Why did DAZ abandon Carrara?

2

Comments

  • tsaristtsarist Posts: 1,614
    tsarist said:

    I think making content that works in only DAZ studio will be their demise in the end angry

     

     

    I haven't had too many problems loading Daz props, buildings, etc into Carrara. If Daz at least continues to allow that to happen, I think it will extend the life of Carrara.

     

    What say you?

    a lot use instances 

    I guess it depends on the prop

    that Colosseum by Protozoon is just about impossible to use in Carrara, I am still trying to get replicators to line up but being elliptical they don't space correctly as a ball stretched

    As strange as it may seem, I really don't know anything about instances or replicators.

    I see these terms being used, but never see a clear definition, so I just gloss over it.

    So, I take it Carrara doesn't use instances?

    Sorry, time constraints have made me a "load it & go" kind of person.
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,158

    Carrara uses replicators.

    Daz Studio uses instances.

    You say toe-may-toe, I say toe-mah-toe

    Lets call the whole thing off

    (they are pretty much the same thing)

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,232
    Diomede said:

    Carrara uses replicators.

    Daz Studio uses instances.

    I also am not very familiar with Carrara's replicators, although I intend to investigate any day now.  But I do see "Instances" in the interface (attached), not sure if this is the same as DS.

     

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,158
    edited May 2020

    Good eyes, Steve K.  

    Related.  But in this conversation, instancing or replicating refers to taking a single object instance in a scene and portraying additional (instances/replications) of it without adding it to the scene a second or third time.  Therefore, it helps reduce the resource load of the scene.  That was probably more complicated instead of less complicated.  Therefore, I point you to this short 2-page thread. It gives an example of 'copying' three letters (T, O, P) on top of another object.

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/38177/how-to-replicators-introductory-methods-tricks-and-advanced-tips/p1

     You should be able to skim the thread quickly and see what is going on if you are not really interested in building giant cattle herds or forests at this time.  I think it will be helpful.  It explains the Carrara method of controlled replication.  The Daz Studio method of controlled instancing works very similarly, especially with Ultrascatter by Howie Farkes.

     

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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,235

    Steve K - Carrara's Replicator's are awesome, it's gonna open up a whole new world of possibilities for you. Introduced in version 5, if I remember correctly? Carrara, so ahead of its time...

    Here's a link to a thread started by Diomede with great explanations and examples to get you started:

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/38177/how-to-replicators-introductory-methods-tricks-and-advanced-tips/p1

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,232

    Steve K - Carrara's Replicator's are awesome, it's gonna open up a whole new world of possibilities for you. Introduced in version 5, if I remember correctly? Carrara, so ahead of its time...

    Here's a link to a thread started by Diomede with great explanations and examples to get you started:

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/38177/how-to-replicators-introductory-methods-tricks-and-advanced-tips/p1

    OK, thanks.  Just finished an animation contest and rumor has it there's a virus going around, so I've got time here at home.

     

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,046

    replicators are fun... I use them a lot cool

    in the wacky modeling thread smiley

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975

    Anyone know how using this new DAZ Central system would affect the Content tabs in Carrara?  I have not had much time to re-download all my stuff since my rebuild, am only downloading what I will actually really use from the DIM list (then hide the ones I don't want for now).

    Cheers for any thoughts...  blush  Silene

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,158

    I mentioned that the primary reason I use DIm is the ability to right-click on an installed package and find out where are the files are installed.  The Daz folks said that DIM would still be available, and that Daz Central was intended to be a streamlined utility.

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975
    edited May 2020

    OK, thanks Dio and Wendy, I will stick with DIM for now. I do get Carrara Smart Content to show in W10 which I guess is lucky.  I like the alphabetical product list it produces.

    What I did, since I am hiding the ones I am not using, is to sort my Product Library with the same filter as DIM.  Then I can quickly see what I hid away. Best I can do for now. I have so much stuff that is just not getting any use, especially character related stuff, or some really early DS products that don't fit in with what I am doing.

    frown  SIlene

    Post edited by SileneUK on
  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975

    Yikes,  the dreaded PostgreSQL disappearing act. No thanks.  surprise  Silene

  • 0oseven0oseven Posts: 626

    You might get a better ubderstanding by readiing the manual - its worth the effort and I wouldn'y be without my printed copy.

     

    tsarist said:
    tsarist said:

    I think making content that works in only DAZ studio will be their demise in the end angry

     

     

    I haven't had too many problems loading Daz props, buildings, etc into Carrara. If Daz at least continues to allow that to happen, I think it will extend the life of Carrara.

     

    What say you?

    a lot use instances 

    I guess it depends on the prop

    that Colosseum by Protozoon is just about impossible to use in Carrara, I am still trying to get replicators to line up but being elliptical they don't space correctly as a ball stretched

     

    As strange as it may seem, I really don't know anything about instances or replicators.

     

    I see these terms being used, but never see a clear definition, so I just gloss over it.

     

    So, I take it Carrara doesn't use instances?

