It's a primary feature of C6. What ya think?

[medeamajic]

I tend to dissagree. Carrara may not be a match for 3DS Max for figure animation but then again I doubt if True Space is either. I use Carrara because I like the GUI but others like TS and even AM. I have seen Carrara get better and better. Under Daz Carrara might come to an end soon but in general I think Carrara was and still is a decent program for the price.

[OscarX]

There will be very few people liking GUI on TrueSpace. Guaranteed! It is a torture - and here is the funny part: TrueSpace was among the very first 3D application for windows (3D studio was still in dos) - they had a big jumpstart and they never took advantage of it - if only and only they didn't insist on their very own interface especially if they obviously didn't have people who understand software ergonomics.

On other hand Carrara took the advantage of GUI that has been developed by Ambient Design and tried and refined over years in various Metacreations products. Even so, the first versions of Carrara were still pretty clumsy, keeping the Bryce and Poser ideology. Too much real-estate was given to the nice-large buttons (because sure we like to look at them), too little to the actual windows.
Hey this is a screenshot of Carrara 2, if you don't remember, very Poser-ish:





The vers. 4 and then 5 got really the interface pumped up - for far, far better. Something Bryce or Poser team was not able to do to this time. So, yes, I do like Carrara, but I guess there is time to move on.
But this is the sign of our times. Ten years ago it was exactly opposite. A software company would buy out a content provider.

[Couerl]

Originally Posted by OscarX

Ten years ago it was exactly opposite. A software company would buy out a content provider.

It's a good observation Oscar and definitely something to think about. I do remember C2 back then and wonder what it might be like if Eovia had started content development around that time.
I can understand why content became a dominant force in 3D. First, I think Poser created a whole new group of 3D users (maybe 10-20 times the rest) who weren't interested in Poly or Nurbs modeling. They just wanted a shortcut to a pose and final render and making scenes became less important. Second, a lot of production graphic studios saw it was cheaper to just buy models and scenes than to spend a week or two making them. I remember a model at 3DCafe or turbosquid could be 500-2000 dollars. Those models still list at ridiculous prices and those websites must be nearly dead because Daz and E-Frontier sell them for $1.99 and the most expensive Stonemason stuff is $40.00.
I noticed Turbosquid is turning into a pumping station for game content now and game devs don't really even need a modeler anymore. That whole game thing got watered down into nothingness I think.

In some ways I am sad about all this, but in other ways I think it's good because buyers of content keep people in this field employed and developing still. I still think E-Frontier and Daz have an interest maintaining apps like Carrara, Hex and Amapi though.
The reason I think is because content gets boring fast and outdated even faster. It's a little like some old girlfriends I've known, they wear the clothes once or the shoes and then throw them in the closet never to be touched again.

If that's what it takes to continue dev on Hex or Amapi or Carrrara, then it beats watching the apps just fade out and die. More and more it seems Autodesk, Adobe and Softimage are in a better position to squeeze the remaining life out of whatever mid level apps are left and that scares me more than boobs and dynamic wonder bras... As content becomes ever cheaper and high priced sites succumb to the flood, I think it is definitely in Daz's and E-frontiers best interest to develop the creation side of 3D as well. They'd be stupid to depend on content alone because that pendulum could very easily swing back.

Steven

[OscarX]

Steven i couldn't agree more.
BTW, I was just yesterday browsing some content providers and I ended up on 3d02. The number of models of cars and the quality is simply shocking. And they range in between $40 - $100 - that includes fully modelled interior of the car, doors that opens etc...(Check out the work of Behr Bros). For a professional in advertisement $100 for such model is exactly like $1.99 for hat, fake V3 moustache, purse and natural gravity morphs to give V3 the benefit of sagging.
Yup, DAZ done very well, tapping the me-too-3d markets. It is the equivalent of a fast food industry. However, simillarly as with the fast food industry one should not expect them to serve Cordon Blue with lit candles and a melancholic violinists playing Hungarian dance. It simply isn't in their model.
Having $500 app snapped with a portfolio of $1.99 shoes and bras obviously raise concern for the users, but I am sure it raises far more concern within the row of DAZ generals, asking: "What are we doing with this?".
And it should, because while many on this board see this move as a bad sign for the Carrara/Hex users, I'd call the shot and say it is a bad move for DAZ. It is diluting the working business model (leisure content provider) by venturing into heavy areas far outside it. I know, there is abundance of liquidity last few years so buying this and that may not sound as a big deal, everybody does it, but did they think of how much time and resources it will consume? And for what? Pushing a $9 event for subscribers who buy it, try it and then uninstall it.
So here is my humble prediction. We will see Carrara and Hex to travel once again.... :-)

[Couerl]

Heh, I miss the days of a nice candle light dinner, the warm evening breeze and lovely ladies by the dozen in their elegent evening wear and smelling of citrus. I can still hear the guitarist with his sad renditions of Francisco Tarrega and Fernando Sor as the Baked Alaska flames with sweet approval. Of-course it was always me getting burned on the Alaska and pouring the Dom Perignon or flipping the steaks and chopping the lettuce, but that is of little matter.

