Hex .car files in Carrara

[bwtr]

I think this question is an old one but I would like confirmation. I saved some Hexagon files, with a bump maps, as .car files but they jamb up Carrara so completely that I have to switch off the computer completely to clear Carrara from my screen.

I do not get the problem if the files are saved as .obj.

[markbremmer]

There are some, um, issues with the Carrara export. As far as I can tell, if the object isn't UV mapped in Hex, then Carrara doesn't like the Hex=>Carrara export.

OBJ is the safest way to go. The one thing that I like about the Hex=>Carrara export is that smoothing translates into Carrara as geometry with smoothing enabled. The .obj format coverts it all into polys.

[Couerl]

Another thing to look for Brian is to merge duplicated points in hex, before you export it to .car file. When you export to .obj it gives you that option selected by default and I bet that's why you're having issues between the two formats. They work equally well for me by the way, but when I was first using Hex, I mistakingly though that .obj was the "better" export option. Turned out to be incorrect..

[Pete Exxtreme]

But with obj export, you loose the potential grouping made in Hex AFAIK, which can turn the work in Carrara to a mess if you have numerous objects

[Couerl]

Yep, that's true and why I like the .Car export better mostly.

[bwtr]

Thanks all. That all sound familier now that you have said it again. Probably will be ok for most of my level of work to play it safe with .obj.

I have just been given a super dooper new computer which allows some of the things in Hex2.1 to work for me for the first time. That jamb up on the new toy was a bit of a fright! I just don't get Carrrara crashes!

Thanks again. Brian

[bwtr]

OK it was fun being able to use Ambient Occlusion as it was advertised etc--for a while! I tried to make a simple change in view in Hexagon and it jambed. The only way I could extricate was to switch off the power to the computer.

I am no way going to do a list of you can do this this way but you can not do that that way! It may be ok for those with super memory retention but Hex is now, again, back on the shelf!

What a shame.

[Couerl]

Hehe, I used the camera in my cellphone and I didn't like the picture so now I'm not going to call anyone on it anymore. ;)

Just don't use AO Brian, I never do untill i'm done modeling and maybe want to do a screencap and sometimes it can take ten minutes to render, or maybe more on my old p4.. Don't give up!

[bwtr]

Ahhhhhhhh! It's doing the same sort of thing without AO and it's repeating the sort of troubles which I thought/hoped would not occur with the more powerful app.I am better of and much happier to stay with the Carrara Vertex room.I just don't set myself complex things to make.

MoI--I think thats coming along wonderfully.Maybe thats more suited to me?

[bwtr]

Just a few minutes in Carrara. No overload of Carrara OR ME!

(Perhaps this is my level?!!!!!)

[Couerl]

Originally Posted by bwtr

Just a few minutes in Carrara. No overload of Carrara OR ME!

(Perhaps this is my level?!!!!!)

Maybe ya, in the end it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with it. I can't see any reason why anyone would want to model in the VM if they had Hex though, not one single reason at all.

fact is it just takes a lot of time and patience to learn how to model things and if you're willing to spend the time learning then you'll be happy.

[markbremmer]

The .car export from hex is finicky for me. Probably operator error here but I seem to make objects on a regular basis - even performing the Merge points step - that Carrara simply will not open. Everything loads in the Browser tray but not the Properties Tray and Carrara then just sits there, doing nothing - like me. :D

[markbremmer]

Well what do you know. I found out what's been blowing up my .car export files all this time - curves with no form. You know, the kind that get left behind during certain extrusion operations. Cleaned those bad boys out of the Hex file, re-exported it and it worked like a charm.

[Couerl]

LOL, I'd be interested to see such an example saved in .car and .hxn. I know some people think I'm nuts, but I swear almost every problem I've ever had could be traced back to some bad modeling somewhere and the list of bugs for me currently is 2 long. I know you use Mac and maybe have more OGL issues, but it makes no difference as far as the actual geometry goes and on that issue, Macs probably are even more solid. The only thing that gives me trouble is seams/displacement and the edges get unwelded sometimes when I fast extrude or sweep multiple pointed curves. I can fix either one, but the displacement seams thing is still a killer for me and I don't like taking the stuff into 2d to "fix" it really.

[Couerl]

Originally Posted by markbremmer

Well what do you know. I found out what's been blowing up my .car export files all this time - curves with no form. You know, the kind that get left behind during certain extrusion operations. Cleaned those bad boys out of the Hex file, re-exported it and it worked like a charm.

Oh ya, that old gag... Carrara doesn't like those. ;)

I hope the next generation Hex or Amapi or whatever has some better diagnostic, "fix my mistakes" kind of thing... Good deal on finding that, it took me some time to figure that one out too.

[rickei]

Originally Posted by Couerl

Macs probably are even more solid.

you could be right about this.

the more read about other issues, I am starting to think that Hex runs pretty darned good on my my Mac.

and now that I have quit box modeling and started to edge model everything, it's smooth as silk.

[Couerl]

Well Thomas uses PC and Mac too so it makes sense that problems aren't all there. Real problem is no "make my model" wizard.