Does Carrara Pro do it all?

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  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Living amidst one of the world's largest bodies of fresh water and the whole arsenal of lakes and rivers here, in Wisconsin, I wish I had a boat. Come to realize years ago, however, that my crazy necessity for chiseling stone means I'd have to sail in the dark as I slept. One day I hope to let go of my manual labor tendencies, get a nice sailboat and spend some time with the water and my lovely wife - just the two of us. Someday.
    Good for you, Joe.

    I'll second that. I really enjoyed being out on Lake Ontario with my dad and his boat. I nearly got into sailing myself and thought that I wanted to take it up as a hobby in Texas (nearby Lake Grapevine is a puddle compared to the Great Lakes). I realized that this was something I enjoyed doing with my dad rather than something I wanted to do on my own. Similarly, I never bought a pool table; even though space for one was a factor in my house-hunting. 3D art though is definitely something I've gotten into and thoroughly enjoy...and will spend $$$ on. I got a little twinge of jealousy for Joe and his boat though. :gulp: ;)

    This is why I've been so active against all of this anti-Carrara talk these days. What can a person NOT do in Carrara is the limited topic - not the other way around.

    To me it is less anti-Carrara and more anti-Daz. I wish they communicated with us, their loyal fan-base, far more than they do.

    Now if I could get Garstor to finish building me that Monster Box... oh yeah...Please!!!!
    (kidding brah, of course!)

    Let me check my bank account again...yep...that explains the delay! Anyone up for a render challenge...how about a "fiscal cliff" using the terrain primitive. :P

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,583
    edited December 2012

    delays, delays... sigh
    Well, let's watch and test my theory.
    I'm truly hoping to be correct one this one, as Daz3d has never been in the habit of disappointing me. Not ever.

    I was just digging through my archives of saved installers and found my Carrara 6 Pro.
    What a great piece of software - and Daz didn't really make it, but they did tweak on Carrara 5 to make 6.
    I might not have even needed to get a newer version except that it just kept getting better. Why is that? I think it was Daz3d's fault that Carrara went on to version 7, followed by 7.2. It was also Daz3d's fault that Carrara has undergone the painstaking process of going 64 bit - along with the introduction to a few new features. Shame on them!
    Yeah... sits back in his computer chair, smiling... ...and Carrara 8.5 beta is kicking some pretty tall ass, as far as I'm concerned. Lovin' it, Lovin' it! Oooops... it ain't even done yet? Hmmmm. That should be pretty cool! But I thought I read on one of the Dev reports in that stickied beta thread that 172 was coming close to final. Wouldn't really bother me if they asked for a few bucks for the update because they wanted to begin work on version 9, which is a necessary change because they want to implement some more functions to the hair, tweak the tar out of bullet, whatever...

    I'm still holding to the belief that Daz3d devs are busy right now finalizing .duf and Genesis-related stuff. Once done with that, they're already chomping at the bit to use that to finish 8.5 once and for all. However, if they need to work on it for another year before taking it off of beta status, it wouldn't bother me in the least, and I'd still use it, so long as they kept that SN info updated... which they have been.
    I get ridiculed on the job all the time for just being too damned happy. Can I help it that I love to sing?

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,583
    edited December 1969

    Hey Garstor, about that Monster Box,
    If I wanted to build one using server-class components, would you be willing to steer me partially in components decisions?
    Also, can I just use Windows Server (the OS you're using) to run the main box if it mostly only runs Carrara, DS, Hex, Photoshop, etc.,?
    Any thoughts?
    If this, you think, would be too much of a derail, just PM me with the answer as usual.
    Thanks in advance, Brah from Canada - who is currently jailed in Texas - Yikes!

    PS - Don't feel bad about that emptying of your bank accounts. Our 3d conduits directly improve and inspire our brains toward greatness through our love to create art! I'm heading back into 8.5 to do some magic, so if anything goes unanswered for a while, you'll know I'm just lost in bliss.

  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    delays, delays... sigh
    Well, let's watch and test my theory.
    I'm truly hoping to be correct one this one, as Daz3d has never been in the habit of disappointing me. Not ever.

    I was just digging through my archives of saved installers and found my Carrara 6 Pro.
    What a great piece of software - and Daz didn't really make it, but they did tweak on Carrara 5 to make 6.
    I might not have even needed to get a newer version except that it just kept getting better. Why is that? I think it was Daz3d's fault that Carrara went on to version 7, followed by 7.2. It was also Daz3d's fault that Carrara has undergone the painstaking process of going 64 bit - along with the introduction to a few new features. Shame on them!
    Yeah... sits back in his computer chair, smiling... ...and Carrara 8.5 beta is kicking some pretty tall ass, as far as I'm concerned. Lovin' it, Lovin' it! Oooops... it ain't even done yet? Hmmmm. That should be pretty cool! But I thought I read on one of the Dev reports in that stickied beta thread that 172 was coming close to final. Wouldn't really bother me if they asked for a few bucks for the update because they wanted to begin work on version 9, which is a necessary change because they want to implement some more functions to the hair, tweak the tar out of bullet, whatever...

    I'm still holding to the belief that Daz3d devs are busy right now finalizing .duf and Genesis-related stuff. Once done with that, they're already chomping at the bit to use that to finish 8.5 once and for all. However, if they need to work on it for another year before taking it off of beta status, it wouldn't bother me in the least, and I'd still use it, so long as they kept that SN info updated... which they have been.
    I get ridiculed on the job all the time for just being too damned happy. Can I help it that I love to sing?

    you are a
    http://youtu.be/2w1g-idt-8U

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,583
    edited December 1969

    Awesome, Bigh...
    Thanks for that - I deserve it! :(
    Love that song, btw.
    You do know that reality is built on dreams though, right?
    Hey... speaking of reality, in the C6 Pro tutorial videos (from Eovia's C5 Pro), Eovia refers to Carrara's render engine as "The Eovia Reality Render Engine". Any relation to Reality for DS?
    Pardon my ignorance - but I'm never shopping around to improve the render engine. It's one of my favorite aspects of Carrara.

  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    Awesome, Bigh...
    Thanks for that - I deserve it! :(
    Love that song, btw.
    You do know that reality is built on dreams though, right?
    Hey... speaking of reality, in the C6 Pro tutorial videos (from Eovia's C5 Pro), Eovia refers to Carrara's render engine as "The Eovia Reality Render Engine". Any relation to Reality for DS?
    Pardon my ignorance - but I'm never shopping around to improve the render engine. It's one of my favorite aspects of Carrara.

    not even close - C8.5 is much better :-)

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Hey Garstor, about that Monster Box,
    If I wanted to build one using server-class components, would you be willing to steer me partially in components decisions?
    Also, can I just use Windows Server (the OS you're using) to run the main box if it mostly only runs Carrara, DS, Hex, Photoshop, etc.,?

    I am happy to help out. I can PM you the specs for my server and what I spent on it.

    The OS is trickier. (Oh how I miss my Microsoft days when I could get this stuff for free) Your best bet here is to buy a TechNet subscription; that'll be a few hundred bucks but it will give you access to most MSFT software...don't try running your business on this stuff, it is licensed for testing and development only. To get Windows Server retail (i.e. running your business on it) would be quite a few thousand bucks.

    My primary reason for building the servers and getting TechNet is to run SQL Server and SharePoint in virtual machines (hence the horsepower in the two physical boxes...they'll be running about half-a-dozen servers simultaneously once I'm ramped up). That's what I do when I am not deluding myself about being a 3D artist. ;)

    Thanks in advance, Brah from Canada - who is currently jailed in Texas - Yikes!

    I loathe to admit it, but I am getting used to this place. Actually, my neighbourhood is quite nice -- it is the ocean of insane conservatives around me that drive me nuts. But let's not derail this thread further.

    PS - Don't feel bad about that emptying of your bank accounts. Our 3d conduits directly improve and inspire our brains toward greatness through our love to create art! I'm heading back into 8.5 to do some magic, so if anything goes unanswered for a while, you'll know I'm just lost in bliss.

    As you said, you manage to stay way too happy! That compensates for all bleak in other people. :)

    I have made some serious Carrara progress yesterday...getting caught up on runtime installs...discovering forgotten downloads...ecstatically learning that Howie's spectacular plants and trees can be used in my own scenes...finally playing around with Archi-Tools (wow!)...and posting/arguing like mad in the forums.

  • MardookMardook Posts: 292
    edited December 1969

    I was seriously thinking of buying this product but now I am not so sure.

    I bought DS4 Pro when it was first released only to witness it being offered for free roughly a month after my purchase.
    I felt gyped but I don't think I ever contacted DAZ about a refund or anything... but I imagine its too late anyway.

