I'm thinking of picking up Carrara - What are the Must Have Carrara Products?
3Diva
Posts: 11,749
I've been curious about Carrara for a couple of years, so I've decided to pick it up and check it out since it's at a really good price right now. Carrara is in my cart, but before I check out I want to find out what the "must-haves" are for the program. What are the top things/products I should get to work with the program?
I've been a Daz Studio user for a few years, but I've never worked with another similar program (not even Poser), so all I have is Daz Studio experience. From a Daz Studio user's perspective, what all do you guys think would be most helpful for me to quickly get acclimated to and enjoy using Carrara? What do Carrara users find they use "the most", is pretty much what I'm after. :)
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anything by Howie Farkes
it might take a while to render them but every one is a chocolate box picture
Thank you, Wendy. I have quite a few of his Daz Studio products, and his Carrara stuff looks amazing too. Are there any shaders, plug-ins, or other products that are kind of "must-haves"? I couldn't find much in the store, sadly. And what I did find I don't know how useful it might be or if most are too outdated to use or not. What do Carrara users find they use "the most" is pretty much what I'm after. :)
They have removed several Carrara vendors from the store along with their content. The kinds of things that I have always considered go-to items were general shader products optimized for Carrara that I regulary applied to any prop, whether I modeled it myself or acquired through, Daz, Renderosity, Hivewire, etc. I also regularly used a suite of general purpose plugins - again, not sure which vendors are still around or sold their back catalog to Daz. I will have to check which ones are still in the store, but here are some examples.
Some vendors that remain in the store that still have back catalogs with carrara-focused products include
Dimension Theory = light sets and HDrs, https://www.daz3d.com/dimensiontheory
Philemo has quite a few essential free Carrara plugins.
Alven Bemar has amde a Carrara version of Fluidos free somewhere.
Ringomonfort's former shader products for G2F and G2M, (I don't see his general packs)
https://www.daz3d.com/dp-genesis-2-females-carrara-shaders-collection
https://www.daz3d.com/dp-genesis-2-male-s-shader-bundle-vol-i
MatCreator Shaders - https://www.daz3d.com/mc-mmm-carrara
Howie Farkes sets specific for Carrara- https://www.daz3d.com/howiefarkes
Phil W has a variety of sets, oceans, shaders, https://www.daz3d.com/philw
PhilW's intro and advanced tutorial series are amazing, but I think they are available through a different service.
DCG (Digital Carvers Guild) has made quite a few of their plugins free and open source.
** In the Carrara forum there is a sticky at the top for a thread called Carrara Information Manual by Dartanbeck. You will find more essential links at this link.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/15970/carrara-information-manual/p1
*** - feel an obligation to alert visitors to the thread that Daz3D has stated in replies to support tickets that they are not continuing support tech maintenance or development of Carrara at this time.
Excellent What a great wealth of information! Thank you so much! :D
I really appreciate all the links and you taking the time to make this great list!
There is a Cararra Pro 8.5 Bundle that you want although you have probably the Michael & Victoria Pro stuff included it does include some specific to Carrara ports of those characters.
I personally have bought, on purpose, only Howie Farkes Christmas Cottage that is marked as Carrara only..
Speaking of Dartanbeck - he recently made his ex-Daz-store Carrara items available free: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/411826/all-of-my-past-products-are-now-free/p1
ETA: And if you already bought some of TangoAlpha's DS products, many of them have a Carrara version too, which are in your Product Library already.
Here are some links to free resources
CarraraCafe - has lots and lots of goodies and articles. Here is a page specific to plugins. https://carraracafe.com/category/plugins/
DCG plugins made free and open source - thread has link and more info - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/266831/digital-carvers-guild-going-open-source/p1
DCG was Digital Carvers Guild and their plugins added amazing options to Carrara. This included additional options to render in Toon styles, Noir lighting and styles, Using actual geologic data to create real world landscapes, and so much more. One of the Carrara monthly challenges was devoted to DCG plugins so there are more examples there.
Philemo free plugins - website has downloads - https://sourceforge.net/projects/carrara-time-savers/
Philemo is a very generous plugin creator. I use his plugin to convert Carrara's strand based hair to mesh all the time. It preserves vertex nmber and order even after simulation so morphs can be made for styling, wind force, etc. PhilW has used the plugin to make hair products used in Studio and sold through the Daz store. Philemo also made a plugin to allow Carrara to access HD morph information, which officially would be listed as something not supported.
Cripeman - 16 pages of links to free short tutorials on various topics by the late, great Cripeman - https://carraracafe.com/tag/cripeman/
Misty - (pay for) Genesis 3 Carrara character - Can't link to it because it is for sale at Renderosity.
Misty - (free) Genesis 8 Carrara character. Genesis 8 version but there are some toe morph issues, so if you have a foot fetish (no judgment) that could be an problem.