     

    Sorry, time constraints have made me a "load it & go" kind of person.

     

  • chickenmanchickenman Posts: 1,202

    In order to convert DAZ Studio Instances to objects there is a script which will do it. Then save as a scene and bring it into Carrara.

    I did it once but then my drive crapped out now I have just finnished reloading everything I might give it a go again.

    Lots of items in Studio now use instancing.

     

    https://www.daz3d.com/instances-to-objects

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975

    In order to convert DAZ Studio Instances to objects there is a script which will do it. Then save as a scene and bring it into Carrara.

    I did it once but then my drive crapped out now I have just finnished reloading everything I might give it a go again.

    Lots of items in Studio now use instancing.

    https://www.daz3d.com/instances-to-objects

    I am waiting to try this after buying it at a good price. EG, Bend of the River was a scene I liked at the time and bought it, but it was a pain to copy and paste the missing pieces.  I don't use everything in scenes, so will likely remove a good bit of the vegetation before saving and bringing into Carrara which will hopefully keep size down. 

    Fingers crossed!  frown  Silene

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,179

    be warned you will get huge scenes, another thing I have done with that script is use proxy objects like a cube then duplicated things and moved to those spots in Carrara

    the instances placeholders sadly don't give co-ordinates in Carrara or one could use those

    they do in some export formats but it varies

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975
    edited May 2020

    be warned you will get huge scenes, another thing I have done with that script is use proxy objects like a cube then duplicated things and moved to those spots in Carrara

    the instances placeholders sadly don't give co-ordinates in Carrara or one could use those

    they do in some export formats but it varies

    Hmmmm. For a couple of scenes I was able to do a copy and paste in the vertex room in Carrara. I don't know if that is sort of faking replicator, but unless the edges match well, it's a pain to try to weld where you don't want gaps. I just overlap, then bend the edges. Not the best solution, but it works for most scenes, but not BOTR.

    Not-surprise  Silene

    ETA:  Maybe it wasn't BOTR, it might have been a different one.  Have to look at my renders as I don't have the native Car files any longer.

    Post edited by SileneUK on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,179
    edited May 2020

    well the instances to mesh script creates separate objects, none of them are welded

    duplicating uses a lot less resources and is almost like replicating in that it has one master vertex object

    if you try to edit it or change the shader you get a dialogue asking if you want to edit the master or create a new one

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975

    Cheers, Wendy. Maybe I will work on the duplicating in vertex room then. I make my own terrain shaders most of the time anyways using Carrara tools so they all match.  Thanks for the comments and advice!

    yes  Silene

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,179
    SileneUK said:

    Cheers, Wendy. Maybe I will work on the duplicating in vertex room then. I make my own terrain shaders most of the time anyways using Carrara tools so they all match.  Thanks for the comments and advice!

    yes  Silene

    why does it need to be welded?

    you will have issues with UV mapping then too

    are you importing it as an obj not a duf scene by some chance?

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975
    SileneUK said:

    Cheers, Wendy. Maybe I will work on the duplicating in vertex room then. I make my own terrain shaders most of the time anyways using Carrara tools so they all match.  Thanks for the comments and advice!

    yes  Silene

    why does it need to be welded?

    you will have issues with UV mapping then too

    are you importing it as an obj not a duf scene by some chance?

    I weld like that to get a uniform object in the vertex room without gaps.  Then I remove the original shading domains for the single item and select the new areas to make them for the expanded version. Creating shaders is actually one thing I seem to be able to do as there are a lot of free and decent textures on the net if I don't 'borrow' parts of the original shader and tile/blend them or use Triplanar.  But my fave shaders are those I can map and make with Carrara's shading tools. 

    I am sure there must be an easier way, but haven't found anyone who tortures themself with kit-bashing terrains like I do.

    devil Silene

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,179

    render canvases in DAZ studio and use the height map?

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,522
    tsarist said:

    I think making content that works in only DAZ studio will be their demise in the end angry

     

     

    I haven't had too many problems loading Daz props, buildings, etc into Carrara. If Daz at least continues to allow that to happen, I think it will extend the life of Carrara.

     

    What say you?

    a lot use instances 

    I guess it depends on the prop

    that Colosseum by Protozoon is just about impossible to use in Carrara, I am still trying to get replicators to line up but being elliptical they don't space correctly as a ball stretched

    The way I deal with difficulties like this (though I haven't checked out the colosseum yet) is to get close with replication, then turn them into real instances and edit from there. I know it (Carrara) warns against this, but I think that's an older warning because I've done some fairly massive replications this way.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,522
    edited May 2020

    You all know my take on this subject. But just in case:

    I am forever the optimist here. I just always have this idea that Carrara is (and has been for quite some time now) on a back burner waiting to be lit. If that never happens, I still think that I've found the software that I'll be using for the rest of my life - and I'm hoping to live for at least another 50 years! :)

    I've seen mention/comparrisons to Maya, Modo, Blender, LightWave... all popping up in this thread. To me, as advanced as those software offerings are they fail at the most important thing for me - the ability to simply load things in from  Poser runtime libraries and have it work correctly - morphs, rigging, the ability to conform objects within the software, utilize Pose (PZ2) files and MAT (PZ2) files, parented prop files (that pop in where they belong), etc., etc., etc.,

    Carrara is the only modeler that does these things so well!

