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Fixing Metadata once and for all

Herald of FireHerald of Fire Posts: 3,504
edited December 1969 in Daz Studio Discussion

I love Daz, I really do... but lately it has become almost nightmarish to find the wealth of content I have installed on my system, either through it being in an unusual location in the Smart Content, or through it simply not appearing when needed and having to be called up through the Content Library.

To put it bluntly. something has gone terribly wrong with my metadata. Some products seem to vanish at whimsy and others never seem to show up at all. Some custom items need to be removed and others need to be relocated. In an ideal world I would also find a way to add some freebie items currently without metadata so they appear in the Smart Content tab as well.

What I really need, and what I'm sure others might find useful, is a way to do just that. A tutorial, perhaps, or perhaps even just a simple push to get me started on the right track to figuring all this out for myself. Can anyone help me lay this bag of snakes out straight?

Comments

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited January 2013

    Cridgit did a tutorial on how to make your own MetaData at ShareCG.

    You should be able to find posts by him about that, and metadata in general. I'll see if I can find a link for you.

    EDIT:

    Here is the original thread on the old forum : http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=180503

    I can't find cridgit's name at ShareCG now, but he does post regularly on the forums here.

    Post edited by JimmyC_2009 on
  • cridgitcridgit Posts: 1,757
    edited May 2022

    Redacted

    Post edited by cridgit on
  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited December 1969

    Please Not said about it ^^; I really think das is irresponsible about meta-data. and categorize.

    I often frastrated why DAZ do not keep the rule which they made about their product ^^;
    and I understand,, cridgit how feel,,, (so I can not say ,,)

    but lets see new user forum,, almost every user feel difficulity, when they start daz 3d life,
    so there are many question, but I know,, they can not complain as I did before.

    because,, good user help them by voluntter ,, so they can not angry any more,,,

    when I hope to introduce my friend to daz world,, I want not to say about meta-data,
    and daz how treated the categorize,, now.

    and I seriously angry about their read me. sometimes they are ony link to the web.
    sometimes there are still read me files. in installer too.

    (it seems only way, now I can check files which are correcto installed or not,
    and check version up or not,, )

  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited December 1969

    But it seems not answer for HeraldOfFire quesiton,
    I recommend you make meta-data by your self, and categorize everything as you want.
    http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/userguide/creating_content/packaging/tutorials/adding_metadata/start

    But there is difficulity because daz do not keep their guide line about every product and not set meta-data in daz shop still.

  • Dr StupidDr Stupid Posts: 313
    edited December 1969

    HeraldOfFire said:
    I love Daz, I really do... but lately it has become almost nightmarish to find the wealth of content I have installed on my system, either through it being in an unusual location in the Smart Content, or through it simply not appearing when needed and having to be called up through the Content Library.

    To put it bluntly. something has gone terribly wrong with my metadata. Some products seem to vanish at whimsy and others never seem to show up at all. Some custom items need to be removed and others need to be relocated. In an ideal world I would also find a way to add some freebie items currently without metadata so they appear in the Smart Content tab as well.

    What I really need, and what I'm sure others might find useful, is a way to do just that. A tutorial, perhaps, or perhaps even just a simple push to get me started on the right track to figuring all this out for myself. Can anyone help me lay this bag of snakes out straight?

    No!! Don't do it!!! It'll only end in tears, and then at some stage you'll need to get your life back :lol:

  • BejaymacBejaymac Posts: 1,886
    edited December 1969

    Use the Content Library tab, and then tell the devs to bend over so you can shove their crappy Metadata system where the "Sun Don't Shine".

  • Herald of FireHerald of Fire Posts: 3,504
    edited December 1969

    Is it really as nightmarish as it seems to get metadata to behave itself?

  • Dr StupidDr Stupid Posts: 313
    edited December 1969

    Yup :)

  • linvanchenelinvanchene Posts: 1,382
    edited January 2013

    HeraldOfFire said:
    Is it really as nightmarish as it seems to get metadata to behave itself?

    My prediction is that in about 10 years "Setting up metadata" will be a full time job in every CG studio that uses premade and (!) self made content.

