Digital Carvers Guild going open source

VIArts · October 2018

it made a house

Dartanbeck · October 2018

Wow Eric,

I've been tied and away for a while now - come back and see this!

What an amazing gift to the world! Time is really limited right now, so I haven't read the whole thread yet. In case anyone here doesn't know this already, in addition to the tutorials on the DCG site, Eric has some cool articles and tutorials in the 3DXtract e-zine collection that are an excellent read!

All I can say, Eric, is Thank You... Truly and deeply. This is going to add some turbo juice to my projects!

3DXTRACT E-Zine thread, here in the forums (with link to download the complete collection)

Includes tutorials, tips, articles from some of Carrara's Greats!!!

Dartanbeck · October 2018

Enhance C is really quite the collection of extra shader opportunities within the texture room, and the sample shaders that came with it are really awesome - glad I alreay own it, and hope that it becomes available to folks, even if it's not Open Source.

When I started this crazy image, I used a DCG shader preset on the text and did a little tweaking to it. It was one of the monthly challenges, so I didn't have much time to spend on it.

So that evolved into me scaling the text depth and applying that (Thunderdome) shader preset to the depth verts and left the face glow red.

Added a sphere and dropped another preset DCG shader onto it

A little red lightning effect from Howler added some extra magic in a quick hurry

Dartanbeck · October 2018

That Thunderdome shader preset is something else. Just add it to the simplest of shapes and it gives you very interesting scifi scaffolding

I cannot express enough on how deep the texturing environment becomes with just the three shader plugins that I have had, Shader Ops, Shader Ops 2, and Enhance C.

Life took some strange turns, and I was busy working on other stuff... I never did quite get accustomed to how to use the many features and functions, but I'm young. I'll get them figured out.

So I wonder what will happen with the trial extension I have installed. I'll check it out when my GPU replacement gets here. I imagine I'll just have to replace the three extension files of that plugin. I was messing around with Terrain Tools right at the time when I got dragged away from life as I knew it and disappeared for a couple years.

Anyway, really looking forward to learning these amazing plugins!

Thanks DCG!

de3an · October 2018

Is anyone having trouble getting the DCG Shoestring Shaders plug-in to work?

I'm using the Mac version, and when I try to select it in the shader room an error window (which looks like a Mac OS generated window) pops up saying "Shoestring_Shaders.mcx failed to load", followed by a Carrara error window which says "A nil pointer error has occurred. File: ComponentTreePartCommon.cpp Line: 638"

All three Shoestring Shaders plug-in files are installed:
Shoestring_Shaders.dat
Shoestring_Shaders.mcx
Shoestring_Shaders.txt

Mac OS 10.11.6, Carrara 8.5.1.19 Pro.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Gips · April 2019

Thanks for free wonderful plugins.

I have question about TERRAIN TOOLS > Intersect, bump working fine, sorry but I can't apply this function in color chanel mixer?

Dartanbeck · April 2019

an error has occurred said:

Thanks for free wonderful plugins.

I have question about TERRAIN TOOLS > Intersect, bump working fine, sorry but I can't apply this function in color chanel mixer?

Hmmm... I just went i to try it, and it's asking for a Serial Code. In checking his site, I read this:

Hi folks,

I am in the process of going open source with all the DCG plug-ins I have rights to (or have been granted rights by the other fine authors I've worked with). I'm still working through the license and source hosting decision, but first step is a beta of the Carrara Windows plug-ins with the evaluation mode removed. No purchase or serial number is required. Very little testing is done and it's quite possible I've broken something removing the evaluation modes so If you notice any problems, please email me at[email protected]. Additionally I was in the middle of a Ground Control update so that's also high risk for problems.

If you have thoughts or wishes for licensing and hosting, please let me know.

Enhance:C is not included and support for it will transition to Rich Jennings. Additional details on that will follow.

LightWave, and DAZ Studio releases will also follow.

Thanks.

So, one of us should e-mail Eric.

Dartanbeck · April 2019

...but when I "Cancel" out of the Serial Code dialog, the Intersect shows up nicely in the Color channel. Perhaps it will time out as it did in Evaluation mode, but as that has supposedly been removed, perhaps it just works?

Terrain Tools > Intersect in the color channel

Gips · April 2019

I have weird colors, but finally I made radial wave gradient

Thanks for your interesting

Dartanbeck · April 2019

Do you get the Serial Code dialog when adding Intersect?

It's certainly working for you. Mine timed out when I tried to make up an example - but that could be because I had the trial version installed prior to it becoming Open Source. Maybe there's a registry switch I need to get rid of or something?

Dartanbeck · April 2019

For regular planes, infinite planes and primitives, I think the Surf option works the same way - but then Intersect works for other meshes. I am really interested in trying this with the Ocean primitive and other things.

