Carrara 8.5 Pro BETA - version 8.5.1.19, Now Available! (UPDATED)

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Comments

  • argus1000argus1000 Posts: 701
    edited December 1969

    Can I have a pair of screen shots from you please. The filters pane that shows what is and isn't checked for download filters, and a sshot of hte downloads pane with "Show hidden files" checked.
    inst2.PNG
    891 x 905 - 103K
    inst1.PNG
    900 x 921 - 53K
  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    argus1000 said:
    Can I have a pair of screen shots from you please. The filters pane that shows what is and isn't checked for download filters, and a sshot of hte downloads pane with "Show hidden files" checked.

    Good, your settings are correct. Thanks, I wanted to make sure.
    It may be that you got missed in the mass file grant. Since you are an owner of Carrara 8.5, you can "buy" the beta product and in the cart it will show up as free.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    I still can't view Smart Content in the Beta version, although I have PostgreSQL installed.

    I get exactly the same error message now as I got in the release version, about not being able to connect to CMS, but that was because I was running PostgreSQL and not Valentina.

    I wonder why it is not showing up for me? I even ran the latest PostgreSQL update from DIM, but it made no difference.
    So I'm not alone on this? Whew....
  • argus1000argus1000 Posts: 701
    edited December 1969

    Good, your settings are correct. Thanks, I wanted to make sure.
    It may be that you got missed in the mass file grant. Since you are an owner of Carrara 8.5, you can "buy" the beta product and in the cart it will show up as free.

    I tried that too. But you can’t download Carrara manually. You have to use install manager, and mine doesn’t work.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    argus1000 said:
    Good, your settings are correct. Thanks, I wanted to make sure.
    It may be that you got missed in the mass file grant. Since you are an owner of Carrara 8.5, you can "buy" the beta product and in the cart it will show up as free.

    I tried that too. But you can’t download Carrara manually. You have to use install manager, and mine doesn’t work.It is showing in your product Library?

    Can you file a support ticket please, so we can get you some one on one support and get this worked out for you.

  • argus1000argus1000 Posts: 701
    edited December 1969

    It is showing in your product Library?
    Can you file a support ticket please, so we can get you some one on one support and get this worked out for you.

    Yes, it is showing up in my product library. How do I file a support ticket? Thanks.
  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    argus1000 said:
    It is showing in your product Library?
    Can you file a support ticket please, so we can get you some one on one support and get this worked out for you.

    Yes, it is showing up in my product library. How do I file a support ticket? Thanks. http://www.daz3d.com/help/help-contact-us (Or just follow one of the contact links on a page) and submit a ticket.
  • argus1000argus1000 Posts: 701
    edited December 1969

    Carrara 9 pro which is sort of what I was expecting you guys to be working on, rebuilt from the ground up to incorporate new technology inc Genesis with HD SubDiv morphs, smoothing modifier etc as well as maybe an improved vertex modeling room and hair/cloth dynamics.And one would expect to and would pay top dollar for that.
    hope to see a great Carrara 9 oneday that makes the big boys sit up and say WOW too.

    Total Genesis compatibility? Smoothing modifier? Improved modeling room and hair/cloth dynamics? That would be nice. We can dream...

  • BTLProdBTLProd Posts: 114
    edited November 2014

    I still can't view Smart Content in the Beta version, although I have PostgreSQL installed.

    I get exactly the same error message now as I got in the release version, about not being able to connect to CMS, but that was because I was running PostgreSQL and not Valentina.

    I wonder why it is not showing up for me? I even ran the latest PostgreSQL update from DIM, but it made no difference.
    So I'm not alone on this? Whew....There is a common timing problem which we haven't been able to get around yet that may be causing this. If you open Carrara, Install Manager or DAZ Studio while Install manager, or DAZ Studio, or Carrara is closing the Database, then it can not connect to the Database.

    While you should not install software while that software is open (For example trying to install a DAZ Studio Plug-in while DAZ Studio is open, or even shutting down causes no end of issues.), you can open one and let it connect to the database before closing the other and this will usually end this issue.

    At least in my experience.