    I bought Bryce 7 around the same time that I bought studio. The damn thing has never worked and I have never bothered to try to contact DAZ about it because apparently there is no 64bit version of it and development for it is dead.

    The only reason I'd buy Carrara is because of the wonderful model makers work that I see on the store, like HowieFarkes and so on.
    This was why I had bought Bryce, I wanted to do landscape renders in conjunction with DS but Bryce 7 does not work at all.
    It keeps repeating an annoying error message about a some side-by side something something or other... I said STFU and die.
    And so it remains sitting on a hard disk somewhere... and my wallet had to suffer buying that shovel ware.

    Infinito is a nice plugin for DS so I can't really complain too much. Still, the endless updates and revisions to Studio means that plugins like infinito and so on have to be updated at regular intervals. This is very tedious and annoying to say the least.
    Models and so on have to be updated as well... with the introduction of DSON.

    Anyway, I would have loved to get Carrara but from all that I can gather here from various threads, its future is uncertain.
    I don't want to go through another purchase that will turn out to be a burden and or turn into shovel ware when development is officially ceased.

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 2012

    Had you asked anyone about the side by side error. Doesn;t just affect Bryce, but a lot of 32 bit programs when run on a 64 bit machine under Windows 7 or Vista.

    Here you go, easy fix, Thread stickied at the top of the Bryce forum.

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/7516/

    It is not a Bryce error, but due to a missing .dll in your Visual C++ installation, and the fix is availalbe from Micorsoft site, at the link given in this linked thread.

    Post edited by Chohole on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,583
    edited December 2012

    mardook said:
    Anyway, I would have loved to get Carrara but from all that I can gather here from various threads, its future is uncertain.
    I don't want to go through another purchase that will turn out to be a burden and or turn into shovel ware when development is officially ceased.

    I hear ya... Nay sayers just feel that if they bark loudly enough, the master will eventually throw them a treat. When actually, masters know better. Don't yell at them either... because that makes them bark louder so you can hear them over you. The only option that the master has, is to ignore and wait.

    Anyways... I don't think Carrara is in any danger - but that's just my personal take on things.
    Bryce actually does exactly what you bought it for, so I hope you implement the above fix and take it for a spin.

    I love Carrara, so I'll always tell you that you should buy it, if asked :)
    Even if development came to a screeching halt and 3ds Max was offered for free - I'd still be using Carrara just because of how slick it handles Daz3d products - which is what I use.

    Cheers and best of luck to ya!

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • Kevin SandersonKevin Sanderson Posts: 1,643
    edited December 2012

    Mardook, all software's future is uncertain. Even Autodesk is offering the special 90-day license for 3ds Max and Maya (offer ends tomorrow I think) for $199. That's something that was unheard of only a year ago. messiah v6 upgrade was being offered at a features unseen price of $65. modo's price was cut for a special offer by several hundred dollars. People and Companies are hurting right now. The European economy is still doing poorly (automakers are shutting down plants over there and much of the CG software market is in Europe) and who knows what the fiscal cliff will do to America's economy that was doing better. The fact that Carrara is still being sold and not given away for free shows me that DAZ is sticking with it. It would be a loss-leader like the others if they didn't think it had potential. Also, they assigned putting in a German language update for Carrara in the bug tracker - they wouldn't do that if it was going away. As soon as they get the Genesis issues ironed out, I think they'll probably be focusing again on Carrara and getting the 8.5 release out and then on to 9 which was talked about in the past by DAZ but was put on hold when everyone here stomped their feet and demanded bug fixes to go along with 8.5/Genesis. Their small team of devs can only do so much.

    And the good thing about Carrara (the PC version) it works and will keep you busy for years to come even if you never had another upgrade. There is so much untapped potential. You also don't have to worry about frequent updates. ;)

    EDIT to add interesting link... a blogger posts the history of Carrara and puts after practically every entry "And everyone thought it was going to die".... it just attracts a very negative lot. http://firelight3d.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/carrara-history/

    Post edited by Kevin Sanderson on
  • wetcircuitwetcircuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Autodesk is offering the special 90-day license for 3ds Max and Maya (offer ends tomorrow I think) for $199. That's something that was unheard of only a year ago.

    Wow. So a shortterm company can buy a license for the time needed. I've heard of this with some installation/theater software, but never for graphics software. I'm sure this is something the industry has been demanding. Interesting.

  • JoeMamma2000JoeMamma2000 Posts: 2,615
    edited December 2012

    There's an old saying: "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean that everyone really ISN'T out to get you..." :)

    While you're free to dismiss them as 'whiners' and 'naysayers', and compare them to other whiners and naysayers thru the ages, it doesn't mean they're wrong.

