Shader question

DecoyboyDecoyboy Posts: 508
edited December 1969 in Carrara Discussion

So the other day i bought 8.5 pro for $12,50, and now i see all this stuff in fast grab for it. So i was wondering if these skin shaders really aid in making the figures look more real, or does the defult settings work just as good. Plus, if the shader is for V6, does that mean it's good for all V6 textures or just the defult texture (Bree i think)? I'd like to get into Carrara more, so i am thinking of buying the Carrara 8.5 Tutorial Video - Instant Digital Download by infinite skills and before i buy it would like to know if i should add those shaders to the cart. Also, i plan on getting luxus for it, would that be better than the shaders?


Thank you for the help.

Comments

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    Can't speak to Luxus or the whole skin/character/UV thing, but PhilW's Infinite Skills tutorials about Carrara are very highly recommended.

    If the skin shaders are from RingoMonfort, then they are designed and optimized for Carrara. They will be high res shaders, so the detail should be excellent. Ringo is a frequent contributor to these forums, so if send him a PM or ask a question in one of his threads, he may be able to answer your questions about what characters they work with.

    Here's one of his more recent threads.
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/54576/

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    Just a quick note about shaders.

    D|S, Poser, Lightwave, Carrara, Blender, etc. etc. etc. All use different render engines. As such, shader systems and as such don't always translate properly between programs. This is not a fault of the program, just a technical fact.

    When using a Poser style figure, such as V4, there will be tweaks that need to be made as Carrara has different shader functions than Poser or they may be similar, but not quite the same. This means a certain amount of shader work will be required to correct errors in translation. For instance, Carrara tends to ignore maps that drive specular effects. They can be used, but they need to be added manually. Sometimes a color multiplier is added to the color image maps, giving the figure a greenish/bluish color. These are all easily correctable issues. Fenric even makes a plugin called Shader Doctor or something similar.

    Ringo's skin shaders do that work for you. Plus Ringo is very good at getting a very realistic look.

    Carrara Pro should come with skin shaders for Genesis (not sure which version) that are optimized for Carrara. If they are installed correctly, they will be under the Shader Tab of your Browser under Skin. Just select Actor from the figure's hierarchy, and at the top of the window will be a shader tab. Select it, and a shading domain list with a big muti-colored ball at the top should be revealed. Drag the shader-ball icon from the Shader Browser and drop it directly onto the multi-colored ball and all the domains will fill with the correct shaders.

  • DecoyboyDecoyboy Posts: 508
    edited December 1969

    Thank you for the quick response. I will keep the training video in the cart. hopefully can get an answer before i head off to bed. Not sure how long this fast grab will last. Thank you again for the help.

  • DecoyboyDecoyboy Posts: 508
    edited December 1969

    Just a quick note about shaders.

    D|S, Poser, Lightwave, Carrara, Blender, etc. etc. etc. All use different render engines. As such, shader systems and as such don't always translate properly between programs. This is not a fault of the program, just a technical fact.

    When using a Poser style figure, such as V4, there will be tweaks that need to be made as Carrara has different shader functions than Poser or they may be similar, but not quite the same. This means a certain amount of shader work will be required to correct errors in translation. For instance, Carrara tends to ignore maps that drive specular effects. They can be used, but they need to be added manually. Sometimes a color multiplier is added to the color image maps, giving the figure a greenish/bluish color. These are all easily correctable issues. Fenric even makes a plugin called Shader Doctor or something similar.

    Ringo's skin shaders do that work for you. Plus Ringo is very good at getting a very realistic look.

    Carrara Pro should come with skin shaders for Genesis (not sure which version) that are optimized for Carrara. If they are installed correctly, they will be under the Shader Tab of your Browser under Skin. Just select Actor from the figure's hierarchy, and at the top of the window will be a shader tab. Select it, and a shading domain list with a big muti-colored ball at the top should be revealed. Drag the shader-ball icon from the Shader Browser and drop it directly onto the multi-colored ball and all the domains will fill with the correct shaders.


    I will try this. Well i am pretty much leaning towards ringo's shader bundles, the training vid, the light dome bundles and skies bundle, luxus and add-on, and the realistic sea. I think i will start with those.

  • ringo monfortringo monfort Posts: 945
    edited December 1969

    decoyboy said:
    So the other day i bought 8.5 pro for $12,50, and now i see all this stuff in fast grab for it. So i was wondering if these skin shaders really aid in making the figures look more real, or does the defult settings work just as good. Plus, if the shader is for V6, does that mean it's good for all V6 textures or just the defult texture (Bree i think)? I'd like to get into Carrara more, so i am thinking of buying the Carrara 8.5 Tutorial Video - Instant Digital Download by infinite skills and before i buy it would like to know if i should add those shaders to the cart. Also, i plan on getting luxus for it, would that be better than the shaders?


    Thank you for the help.

    Greetings decoyboy,

    All the skin shaders have been optimize for Carrara.
    Here is a link to my Gallery here at DAZ 3D.

    https://www.daz3d.com/gallery/users/90

    You can see the skin shaders in the Gallery images.
    The shaders are skill at 50 % OFF.

    Regards

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    decoyboy said:
    So the other day i bought 8.5 pro for $12,50, and now i see all this stuff in fast grab for it. So i was wondering if these skin shaders really aid in making the figures look more real, or does the defult settings work just as good. Plus, if the shader is for V6, does that mean it's good for all V6 textures or just the defult texture (Bree i think)? I'd like to get into Carrara more, so i am thinking of buying the Carrara 8.5 Tutorial Video - Instant Digital Download by infinite skills and before i buy it would like to know if i should add those shaders to the cart. Also, i plan on getting luxus for it, would that be better than the shaders?


    Thank you for the help.

    Greetings decoyboy,

    All the skin shaders have been optimize for Carrara.
    Here is a link to my Gallery here at DAZ 3D.

    https://www.daz3d.com/gallery/users/90

    You can see the skin shaders in the Gallery images.
    The shaders are skill at 50 % OFF.

    Regards


    So how does the character thing work Ringo? Does the shader set come with the character, or is it strictly the shaders?

  • DecoyboyDecoyboy Posts: 508
    edited December 1969

    decoyboy said:
    So the other day i bought 8.5 pro for $12,50, and now i see all this stuff in fast grab for it. So i was wondering if these skin shaders really aid in making the figures look more real, or does the defult settings work just as good. Plus, if the shader is for V6, does that mean it's good for all V6 textures or just the defult texture (Bree i think)? I'd like to get into Carrara more, so i am thinking of buying the Carrara 8.5 Tutorial Video - Instant Digital Download by infinite skills and before i buy it would like to know if i should add those shaders to the cart. Also, i plan on getting luxus for it, would that be better than the shaders?


    Thank you for the help.

    Greetings decoyboy,

    All the skin shaders have been optimize for Carrara.
    Here is a link to my Gallery here at DAZ 3D.

    https://www.daz3d.com/gallery/users/90

    You can see the skin shaders in the Gallery images.
    The shaders are skill at 50 % OFF.

    Regards

    Thank you Ringo for the response. Looked at your pictures and they do look good. The shaders look like a must have. Thanks.

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