Of course Carrara should be fastest at those default settings. Look at what's going on there (or what's NOT going on if you think about it) :

Fast antialiasing
No caustics
No GI
Not using full raytracing
Low object & shadow accuracy
Low lighting quality

The biggest reason for Burrman's problem is surely caused by not using GI. Also i see several "hard" shadows aiming in different directions. It is better to use GI with one light and a few reflecting panels, than to not use GI and have 3 or 4 lights.

Burr, I would start with just one light, and also create a background gradient or use an HDRI and enable the Skylight. Set everything to lowest quality possible and see how it looks. Do all of this before creating any shaders, as the default grey material is much better to see how your light is affecting the scene. Once you start tweaking shaders, you will then be overcompensating for bad lighting. Things only get worse from there, and your render times will go through the roof. As mentioned earlier, use some reflecting panels instead of adding additional lights. This can easily replace a backlight... Also Carrara is not that slow. True, it's not Vray or Modo. But I am really shocked to hear it takes 36 minutes just for a preview? I would suspect you could find ways to shave time off your preview renders. Reduce your render size and quality settings output to the bare minimum you need to see a preview. Unless your system really is that old and this doesn't help?! :(

jonah

>Also Carrara is not that slow. True, it's not Vray or Modo. But I am really shocked to hear it takes 36 >minutes just for a preview? I would suspect you could find ways to shave time off your preview >renders. Reduce your render size and quality settings output to the bare minimum you need to see a >preview.

Hi Jonah,
Thanks for all the tips. They do make sense.

The 36 min previews and 2 day renders are on larger projects. One memorable one was a 290 ton concreate floating dock we did for the Arizona Memorial. I modeled the form work and launch system we used (built on Ford Islands amphibious landing area. concreate slanting down into the water. we launched it like you see them launch large ships!). Anyway, there was like 1900 aluminium joist alone! Plywood, Iron, Rebar....etc. Not sure but the file was in the gigs. Plus this was a few years ago (Ray Dream). Must....Get.....New.....Computer.....! Need......different.......software!

All true. It was fun.

Just so your not puzzled at my times.
Burr

Now it all makes sense! Except for one thing - "290 tons of floating concrete"! :) If your system dates back to Raydream, then i think it's time to retire that old dog...

Just a note on "Hard Shadows" in Carrara--

I regularly adjust the shadow strength of the lights, and, for some fill lights, I may not have any shadow creation on those.

And, I never normally have GI clicked on for preview renders.

Brian

But what is good lighting without good shadows! :[

The concrete floats thing was a good lesson for me in physics from the architect that design the thing.

to float 8.??? lbs, you need 1 cubic ft. displacement. You can float anything with this simple math ( I dont remember exactly what the point somthing was, Thats why all my stuff sinks! I just.... cant..... remember!) Also regarding that project, as I was revisiting my memory on it, I think the 1900 figure was all objects TOTAL. Not just the joist.

I have it on disk in a wharehouse I want to dig out and revisit with MoI. (Create individual parts then organize in a different package) I also did a model of Dr. Phil Nuytten's Deep worker. The company I was working with started an offshoot that wanted to go pick pink coral in the Kaiwi channel. They purchased 2 Deepworker 2000's that could go to 2000 ft. That one will be perfect to revisit with MoI!

Burr

I always thought the Arizona Memorial was an excellent piece of work. Interesting to know you had a part in it... :)

jonah

It's a special place. My part has been only "Refurbishing" or "additions". No original creation stuff.

Like the peice I am referring to was a replacement to the dock system.

Here are the only things I have in my office. A draft rendering of the Base unit for the form work to pour the dock. This was the launch system as well. Large steel I beams on steel channel into the water. This is about one eighth of the base. I'll dig up the other stuff and look at producing some different views.



Some line work of the newt mini and construction phase.