    Nobody knows the future of any software, or any company, unless they have some inside knowledge. And even the developers themselves might not have any clue what's gonna happen to their company or their software tomorrow or the next day.

    The best the rest of us can do is surmise based on evidence. And if you look rationally at the evidence, and it's reasonable evidence, and it tends to lead you in a certain direction, there's nothing wrong whatsoever in thinking that's a reasonable possibility. To mock someone who comes to a rational conclusion like that is, well, silly.

    On the other hand, and what many/most software users do, is they come to conclusions about stuff based on zero (or little) knowledge or rational analysis, but rather on emotion.

    I can't fault someone for making an intelligent assumption about something if it's, well, intelligent. The folks I tend to ignore are those who want something to be true, so they believe it. People like a certain software, so they believe good things about it. And they mock everyone else. To me, that's ridiculous. They don't understand how companies work, they don't understand the challenges, the motives, the limitations, or the processes, so they just come up with some beliefs based on not really knowing what they're talking about.

    Or, as Kodiak3D explained, they may even come up with statements and beliefs that are solely designed to disagree with someone who rubs them the wrong way. That kind of stuff doesn't, IMO, really warrant any reasonable consideration.

    Post edited by JoeMamma2000 on
  • MardookMardook Posts: 292
    edited December 1969

    Mardook, all software's future is uncertain. Even Autodesk is offering the special 90-day license for 3ds Max and Maya (offer ends tomorrow I think) for $199. That's something that was unheard of only a year ago. messiah v6 upgrade was being offered at a features unseen price of $65. modo's price was cut for a special offer by several hundred dollars. People and Companies are hurting right now. The European economy is still doing poorly (automakers are shutting down plants over there and much of the CG software market is in Europe) and who knows what the fiscal cliff will do to America's economy that was doing better. The fact that Carrara is still being sold and not given away for free shows me that DAZ is sticking with it. It would be a loss-leader like the others if they didn't think it had potential. Also, they assigned putting in a German language update for Carrara in the bug tracker - they wouldn't do that if it was going away. As soon as they get the Genesis issues ironed out, I think they'll probably be focusing again on Carrara and getting the 8.5 release out and then on to 9 which was talked about in the past by DAZ but was put on hold when everyone here stomped their feet and demanded bug fixes to go along with 8.5/Genesis. Their small team of devs can only do so much.

    And the good thing about Carrara (the PC version) it works and will keep you busy for years to come even if you never had another upgrade. There is so much untapped potential. You also don't have to worry about frequent updates. ;)

    EDIT to add interesting link... a blogger posts the history of Carrara and puts after practically every entry "And everyone thought it was going to die".... it just attracts a very negative lot. http://firelight3d.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/carrara-history/

    I actually cued the free version of the software last night. Was gonna d/l it this morning but the website seems to be having some hiccups again. I will make a more informed decision on whether I buy Pro in the next couple of weeks. The models by Howie Farkes are too sweet looking to pass up using with this. But thanks for giving me food for thought... I've obviously been spending too much time reading the down-side of things.

    As for Bryce, I'll get off my lazy duff and see about fixing that there issue... thanks for other side of the coin guys and gals.

  • wetcircuitwetcircuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    EDIT to add interesting link... a blogger posts the history of Carrara and puts after practically every entry "And everyone thought it was going to die".... it just attracts a very negative lot. http://firelight3d.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/carrara-history/

    :lol: Hilarious! I go back as far as RayDream5, and yes, ever since there was a Carrara it is ABOUT TO DIE for some disasterous reason or other...

    Poser actually UP AND DIED and then came back from the grave :snake: and is now doing better than ever... So, it just goes to show.

  • Kevin SandersonKevin Sanderson Posts: 1,643
    edited December 1969

    Autodesk is offering the special 90-day license for 3ds Max and Maya (offer ends tomorrow I think) for $199. That's something that was unheard of only a year ago.

    Wow. So a shortterm company can buy a license for the time needed. I've heard of this with some installation/theater software, but never for graphics software. I'm sure this is something the industry has been demanding. Interesting.

    I believe it ends today. If it was successful, maybe they'll make it a regular deal. Who knows.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,583
    edited December 1969

    3ds Max is awesome softy...
    ...but it ain't no Carrara! :)
    are y'all tired of me yet?

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