Carrara & DS Plugin Differences?

[SciFiFunk]

I'm pretty sure (95% sure) that 8.1 will open DUF files as well. For example I'm using this DUF file exported from DAZ 4.6 in my film
http://www.daz3d.com/night-lounge, and I only spent a couple of hours with 8.5 before giving up (It didn't like my heavy duty 8.1 files).

EDIT - Now a 100% sure.
PROOF!
https://www.facebook.com/scififunk/phot ... =1&theater

I forgot to say that my imports were all from when I was a DAZ 3D guy. (2010) so that would be 3.x files which don't fare nearly as well.

[Spectralis]

Ok, I've taken the plunge and bought a copy of the Carrara plugin! Today I spent nearly four hours troubleshooting the DAZ plugin due to recurring problems which has provoked my flurry of posts today on this and other forums.

Just to confirm, if I install the Carrara plugin will it have an impact on my DS plugin installation? Is there a PDF of the user manual I can download as I'm not always connected to the internet? Do I need to install v2 of the standalone to use the Carrara plugin? I already own a v2 standalone license. I'm sure you've exhaustively answered some of these questions already but in my post purchase euphoria I'm just double, no make that triple, checking.

Thanks once again for all your support. I can't wait to get rendering in Carrara!

[SciFiFunk]

It's late here, so I'll only answer the top question and leave the rest to the others.

You can run both DAz and Carrara OCtanes. Pretty sure you should close down one before trying the other though (for card memory reasons if nothing else!)

Happy rendering.

[dustrider]

Welcome aboard! The Carrara plugin is MUCH more stable than the DS plugin. I think all during testing I had Carrara crash to the desktop maybe 5 or 6 times, and I use a laptop that I don't shut down or reboot very often, I just close the lid and let it go to sleep, so sometimes I had Carrara and the plugin running while changing and testing things without closing Carrara literally for at least 30-40 hours.

Yes, as SiFi Funk said, you can have both the DS plugin and the Carrara plugin on your system and all will be fine (I have both). You can also have both versions of Octane stand alone to match your plugins installed as well (I have 1.2x, 1.5x, and 2.x installed), just make sure they install in different directories.

For getting over the Carrara learning curve in a hurry you might want to get the first in the series of Carrara tutorials by PhilW from Infinite Skills (available at DAZ3D), or there are some great tutorials by crippleman on YouTube (links can be found in the Carrara resources thread at the DAZ Carrara forum). The big plus to using Carrara IMHO is that not only do I have access to Octane now, but I also can use Carrara's internal render engine which is quite fast compared to 3Delight in DS, in addition to having access to all the other features that DS doesn't have (modeling, landscapes, tree modeler, etc.). It's also much simpler to set up materials and tweak render settings in Carrara (at least for me, but then I have been using Carrara since version 2). So you have access to a fast and easy to use biased render engine when needed, and of course Octane for mind blowing unbiased renders.

Hmmmm....I thought the manual was a pdf, silly me! Hopefully Sighman will chime in here and point us to a PDF version.

Good luck, and feel free to ask questions as needed!

[Sighman]

Sorry no PDF. There are tools out there that let you print a web page to a PDF file though.

[orion_uk]

Sorry no PDF. There are tools out there that let you print a web page to a PDF file though.

Just use PDFIT Firefox extension to save each page and then throw them at this website..

http://pdfburger.com/combine-to-pdf

Sighman, I have actually put a PDF version together if your OK with me sharing it? Its unaltered/straight rip from the web so looks as is! Only thing is the menu links don't work so you need to scroll down to each chapter, still, not a bad thing as people need to read to the end!

Either that or I could PM it to you so you can upload it where you like, stick a direct 'download the manual' type link up?

Regards, Orion_Uk

UPDATE: PM sent

[SciFiFunk]

I should also mention that I've made a playlist of Carrara Tutorials (mainly animation). Including how to get 132 animatable characters in a single scene.

Carrara Animation
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... E90B92CC0E

Carrara Modelling (Kitbashing)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... Frus8bSjgi

I'm working on building up an Octane playlist as well, but I must learn how to walk before I run.

[orion_uk]

Playlists saved mate, cheers good work

[SciFiFunk]

Pleasure. The better we all get the more we can learn off each other.

[orion_uk]

Is there a PDF of the user manual I can download as I'm not always connected to the internet?

Sighman said he is fine with me passing on the one I threw together, please keep in mind that the online version (http://render.otoy.com/manuals/Carrara/)will change here and there as Sighman updates it as and when he can. He will NOT be updating the PDF version that I have thrown together, he is WAY too busy to have extra things added to his growing list of things to do. If people want an updated version for offline viewing I have posted a method on how to get this done a few posts back