    Post edited by BTLProd on
  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for answering BTL

    I have tried this with DAZ Studio open, and seven instances of postgre.exe running in Task Manager. I then run Carrara 8.5 Beta, but I get the error message in the Smart Content tab (cannot connect to the database)

    If I load Carrara on it's own, same message. I almost never leave DAZ Studio loaded, it only takes a few seconds to load it anyway, and I never leave DIM loaded unless I am actively using it. I definitely do not have DAZ Studio running when using DIM, period.

    The error message is exactly the same message I get in the Release Build of Carrara 8.5 because I am using PostgreSQL and not Valentina/CMS. So, even if there are instances of postgre.exe running as Processes, Carrara still cannot connect.. I also reboot every morning in life, having closed my PC every night.

    It doesn't even seem to be attempting any connection at all, and is no different to the release build in that respect.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    I don't have any of those running - still no connection. I've also tried uninstalling/re-installing DS, POSTgre, and Carrara. Nada.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    For both of you.
    Are you running ZoneAlarm?

    Do you have DS installed?

    If you do please check the following.
    Does Smart Content work in DS?
    Presuming you are on Windows, when you launch DS do you have, in task manager, about 6-7 instances of PostgreSQL?
    In the DS log (Help->Troubleshooting->view log file)

    Scroll up to the bottom until you see or something similar
    Connected to CMS: PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ build 1600, 64-bit
    *** Scene Cleared ***

    If you don't have DS installed you can launch Install Manager and check Task Manager to see if you have PostgreSQL running. approximately 6-7 instances.)
    YOu can also check the Install Manager Log and look for this line right near the bottom after launch. It should look something like this: Connected to CMS: PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ build 1600, 64-bit

    If the log says Valentina then PostgreSQL is not properly connected, please Contact Support, that could be caused by a couple of things.

  • chickenmanchickenman Posts: 1,202
    edited December 1969

    Down loaded, Installed, CMS is working so time to try it out.

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    @DAZ_Spooky

    I do not run Zone Alarm, I use Microsoft Essentials
    Smart Content works in DS (4.7) and I have 7 instances of postgre,exe running in Task Manager.

    PostgreSQL is definitely working in DS, and it always worked in earlier versions of DS 4.6 too, I have never had any problem with it. I get exactly the same error message in the Smart Content pane, n both the release and beta versions of Carrara 8.5. It is as though Carrara is not even trying to connect at all.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    For both of you.
    Are you running ZoneAlarm?

    Do you have DS installed?

    If you do please check the following.
    Does Smart Content work in DS?
    Presuming you are on Windows, when you launch DS do you have, in task manager, about 6-7 instances of PostgreSQL?
    In the DS log (Help->Troubleshooting->view log file)

    Scroll up to the bottom until you see or something similar
    Connected to CMS: PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ build 1600, 64-bit
    *** Scene Cleared ***

    If you don't have DS installed you can launch Install Manager and check Task Manager to see if you have PostgreSQL running. approximately 6-7 instances.)
    YOu can also check the Install Manager Log and look for this line right near the bottom after launch. It should look something like this: Connected to CMS: PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ build 1600, 64-bit

    If the log says Valentina then PostgreSQL is not properly connected, please Contact Support, that could be caused by a couple of things.

    I use Comodo Internet Security

    All I have in my log down there about cms is this:
    Creating Asset Manager...
    Connected to CMS: 4.8
    *** Scene Cleared ***

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    Okay, I opened DIM and noticed a new version of POSTgre CMS 64 bit and the Valentia convertor. I selected them both and ran the queue.
    LOL - it installed the convertor first! It only ran for less than a second! LOL
    So after Postgre installed, I uninstalled the convertor and installed it again. Took a bit of time... good sign!

    So by now I'm seeing the several postgre listing in Task Manager.

    I ran DS 4.7 Pro, and Comodo stopped postgre.

    I told it to never do that again, and stopped DS, as it was stuck trying to connect to CMS.

    Ran DS again and it's working!

