What's the story On Carrara?

PhilW

Well said!

lx_2807502

Reposting this from the encryption thread since it affects you guys more and the few pages I read seem to echo my own worries. If this is wrong/bad then please delete this post.

rbtwhiz said:

Jon isn't in a position to make "promises" on behalf of the Software Dev team. Jon [and "Rawb"—also known as "other Rob"] are Web Dev guys. The technical side of Daz Connect (i.e. figuring out how it will work, and then making it work) is a joint effort between the Web Dev and Software Dev teams, at the behest of executive management. The policy side of Daz Connect (i.e. deciding whether it exists at all, and when/what it is applied to) is up to Marketing and executive management.

Is Genesis 3 support being worked on for Carrara? Yes, it is. Will I give you a date on when a build that has Genesis 3 support is going to be publicly available? Sorry, I will not—not yet anyway.

I will say that support for dual quaternion skinning (a prerequisite for Genesis 3 support, and quite useful in its own right) has been implemented and has been with the Private Build testers for several weeks now. Feedback on the feature(s) thus far has been positive. I will also say that earlier this month the Private Build testers were asked what they thought about releasing a build with the dual quaternion skinning support. The responses we got basically boiled down to it not being enough to make much of a difference in the current climate. We [reluctantly] agree, and so decided to hold the feature until Genesis 3 support could be implemented.

And on that note, recently the Private Build testers were given a build that provides their first look at Genesis 3 support. Initial reactions have been positive, however there are a few things that we knew were not working correctly before we gave them the build.  We are looking for [and getting] feedback from that team to help us suss out where the other problems are.

As for the question of Daz Connect support in Carrara... It is still a bit too early to commit. I know that is probably not what you want to read/hear, but that is all I can really say about it right now. There are still some things to be ironed out, and dealing with those things in two very complex applications at the same time—particularly with a team that runs on the lean side anyway—would be very unwise. Daz Studio is the proving grounds for Daz Connect integration.

-Rob

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/944221#Comment_944221

 

WendyLuvsCatz

Well at least we know there is an active beta and Genesis 3 integration is being worked on.

lx_2807502

JaguarElla said:

Well at least we know there is an active beta and Genesis 3 integration is being worked on.

I've been hovering around buying it for weeks but scared off because of the silence around whether a dev team even existed anymore, so it's enough to get them a sale from me.

PhilW

lx - thanks for sharing this, I am pleased that Daz has come out and shared this publicly.

That Other Persona

Very nice to see this.  OK; I'll say it so that nobody else has to: they could have dropped a note here...  OK.  It has been said.

 

Now, off to apply the teachings of evil producer.... I'm going to make something in Carrara.

 

 

starboard

 

It is a relief to know that Carrara is not being abandoned. However I don't think kissy, kissy makeup is in order  just because at long last we got a few encouraging words and a pat on the head . Somebody from DAZ ought to be asigned to drop into the forums from time to time to allay doubts and stop some of the paronoia over its future. It does not have to be too specific..just that there is somebody there and it is being worked on.   Doubts over Carrara's future - if any,  have been a hot topic on this forum since I joined it. It is not healthy for the marketing of the product not to mention the eroding of the motivation and enthusiasm to learn Carrara in the first place.  

However, it is a new day, and as Evil has said lets get back to work and make some models. 

Starboardtack

Philemo_Carrara

So...

Daz has invested some money in integrating G3 in Carrara. They won't drop it tomorrow. They may not do much improvement, but, at least, they're adapting it so it can load their onwn content.

They don't want to adapt Daz connect until it's all ironed out and well in production.

This seems very reasonnable to me. Integration is a difficult job. Integrating unproven software is a nightmare.

So, Studio is upgraded first and Carrara second. And communication is done when testing is well on the way.

Once you know the rules, it's so much better.

 

algovincian

evilproducer said:

Right now Carrara works just fine.

I wish that were true as far as the soft body physics goes . . .

- Greg 

Stezza

evilproducer said:

Right now Carrara works just fine.

Unless you are a squirrel wanting to hold onto his nuts

Stezza

lx said:

Reposting this from the encryption thread since it affects you guys more and the few pages I read seem to echo my own worries. If this is wrong/bad then please delete this post.

rbtwhiz said:

Jon isn't in a position to make "promises" on behalf of the Software Dev team. Jon [and "Rawb"—also known as "other Rob"] are Web Dev guys. The technical side of Daz Connect (i.e. figuring out how it will work, and then making it work) is a joint effort between the Web Dev and Software Dev teams, at the behest of executive management. The policy side of Daz Connect (i.e. deciding whether it exists at all, and when/what it is applied to) is up to Marketing and executive management.

Is Genesis 3 support being worked on for Carrara? Yes, it is. Will I give you a date on when a build that has Genesis 3 support is going to be publicly available? Sorry, I will not—not yet anyway.

