Just Curious - Does DAZ Studio Get As Easy to Use As Carrara?

I've been getting ready for another 48 Hour Contest (a five minute animation in two days, given a genre, character, prop and line of dialogue).  I'm doing some Carrara test animations using familiar features, e.g. clips, just to shake off the rust.

I have used DAZ Studio for some great renders with IRAY, but so far I have not tried animation.  I recall Dartanbeck saying the animation in DS is, indeed, workable.   Having used Carrara for so long it feels like second nature, I'm wondering if DAZ Studio users get to that point.  Not trying to start an argument, but I'm obviously partial to Carrara.  I would be encouraged to get more into DAZ Studio if users say it can be just as intuitive with continued use.  Clearly, the number of products available for DS is growing exponentially, while products for Carrara compatible Poser items is ... not.

frown

Comments

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,714

    A large number of DAZ Studio items work with Carrara, sometimes with workarounds, so one is not limited to Poser content. Have used Genesis 9 repeatedly, and also UltraScenery 2 renders as backgrounds.

    Some of the vehicles on the way they are rigged do not convert very well with the blended weight option in Carrara.

    Have found a few that are not Carrara friendly, so I pose those ones in DAZ Studio and export as obj's, not satisfactory for animation.

    As for which is better for animation that depends on your preferences !!!

  • FettbemmeFettbemme Posts: 319

    Steve K said:

    I've been getting ready for another 48 Hour Contest (a five minute animation in two days, given a genre, character, prop and line of dialogue).  I'm doing some Carrara test animations using familiar features, e.g. clips, just to shake off the rust.

    I have used DAZ Studio for some great renders with IRAY, but so far I have not tried animation.  I recall Dartanbeck saying the animation in DS is, indeed, workable.   Having used Carrara for so long it feels like second nature, I'm wondering if DAZ Studio users get to that point.  Not trying to start an argument, but I'm obviously partial to Carrara.  I would be encouraged to get more into DAZ Studio if users say it can be just as intuitive with continued use.  Clearly, the number of products available for DS is growing exponentially, while products for Carrara compatible Poser items is ... not.

    frown

    I would say, the main difference comparing DS with Carrara is:

    Carrara has more render engines, wheras DS you go with IRay or 3DLight which are both either fast on CUDA or extremely slow on AMD hardware.

    Carrara is made for older hardware in graphics and rendering. As not everyone can buy CUDA hardware, Carrara is the better option. Also, you can speed up render times in Carrara way better than in Daz Studio if you are on AMD hardware. With CUDA you don't need to worry what is better. You stick with Daz Studio. (lucky you ...)

    If all fails, EEVEE and Blender. You can never go wrong with Blender. It's fast and even on old hardware and the results look respectable.

    OR THAT: you ask here to get a PC with CUDA hardware sponsored - asking never hurts, right? smiley

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,248

    Okay, thanks, factors to think about.  I have used some DS products in Carrara, but it seems hit or miss.  I've decided a few vendors seem to sell products that work in Carrara.  And yes, I have exported OBJ with success.  I do have a fast AMD 12 core/24 thread machine, but not CUDA, which is new to me.  So many toys, so little time.  wink

    Yes, with the machines most of us have, Carrara is favored for fast animation render times, in many cases ~5 sec/frame..

    I also enjoy using VUE which is now free, and GeekAtPlay has a tutorial series ~an hour long on integrating DS and VUE, I'll get into that shortly.

    https://www.daz3d.com/seamlessly-integrate-vue-and-daz-studio-hdri-import-export-and-optimization-tips

  • FettbemmeFettbemme Posts: 319

    Steve K said:

    Okay, thanks, factors to think about.  I have used some DS products in Carrara, but it seems hit or miss.  I've decided a few vendors seem to sell products that work in Carrara.  And yes, I have exported OBJ with success.  I do have a fast AMD 12 core/24 thread machine, but not CUDA, which is new to me.  So many toys, so little time.  wink

    Yes, with the machines most of us have, Carrara is favored for fast animation render times, in many cases ~5 sec/frame..

    I also enjoy using VUE which is now free, and GeekAtPlay has a tutorial series ~an hour long on integrating DS and VUE, I'll get into that shortly.

    https://www.daz3d.com/seamlessly-integrate-vue-and-daz-studio-hdri-import-export-and-optimization-tips

    oh yeah, Vue my toy smiley

  • tsaristtsarist Posts: 1,616
    I started out using Daz for my animation way back with Daz 1.8. Once Carrara got the aniMate plug in, I started using Carrara 6 for my animations & haven't looked back.

    I use Carrara 8.5 Now. V4/M4 re my workhorses. Earlier generations are my background players, filling out scenes. I do sometimes use Gen 6 stuff to be leads in animation now.

    Daz still somehow hasn't caught up in terms of animation. I don't know why. Carrara is just that good.
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