    Creating Asset Manager...
    Connected to CMS: PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ build 1600, 64-bit
    *** Scene Cleared ***

    Carrara 8.5 Beta still isn't connecting.
    (By the time I ran C8.5 beta, DIM and DS were not running)
    So I uninstalled it using DIM
    Downloaded and the installer never really ran - that I could see.
    Went into the Installed tab, and there it was, but with a "?" in the Uninstall button. Hmmm...
    So I uninstalled it (took a micro-second) and tried again... same thing.

    I'm going to leave it off my machine, restart Windows, and try again!
    Good ol' restart will fix it! ;)

    Just a thought: This shares my other C8.5 (non-Beta) preferences file, right? Would that somehow by telling it to connect to Valentia instead? Oh... I think I read somewhere that Carrara will try Postgre first, right?

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited November 2014

    LOL!
    Well, smack myself in the forehead again and again!
    Oh man, the stuff I've been through with the crazy notion of just getting my darned Smart Content to work... and I don't even care for Smart Content! I don't know... for me, it's just easier to look things up from within the library - just as I always have.

    Anyways... after all of this uninstalling, installing, again and again... Carrara 8.5 Beta just kept Not connecting to CMS.
    (EDIT: While my non-Beta Carrara 8.5 Pro was connecting all along, using Valentia, the Beta wasn't connecting at all)

    After I installed the latest PostgreSQL from DIM, and then ran the Valentia convertor, DIM started using Postgre immediately. And once I told Comodo (my firewall and antivirus) not to sandbox (or otherwise thwart) my CMS/Postgre, DAZ Studio hooked up to it too. I could tell when it was finally happening, as the initial state of things took a little longer, but then... Snap! I think it runs even faster than before.

    Not Carrara...

    But then I remembered back when a few of us were having a Dickens of a time getting our selections for Auto-Fit to work right. The key was DAZ Studio. Although I never use it... I do like DAZ Studio, so I keep it installed and up-to-date. Besides, it has a bazillion cool content creation tools that I want to get into using very soon, here. Anyways...

    So the whole key was... Run DAZ Studio 4.7 Pro. Once it's done doing all of its initial start-up and has come to an idle, THEN fire up Carrara 8.5 Beta. What happens? Smart Content Happens!

    And once it connects that first time, I doubt it will ever have that issue again. I can just tell.

    "Oh wait!", I thought to myself, what about my other Carrara 8.5? (remember, I don't even care about Smart Content! LOL)

    Fire up C8.5 Pro 64 and, voila! Since I've left Valentia on my machine, I still have connection where I've had it all along too! Yaaaaay!!!

    So now I'm just playing around, testing this Smart Content out. Hmnpf.

    I guess it's an acquired taste - but I have to admit to liking DS's Smart Content slightly better than Carrara's - but only slightly. Since DAZ 3D made up their own, new library system (as opposed to using the Poser Runtime Structure) it just seems easy to find content in - even when you might not agree with how some things might be organized. But since DAZ Studio only shows certain parts within the folder structure, DAZ PA's have been left to toss folders about inside the library however they like, which is unfortunate for that library being used in Carrara - at least at this stage in the game. But once you get used to the idea that most of these folders are just library graffiti, and that the stuff you really want resides within just a few, memorably-names folders, it all becomes more simplified.

    Smart Content, however, is different. It gives us a whole new structure. I thought I'd know immediately, exactly where to find stuff. Nope. It does look like fun though. And I'd imagine that, once you get the hang of this, it'll be a breeze to find exactly what you're looking for!

    The coolest thing for me in this exercise was the bit about exploring all of these many categories, trying to see what Smart Content I could find for Genesis. In the process, I've found stuff that I didn't know that I had! Smart!

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • thoromyrthoromyr Posts: 452
    edited December 1969

    Must say I'm not surprised that the CMS is still broken on my system. It has been for a long time now. I was told by Daz to install the beta of DazStudio and that it would work then, but the CMS is broken in DazStudio as well. I currently have the postgre public beta installed (I figured it'd go with the public build of Carrara, besides it wasn't working with the release version).