I will say that support for dual quaternion skinning (a prerequisite for Genesis 3 support, and quite useful in its own right) has been implemented and has been with the Private Build testers for several weeks now. Feedback on the feature(s) thus far has been positive. I will also say that earlier this month the Private Build testers were asked what they thought about releasing a build with the dual quaternion skinning support. The responses we got basically boiled down to it not being enough to make much of a difference in the current climate. We [reluctantly] agree, and so decided to hold the feature until Genesis 3 support could be implemented.

And on that note, recently the Private Build testers were given a build that provides their first look at Genesis 3 support. Initial reactions have been positive, however there are a few things that we knew were not working correctly before we gave them the build.  We are looking for [and getting] feedback from that team to help us suss out where the other problems are.

As for the question of Daz Connect support in Carrara... It is still a bit too early to commit. I know that is probably not what you want to read/hear, but that is all I can really say about it right now. There are still some things to be ironed out, and dealing with those things in two very complex applications at the same time—particularly with a team that runs on the lean side anyway—would be very unwise. Daz Studio is the proving grounds for Daz Connect integration.

-Rob

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/944221#Comment_944221

 

best news I've read for over 2 years.. things look a little rosier today .. thanks lx for reposting here

rk66

Hi,

look here: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/65560/encryption-discussions-go-here

 

rk.

stringtheory9

So all this time all we had to do was just go into the Studio forum and ask about Carrara! Doh!

lx_2807502

stringtheory9 said:

So all this time all we had to do was just go into the Studio forum and ask about Carrara! Doh!

No, what you had to do was find a thread that devs were actively monitoring (e.g. for a beta) and then get the conversation to include Carrara and then ask over and over and over until it's addressed. It's really frustrating that any official information on the forums is usually extremely helpful, but getting them to give it is like pulling teeth.

stringtheory9

lx said:

stringtheory9 said:

So all this time all we had to do was just go into the Studio forum and ask about Carrara! Doh!

No, what you had to do was find a thread that devs were actively monitoring (e.g. for a beta) and then get the conversation to include Carrara and then ask over and over and over until it's addressed. It's really frustrating that any official information on the forums is usually extremely helpful, but getting them to give it is like pulling teeth.

And we certainly appreciate it. Thanks lx!

lx_2807502

stringtheory9 said:

lx said:

stringtheory9 said:

So all this time all we had to do was just go into the Studio forum and ask about Carrara! Doh!

No, what you had to do was find a thread that devs were actively monitoring (e.g. for a beta) and then get the conversation to include Carrara and then ask over and over and over until it's addressed. It's really frustrating that any official information on the forums is usually extremely helpful, but getting them to give it is like pulling teeth.

And we certainly appreciate it. Thanks lx!

You're welcome, but it definitely wasn't me that brought it up. I just made sure it kept getting asked over and over until we heard something, then bought it once they replied to show it meant a lot that they did. Whether that makes any difference, who knows.

Headwax

This thread has had 11.3 k views. 

Daz is pretending carrara doesn't exist...

they should take away the ability to view ' count statics' if they want that myth to take the place of reality 

PhilW

Daz knows very well that Carrara exists, otherwise they wouldn't be putting resources into further development, and I know they are aware of the lobbying. They have to balance the cost of resources with the likely future revenues, and are wary (I believe) of making promises which they then have issues in delivering. I am not saying they always get it right (who does!), but I have some sympathy for their position. I am just happy they are putting resources into further development, at least for G3 support. Let's hope they can throw a few other little goodies in there as well!

lx_2807502

I agree with all that, but I've been reading worried posts of customers thinking Carrara support was dead for months, and a lot of it could have been put off by one or two posts saying nothing more than that there is an active dev team working on Carrara but they can't share details yet. Sure people will be annoyed by that, but at least people won't be abandoning it or being too scared to buy it.

starboard

I read the rbtwhiz post above about the future updating of Carrara.  I felt like I was peeking in to another universe... Dual quaternion skinning...  I looked it up and the explanation  quickly got into differential equations..or worse..One year of calculus and it took me years to recover me self confidence. I am sure that there are some on the forum that can follow the technical complexities of compiling the program code but for people like me - more artsy than techy...all I need to know is that they are seriously working on an update of Carrara.  Apple is probably the most secretive of corporations, especially regarding future products and updates...but even Apple would not leave its costomers worried that their Apple products were being abandoned. As I said in a previous post, all it would take is someone from DAZ to check into the forum every say two weeks..a month .. a year ?....and let us know that the program is alive and being worked on. Well at last we have some communication that all is well ..sort of....I don't understand what exactly is being done or how..but thats ok... Carrara is not abandoned. Back to work..

Let me end up with saying that I am in total awe of the people who handle the math and programming  of software such as Carrara.... Every time I look at the complexity..my knees get weak...

Starboardtack

SileneUK

lx said:

I agree with all that, but I've been reading worried posts of customers thinking Carrara support was dead for months, and a lot of it could have been put off by one or two posts saying nothing more than that there is an active dev team working on Carrara but they can't share details yet. Sure people will be annoyed by that, but at least people won't be abandoning it or being too scared to buy it.

For me it would not be abandoning Carrara, as there is lots you can carry on doing with it. Especially as I am updating my kit and all should work better. But as you say, silence was off-putting.

