Carrara - Unity3D
GothicStar
Posts: 17
"Dark Forest" is an online art project (sort of like an MMO game), where I create everything using only Carrara. I export the entire scene (excluding lights and cameras) using the save as DAZ COLLADA (.dae) file export feature. Unity3D imports this into the game engine seamlessly. I am amazed at how easily Carrara works in unison with Unity3D.
I have created a Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/DarkForestRealm to share my artistic progress with the DAZ community. In addition to Facebook, here is the main website to gain access to the Unity3D realm. http://darkforest.netne.net/
As I learn how to use Carrara, I upload my tinkering into Unity3D so the public community can actually walk around my progress.
I am a novice, I solely use DAZ software, so the DAZ community might find this interesting.
Please note my texturing and modeling are at a novice level. I am getting better as time progresses.
Cheers!
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Comments
fire and rain look good
Thank you bigh
The fire and rain were brought in from Unity3D. However, I plan to use Carrara to create my own unique texture splats for different looking rain and fire. My plan is to make "Dark Forest" more cartoon - A bit more "unreal" in regard to realistic texturing. I like more of a comic book, cartoon type of look and feel... so... I have to think hard about how to go about this.
Today I uploaded a new realm that is 2,000m x 2,000m in size. (Dev. 3 current development). 2,000 meters square is fairly large in scale. Therefore, this large space will be plenty to keep me busy into the future. This will be a very lengthy journey, teaching myself how to model and texture, plus learning how to code. Updated link for main site is here - http://darkforest.netne.net/
nice work! it is very refreshing to see a beginning game developer making their own assets instead of stealing the items sold at DAZ that are not made for game development with out a license which I see to many times. Best of luck.
Cool work.
I use Blender and created this:
The Lough Caum virtual experience enables the player to dynamically tour this rich environmental area from your pc. A 3D scene and content created with Unity 3D.
Research and design stages:
The virtual environment is brought to you with the aid of well over 80.jpg images and video footage of the actual area.
The virtual environment is not to scale; some artistic licence was employed within the development.
Within virtual experience movement is accomplished, utilizing the first person controller system with navigation using the W, A, S, D or arrow keys and using the mouse for observation.
Spacebar can be used to jump.
pm me if intrested at checking it out
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Colpolstudios/212712528855685?fref=ts
Thanks FSMDesigns - As a beginning game developer, I have much to learn. Creating my own assets from scratch is what the fun is all about. I like to challenge myself rather than just grab something that another created.
My goal is to focus on the landscape (terrain). Today, I uploaded a 2,000m x 2,000m region. Then, I will probably fill in with architectural aspects, and eventually delve into character creation later. The coding to make particles and animations for character movements will come later. Plus, I still have to figure out the UI and how the game play will work.
"Dark Forest" has a permanent web address and a Facebook page, so I plan to update it regularly. I have started making videos at YouTube to just show my progress... maybe stick some hobby tutorials out there too.
Today I created a video showing how I used Carrara to make a sand texture from scratch to bring into Unity3D for the sand texture under the ocean. Using Carrara is a quick way to change textures and also just simply by changing the light color of a distant light in Carrara and then re-rendering, another shade of texture is made. I use the landscape editor in Carrara to come up with all kinds of organic texturing to be used (scale is not really relevant - the scale of a terrain for creating textures can be thought of like looking at it from space or by pondering it from the level of an ant) - Therefore, texture creation from the landscape editor and a render from a camera can produce limitless textures to add into a game engine, simply by using Carrara. No need for photo editors other than I DO import into GIMP to use the GIMP filter for seamless (to make the textures seamless and for normal mapping).
Maybe the software developers that twink Carrara (unless there is a plug-in that I don't know about) could add rendering into seamless textures, a click of a button and Carrara can render a seamless texture. Any thoughts about that would be greatly appreciated. IF not, then I just stick with GIMP for seamless texture conversion.
I made a video today showing my progress creating a texture using Carrara and then importing to Unity3D. Thing is, the video quality is poor, but those who know Carrara fairly well, should still be able to catch the gist of what I was doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtDa5Y0-WIg&list=PLIeeMJADC6_XKkBCJggBRVTA0qkEDHnTs
Cheers!
Thanks for the sharing your progress Colpolstudios!
@ gothorum.shadow:
I have looked at your YouTube videos "Dark Forest - 2" and "Dark Forest - 3" and the terrain textures are looking good.
I've just wonder if will you plan to overcome lack of the shadows (not visible around the vases in video "Dark Forest - 2")?
I assume you are using the free version of Unity and this version does not support shadows.
Or is it possible to get shadows to work in the free version of Unity?
Also, thanks for this Carrara tutorial about creating textures.
Artini, Thanks for your post and questions. I have been pondering how to deal with ground shadows. Here may be one solution, although I haven't worked it out yet, possibly to take two of the six texture plugins in Unity 3d and use them for shadows. Basically, even though the landscape has four of the six texture layers used, the other two can be reserved for painting in shadows. Although these painted shadows would be spread out over the entire area of the landscape... they wouldn't be resolution high... but maybe just shadowy enough to give the impression of a darker tone.
The other thing is that by using this plugin, called Baker, for Carrara, note this link http://www.inagoni.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.3 - that if I position the sun in Carrara to match the sun angle of Unity or vice verse... then I can bake shadows into all the buildings and props (everything except just the terrain). The only thing is that the shadows for the ground would not be there... but... maybe by the time the space is filled up with plants and other stuff... visually... it may be a complex enough scene at that point to throw ones eyes. Having the shadows baked into everything else pulled into Unity3D (except for the landscape) can be done.... It is just the ground shadows that would be something to think about.
If separate ground planes are created around just certain areas of complexity... then those ground planes can be pulled in on top of the main landscape terrain... and those ground planes or terrains... would be their own stand alone mesh... separate from the Unity3D terrain... so those ground meshes could also be baked.
Hope this helps. Good questions. Thanks for your input.
Cheers!
Here is a new Tutorial video I created that helps show how I sync Carrara with Unity3D - It is a bit lengthy, no sound, but I have tons of annotations to help with what I am doing.
Once, you follow this video, you can see how just changing one simple thing in Carrara will update Unity3D seamlessly and all the original terrain along with all your props will line up perfectly between each program.
Just takes a bit of setting up at first, but then works great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thpG__jzzuM
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, gothorum.shadow.
I have not yet considered using Carrara for the content creation for Unity, but thank to your tutorials, I will give it a try.
Keep up such a good work.
Does anybody know if we can use any of the props that come with the standard installation of Carrara Pro in Unity,
without breaking the Daz3D licence for Carrara.
I would like to make some tests in Unity with the assets that are licensed for Game usage, but could not yet afford Genesis
or any other Game development license from Daz3D store. Recently I have read, that PoserWorld has changed their EULA
and now they allow all of their items to be used in the Game engines. So, if I understand it right, even if you buy
from them only one month membership, you can download from them any or all of their assets
and use them in your games, royalty free.
Artini,
In regard to your questions starting with, "Do you know if we can use any of the props that come with the standard installation of Carrara Pro in Unity, without breaking the Daz3D licence for Carrara?"
My answer is NO. Even if allowed, my answer is still NO.
I personally do not care for 3rd party content.
Carrara is a tool that one should use to create their own content from scratch.
I want everything in my world to be original, from scratch, pulled completely from my own imagination. My project is to be original, not some cheap grab job from the hard labors of another.
Cheers!
If you read their EULA, it reads like you can only use images and animations made from Poserworld assets and then only models from their other site http://3dmodelworld.com/Home.aspx
Considering the majority of their poserworld work relies on either DAZ or Smith Micro meshes, that would make sense.
Pretty sure any carrara content is still covered by the Game development license and not royalty free.
If you need a free figure for testing, here is a good place to start http://www.makehuman.org/
Very refreshing and professional attitude! keep up the good work and best of luck!!
If you read their EULA, it reads like you can only use images and animations made from Poserworld assets and then only models from their other site http://3dmodelworld.com/Home.aspx
Considering the majority of their poserworld work relies on either DAZ or Smith Micro meshes, that would make sense.
Pretty sure any carrara content is still covered by the Game development license and not royalty free.