    I'm not sure that I'm actually missing anything, but as it is a beta I thought I'd toss out that the CMS is still broken.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    thoromyr said:
    Must say I'm not surprised that the CMS is still broken on my system. It has been for a long time now. I was told by Daz to install the beta of DazStudio and that it would work then, but the CMS is broken in DazStudio as well. I currently have the postgre public beta installed (I figured it'd go with the public build of Carrara, besides it wasn't working with the release version).

    I'm not sure that I'm actually missing anything, but as it is a beta I thought I'd toss out that the CMS is still broken.

    Okay, both the Beta Postgre and the official release version should work, even if you're using the Beta of either software, I believe.

    If you use DIM, this part can be super easy and fast:

    Go to the Installed tab and select everything to do with Postgre and run the queue to uninstall it.

    Now go back to the Download Tab (or Ready to Install, if you didn't select the "Delete Package After Install" option) and just install one of the main Postgre SQL packages.

    After that's all done, then install the Valentia to Postgre conversion. It should take a little while to install if you have a large collection installed - but we're not talking a LOT of time, but when Postgre isn't installed right, it installs in less than a second.

    By this time (actually, even before that last step), if the Postgre is actually installed properly and up and running (it should be), you should see several listing of Postgre running in Task Manager when DIM is running.

    Go ahead and close the DIM and start up DAZ Studio, the latest version you have. Make sure that CMS/Postgre makes it past the firewall. If you're using Zone Alarm, it won't work, no matter what you do.

    Once DS if fully open and running, go to Help|Troubleshooting|View Log File

    In the text file, at the very bottom watch for "CMS" line as you scroll up. It will be just above a line that says *Scene Cleared* or something like that. If you see the version of Postgre listed on the same line as CMS, then you're good so far. If not, you'll need to try again to get Postgre installed, running, and not blocked.

    If Postgre is running with DAZ Studio open, leave it run and then open Carrara 8.5 Beta, and it should connect.

    If not, one step that I performed in there that I haven't mentioned here is that I restarted my computer after uninstalling stuff.

  • thoromyrthoromyr Posts: 452
    edited December 1969

    I've gone through the song and dance of install, uninstall, of beta/release of postgre and the valentina conversion, etc. This broke under valentina and has not worked since. Not in Carrara, nor in Daz Studio. I didn't really expect it to work with this beta, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

    I'm on a mac so no zone alarm. These days I do use little snitch but it broke and would not work before that, and it doesn't do anything with the network at all. Heck, it never launches, ever. The postgre version of the CMS has *never* worked on my system. Granted, valentina was broken when postgre was installed, but that was the supported way to fix valentina. And, again, this behavior is the same with or without any firewall.

    Just because its easy, I went ahead and removed the valentina conversion and reinstalled it. Installation was instant -- no surprise, really, because it doesn't work at all. (My collection is *not* small.)

    Pulling up the log files reveals what I already knew:

    Creating Asset Manager...
    Error connecting to CMS
    *** Scene Cleared ***

    Clicking on 'Start CMS' button in Daz Studio has no effect. The only I can get DS to work with any content -- including genesis -- is to import the files from the menu. Most of the interface is broken.

    Reinstall Daz Studio? Sure, been there and done that. The CMS is thoroughly broken and we aren't going to fix it here. I've put in help requests and any more even when the issue is confirmed they just get closed as "won't fix".

    To be honest, I was surprised to see a beta of Carrara show up -- I figured Daz had decided they were through with it. As others have noted, the list of bugs fixed do not reflect any of the problems I see (such as genesis and related content being broken in Carrara) and its apparently just and update to 8.5, not a prelude to 9, so I'm not really sure what to make of it. No new features, no fixes for outstanding bugs that people are seeing.

    Please don't get me wrong: I love Carrara and Daz has to prioritize what work will be done (it may irk me to have "confirmed/won't fix" but I understand) and their support folks certainly try (one of them apparently thought one of the bugs would be addressed until he got it to the developers). But it does make me wonder what their intentions with this beta are.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    Do you use DIM?
    Something is certainly strange. If it works on everyone else's machine, there must be some local reason why.

