Any "gotchas" to the new DIM for Carrara users?
JonnyRay
Posts: 1,744
I got my download invitation today. As I have a LOT of content that I need to reinstall due to some hardware issues, I was happy to see a tool to help.
I was wondering if any Carrara users have used it yet and found anything specific to watch out for? I mean Carrara should be able to consume the new runtime without issue, but I didn't know if maybe something the DIM did to make things easier for DS/Poser makes it harder for Carrara?
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from what I have been told by choloe not sure if it supports Carrara, not had the email so have not had chance to test it
I've downloaded it, but haven't had a chance to play yet. Was going to work with it some this weekend.
From what (little) I understand, it's mostly supposed to be an "easier" way to get content installed into content libraries / runtimes. While that sounds good, I've been around the IT industry long enough to know that many times when a company tries to make things easier for end-users, they make it harder for the more advanced users who may want to ignore the standards and do things their own way.
as I said I have heard a lot about how easy it is to be set up to install stuff to where you want it to go, but I doubt I will get it this side of the decade :lol:
Well, since I have to basically rebuild my content library from scratch anyway, this will help get that jump started.
Kinda wish I could also point it at a folder full of zip files from other sources and have it install them as well, but I can understand DAZ focusing on their content. Also installing ZIPs isn't nearly as painful as I can usually script the extract and copy commands.
I cant see why you couldn't, I mean if they are the same as rendo zips or RDNA zips then you might be able to add them in, unless daz has done something "special" to theirs
DIM uses the zips in your account History at DAZ 3D. Apparently you point it to your History, and it lists it all, you can then pick which ones you want to download and then install. Something like that anyway. I guess you can tell I haven't tried it yet.
DIM needs some metadata to know what to do with the content.
works great for me with Carrara 8.5 .
Someone else pointed me toward the Runtime ZIP & Repair tool, which I also have. But I found it to be a bit glitchy at times. Would hang up after processing 100 ZIPs or so, didn't always handle ZIPs where the artist had an unconventional folder structure, etc.
In the end, I found it easiest to just unzip the files enmasse in a "working" folder strucutre, then move them into my content library by hand.
Was hoping the DIM might clean some of that up and automate for me, but as I said it is more painful to click next, check checkboxes, uncheck "view the readme", etc. in the DAZ installers than handling ZIP files; so this should still be a worthwhile tool.
And does it save the zip files or delete them afterwards, is there an offline install option for when someones Internet is not working, or used on a computer that is not connected to the internet?
And does it save the zip files or delete them afterwards, is there an offline install option for when someones Internet is not working, or used on a computer that is not connected to the internet?According to what I have seen, it does save the ZIP files and has an offline option. Especially helpful for people with laptops and such who aren't always connected.
If and when I ever get the time (and the courage) to try it out I will let you know the answer.
Yes, you can choose where ZIPs are stored, and you have the option to have them automatically deleted after installation, or you can keep them around and/or copy/move them elsewhere.
It also has an offline mode, so the system where content is installed need not be online to use DIM as an installer.
The offline option is - as I understand it - to allow you to install content that you have downloaded but not installed. There's not much more to it than that.
It does store zips that it has downloaded. On the Mac, the zips are stored by default in a directory somewhere under /Users/Shared. Incidentally, it also likes to create your Library in /Users/Shared, unlike the standalone installers, which used to put things inside the DAZ3D folder in /Applications.
You can change the Library location; I'm not sure if you can change the location where it stores the downloaded zips. I haven't seen any option to do that. I also don't know if you can safely move/delete the zip files. That is, I'm sure you can move or delete the zips to your heart's content, but I don't know if doing that would cause DIM to decide that you'd never downloaded the file and start inviting you to download it again.
I wouldn't think that there are any particular implications for Carrara users. The one problem is that the download manager is very convenient, so there's a strong temptation to use it (really, it's how downloads should always have been done). The result of this, however, is that the files are laid out in your library according to the way that DAZ or the content developer think they should be, which is to say that it's raw chaos, and you never know whether a product called 'Zombie Hair' is going to show up under 'Zombie Hair', 'studiozonk3d/Zombie Hair', or 'studiozonk3d/funpack/zomb_bonus/omg_zombies'.