    I've been using Daz Studio lately to convert newer Daz 3d products to work with Genesis - often using scripts or otherwise just using the Content Creation tools that come with Daz Studio. I've also been using my paid version of aniMate 2 to load in BVH files and convert them to aniBlocks, since I really like how the aniBlock importer works within Carrara. I must say, I am ultra-impressed with the work that has gone into Daz Studio! I love it! Would it/could it/will it ever replace Carrara as my 3D render studio? I really don't think so.

    But I still love having it at my disposal, and it is helping this Carrara user get newer content working in Carrara - so Daz 3d wins in that regard as well - though I still prefer to support those who also offer Poser versions of their content as well as the DUF.

    Genesis Generation X2 for Daz Studio has been a real game changer for me. I was a very strong supporter of Daz 3d giving Genesis compatibility to Carrara. During the Carrara 8.5 beta tests, however, the forum here was a pretty dark place - complaining that they were chosing Daz Content as the drive for further development. Bad move on the community's behalf, I warned. DAZ_Spooky would make a nice, positive statement about how things are going, and he was nailed with negativity and hate. I couldn't believe half of what I was reading.

    So I came up with this fun little thing to try and sway the Carrara public toward 8.5's Genesis capabilities a bit:

    But 8.5 had a lot of extra improvements that came along the way. The development team was working away trying to make Carrara a LOT better in the process of the 8.5 Upgrade - and I feel that they've succeeded - even surpassed! I really love the work they've done on 8.5!

    I've had plenty of conversations with staff members at Daz 3d and have grown quite fond of them. It's always been a caring and generous company. If their vision takes them along the Daz Studio path so hard that they feel that they cannot (or just don't want to) further develop Carrara, Hex or Bryce, well that's their decision. It really is a remarkable suite of tools and an individual artist could really make their own really cool stuff with just Daz Studio and Hexagon alone (along with a good image editor). 

    I love the inspiration that they give through their store. I can feel their imagination ever fresh with ideas as they publish their fun little titles for their daily sale plan - and the images that go along with them are really creative and well concieved. Talking to them personally reminds me that they, too are artists with a powerful drive to make art and, better still help us all make our art as well.

    This optimist still says a big Kudos to Daz 3d and their amazing team of artsists and staff! I will always be grateful for the way they've treated me over my entire time here. Free goods that are amazing! Great pricing on the software when I've purchased it at much higher rates than they sell for now - as it was still an Amazingly impressive deal! Great pricing on some incredible 3d assets and other goodies, both by them and by their premier artists!

    If I'm remembering correctly (I think I really am!), many or even most of the Content Creation Tools that come freely with Daz Studio were individual add-ons for Daz Studio in the past, made by other artists. That would mean that Daz 3d bought those in order to include them for free. I think that's pretty cool. Every time I open DS to assist me with my Carrara endeavors I think to myself: this is pretty cool!

    ...and what about Carrara? Well, Carrara just plain ROCKS!!!

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584

    It sounds like a job for one of the plug-in writers. The Instance data all gets loaded into Carrara (position, rotation, scale...), it just needs hooking up with the master object . . .

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,983
    edited May 2020

    This is starting to sound like: 

    "When did you stop beating your wife?"

    Wherein the 'facts' are presupposed in the question (in this case the thread title).

    It doesnt give anyone who is thinking of taking up Carrara a positive vibe. Lose lose situation that leads to a self fulfilling prophecy.

    Post edited by Headwax on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,179
    edited May 2020

    It sounds like a job for one of the plug-in writers. The Instance data all gets loaded into Carrara (position, rotation, scale...), it just needs hooking up with the master object . . .

    not quite, dragging an object to it from the browser it loads at 0,0,0 or I would do that

    iClone the transforms are respected in an FBX (it has instances as placeholders too) so maybe I should try that

    the other option could be in DAZ studio replace the instances with proxy objects and run the instances to objects script and save those to swap out.

    its something I suspect DAZ Developers could do using replication or at least duplication if they wanted to look at the source code, I dare say there is a lot they could do if they wanted to broken heart

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,522

    Or maybe, in Daz Studio turn the instances white and the main object black and shoot an arial render for use in the surface replicator?

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,522
    Headwax said:

    This is starting to sound like: 

    "When did you stop beating your wife?"

    Wherein the 'facts' are presupposed in the question (in this case the thread title).

    It doesnt give anyone who is thinking of taking up Carrara a positive vibe. Lose lose situation that leads to a self fulfilling prophecy.

    Yes sad

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,179

    watching this, looks at Carrara particle emitter room, DAZ you don't even know what a treasure you have and are mothballing angry

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