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.
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
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.
The latest release of DIM (Daz Install Manager) 1.0.1.75 that was released on 20130617 now includes important updates for Carrara.The major feature is support for Carrara unique items and plugins, but also that Carrara 8.5 users now can skip to install Daz Studio but still get the full functionality of Genesis and metadata items.
Full Suite for Carrara – includes Anything Goos, Anything Grooves, Anything Grows, Cognito, DCG Importer, Enhance:C, Ground Control, Noir, Parchment, Project Gemini, Shader Gel and Strobe, Shader Ops, Shader Ops 2, Shaders Plus, StarBright, Terrain Tools, Toon! Pro, Wireframe Pro All the DCG Carrara plug-ins at a super bundle price: $356.78 Power Pack for Carrara – includes Anything Grooves, Anything Grows, Shader Ops, StarBright Four classic plug-ins at a great price: $79.00 ShaderStyle for Carrara – includes Anything Goos, Shaders Plus, Toon! Pro, Wireframe Pro Step up your shading and rendering with the ShaderStyle bundle; cel shading, cartoon edges, dirt and aging, wireframes, bevel shading, GI shadow catching, and more: $99.00 Terrain Pack for Carrara – includes Ground Control, Terrain Tools If landscapes are your passion, the Ground Control and Terrain Tools bundle gets you two great plug-ins for one low price: $49.00
Thanks to booksbydavid for the tip.
Patrick Tuten uses Shader Ops, Terrain Tools.
Landscape in Carrara 5 Pro. Surface replicator, translucency, caustics, volumetric clouds, GeoControl Beta. Shader Ops & Terrain Tools from DCG. All plants are made in Carrara.
Luxus the Luxrender plugin for Carrara, by Spheric Labs has just been released at the DAZ3D store with an introduction sale price of 20.99$, normal price will be 29.98$. Luxus supports Windows/Mac with 32/64bit versions for both.
Here is the list of what is included/supported:
Users of the plugin will need to download the new version from the DAZ 3D website.