Misty's character presets allow a blended weight version of Genesis 3/8 to be loaded in Carrara and used with Genesis 3/8 clothing/hair, etc in blended weight mode. Note - this is NOT a morph to make the shape of Genesis 2 look like Genesis 3. It is the actual mesh, bones, adjustment morphs, etc of Genesis 3/8 to work in Carrara. What it is missing is some of the weighting and weight adjustment that differs between Genesis 3 default rigging and blended weight rigging. MistyLauraPrincess - @Misty - is the brilliant Carrara user who identified the bug (Mods - look up definition of bug before deleting) that caused Carrara to shut down when using rigging for Genesis 3 and Genesis 8 figures loaded in Carrara. Wishing you well, @Misty!
Alvin Bemar - Fluidos - This thread has the info for the free version of Fluidos. https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/220631/fluidos-plugin-for-carrara I still need to recreate the evil villain opening sequence of the Flint movies in which the baddies break the dam and flood the valley. Bwahahahah.
SparrowHawke - free plugin extensions - http://www.sparrowhawke3d.com/ One of the best allows the user to customize shaders for individual instances within a replicator. Carrara's built in replicator function is very powerful, and this makes it that much better.
I'm afraid some of the best plugins were sold through the Daz store and may not be available now that the authors are no longer vendors. One of the plugins I used was shader baker but I don't know if it still exists without the Daz3D store. Fenric - https://carraracafe.com/fenrics-plugins-now-free/
Note on Compatibility -
- One Carrara user named SteveK uses legacy figures to compete in the annual 24-hour film festival. Much of that stuff goes on deep, deep, discounts. So what can be used?
- Carrara can natively read rigging for the original Poser format. This includes the Daz3D figures contemporaneous with generations for Victoria 1-4. So, the original Star figure loads natively in Carrara, as do Chip, Gramps, the FairyTale toon bears, wolf, and pigs, the original The Girl, original The Freak, and their V4 shape morphs. On the Poser side, this corresponds to Poser figures that came with Poser 1-8 or so. Yes to Poser Simon and Sydney, and Miki 3, but no to Dawn or Miki 4. Carrara's surface structure (shader/texture room) has slightly different channels than Poser or Daz Studio so some tweaking is typically desirable and should be saved after first use so future loads can have a one click adjustment.
- Carrara can natively read the rigging for Daz3D Genesis 1&2 rigging. Geografts screw up the UVMapping so require work arounds (loading two versions and manipulating visibility...). Personally, when I use human characters that I did not model myself, I use Genesis 2. The aforementioned SteveK uses Victoria 4 and Michael 4. @Dartanbeck mentioned by @MelanieL recently converted from Victoria 4 to Genesis 1. The same shader tweak issues exist as for Victoria 4.
- Carrara can use blended weight versions of Daz3D Genesis 3&8 figures with Misty's character presets. Same shader issues. Carrara will crash if Genesis 3 or 8 are loaded without Misty's character preset.
- Carrara does not do well interpreting Poser's newer rigging. An example would be the Dawn character,
- Plugin for shader issues - See the Philemo link referenced above for a plugin focused on shaders.
I repeat the disclaimer.
*** - feel an obligation to alert visitors to the thread that Daz3D has stated in replies to support tickets that they are not continuing support tech maintenance or development of Carrara at this time.
@Diomede Oh NICE!! That is an amazing compilation of Carrara resources! Thank you so much - wow! :D
That explains a lot! lol I bought it yesterday, had it crash on me four times. I uninstalled and reinstalled, still kept crashing. And now I know why. lol I'll try G2 and older figures with it then. :)
G3 & 8
if you are rendering images convert them to props in DS starting with the clothes, hair finally figure save as a scene subset
(actually I export and reimport obj's and even use several with Dforce sims as morphloader imports to make morphing props for D|S as well)
in Carrara you will need to chase up any transmaps as iray uber cutout opacity is not seen in the channel for alpha in Carrara
or convert surfaces to DZdefault (3Delight AoA gives even weirder results omitting all maps)
For genesis 8, you need the following preset freebies (thanks to Misty) :-
https://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/carrara-compatible-character-preset-for-genesis-8-male/77745
https://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/carrara-compatible-character-preset-for-genesis-8-female/77504
I won't link to the Genesis 3 characters because they are for sale, but you can find them in Misty's store at Renderosity.
There is a thread in the Carrara forum that discusses use of Misty's presets in Carrara, and then using all the Daz3D store goodies for genesis 3 and 8 in Carrara. Very useful to remember that Philemo has a free plugin that will make it much easier and more accurate to apply the Daz Studio duf material files.
@Dartanbeck has a page devoted to his journey. Worth a look. https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/410436/dartanbeck-s-journey-cg-filmmaking#latest
Oy! That sounds like a lot of work! lol I might have to stick to G2 or older for Carrara if everything G3 or G8 needs to be converted to props first.
