Attached Link: CBModelPro

Saw this posted in Bryce Forum and thought I'd mention it here as it might be a useful bit of kit to add to Carrara's abilities. CBModelPro, by the makers of SolidWorks is a sculpting-type modeler similar to Amorphium, but it can export normal maps! I know Carrara can also use normal maps with a plug-in available from Inagoni. It will also export .objs and you can "paint" your model within the program. Several types of primitives are available as a starting point. The trial expires after 15 days, after which you have to register, but then the app is still free. I have an idea to try making curling breakers for an ocean scene by sculpting a sheet primitive. I might be able to convert the normal map to a displacement map to use in Carrara. I can think of a lot of things it might be useful for; maybe you can too.

thx fr the link. works o.k. in mac (10.4.x). I saw the export formats, but I dunno what a normal map is, unless it's a bump map - meaning it mimics a displacement map by changing the normal direction, rather than actually changing the surface.

Wikipedia has an entry about normal mapping with several good links besides. I have only a vague understanding of normal maps myself, except that they can have much the same  effect as a displacement map, but with less rendering overhead, so they use them a lot in video games.

Thanks for the link.  Would love to try it...

JB

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Asus N50-600 - Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz · Windows 10 Home/11 upgrade 64-bit · 16GB DDR4 RAM · 1TB SSD and 1TB HDD; Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 - 6GB GDDR5 VRAM; Software: Poser Pro 11x

http://www.xnormal.net/Downloads.aspx

A FREE normal mapping app.

bwtr

I registered cbmodelpro a week ago, but still haven't received the key. :crying: maybe it takes two weeks to arrive :lol: