I will never repeat it enough, and Daz has confirmed it too, that Carrara development is dead. End of the story.

So what are Carrara users supposed to do? Fortunately there are many good replacements for Carrara. One of them is Lightwave. Many will argue that Lightwave is dead software. From what my researches have shown me, Lightwave is alive and kicking. Its last release, Lightwave 2015.3, isn't even 2 years old. This isn't what I call 'dead' software. Lightwave has been used in numerous Hollywood blockbusters too. So for me, small-time hobbyist, it's a guarantee that I will never outgrow it.

Here is a listing of Lightwave's great features that make it a very exciting product, even if it's a bit aging.

1. A powerful modeler which I will personally never use.

2. Cameras, with so many adjustable parameters, they will turn you into a professional photographer, or a professional filmmaker.

3. Lighting abilities so advanced that it's like a dream come true.

4. 2 texture editors. 1 basic, the other node-based that you can use for more complex situations.

5. A Bullet physics implementation particularly thorough and complete.

6. Special FX'es to blow you away, based on what I have seen on youtube.

7. Python scripting, in case you want to go into some detailed programming of your animations instead of using a GUI, which is actually my preferred method.

8. Animation tools, dope sheet, timeline. The whole 9 yards.

Etc., etc.

But Lightwave, with its humongous amounts of features, can be a bit intimidating to learn. Fortunately you don't have to go very far to find excellent tutorials. Our 'own' Daz3D has a set of excellent tutorials called 'Lightwave 4 Beginners', See Link. At $35.- it is really a great investment to get you started and, if you are lucky, you can get them at a steep discount (I got mine at 1/3 that price). The great point is that the tutorials cover the importing of Daz characters into Lightwave, although it covers Victoria 6, not Victoria 7.

At $695.- Lightwave isn't exactly cheap, but considering its wealth of features, it is well worth the price.