If you need a free figure for testing, here is a good place to start http://www.makehuman.org/
It was before. Recently available "Royalty Free 3D Games and Video License"
http://poserworld.com/Contact/3D.Games.and.Video.License.aspx
allow to use any asset from PoserWorld in 3D or 2D video games, royalty free.
On the right side of this page you can also read:
"You can now use Poser World 3D content royalty free in 3D Games".
Thanks for the link to Make Human project. I have almost forgotten about it.
gothorum.shadow,
I also wish you good luck and hope that you will complete your game.
I will be watching your posts and tutorials with great interest and may be even able use them to create something myself.
But, I have not so much free time after work to create everything for the game on my own.
All of this 3D stuff is my passion, but only as a hobby for me.
The dream of creating my own game is with me for over 25 years now, significantly has steered my choice of studies
(electronics and computer science) and further choice of the work, I do for living
(I work with computers, but not with the programming or 3D).
In the past, when I was younger, I played a lot of computer games (beginning with ZX81, ZX Spectrum and then PC),
but nowadays I can hardly find the computer game, I really like. That's the idea of creating my own game.
In limited lifetime I have, the only way to be able to finish a game, I have in my mind, is to use some 3rd party content,
so that is why I am searching for royalty free assets, inexpensive or free.
Artini,
I am currently a Pre-Engineering student. 2014, cross my fingers - knock on wood, I will be entering my Junior year in College for Computer Engineering. Awesome that you also work in electronics and computer science. My goal for my art project is sort of two-fold.
1. When I have down time, rather than waste my life watching TV, I usually am working on music or tinkering in Carrara. Unity3D has recently fell into my lap and the idea of taking some time learning JavaScript, C#, or Python is really becoming an interest to me.
2. I love art and 3D art is so cool! Therefore, I want to learn how to make stuff from scratch, like the mesh of a human body... sure... there is no way that I am going to model Victoria from scratch with my novice skill, but I don't care. I want to learn how to model at least well enough that people can at best tell that the figure is at least, a) Human (if desired) and b) female (if desired). I will have a long long way to catch up to the pros... but... this is sort of a journey for me. Therefore, I want to post videos on the YouTube site as I create assets that others at my skill level may find enjoyable to watch and easy to learn. I know there will be pro's out there that can do it better, with shortcuts, ect... but... for me... I am learning this from a sort of hobby, novice, kind of thing, that in time, may grow into something cool.
I like the idea of keeping all my progress inside a Unity3D environment, sort of like a scrap book or journal, of my progress. So that as the world progresses over years of tinkering... others who are interested can just watch my progress.
Maybe I can be somewhat inspirational to others who peer in.
3D art is so awesome because it not only combines art, but mathematics, and computer coding, and just so many fun aspects, that for me, it is just the world I like to hang around in.
If I am not tinkering in life with the stuff mentioned above, I am usually blasting some poor soul with Shadow Magic from the tip of my undead, Shadow Priest fingertips in World of Warcraft. Sylvanus Windrunner is my Queen.
Cheers!
Great that you are using both Carara and Unity. There is not so much information on the net on such workflow.
For those following my thread here - Thanks for all your input
I have created another tutorial video (series 1), "Organic Light Post". I show how I model a basic "thorn" or "vine" shape in the vertex modeler. My idea is that this shape will be the foundation for a Light Post. I need many different kinds of light posts in my world to add lighting. I decided to use an organic kind of feel for now.
I am leaning toward a very cartoon, organic type of feel for my world. However, I know there will be sharp lines to it too. As is, a work in progress, nothing really on paper... so not sure what "Dark Forest" will look like, but I have an idea that I am leaning to.
A sort of organic, dark, mysterious kind of world of beauty and yet... a bit mysterious... dark.... yet... with a nice comfort or peace... like a garden in a cemetery.
Macabre!
Hey... I am a big time fan of Edgar Allan Poe. The Odyssey and Iliad by Homer, Aeneid by Virgil, writers like Lovecraft... well maybe you can see a bit of my edge.
Take care. Keep up the posts. The comments are cool.
Cheers.
Here is the link to the video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGjP19eeX-I
I was wondering if site and YouTube links are still availabl?