Your prediciton is as likely as any other and only time will tell. One thing is certain though, Carrara and Hex have proven themselves yet again to be hearty little fighters and survivors in a tall crowd of heavy weights. That is something I think the devs should be proud of and also something, which endears them to many who have used them in earnest. Perhaps this will be their final home or as you say, the generals may cut and run. I don't know, but I do think that there is a new, larger and somewhat virgin userbase demanding to grow with something more than Poser or Daz-Studio french fry makers. Who can blame them after the repetitive disinchantment of throwing so many shoes and bras in the closet? Carrara and Hex finally gave them what they wanted; A solid middle-tier app and may ironically have given the generals what they need. Instead of manning the fry baskets at Burger King, they can bounce merrily along with baskets of chicken wings and microbrews and call themselves Hooters.

Carrara and Hex will never compete with Maya, Max or XSI, its just a dream to compare them. I'm glad though that they continue to fight and fight well for the middle class among us. I don't want to see them give up dreaming, there's no reason to. In the hands of the right artist they can still turn those chicken wings into Cordon Blue almost every time.


Steven

[rickei]

Hey I'm getting hungry

In response to all of the food analogies.
I get specials from the local pubs and cafe's around town faxed to me every morning. Last week the pool hall down the street had cordon bleu on the menu as a special. I thought... well I've got to try this.
when i got my order, it was a bone-in chicken breast, with a slice of gelatinous canned ham, and a big ole hunk of Velvita on top. served with 2 slices of white bread, and slaw. DeeeLicious.

[Couerl]

Spam?

[rickei]

Yes, spam, I felt like i was a kid again!

the slaw was good.

[Altered_Ego]

I look at Carrara and Hexagon as a way to finally be able to create some of the content I want.

I prefer to use "Real Life" clothes, scenes and props in my work... There seems to be precious little of that.

One of my goals is to create a laundromat scene and a BiPap machine to illustrate my "Novel In Progress."

(A BiPap machine is used to treat Sleep Apnea.)

[transient]

There is no magical "Convert my lovely 2d faces to 3D models" button anywhere. ;) (none that are really useful anyway)

There's Facegen. It's excellent, although you do have to push a few buttons.

[ronjurman]

Originally Posted by transient

There's Facegen. It's excellent, although you do have to push a few buttons.

Then there's RealViz's ImageModeler ...

rj

[Couerl]

I'll be the first to admit, the only one I tried was Poser-5, I took exact front and side pics and tried and tried and tried and bleh... It was horrible. : Maybe some of these other apps do the job better.

[Reactor]

As someone who enjoys rendering the odd Daz content image now and then, I welcome better support for their content. If you know a bunch of apps like Bryce, Daz Studio and Carrara play well together, it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

[medeamajic]

Recator,

I do not want valuable programing time spent on the integration of Bryce and Daz Studio. I want 3-D paint, symmetrical modeling, hair and cloth ASAP. Integration can be implemented next year. If Daz only caters to content users then the true Eovians may infact ditch Carrara for XSI. Daz has a lot to loose. I hope they do not mess up a good thing.

Are you sure it is a win win situation?

[Couerl]

Med, I can remember back to C2 saying "just work on the VM, the rest is already there"... Every year the first thing I did was open the new VM and promptly get discouraged.
All I wanted was better modeling, c2, c3, c4, and then one day out of the blue they announced Hex and I got it on the first day and forgot all about the VM. Point is, no matter what you want now or what anyone else wants, these guys do a pretty good job of delivering. I hope all these things happen too, well okay, I don't care about the bridge stuff as much either, but it would be fine by me. I wouldn't worry too much about them "wasting valuable development time" on anything. Every version has improved and there's no reason to think that is going to change.

Besides, Carrara already "works" with D/S and Bryce and Cad and Max and lwo and its a no brainer that the more programs it works with, the more valuable it will be in anyone's toolset..

Why don't you just use hex for symetrical modeling? I think its overated anyway myself... Its just as easy to model the whole thing at once as it is to model half.

