Description:
As a general rule, we let the 1.0 release of just about anything slip by and instead wait for the 1.1 version; we'd rather let someone else find the bugs. However, Carrara 1.0 from MetaCreations--although certainly not bug-free--is from a fairly reputable software house; is built on the knowledge of two popular 3-D applications, Infini-D and Ray Dream; and its maturity is evident. Carrara is a powerful, robust, and easy 3-D modeling and animation application. Creating objects and scenes is relatively simple, as is adding lights and controlling cameras. If you've ever used Ray Dream Designer, you'll feel at home in Carrara's boxed universe. But Carrara also offers features like procedural shaders, particles, an amazing array of light effects, and depth of field blur, to name a few. Interestingly, this first version doesn't seem to have motion blur (for objects that are moving in the scene) nor does it support field rendering (for output to video). Still, it is an extremely handy tool. The quality of the Ray Tracer and Hybrid Ray Tracer render engines is very good, and the mode of working through a "storyboard" panel is unique and promising. Carrara is an excellent package for many beginning to intermediate 3-D users. Its interface and documentation make it easy for beginners to move up the learning curve, while the feature set is rich enough for more advanced users who need to create complex 3-D graphics and animation. --Mike Caputo
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