So why is 3D weird? Because instead of finding props, or calling in a make-up artist, you are responsible for creating and managing your own private little world and everything in it - everything. And, like the real world, 3D is dependent on lighting, surface characteristics of the objects. environment etc. Want a metal object with scratches and irregular reflections? You have to make it. (Or get someone else to make it for you and negotiate money or some other beneficial exchange to get the virtual prop from their computer to yours.)
Of course many folks judge a software by how quickly they can create pro level results with as few mouse clicks as possible. Translation: presets. Carrara ships with a boatload of presets for environments, lighting, effects, textures and materials allowing you to create some truly breathtaking results quickly. But like presets on a digital camera, they only take you so far. And, as creative professionals that have a vision of the way things should be, presets don’t last as a 3D darling too long. We want to be the gods of our own universe.
Every 3D software I work with manages these god requirements differently. Carrara divides these requirements into 5 distinct areas and has “rooms” where you go work on them. There are, in order of appearance: Assembly Room (your stage/set), Modeling Room (where you make stuff), Story Board Room (where you can visually interact with your animation over time without dragging a timeline around), Shader/Materials Room (where you texture your objects) and finally, the Render Room (where you set up the parameters and qualities of your final output). These rooms are simply represented by icons you click on and then are taken to a new screen where you’ll find some tool sets unique to the tasks at hand.
Love it, Tolerate it or Hate it. This “room” concept generally creates discussion. If you’re new to 3D you’ll love it. If you have been working with other 3D apps, you may argue that you should be able do several of these god requirements in the same screen (which is customary in other 3D applications). Why these different opinions? It usually depends on the first 3D software you used and got accustomed to. There is no standard in 3D. “Quirky” is the best way to describe this software niche.
The Big Name 3D apps were originally offered to geeks who didn’t mind throwing in lines of computer code here and there to customize an operation. Blender is a perfect example of great software, first user-interface, second - ok maybe third. The interfaces were usually sterile and totally utilitarian but chock full o’ options. Tiny little icons, big knowledge required. There is nothing bad about this, it’s just different. If you come from some of these apps, it’s tempting to think of Carrara as not being “serious” or powerful because its interface and room concept is visually attractive and uncluttered. However, these pro capabilities are available, but just through a slightly different work flow.
Simply put, the Carrara room workflow is elegant and well thought out because of its heritage. Some people don’t want elegant, but want everything packed into a single screen; those are personal preferences and both have merits. I use both kinds of applications professionally and they are both valid. If you think of yourself as a 3D surgeon, Carrara is the lovely assistant that hands you tools when you ask for them. The all-in-one (added hyphens) interfaces are for the surgeon who wants all their tools on a tray next them and skip-the-assistant-thank-you-very-much.
On the flip side, because of the developmental history of Carrara, some capabilities that require multiple steps in other softwares ( because of their programmable control) are completed in a single step in Carrara. For example: Want the ubiquitous spinning logo that does a single rotation in 4 seconds? In Carrara, you simply select the logo, add a Spin Modifier, choose the axis of rotation and enter a value for revolutions per second. It’s not quite that simple in other apps. (You know who you are!) These types of Modifiers are treated as behaviors. Well, what does that mean? It means that if your client, producer, or director calls up and says, “make it spin for a minute instead”—with only changing the length of the animation and no special key framing or adjustments over time—you can perform the request in one step. It’s just done - easily.
That same, user friendly approach runs throughout the Carrara application.