[Reactor]

Couerl has covered things well.

I want 3-D paint, symmetrical modeling, hair and cloth ASAP.

You're not going to see 3D paint rock around in the next year or so. There are only three programs in the world which do this well, and you may as well just get one of those as it'll be a far better solution. Fair enough about symmetrical modeling, but considering Carrara's modelling isn't that great, it's not such an important thing in my mind. I'd rather see the massive bugs with the shading domains get fixed so they actually work, myself.

Hair and cloth? If anything's added to either Carrara or Daz Studio in the next little while it's hardly going to be groundbreaking. Of course, it'd be really nice to have all of these things. But, no program is going to have everything.

If Daz only caters to content users then the true Eovians may infact ditch Carrara for XSI.

I use tools because they're advertised to do a certain thing. I don't belong to a "I use this program" club. If the software works for people, they should use it. If it stops working for them as advertised, they should find something else. Daz have nothing to lose, but a few people who live in a silly place where the program is somehow worse because someone else owns it, and the focus of it is now slightly different.

[medeamajic]

Courel,
Are you confusing symmetrical modeling with duplicate with symmetry?

[medeamajic]

Reactor,

I use Carrara because it works the best for me as of now. Like others I want better figure animating capabilites, better modeling, 3-D paint and a few more other features. If they are added I see no reason to jump ship. On the other if Lightwave gets all this why would I stick with Carrara? Why would anyone buy Carrara? Competition is out there. Daz does have a lot to loose but you may disagree. Some folks ditched Bryce for Carrara and other ditched Bryce for Vue. No one on these forums is a big enough idiot to say Carrara is worse just because Daz owns it but many of us fear that Carrara may not develope the way we had hoped it would. Only time will tell.

[MotilityLux]

Well we all hope that our developers bring out updates regularily and when they do not we all collectively worry and get rather Po'ed. and not without merit sometimes.
Have recently upgraded to Carrara Pro and hex so I for one have jumped on the Daz Bus. And have my fingers crossed that we shall see a continued expansion of Carrara's toolset. (would like to see better character animation tools as one wish list.)
Being a hobbiest ..I do not have unlimited time nor funds to be buying all kinds of different 3d apps but do look over the horizon at times and yes Lightwave and xsi foundation have a lot to offer (also alot to learn.)
But Carrara Pro does hold its own in many areas........its renderer is pretty fast and very competent, its ui is very approachable. Its material handling is robust and accessable..its terrain and plant tools nearly as good as Vue imo ...its 5 network node included renderer is outstanding and for me has made doing animations much more fun .....
So I have my fingers crossed.....but for now am enjoying learning and doing more with what I have with C5 and hex.
I am new to this forum. Happy to be here..and fast renders to all you fellow Carrara fans.

[shaunmckinnon]

The only ex-Eovia product I'm fed up with is Hexagon. What a joke. Half the time when you finally get a model to look how you want, the program crashes. Fine. That tends to happen, and most of us save our progress as we go along. But when you go to open the original file and it's corrupted...well, it's good thing I'm in Canada and none of the developers are neighbors.

After awhile, I started looking for more professional software, that wouldn't be so glitchy. I started at Autodesk and quickly realized that divorce would be on the horizon after that purchase.
So I went a little lower. I downloaded a demo version of Modo, and was quickly unimpressed. I want something that's similar to Hex's navigation. Hex has a beautiful interface: simplistic, and effective (too bad about the stupid bugs). The next one I sampled was Lightwave. I was impressed with their customer service. I messaged them explaining my situation with Hex and Carrara, and asked if I could take advantage of the competitive upgrade price. They said sure and dropped me a link. I could have gotten it for just under 500 American. I downloaded a demo version and was completely lost.
However, I finally found perfection. I downloaded a copy of XSI. Talk about easy. Not buggy. Clean interface. Powerful tools. Still unsure how to use the renderer, but I'll learn. One thing I liked, was that for less then 600 American you get an advanced modeller, mental ray rendering, cloth and hair simulation, and dynamics. You don't need the 6500$ version, the foundation version is good enough.

I have no idea where I was going with this. I think I was trying to say that I'm not putting much stock in Daz. In all honesty, I wasn't even that impressed with Eovia. I think it was a pretty sleazy move for them to half-fast the update 2.1 for Hex and then jet. I like Carrara, but I'd like a better material editor, and I'm addicted to cloth simulations. (I hate Poser 6'. stupid thing is ridiculously glitchy.)

I'm going to shut up now.