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if your teen wants to model their own dragon, I would suggest using Sculptris
http://pixologic.com/sculptris/
you can still rig it in carrara but it is far easier for some to model the playdough way than box modeling
Does your version have the bone tools?
I agree with everything that the other folks have posted. As Phil says, start simple. To start, why not try loading some premade and pre-rigged figures, pose, add a terrain, and a sky, and check out the render? As Evilproducer notes, you might consider getting the upgrade to C8.5 Pro. In addition to all of the additional features, the upgrade also comes with a lot of additional Daz content. The pro version is actually cheaper than the regular version right now, and comes with more stuff. However, I hesitate to spend too much of other people's money, so Wendy (JaguarElla) makes a great point about free Sculptris.
I have only one disagreement with what Phil said. If you are going to get a cat, get a BIG cat.
OK, is there a secret way to find the software upgrade cost without wading through hundreds of accessories and models?
Hi. Try here to find Carrara. http://www.daz3d.com/carrara-8-5-pro Also, there is a Daz forum dedicated to freebies. You might check to see if there are any free models that fit the bill before buying any expensive cats or dragons. http://www.daz3d.com/forums/categories/freebies
I guess there is no upgrade option to 8.5? Just buy it?
Nothing happens when I click on the animal in the Assembly Room. Well, actually the object is selected but there is no diamond formed in the instance tray. No bone. Was there an instruction skipped?
Maybe I should wait for the book to arrive. . .
I actually think it would be easier to load a Poser figure first and study how they are set up
it is how I learnt Carrara rigging
also importing a BVH file creating new skeleton and attaching skeleton to an obj another way
you can duplicate and move bones around befoe attaching, I have made quadrupeds from walking bipeds this way and even made furniture walk
I did this long before I created a single bone and built up a heirachy of my own, CGspeed has lots of Carnige Mellon mocaps you can use, I found the 3DSMax ones best as in a X position rather than a t-pose so can select hip and your lined up obj and attach skeleton easier.
less weightpainting needed
you do not have to add a runtime to import Poser figures, you can just import the cr2
I used to in C5
just have a runtime folder with the cr2 in it somewhere you can browse to, on the right above scene there should be an import option for Poser content, you can load poses there too, it is all I had in C5 as no runtime option anyway
You need to select the "Bone Tool" from the top tool-bar,. You should also be using the Quad-Split View to allow you to see the Front. Left, Top and Camera views,. (so yhat you can clearly se where you are placing bones on the figure
Most software retailers normally only offer an upgrade (discount) option from the previous version EG: C7 to C8, although Daz3D has chosen to extended that from time to time to encouragr user to upgrade.,... It may be worth the time to contact Support to see what upgrading to C8 pro costs.
There is no physical upgrade (updating) of the software,.. it's a completely new version and will install into a different folder.
Thank you, Andy and Diomede. Last night I decided that I would everything DAZ related today and just quit. This morning I find this discussion and I'm gung ho for Carrara again. So much for working in the yard today. I'm going to stay cool and concentrate on making something in Carrara.
Anne, at least with carrara it will run on a lesser computer than DAZ studio
diomede;
Sorry to be so difficult but one bone is all I get. Clicking again does nothing. Click left and drag, nothing. Click bone again, nothing. I get one diamond. The PDF manual is more obscure than your directions but no luck there either. I have rebooted the computer with no change. I bet when the book comes tomorrow it will say the same thing. Tutorials also say click for each bone and they will create a skeleton.
Again, I wonder if the problem is an outdated V.6?
Nah... while Carrara 8.5 has a lot of nifty upgrades over 8, and 8 has a lot of nifty upgrades over 7, and 7 has a lot of nifty upgrades over 6, Carrara 6 is still an excellent piece of software. Carrara, in my opinion, would certainly be my favorite software even if it was still Carrara 5, but I need the "Pro" edition because I rely greatly on all of its extra benefits.
You must be missing something in your bone creation attempts unless rig creation is just not available in non-pro Carrara?
Here is a video tutorial by our very own Carrara super hero, Cripeman, about adding bones to a static model:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJZlzko6nD8
and this one covers the Influence of Bones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiAnIqlfgOg
Now, regarding your upgrading Carrara endeavors, if you've purchased Carrara from DAZ 3D, they'll likely offer an upgrade discount. You might not ever 'know' what that discount is unless you either buy it or ask them via support.