As to myself, without any response....it would have been me hesitant to buy any more content, even currently compatible items--nevermind without looking towards a future with G3. Now the future looks brighter, even if I don't jump on the G3 bandwagon right off. I waited for quite some time to get G2. 

DS is free, but updating Carrara should get new customers who pay for the programme and for content, not just for content as with DS.

  SileneUK

cyborgty_074ff6c243

mhartman.art_53c60a8640 said:

Roughly 4 years ago I left the Carrara community a while ago in a shroud of a lot of frustration with the lack of support Daz gave to the application. Since then, I have invested all my 3D ventures into Autodesk. It just made more sense as far as longevity and professional pipeline. However, thanks to Carrara, my eventual shift to Maya was eased a bit. There are some similarities. I was able to grasp Maya in a week. Using it professionally in 2 weeks.

Out of sheer curiousity I came here today to see how far Carrara has come in all this time. Unfortunately, I see the same kind of topics and discussions today that plagued Carrara 4 years ago. I think that's indicative of Daz not supporting the software as some of you have hoped and still hope. 

What Autodesk, or any other 3D package doesn't have is a believable character generator. The professional 3D industry seems to be genuinely impressed with the Genesis technology. But they pull their hair out at tools like DazStudio. Carrara is almost always never even on the map in the mind of the professional.

Daz has a unique opportunity here. Their general Genesis technology is brilliant. Knowing now what I couldn't have seen 4 years ago, is that if Daz were smart they would focus on getting their Genesis figures into more professional pipelines like Autodesk and even more so into pipelines like Unity. The VR/AR space is on it's way to exploding. Daz needs to align itself in this regard. Maya does support Daz content (COLLADA) to a certain extent. It's not at the level of DazStudio obviously, but it's not overly deficient either. You then get access to superior hair, particle, rendering and dynamics systems of Autodesk and others.

I think it's clear from my now outside perspective that Carrara was axed a long time ago. It's a bit sad. The software did have great potential in its prime and I truly enjoyed using it in the day. A lot of it's UI interactions just make a lot of intuitive sense. However, it's technology now sorely outdated or just a PITA to get a more professional level out of it. Other tools are more reliable and actually easier to use.
(No offense to fans) But that's how it goes sometimes. Nothing lasts forever. In the case of Carrara, maybe it shouldn't. Maybe it should die a respectful death.

 

 

Now, iClone Character Creator is filling the niche left unfilled by Daz (genesis-like character creating and supports use with Unity, 3D apps, etc.). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4a86L2g6pQ 

porthos62

This is all good news that DAZ will integrate Genesis 3 into Carrara.

I look at the store each day and see nothing but Genesis 3 products.

Once Carrara has support, there will be tons of new goodies to play with. :-)

lx_2807502

cyborgty_074ff6c243 said:

mhartman.art_53c60a8640 said:

Roughly 4 years ago I left the Carrara community a while ago in a shroud of a lot of frustration with the lack of support Daz gave to the application. Since then, I have invested all my 3D ventures into Autodesk. It just made more sense as far as longevity and professional pipeline. However, thanks to Carrara, my eventual shift to Maya was eased a bit. There are some similarities. I was able to grasp Maya in a week. Using it professionally in 2 weeks.

Out of sheer curiousity I came here today to see how far Carrara has come in all this time. Unfortunately, I see the same kind of topics and discussions today that plagued Carrara 4 years ago. I think that's indicative of Daz not supporting the software as some of you have hoped and still hope. 

What Autodesk, or any other 3D package doesn't have is a believable character generator. The professional 3D industry seems to be genuinely impressed with the Genesis technology. But they pull their hair out at tools like DazStudio. Carrara is almost always never even on the map in the mind of the professional.

Daz has a unique opportunity here. Their general Genesis technology is brilliant. Knowing now what I couldn't have seen 4 years ago, is that if Daz were smart they would focus on getting their Genesis figures into more professional pipelines like Autodesk and even more so into pipelines like Unity. The VR/AR space is on it's way to exploding. Daz needs to align itself in this regard. Maya does support Daz content (COLLADA) to a certain extent. It's not at the level of DazStudio obviously, but it's not overly deficient either. You then get access to superior hair, particle, rendering and dynamics systems of Autodesk and others.

I think it's clear from my now outside perspective that Carrara was axed a long time ago. It's a bit sad. The software did have great potential in its prime and I truly enjoyed using it in the day. A lot of it's UI interactions just make a lot of intuitive sense. However, it's technology now sorely outdated or just a PITA to get a more professional level out of it. Other tools are more reliable and actually easier to use.
(No offense to fans) But that's how it goes sometimes. Nothing lasts forever. In the case of Carrara, maybe it shouldn't. Maybe it should die a respectful death.

 

 

Now, iClone Character Creator is filling the niche left unfilled by Daz (genesis-like character creating and supports use with Unity, 3D apps, etc.). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4a86L2g6pQ 

https://www.morph3d.com

Daz fillin dat hole like a hole-fillin filler of holes.