Gips · April 2019

Dartanbeck said:

Do you get the Serial Code dialog when adding Intersect?

It's certainly working for you. Mine timed out when I tried to make up an example - but that could be because I had the trial version installed prior to it becoming Open Source. Maybe there's a registry switch I need to get rid of or something?

No, this just working. Sorry I dont know about registry or something.

Dartanbeck · April 2019

an error has occurred said:

Dartanbeck said:

Do you get the Serial Code dialog when adding Intersect?

It's certainly working for you. Mine timed out when I tried to make up an example - but that could be because I had the trial version installed prior to it becoming Open Source. Maybe there's a registry switch I need to get rid of or something?

No, this just working. Sorry I dont know about registry or something.

That;s awesome! Just knowing that it's working for 'you' lets me know it's a problem on my end, and can fix it. Thanks for reporting back!

Dartanbeck · April 2019

Aha! Found it already! I had the trial version that I downloaded before it went Open Source in a subfolder in my Extensions folder! Yaaaay!

I'm certain it will work for me now. Thanks again!

Dartanbeck · April 2019

YeeHaw!!! Test001 complete! This horrible little laptop (I shouldn't blame the machine, it wasn't designed to do this stuff! LOL) doesn't have enough resources to do what I want, so I just ran a simple (but fun!) test to be sure it works without a Serial Code.

Dartanbeck · April 2019

- Plane -

Set Color to Natural Functions > Cellular (default) > Scale = 3
Now set Color to Terrain Tools > Intersect
Size = 3, Inv Radial
Set everything else to "None"
In Assemble room > Deselect Casts Shadows and Receives Shadows (no shadows)

- Sphere -

Set all shader channels to "None"
In Assemble room > Deselect Casts Shadows and Receives Shadows (no shadows)

Now render from the top down

de3an · April 2019

Back in October I asked a question about the Shoestring Shaders plug-in. I must be a thread killer because there were no replies to my question, or any additional posts to the thread until yesterday, April 7.

I would still appreciate some help if possible. The original post is just 11 post up, but here's a direct link:

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/4062611/#Comment_4062611

Thanks.

Dartanbeck · April 2019

Sorry de3an, I took that as a MacOS question - something to which I know nothing. I've also never tried Shoestring Shaders - well... until now, that is.

I just activated it to see if it works on Win 10 and it does work without that error.

Have you checked to see if you might have more than one copy of the plugin installed somehow? That's what killed Terrain Tools for me, though I was getting a Serial Code/Trial dialog, I do know that issues arrise from having plugins messed up in Extensions.

de3an · April 2019

Dartanbeck said:

Sorry de3an, I took that as a MacOS question - something to which I know nothing. I've also never tried Shoestring Shaders - well... until now, that is.

I just activated it to see if it works on Win 10 and it does work without that error.

Have you checked to see if you might have more than one copy of the plugin installed somehow? That's what killed Terrain Tools for me, though I was getting a Serial Code/Trial dialog, I do know that issues arrise from having plugins messed up in Extensions.

Thanks Dart.

There's only one copy installed (see screen capture). Unless there was another copy masquerading under a completely different file name, I don't think it would be possible to install it twice.

I'm assuming that the plug-in consists of only the three file shown in my image since they were the only files labeled "Shoestring_Shaders" in the DCG open source download.

I originally tried it in Mac OS 10.11.6, but am now using 10.14.4 with the same result.

Apparently it works under the Window OS. Would someone using a Mac try it to see if it works?

BrianP21361 · April 2019

de3an,

I tried it on MacOS 10.14.3 with Carrara 8.5.1 Pro Build 19 and got the same error messages that you did.

de3an · April 2019

BrianP21361 said:

de3an,

I tried it on MacOS 10.14.3 with Carrara 8.5.1 Pro Build 19 and got the same error messages that you did.

Thanks for testing it Brian.

I guess this means Shoestring Shaders is broken on the Macintosh platform, and since it is now open source and unsupported it will never work again unless an independent programmer takes an interest in fixing it.

Any takers?

Dartanbeck · April 2019

de3an said:

BrianP21361 said:

de3an,

I tried it on MacOS 10.14.3 with Carrara 8.5.1 Pro Build 19 and got the same error messages that you did.

Thanks for testing it Brian.

I guess this means Shoestring Shaders is broken on the Macintosh platform, and since it is now open source and unsupported it will never work again unless an independent programmer takes an interest in fixing it.

Any takers?

Have you tried talking to Eric about it?

de3an · April 2019

Dartanbeck said:

de3an said:

BrianP21361 said:

de3an,

I tried it on MacOS 10.14.3 with Carrara 8.5.1 Pro Build 19 and got the same error messages that you did.