If you decide that you really like Carrara 6, but would prefer the Pro version, search Amazon for a book: "Figures, Characters, and Avatars", by Les Pardew. I don't know what the Second Edition comes with if anything, but the first edition comes with a disc containing Hexagon 2 and Carrara 6 Pro along with a huge pile of free DAZ models! If you get a used copy, make sure it includes the disc. The down-side, if it's used, is I'm not sure if DAZ 3D would honor it as an official sale. Again, just contact them and they're incredibly helpful about such things. They really are a very generous company and want to help you any way they can to get you into the software you need, so that you can get back to buying content instead of agonizing over what software to get. It makes sense when you see it in just the right way.
Hands down, Carrara is well worth whatever we end up paying for it. I know that many folks thought that the upgrade price from 8 to 8.5 was too high for a half-version upgrade. I have always disagreed and still hold to that. Genesis or no, it's a better software. Just my two cents on C8.5. Plus since Carrara 8, it takes better advantage of today's computers with 64 bit, but only with the Pro version.
I think I have a bug problem because I cannot just click after one bone to get, well, bones.
You bring up the question of a major fault in v6 though. How could anyone draw any characters without rigging?
Secondly, I called DAZ3D and they said there was no upgrade break from v6 (and some others) so I would have to pay $171 to get a working version. My next question is why people here are complaining about lack of support for Carrara? It seems like the best 3D/animation software DAZ3D makes. So why are they promoting DAZ Studio (or anything else)? I don't know anything else but would like a better idea of what's available if I have to buy something else. Anyone? Anyone?
I drag the bone icon to the first bone in the scene heirarchy and then translate it in viewport rather than click to add, in same line as existing bone for a child under for a sibling
Hi.
It is difficult to troubleshoot your problem in version 6 with the bone tool without a better idea of what is going on. Can you perhaps post a couple of screenshots in version 6 that show the tool menu along the top of your Assemble room? If so, please repeat for the tool menu along the top of the vertex modeling room.
In the meantime, try one more test. Lets try to create a simple 3 or 4 segment bone tree for a vertex cylinder.
- start a new empty scene
- from the top menu, choose INSERT : VERTEX OBJET
- in Modeling room, choose CONSTRUCT : INSERT 3D : CYLINDER
- In pop up cylinder menu, change the diameter from 10 to 1, and make sure object axis is Z (click the Z arrow)
- Return to Assemble room
- Use the camera menu to switch from "Camera 1" to a directional camera, say "left"
- select the cylinder and press zero (should zoom left camera to the cylinder)
- click the bone tool on top menu
- stating near bottom of cylinder left-click four times to make four diamonds connected by bones up to top of cylinder
- using camera menu, return to "camera 1"
- Make sure both the cylinder and the entire bone tree are selected simultaneously (shift click)
- EDIT - OOPS - from top menu, select ANIMATION : ATTACH SKELETON
- select a middle bone and use the rotate tool to bend the cylinder
Is your version of Carrara able to follow these steps? If not, at what step does it not work? Is it possible for you to post a screenshot from (a) the last step that does work and (b) the first step that does not?
oops sorry, Vimeo not used by me, I used it as embedddable in forum so was unaware of private status, fixed now
Hey, Wendy. Never tried it that way. Thanks.
The inability to add bones may be because of the version type (Standard / Pro)
I'm not 100% sure, since I can't find the comparison list of features for C6 versions, ...but,..
I think that the ability to add bones and rig a mesh would be seen as a "pro" feature, and therefore disabled or restricted in the standard C6
The bone tools work fine for me in C6 pro
You could try contacting Support again and ask if they can upgrade you fron C6 standard to C6 pro.
That should be simpler for them to handle,. since it's just a different serial number,.
the Program is the same as you currently have,. but the PRO serial number unlocks the Pro features.
I was able to upgrade to 8.5 Pro now. When I loaded a previous .car file, it plays very jerky in the Sequencer/Assemblly screen. Is there a problem with old files (V6)?
Sort of backing up a bit, I just want to show something simple like PhilW said. One could just load a premade cat or dragon and then render.