Ok, thank you! I'm sure you already probably linked the Philemo plugin so I'll read back over all the great info you've given and see about finding it and installing it. :) Thank you! :D
@WendyLuvsCatz @Diomede You guys have been a huge help. I really appreciate it! :D Hopefully I'll be able to get it sorted out and start rendering in Carrara. :) I'm looking forward to exploring.
you can use Misty's presets I was only suggesting it because it's actually easier in DAZ studio too as uses less resources and that is actually where I use them (morphing figure props) as extras.
In the Carrara forum, there is a thread with a walk-through of a first-scene with the content that comes bundled with Carrara. To get started learning where some of the basic tools and functions are, you could follow the posts here.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/119181/no-one-asked-me-diomede-posts-screenshots-on-whatever/p1
That will help you open a scene, load a Daz3D genesis character, address textures, load and conform some clothing, introduce Carrara strand-based hair, create and edit a simple landscape terrain, create a plant, create a realistic sky and matching sunlight, and choose additional render passes (canvases). Sounds like a lot but folks have had success following along. The idea is to get familar with where some of the major functions and tools are.
In addition to that simple scene, Carrara has replicators (think Ultrascatter), vertex modeling (think the Hexagon bridge), animation tools, physics (both simple and soft-body), toon render filter, and more.
This thread has what you will need for Philemo's free plugin for PBR materials in Carrara, including Daz Studio duf file materials.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/240836/new-beta-available-pbr-microfacets-disney-fresnel-and-tutti-quanti/p1
A handkerchief to cry in as you spend months waiting for the next Carrara product to come out.
@MelanieL made a great suggestion. Several of @TangoAlpha 's sets and environments come with Carrara files. You might already own some. If not, there are two that are PC items that you might get relatively cheap
Medieval Hall and Garden - https://www.daz3d.com/medieval-hall-and-garden
Jackson Field - https://www.daz3d.com/jackson-s-field
His sets typically come with multiple cameras and light sets for easy scene setup. Could be a good way to see examples.
Here are some generic shader collections.
https://www.daz3d.com/digitalpainters-shader-bundle
https://www.daz3d.com/dp-carrara-master-collection-shaders
https://www.daz3d.com/carrara-pro-master-shaders
https://www.daz3d.com/carrara-surface-and-skin-shaders
Great suggestions! Thank you! It looks like six of the products I've purchased from TangoAlpha have Carrara files included, so that's good news.
And those shaders are REALLY deeply discounted right now! AWESOME!
I'll try the Convert to Prop trick as well.
Thank you, guys!
Carrara can be used for different parts of a work flow, or be self contained. Here are some links dedicated to different tasks.
Terrains - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/37867/building-carrara-terrains-intro/p1
Modeling props and figures, etc. - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/96301/modeling-objects-in-carrara-q-a-come-one-and-all/p1
Surfaces and shaders - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/113511/shader-creating-settings-for-carrara-q-a-come-one-come-all/p1
Dynamic strand-based hair - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/51604/tutorial-creating-realistic-carrara-hair-for-animations-and-still-renders/p1
Plants - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2413721/#Comment_2413721
Replicators (like ultrascatter) - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/38177/how-to-replicators-introductory-methods-tricks-and-advanced-tips/p1
Bones and rigging (see third post in thread) - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/233691/rigging-models-for-use-in-carrara/p1
** The Daz3D sponsored Carrara Challenges often had a requirement to use a specific function, modeler, light, or camera attribute. The work in progress threads often include descriptions of how the participants used that part of Carrara. If you have questions on a topic, we may be able to point you to an illustration of someone confronting the same issue and how they addressed it. ** The Carrara Challenges can be found here.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/45254/learning-tips-and-tricks-from-prior-carrara-challenge-wip-threads/p1
For example, in the 3rd Challenge, artist @FractalDimensia used Carrara's terrain modeler and the seamless replicator option along with a water shader to create the ocean in this image.
terrain settings are found here - https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/405672/#Comment_405672
white caps for the waves can be controlled with the elevation and slope options for surface shaders.
Some Carrara stuff in the freebies, too, @3Diva - including some dynamic hair to play with and a bunch of g2 shaders:
https://www.daz3d.com/free-3d-models
- Greg
The Howie Farkes landscapes and the physics engine in 8.5 were the only reason I grabbed Carrara. Always a challenge to make any of the 3D human daz models look good in Carrara though.
there was this thread back in the day
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/25644/make-your-most-realistic-renders-ever/p1
and I use the Octane plugin myself while I don't go for realism it is possible with it
@3Diva
some Carrara shaders and hair added to freebies section today
I saw that - perfect timing! :D Funny enough I had just added several of those to my wish list and BAM - today they're free! lol AWESOME!
Whoa! I didn't know you could model terrain and other stuff in Carrara - how cool is that? I'll have to look into that when I have a bit more time. I'm super jazzed about looking at the dynamic strand-based hair too and seeing how that might differ from the strand-based hair in Daz Studio.
it has a tree generator too
physics engine
particles
volumetric clouds
vertex modelling, spline modeling, metaball modeling, formula