Thanks for testing it Brian.

I guess this means Shoestring Shaders is broken on the Macintosh platform, and since it is now open source and unsupported it will never work again unless an independent programmer takes an interest in fixing it.

Any takers?

Have you tried talking to Eric about it?

I didn't think it would be appropriate to ask him to continue to support software that he has made open source.

I figured posting the issue here in his thread would be sufficient, and if he's no longer following the thread, it probably wouldn't be fair to go pestering him with support requests.

RuudL · April 2019

de3an,

i got the same error message.

But i think i have solved the problem. At least on my computer ( macOS 10.12.6 \w Carrara 8.5 Pro ).

I've rebuild the plug-in/shader from the DCG sourcefiles using Xcode 9.2, macOS 10.13 SDK and Carrara 8.1.1.12 SDK. NO changes were made to the sourcefiles!

I've tested it on macOS 10.12.6 \w C8.5 Pro and on Snowleopard (OS X 10.6.8) \w C8.1.0 Pro. Both passed oke. So chances are .. that it will also work on macOS 10.13.x and even on 10.14.x

You will find the Shoestring_shaders extension files in the attached zip-file. I gues that is oke now, since DCG is now open source.

RuudL · April 2019

RuudL said:

de3an,

i got the same error message.

But i think i have solved the problem. At least on my computer ( macOS 10.12.6 \w Carrara 8.5 Pro ).

I've rebuild the plug-in/shader from the DCG sourcefiles using Xcode 9.2, macOS 10.13 SDK and Carrara 8.1.1.12 SDK. NO changes were made to the sourcefiles!

I've tested it on macOS 10.12.6 \w C8.5 Pro and on Snowleopard (OS X 10.6.8) \w C8.1.0 Pro. Both passed oke. So chances are .. that it will also work on macOS 10.13.x and even on 10.14.x

You will find the Shoestring_shaders extension files in the attached zip-file. I gues that is oke now, since DCG is now open source.

By the way the ShoestringShaders extension files found in the FullSuiteOSXC8.zip file is actually the C7 version !

de3an · April 2019

RuudL said:

de3an,

i got the same error message.

But i think i have solved the problem. At least on my computer ( macOS 10.12.6 \w Carrara 8.5 Pro ).

I've rebuild the plug-in/shader from the DCG sourcefiles using Xcode 9.2, macOS 10.13 SDK and Carrara 8.1.1.12 SDK. NO changes were made to the sourcefiles!

I've tested it on macOS 10.12.6 \w C8.5 Pro and on Snowleopard (OS X 10.6.8) \w C8.1.0 Pro. Both passed oke. So chances are .. that it will also work on macOS 10.13.x and even on 10.14.x

You will find the Shoestring_shaders extension files in the attached zip-file. I gues that is oke now, since DCG is now open source.

RuudL said:

By the way the ShoestringShaders extension files found in the FullSuiteOSXC8.zip file is actually the C7 version !

RuudL, thank you for taking the time to do this!

I installed your recompiled version of Shoestring Shaders and it seems to function without crashing now on Mac OS 10.14.4. (Being the C7 version instead of the C8 version was most likely the problem. Good find!)

Now that I can actually explore the plug-in's options, I see that it will take some time to learn how to use it.

Thanks again!

Dartanbeck · April 2019

How absolutely Bravo!!! So cool!

For those whom may have missed that, we now have a version of Shoestring Shaders for Carrara that works with Mac OS 10.14.4 Here!

Travestious · April 2019

RuudL said:

de3an,

i got the same error message.

But i think i have solved the problem. At least on my computer ( macOS 10.12.6 \w Carrara 8.5 Pro ).

I've rebuild the plug-in/shader from the DCG sourcefiles using Xcode 9.2, macOS 10.13 SDK and Carrara 8.1.1.12 SDK. NO changes were made to the sourcefiles!

I've tested it on macOS 10.12.6 \w C8.5 Pro and on Snowleopard (OS X 10.6.8) \w C8.1.0 Pro. Both passed oke. So chances are .. that it will also work on macOS 10.13.x and even on 10.14.x

You will find the Shoestring_shaders extension files in the attached zip-file. I gues that is oke now, since DCG is now open source.

Greatly appreciated. Thankyou.

Eric Winemiller · April 2019

Hi all,

Thanks for figuring out the problem with the Shoestring Shaders. I have updated the original download at http://www.digitalcarversguild.com/os.php with the correct build.

Regards,

de3an · April 2019

Eric Winemiller said:

Hi all,

Thanks for figuring out the problem with the Shoestring Shaders. I have updated the original download at http://www.digitalcarversguild.com/os.php with the correct build.

Regards,

Thanks Eric!

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Includes tutorials, tips, articles from some of Carrara's Greats!!!

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