Now, you probably don't have the animal models that I have. It is OK. I just want to show how easy it is for your daughter to get started. Essentially, she just needs to load a model that has been rigged, add a terrain and a sky, pose the model, adjust lighting, and render. Once that basic idea is in place, then we can think of making each element a custom approach or a better item.
Depending how you installed Carrara, you should have a couple of folders in your content tab labeled "My Daz3D Library Runtime" and "My Daz3D Library." The difference is the word "Runtime." I did a custom installation so my names are a little different, but the key difference is still the word "runtime." Within the "Runtime" folder are subfolders for Faces, Figures, Hands, Poses, and Props. The poseable models are in the subfolder labeled Figures. Within that folder, I have bought several models, including some cats and dragons.
So, I can just drag a cat in the scene, apply a pose from the poses subfolder, insert a terrain from the top menu, adjust the lighting and sky settings if desired, and render.
But again, you don't have to buy more stuff. First, there are freebies of varying quality. Second, you can rig a model that others have made. Third, you can make and rig your own models. So, here is an example of rigging a very primitive model of a tiger that I think comes with your version of Carrara. In the browser tray, there should be a tab for Objects. In that tab, there should be a subfolder for mesh models. In that subfolder, there should be a model labeled "tiger." It s a very primitive model, but we should be able to give it some crude rigging just to demonstrate. This is essentially the same exercise as the EvilProducer octopus example mentioned earlier in the thread.
Note - this all might be easier if you set your screen to view multiple cameras at the same time. However, I have a small screen so generally only have one camera open at a time.
- click and drag the tiger to your instances tray to load it.
- now, following the steps like we did with creating bones for the crude model we made earlier, start in the left camera view and add bones for a spine up to the tip of the snout.
- rename the bones something useful like hip, spine1, neck, snout, etc.
- select the hip again. Now add bones backward along the tail to its tip. Rename the bones tail1, tail2, etc.
- Now, a hard part - starting the legs. Switch to the top view and select the hip again. Add just one bone ouside the spine column beyond the top of the left rear leg. Name it something memorable.
- Then select the spine bone nearest the top of the front legs. Add just one bone outside the spine column beyond the top Name it something memorable.
- Return to the left camera view. Select the bone at the top of the rear left leg. Add bones for its shoulder, knee, ankle, and tip of the foot. Rename the bones with an L at the end.
- Repeat for the bones down the front left leg and rename those.
- Switch to front view. Select top of rear leg and use move tool to match view better. Repeat for front leg.
Now, still have to duplicate the legs to the right side, rename them, and attach the skeleton. To do so
- Select all of the bones of the left rear leg and the left front leg. Hopefully, adjust their names so they all end with an L for left.
- From the top menu, select EDIT : DUPLICATE WITH SYMMETRY
- You will get a choice of which axis. Click the x axis in the menu that appears. Then complete the duplication.
- A whole set of bones should be approximately over the right legs. Adjust if necessary, and make sure to rename them with R at the end of each name for right.
- When satisfied that bones align with the model fairly well, then simultaneously select the entire bone structure and the hip (selecting the hip also selects all the other child bones).
- From the top menu, choose EDIT : Group so that they are in the same group. Name it something like "Tiger and bones group." Save this unattached group to your object browser.
- Now, withhin the group, select the hip and the model. From the top menu, select ANIMATION : ATTACH SKELETON. When the warning arises just complete the attach command.
- OK, you should now be able to select individual bones and use the rotation tools to bend the bones. This is how you can pose the model.
Not surprisingly, you will get less than perfect results with this first try and with this very crude model. For improvements, there are more tools to edit how the bones influence parts of the model. Furthermore, some models have more detail, and in the right location, to facilitate the bending joints and limbs.
Frankly, this is a horrible tiger model. But it does illustrate many of the tasks that need to be done to rig and pose an otherwise static model.
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Fur! What is a cat without fur?
One of the great strengths of Carrara is its dynamic hair system, in my opinion. At some point, a cat or dog owner wants fur. Here is a comicbook style tutorial to help put fur on a specific cat model. However, the lessons can be applied to most vertex models.
http://carraracafe.com/tutorials/fur-tutorial-comicbook/