    I guess everyone that worked in a library and is familiar with the idea that a book could be placed in about 10 different categories but can only be standing in one shelf may have the right mindset for the task.     ;-)

    There are the creative people and then there are those who do nothing else the whole day long as categorizing the new content the sales department purchased or the creative people put together.

    - - -

    At the moment the reality is the time you spend sorting content is time you are not creating anything.

    The question you have to answer for yourself is it worth the time and effort to sort it all out so you can benefit from a truly unique and quick way to set up scenes later.


    - - -

    Is it all worth the effort? In the end I say yes. The more content you own the more you will benefit from investing time to sort it all out.

    I invested about one month from the end of november to the beginning of december to reinstall the most important products.
    Every time I buy a product I now carefully check all categories, make some adjustments and in many cases fix some things that were forgotten in the hurry to release the product.

    What is the benefit of it all?

    - If I want a sword it now takes only about five seconds to go to the categories /weapons/blades and I can see ALL I own.
    - If I am looking for a different shirt I can quickly browse through all available from file view/wardrobe/shirts
    - If I am looking for elf ears I just type "elf ears" in the search bars and all morphs are shown.

    Setting up a scene with "metadata" is not only quicker than going to the "content library" but it also lets you start to combine things quickly from different products.

    - - -

    If you are a person who will just use the same pants, shirts, armor and weapon as it is bought from the DAZ store and then put it in the same original scene that you just purchased you will probably be happy just using the content library.

    If you like to combine things, add custom shaders, add custom items to the background you will find it worth the effort to go through that hell to prepare for you unique renders.

    I guess my experience with metadata all is summed up nicely in the lyrics to a beatles song:

    "Take a sad song and make it better."

    Just instead of a song its metadata. ;-)


    - - -

    and yes it cannot be said enough:

    Thank you cridgit! Without your tutorials I would still sit in front of my computer hitting my head on the keybord because nothing made sense.

    Post edited by linvanchene on
  • Joe CotterJoe Cotter Posts: 3,259
    edited December 1969

    cridgit said:
    I pulled all my free stuff ..t.

    It can be frustrating when we put a lot of work into something and others don't appreciate it, but I hope you reconsider. As you said, there were people who benefited from it, and your information was really the only decent information on metadata afaik. Also, even though some might not find metadata in it's current incarnation suits their needs doesn't mean they don't appreciate the effort you took to help the community.

  • Herald of FireHerald of Fire Posts: 3,504
    edited December 1969

    Well, I'm still somewhat determined to figure all this out eventually. The only problem is I don't really have a starting point to go on yet.

  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited January 2013

    Starting point seems simple, :blank:

    If you decide to use smart contents,
    Fist just try to make one product meta-data which has not meta-data still.
    and categorize them as same as DAZ new guidelines. if you did not decide how categorize.

    first chosse one product, which you must need in smart content.
    gather fles (Data) as one product group in content library. (you can simply use copy and paste to the product group)

    after that, decide how categorize each files. and set meta-data. in the product group.

    make product group and gather assets which you need.
    this step never against your plan to categorize meta-data. and it make easy when you categorize assets.

    because, Files belong to one product offered by vendor will not change . never mixed with other products I think.
    (though some files eg preset for ds3 files, you may need not set in the product, I think,,.)

    (of course you can apply your preset or your customize files to the product too , ,,when you hope so,,)

    I can show step to step,,, but I am afraid heavy if I said some wrong
    because I can not clearly understand about each option , about content DB editor,,still.
    DAZ version up and apply some option.

    if you really need the simple tutorial, I try to show V4 product meta-data which have not meta-data still @@;
    but there has been more good documents..@@

    Post edited by kitakoredaz on
  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    Well I can say I'm glad I'm not the only one totally frustrated by the metadata procedures ... I realize I was trying to get something going for 4.0 but still ... when one follows the guidelines, the suggestions, the tutorials [by a few different people] and 'nothing works', then something is wrong. [as far as I can tell I've hit on a snag that 4.0 hides poses as even the professional metadata for some were not showing.]

