stuck in DAZ Studio, which I love. I have Poser 2014 I am trying to learn...that seems a bear. I purchased Animate2 in DAZ Studio to explore animation, but not satisfied in the jumpiness. I started looking for a software program that was great in animation and landed on Iclone6. I almost purchased that until I read that Carrara was much better. So, I purchased Carrara 8.5 Pro the other day. I know that I can do a lot with this version, I just am a person who likes to work with cutting edge software. This is why I am a beta tester for DAZ Studio. I was just looking to get the Carrara 8.5 Pro Beta Public Build to play with it along side the stable version and could not justify why I could not get it free like everyone else who purchased C8.5 Pro. Anyhow, thanks for the welcome and I liked your story very much. I accidently landed in 3D modeling one day way back with a software program "Crazy Talk". I liked making pictures of myself and my cat talk with this software. I then started reading and exploring how to make 3D models from pictures. I accidently landed at DAZ 3D while on an internet search and then I started spending money. Vickie4 was my girl..then, the rest is history, some 1100 plus items I have purchased form DAZ and Renderosity. I love making still models, as well. So, that is my story so far. I am addicted to this so much that I have over 200 items in my wish list yet to purchase....I think I cannot be cured! I look forward to hearing from fellow modelers such as yourself and anticipate learning so much more from everyone else's learning experiences. Her is one of my latest models. She is fun to work with.
you should have got iClone 6 pro if you want to do animation .
Is it a good software package? What will I need for my DAZ models to be imported in it? Do, I just need the Iclone6 program or other plugins?
its a good program .
you will need iClone + 3dXchange .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH4coQNeloA
Yes, I have these...I finally found them.
I just wanted to try and confirm that you actually had the Pro version.
Daz did right by me and got me the Beta public build:-)
Daz did right by me and got me the Beta public build. Now, I have all of my smart content showing in this release. Hurrah!!