PySwarm for Carrara is a Python script by fractaldimensia specifically designed and written to use with DAZ 3D Carrara’s plug-in PyCarrara to manipulate and render realistic swarming object and other similar forms of group behavior in Carrara.
Historically, anyone who wanted to create an animation sequence that simulated flocking, herding, schooling, swarming, or other group behaviors had two options.
1) Create flight paths for each individual in the group. This can be very time consuming and prone to difficulties if you want to change any of the paths.
2) Use a replicator to create groups of animals. This can lead to animations that are not realistic enough because replicators require animals move in unison.
PySwarm offers a third and more flexible choice. Realistic swarming animation can be achieved by loading the PySwarm script into a text editor, selecting the behaviors you wish to simulate, tweaking a few parameters, importing the script into your scene, and rendering the resulting keyframe-based simulation.
An essential feature of PySwarm is that users of the script do NOT have to know how to program in Python to use it. The PySwarm script was engineered in a way that anyone who has Python and the PyCarrara plug-in installed on their computer can, with minimal effort, render complex-looking animation sequences.
Here are just a few examples of the kinds of animation sequences the PySwarm script is being designed to support.
Bees swarming around a beehive
Butterflies flying in an open field
A herd of horses running through a valley
An army of soldiers marching, but not in precise formation
Mechanical spiders swarming a futuristic fort
Predators moving through a large flock of prey (wolves and sheep, barracudas and fish, “bad guy”
moving through a crowd of people)
Two groups of fighter aircraft in close “fur ball” combat
download the latest PySwarm script (V.0.3.1) along with a Users Guide and two .CAR starter files to use with the script here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8V9-txK8F4Mb0JBZ0tQVndmRkU/edit?usp=sharing
The PyCarrara plugin can be downloaded here:
http://pycarrara.sourceforge.net
Luxus for Carrara by Spheric Labs has been updated to version 1.0.0.1
Users of the plugin will need to download the new version from the DAZ 3D website.
List of changes include:
– Production Frame and render match up perfectly.
– DOF parameters.
– Internal Saved Textures supported.
– Squelched some warnings related to textures.
– AreaLight bug that applied the light to multple shading domains when it should not have.
– Fixed Cloth.
– Rendering will not hang the Mac while LuxRender does its thing.
Those of you that already own Carrara 8.0 and also are PC members, get an added 50% discount, in total 85.5$ for Carrara 8.5 Pro.
You also get Victoria 5 and Michael 5 Pro bundle, each worth $87.5, a total of 175$ of bonus content.Still not sure which Carrara shaders that are included, please post in the Forum if you have any info.
Zgock is back with a completely rewritten YAToon plugin for Carrara 8.x, still free but this time also open source.
Even a year long hospital visit could not keep zgock away from the keyboard and YAToon development.
Features:
– Improved Toon Painting
– Improved Line Drawing
Catching up with the news, DAZ3D is the main sponsor of a new monthly render contest for Carrara, called Carrara Challenge. The second months theme is QUIRKY, HUMOROUS, FAST AND FURIOUS and ends at July 27th.
The prizes are:
Ist Place: a $50 coupon
2nd Place will win a $30 coupon
3rd Place wins a $15 coupon
In addition the Honorable Mention will receive a $5 coupon code.
Corrects some issues with inverted normals and fixes compatibility with soft-body physics.
Get it at the download page, where you also can get the free trial version before you buy it for only $3.
You will also find the other extremely cheap plugins by Fenric at the same download page, with free trials for all. There are also 2 free plugins, get them and support Fenric by buying his cheap plugins.
The Object Sequence Exporter uses a “baking” method to completely capture all of the vertex position
information about an animated object and exports it into a sequence of individual OBJ files, one for each frame.
Woodlands is set up as a bunch of ready-to-use preset scenes as well as a complete outdoor scene construction kit. It includes 42 full scene presets which offer various options and styles to choose from, depending upon your needs.
What you get for $11.17, besides another 40% off Carrara 8 for a limited time:
42 Preset Carrara Scene Files (.CAR – Scenes Browser)
Preset Nature Blocks (.Car – Objects Browser)
New Preset Plants and Leaves(Berries) (.CAR – Objects Browser)
Three Complete Terrain Shaders
Two Water Shaders
Full Environmental Lighting Rigs in Every Preset
Additional Optional Clouds System
12 Texture Maps, Color, Highlight, and Bump
Selection of Distribution Maps for Use with Primary Terrain Replication
Bonus Animated Backdrop Scene With Motion Camera Setup for Figures Using a Walk Cycle – part of the educational part of the kit
Users of the plugin will need to download the new version from the DAZ 3D website.
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