    Quite frankly one cannot improve the OS system with this manager. If one wants a file to show under "wardrobe" one should be able to put either a product or a shortcut to the product IN that folder. Nothing fancy. Either it's there or it's not. And it will work.
    The assortment of places that exist with all the professional metadata is getting rather erratic. And yes, things show and vanish no rhyme nor reason. Icons too. Even in the same session.

  • Herald of FireHerald of Fire Posts: 3,504
    edited January 2013

    The real issue for me is that content which has been installed for ages has been disappearing mysteriously. Amongst others, I've now lost the RoboGeisha materials metadata, yet if I access it via the Content Library I can still bring up the product data by right-clicking them. There's a lot of very strange behavior which can't be explained, and I'd very much like to get to the bottom of what's causing these anomalous problems.

    Post edited by Herald of Fire on
  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited December 1969

    First you may need to check, adam tutorial,,
    (pendaria request to sticky for new user,, I think
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/8444/

    it frighten me much ^^;
    so ,,I often save my database . by ,bat files.
    for future when my cms may break,,,,,,

    I do not have RoboGeisha, but can you see the pic of material preset files in content DB editror?
    how it set category, type or comaptibility ?

    some times I need to re import the product meta-data, (not need all, just product metadata those
    which you can not see them in smart content, or missing icon etc,)

    I sometimes to think about uninstall cms and re install cms , reset all meta-data again,,,
    then categorize them from zero point.

    but it seems so heavy work,,,^^; I afraid to loss everything,,

  • Herald of FireHerald of Fire Posts: 3,504
    edited December 1969

    I don't even know where the database is stored. I can't seem to find it anywhere.

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Mine is in Program Files > DAZ 3D > Content Management Service > Databases, but I don;t use it, so I have no idea what you need to backup, but there is info on it here in the forums.

  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited December 1969

    you may need .bat files (I copy it from forum,before.,,, Sir adamr001 show other user,, ,, I remembered ,,
    I can not find topic now.

    so simply copy this to txt file, then save it , as "cmsbuckup.bat"
    locate anyware you want,, I need to say Thank much Adam ^^; 

    
net stop "DAZ Content Management Service" 
xcopy /y "C:\ProgramData\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service\databases\*.*" "I:\myfile\dazstudio4\cmsbackup\backup4\"
 net start "DAZ Content Management Service" 
pause

    the "C:\ProgramData\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service\databases\*.*"
    is daabase directory of you. so you need to change directory path.

    then "I:\myfile\dazstudio4\cmsbackup\backup4\"
    is back up folda full path , so you can change it as you want. (I may need not backup4,, but I am scared ^^; so made 4)

    But,,, sorry it is bat file for windows. In my pc it work. (I need run this file (just left click as same as other bat files,,)
    ,, as administrator, ( it can copy the data of cms to your directory)

  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited December 1969

    but,, you can just copy and save the data base folda to another directory ^^;
    without bat files,, but I love bat.file ^^;

  • Herald of FireHerald of Fire Posts: 3,504
    edited December 1969

    How odd. I don't seem to have a database folder anywhere. I've checked both of the above locations, and searched my entire Daz folder without a glimpse of it. Perhaps that's why my content seems to keep vanishing.

  • kitakoredazkitakoredaz Posts: 3,526
    edited December 1969

    there is database path and, your installed CMS path.

    could you find your installed cms path? (CMS installed when you first install daz stuido 4 I think,,)
    default must be

    C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service

    you can find , ContentManagementServer.ini on same folda.
    open it by text editor,
    then find,,

    under [GENERAL] section,
    SystemCatalog = C:\ProgramData\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service\databases

    this is your databases path.

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    HeraldOfFire said:
    How odd. I don't seem to have a database folder anywhere. I've checked both of the above locations, and searched my entire Daz folder without a glimpse of it. Perhaps that's why my content seems to keep vanishing.

    If you are on Win 7 or Vista, it may have been put into a Roaming folder. When you go inot Program Files or Program Files (x86), is there a tab at the top of the folder which says Compatibility? If so, click on that and you should find it. That can happen I believe, when you don't run as Administrator.

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