If you have a lot of content or are anal compulsive, this will eventually drive you insane.
I had just started using someone's handy methodology for organizing content files - unzip to empty directory, reorganize directory how you like it, zip up directory for future use, merge organized directory into your runtime - and liked the results. However, the terrible, seductive thing about the download manager is that it makes it easy to go with the defaults rather than doing the hard slog to get it laid out neatly. As a result, you end up with a content layout that looks like it was designed by a crazed librarian in the grip of pre-senile dementia, and you will spend the rest of your life trying to find things.
If this bothers you, consider using the DIM just to download, and not to install.
The content I got in celebration of the DIM release is exe files for Windows, not zip
They will be zips in DIM
To change where zips are stored, open Settings (the button next to Help) and the Downloads tab. That's where it is in the Windows version.
araneldon and others, how do you like using this thing. Can you tell us more? Frank?
Sorry for my ignorance. I'm really busy these days. Half the time I'm posting as I brush my teeth - multitasking, you know :coolhmm:
Perhaps there is an ad somewhere that explains all of its features?
Not a big deal, I'll find out in time, anyways... I do trust araneldon, so I was looking for his opinion of the thing.
Not that I don't trust anyone else... didn't mean that!
araneldon and others, how do you like using this thing. Can you tell us more? Frank?
Sorry for my ignorance. I'm really busy these days. Half the time I'm posting as I brush my teeth - multitasking, you know :coolhmm:
Perhaps there is an ad somewhere that explains all of its features?
You can download, install and save the zips or you can download, install and delete the zips. You have several sorting categories plus keyword searches. You can hide products you no longer want. When there is an update or new purchases available DIM will automatically detect it and it will be ready in your downloads tab. I absolutely love using it. I just downloaded and installed 640 products in 1 hour and 55 minutes. Everything goes exactly where it needs to within DS. You don't have to worry about if you installed it into the right location. I can't praise it enough. To me and in my opinion its the best thing DAZ 3D has come out with in a long time.
Thanks, Frank!
I'm really looking forward to checking this crazy thing out.
For anyone wondering how to get this thing, but might not have recieved an e-mail, or whatever...
Here it is - The new Daz3d Install Manager Beta Along with the promotional Celebration! :coolhmm:
I'm sure you will really enjoy it.
The first version 1.0.0.112 does not support Carrara:
-Carrara is not listed in the application list which filters out relevant products
-Carrara itself and Carrara items that are installed elsewhere than the Runtime folders are not listed either
Hopefully Carrara will be included soon...
Someone else pointed me toward the Runtime ZIP & Repair tool, which I also have. But I found it to be a bit glitchy at times. Would hang up after processing 100 ZIPs or so, didn't always handle ZIPs where the artist had an unconventional folder structure, etc.
In the end, I found it easiest to just unzip the files enmasse in a "working" folder strucutre, then move them into my content library by hand.
Was hoping the DIM might clean some of that up and automate for me, but as I said it is more painful to click next, check checkboxes, uncheck "view the readme", etc. in the DAZ installers than handling ZIP files; so this should still be a worthwhile tool.
For non-Daz zips I've been working on a tool to allow better management. The framework supports on-the-fly corrections but I've not done much with that yet. Currently, its functionality is limited to being a GUI to select a zip, display readmes and the content list, some identification of content type (e.g., daz starts with Content, poser with Runtime), and managing a list of possible destination directories.
If there is anything specific about broken zips I'm interested to know as it appears the ones I have mostly work. Mostly I have Daz content, but even if you don't know what is broken and I have the product I can take a look. Also, if there are thoughts about how best to handle non-poser style content (e.g., stuff sold as obj even if it has material files and is not organized like a poser runtime) I'm interested in that as well.