The long-awaited Carrara 8.5 hit the digital streets on the 26th of August. The point release comes packed with a beefy list of updates. As with any such release, some are super happy, some are dismissive, some others are firmly on the fence. Taking a look at just what is on offer gives us a good hint as to reasons for the mixed response.
What’s in the box?
The overwhelming bulk of the update relates to incorporating Genesis in to Carrara. This means that TriAx weight maps, the new DSON file format, smart content (plus CMS), and AutoFit have come to Carrara. Perhaps cynically, this can be viewed as paying for the privilege to purchase and use Gen 5 and 6 content.
On top of these new features are improvements to keyframe and animation tools, and new viewport representations for lights. According to some users that took part in the beta there are additional improvements not included in the new features list, such as improved stability, and faster viewport response.
For some, the hands-down best part about Carrara 8.5 is it finally offers support for Mac OSX 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8. The final cherry on top is the inclusion of Genesis content. Carrara 8.5 Pro buyers will get access to Victoria 5 and Michael 5 pro bundles. Carrara 8.5 (standard) users will receive starter bundles for the same figures. See the product page on the Carrara at DAZ’s store for full list of features.
Never been a better time to get Carrara?
If you are a long-time DAZ Studio or Poser (or even Bryce) user who has wondered if Carrara would be a good next step, then with Carrara being ready for Genesis 1 and 2 there really hasn’t been a better time. Carrara can do just about anything these other programs can, and then a whole lot more. Carrara has solid modelling and UV mapping tools, texture and weight painting, terrain and vegetation generation, volumetrics, rigid and soft body dynamics (which anecdotally have, or are being improved), and a fast and flexible render engine with many great features (multipass, SSS, global illumination etc). See tech specs for full mouth watering features gravy (currently only lists Carrara 8 features).
If you are already a Carrara user then the price of upgrading might seem a little steep, especially if you already own the included Genesis figures. If you couldn’t care a fig for TriAx, Genesis, and smart content then the upgrade might seem like an insult. Of course, if you’re a Mac user with a newer OS, then you’re probably just happy (or less angry) to finally have access to a version of the program that’s going to work with little hassle.
Pricing
If you are a platinum club member you receive 50% off the current $285 ($171) for Carrara Pro. 40% off standard Carrara, usually $149.95. If you are an owner of a previous Carrara version (purchased through DAZ 3D), you can pick up Carrara Pro for $85, and standard for $44.98.
Carrara 8.5 Verdict
Regardless of what you think about Genesis and TriAx, 8.5 is a solid point release and a good base for Carrara 9, which is forecast for a Q1 2014 release. Getting full implementation for Genesis in Carrara was always going to be high on DAZ 3D’s list of priorities, so it is good that it is done and more-or-less out of the way – get that AutoFit with G2 working! With this done, DAZ will be able to spend more time getting a stellar 9 finalised and polished.
It would have been great to see some little hints for 9 dropped into the 8.5 release, and perhaps they are there for a closer inspection. Sure would be good to see a features list, but I’m getting away from the topic at hand.
Carrara 8.5 probably has the most to offer to new users that are only just picking up Carrara. For current users there is still a lot here, but paying for what is essentially a content delivery pipeline might not sit too easily, especially for those that already own the included Genesis content.
will it work with macOS 10.10.1
Sorry for insanely late response. I’m sure you’ve already found an answer to your question, but from what I know Carrara doesn’t work on anything above 10.9.
carrara doesn’t work on mac. No support. Don’t buy it.
Correct, doesn’t work on OS later than 10.9
First of all, it’s not true that it doesn’t work on MacOS 10.10. Workarounds have been posted on the Daz Forums for getting it to install and start correctly on OS 10.10. You just have to force it to have the proper permissions.
Second, Daz’s support has been nothing short of amazing in my opinion. Every time I’ve ever had a technical problem, I get a very detailed response from one of the engineers.
Third, I’d actually suggest this is a better reason not to buy a Mac than not to buy Carrara. It seems like every single upgrade of MacOS causes a bunch of third party applications to stop working. Contrast that with Windows, where the majority of applications written for Windows 95 still run just fine on Windows 8 — 20 years later.
That is good to know that Carrara can be made to work on 10.10. I tend to agree with you on giving Mac a skip, though if I was a Mac fan I think it would take more than a little software incompatibility to turn me off, unless that software was my bread and butter. It has been many years since I owned a Mac, and I have to say I love the flexibility that PCs offer in hardware, software, and OS Configurability.
True, although Carrara wasn’t the only 3D graphics application that stopped working in 10.10.
Truth be told, though, I’ve all but given up on Carrara anyway. It’s pretty obvious that the only application DAZ spends any significant amount of resources developing these days is Studio. Carrara, Hexagon, and Bryce are pretty much completely stagnant and DAZ seems to have little to no interest in maintaining or enhancing any of them anymore. in fact, with their redesigned web site, you have to dig pretty deep to find out that Carrara, Hexagon, and Bryce even exist at all.
It’s a shame really, given that Carrara is the natural upgrade path once people start hitting limitations in Studio. And given Carrara’s pricing, it’s probably the best bargain in the entire 3D world, especially given it’s significantly easier to work with scenes involving generated worlds in Carrara than it is is to try to pose characters in Daz Studio, then import them into Vue, then find out the pose isn’t right for the landscape, tweak it, re-import, and so on.
I hear you. It is a massive shame DAZ have left their acquisitions die off. Hexagon is a fantastic modeller and both Bryce and Carrara have a lot to offer. Carrara, with it’s native support for DAZ characters, modelling, and environment tools makes it the obvious program for more advanced animation projects.
The only reason I even looked at Carrera was because I heard that it could open the old Specular Infini-D files, I tried downloading a demo but I couldn’t even get the bloody thing installer cos the installer app keeps hanging itself
A shame. What operating system are you running?
mac OS X 10.9.6
sorry 10.9.5 (slight typo there)
I know Carrara used to have comparability issues with newer versions of OS, but apparently it has been updated. Have you put in a support tick with DAZ?
I prefer Maya LT + Modo which also comes with a free game engine.
Seriously Daz software is like vaporware not even worth pirating.
You’re comparing a new BMW to a secondhand Ford there. It has been a shame to see Carrara slip down the rungs further and further every year, but at this point I’d say it has had its day for most purposes.