  • thoromyrthoromyr Posts: 452
    edited December 1969

    yep, I use DIM. Although, I'm not sure on what basis you can say it works on everyone else's machine. Some Carrara users's have less interest than I do in the CMS (it sounds interesting to me, but certainly something I can live without). :)

    It *was* working (in Carrara, presumably in DS) and I have no idea what broke it. It wasn't an OS update, or DS update or.... It just quick working one day. Local issue? Obviously. But given support already had "the answer" and a page to point me at it also was not apparently a fluke. So a local issue that evidenced on enough user systems that they had a "fix" for it. I assume the fix worked for some people, perhaps a majority. But if you hang out in the forums at all (which I haven't for a while) you quickly discover that such fixes never work for all people. Support seemed to think that some product update would fix it, so I install them when they come and I try it out.

  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    edited December 1969

    The beta just crashes on startup only Mac running OSX 10.9.5. Anyone got this running on a Mac?
    It is running on 4 different Macs at the office. 10.8, 10.9 and 10.10. Several members of the Private Beta team also run Macs.

    I've not seen that one. Please file a support ticket and we'll see if we can get you up and running. :)

    It crashes for me too - OS X 10.10.1 Yosemite with most recent patch. 64-bit (i5 iMac)

    Okay the Set Language (English) dialog then bang. I've sent the crash log to support (#180775)

    BTW, could the serial number field be made to allow paste - it's a PITA to have to shut it down, find a pen & paper, write down the number, restart, then type it in (cos c8.5.1 is full screen at that point!).

  • That Other PersonaThat Other Persona Posts: 381
    edited November 2014

    Finally got around to trying to try it... crashes immediately after opening for me.

    2012 iMac 27, 3.4GHz, i7, 16GB, GTX680MX, 10.10

    Have not yet installed 10.10.1...

    Will look into it more tomorrow...

    Postgre?

    Post edited by That Other Persona on
  • RenpatsuRenpatsu Posts: 828
    edited November 2014

    This Carrara beta is working for me on Yosemite (OS X 10.1.1) on MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) and that includes my categories through PostgreSQL. I had DAZ Studio already installed so PostgreSQL was already installed as well before trying out this beta.

    Quite happy with the step towards PostgreSQL as that is my "go to" content management database since DAZ Studio switched to it. Now if Carrara would just get a bit faster with loading DAZ Studio content ...

    Post edited by Renpatsu on
  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    edited December 1969

    If I install PostgreSql... it doesn't crash.

    But I have no UI either, so all I can do is quit.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    Tim_A said:
    BTW, could the serial number field be made to allow paste - it's a PITA to have to shut it down, find a pen & paper, write down the number, restart, then type it in (cos c8.5.1 is full screen at that point!).
    It does accept Ctrl + V (paste) Well, I imagine the cmd v = paste too?
    I don't recall, but I think that, in Windows anyways, right-click paste works since 8.5 first came out.
  • Jay VersluisJay Versluis Posts: 237
    edited December 1969

    Installs fine on Windows 8.1, but crashes instantly after startup.

    Incidentally, the "non-beta" Carrara 8.5 can no longer load any content from my DAZ Studio Library after I upgraded to DS 4.7. I'm not using PostgreSQL.

  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    edited December 1969

    Tim_A said:
    BTW, could the serial number field be made to allow paste - it's a PITA to have to shut it down, find a pen & paper, write down the number, restart, then type it in (cos c8.5.1 is full screen at that point!).
    It does accept Ctrl + V (paste) Well, I imagine the cmd v = paste too?
    I don't recall, but I think that, in Windows anyways, right-click paste works since 8.5 first came out.


    Yes Cmd-V is paste.

    In which case it might be a Mac-specific bug - cmd-V definitely doesn't work in that dialog.

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Installs fine on Windows 8.1, but crashes instantly after startup.

    Incidentally, the "non-beta" Carrara 8.5 can no longer load any content from my DAZ Studio Library after I upgraded to DS 4.7. I'm not using PostgreSQL.



    Are you referring to Smart Content? The normal Content library tab should still work in Carrara, and show all of your content, it does not use the database at all, neither Valentina nor PostgreSQL.
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