Introduction

Carrara Studio 1.1 is the first release by Eovia, since the program was purchased from Metacreations. Carrara is the merger of the now defunct Macintosh 3D program, Infini-D, and the Windows program Ray Dream Studio. It is a complete 3D modeling, animation, and rendering program well suited for web designers, desktop artists and animators.

The Documentation consisted of a comprehensive 500 page reference guide, along with a PDF version accessible via the online help menu bar. The Help also contains a Quick Tour section, developed in Qarbon, which interactively demonstrates the basic features of the program. I found this particular feature to be a fantastic introduction to the Carrara, allowing you to watch as an instructor demonstrates the interface, then models, surfaces, and animates a scene. A copy of Qarbon is also included on the CD, enabling users to develop their own tutorials for publishing on the web. Ultimate 3D Links will publish any tutorials you produce!

The Interface has that Metacreations flavor familiar to users of Poser, or Bryce. It is clean, inviting, and well organized. Pull out tabs left, right, and bottom give you access to the properties, animation sequencer, and browser. The scale/move/rotate controls for the camera controls, and selected object are always accessible using the familiar icons on the left of the screen. An iconic tool bar along the top is where you control the creation process for objects, text, lighting, and special effects. Top right on the screen is the Rooms control. In Carrara you work inside of different rooms depending on the process you are working on. There is an Assemble Room, where all the element of your scene can be arranged, the Model Room for working on an individual model in your scen without the clutter of all the other objects, the StoryBoard Room where you can see, and adjust animation keyframes, a Texture Room, and finally the Render room where you produce your final render. I loved the interface, and was never frustrated trying to find any tool, or function. Very polished!

Modeling with Carrara
Carrara gives you three methods for creating 3D objects: Spline, Vertex, and MetaBall. Spline modeling allows you to create 3D objects by extruding a 2D shape along a path. Scaling, Lathing, and extruding through cross-sections along complex paths allows you to easily create many different types of objects such as pipes, spirals, pottery, and curved surfaces such as car fenders. Vertex modeling allows you to manipulate the surface by applying extrusions, sweeps, lathes, and lofts to surfaces, and then directly moving vertices to refine the object. MetaBall modeling involves moving blob primitives to fashion organic looking objects. There is also a In general the modeling tools are functional, and with practice you should be able to create just about any 3D object. The modeling tools are simple to learn, yet lack the power and flexibility of other 3D modeling applications. Luckily Carrara Studio comes with a free copy of Amapi 5, which offers a more robust set of modeling tools.

Shaders
Applying surface properties in Carrara is quite well developed, offering some quite powerful techniques to give your model it's finished look. With the Layers tool for example, you can apply different shaders to various regions of an object. This can be useful for applying a decal to an object. With each shader you have full control over parameters such as Color, Image map, Highlight, Shininess, Bump, Reflection, Transparency, refraction, and glow. In addition you can create multi-channel shaders, to mix and match multiple shaders to achieve the exact look you are after. You can also simply pick one of the hundreds of pre-build shaders available.

Special Effects
Carrara studio has some very cool special F/X tools at your fingertips. Volumetric effects such as Fire, Clouds, and fog are a mouse click away. A full features particle emitter system is also built in allowing you to create great fountains, sparks, snow falls, explosions and smoke. Carrara also has a built in terrain editor, to create some very realistic looking mountainous terrain. The preview window in the terrain editor allows you to fly-through your terrain.

Terrain Editor	Particle Effects Editor

Animation
You can animate virtually everything in your scene: objects, lights, cameras, shading attributes, object size and shape, and atmospheric effects. Animation is controlled by setting up a keyframe, and modifying the parameters of the object. Carrara will tween the changes from the previous keyframe for a smooth transition. Modification of your animation can be made in the traditional sequencer tray, as well as by tweeking out positions in the storyboard room. Other tools include rotoscoping (combining other digitized video into your scene), and editable motion paths. The only obvious tool missing from the animation system are tools for character animation such as morph targets, and bones for Inverse Kinematic controls.

Conclusion
Overall I though Carrara Studio was a fun program to use. Considering it's under $400.00 price tag, (less than most Max plugins) Carrara Studio is a bargain, and a good choice for new 3D users, web developers (exports to MetaStream, VRML, and ViewPoint), and even seasoned 3D pro's that can use it's cool F/X, Web Output, and fast scene animation renderings.