Help Packaging a prop

Pendraia

I've been working on a project with Belovedalia and want to send her some files for a smart prop that is an attachment. I categorised it as Anatomy external.

What I need to know is what do I need to send her?

Do I just send her the duf files or do I need to set up a file structure and if so, what structure? Do I need to send her anything else?

thanks

Pen

Jaderail

Yes you need a file structure and the needed files/folders depends on how the Item was made.

At the least the Folder with the item will be needed. The Data folder will/might be needed. If a texture is called that folder will be needed.

And all this depends on if you used a proper DS folder setup when the item was made.

Pendraia

Jaderail said:

Yes you need a file structure and the needed files/folders depends on how the Item was made.

At the least the Folder with the item will be needed. The Data folder will/might be needed. If a texture is called that folder will be needed.

And all this depends on if you used a proper DS folder setup when the item was made.

Thanks Jaderail, I think I did when I saved it as a Support Asset/Figures and Props

It shows up automatically in the Default\ Anatomy\ External folder

So do I save it under the same structure? When I did clothing I just saved it under the same file structure and if I remember correctly I also need to save something out of the data folder. Would I need to do that for a prop?

patience55

Providing you saved it in English, you can read the prop file in a text editor and it will have all the pathways for whatever files it's calling for.

Pendraia

Patience55 said:

Providing you saved it in English, you can read the prop file in a text editor and it will have all the pathways for whatever files it's calling for.

thanks Patience55...

So check the text file and see if it needs any additional files to work? Okay...

Should be an easier way to do this though.

Pendraia

Pendraia said:

Patience55 said:

Providing you saved it in English, you can read the prop file in a text editor and it will have all the pathways for whatever files it's calling for.

thanks Patience55...

So check the text file and see if it needs any additional files to work? Okay...

Should be an easier way to do this though.
I just tried to open it using notepad++ and it was gobbledygook any suggestions for which text editor I should use?

patience55

Pendraia said:

Pendraia said:

Patience55 said:

Providing you saved it in English, you can read the prop file in a text editor and it will have all the pathways for whatever files it's calling for.

thanks Patience55...

So check the text file and see if it needs any additional files to work? Okay...

Should be an easier way to do this though.

I just tried to open it using notepad++ and it was gobbledygook any suggestions for which text editor I should use?

It was saved 'compressed'. If it can be uncompressed, it can be readable. I use 7zip and I think I used the 'extract here' command. And it did with no extension. Then added the .duf or .dsf extension and it could be read then in the text editor.

Pendraia

Patience55 said:

Pendraia said:

Pendraia said:

Patience55 said:

Providing you saved it in English, you can read the prop file in a text editor and it will have all the pathways for whatever files it's calling for.

thanks Patience55...

So check the text file and see if it needs any additional files to work? Okay...

Should be an easier way to do this though.

I just tried to open it using notepad++ and it was gobbledygook any suggestions for which text editor I should use?

It was saved 'compressed'. If it can be uncompressed, it can be readable. I use 7zip and I think I used the 'extract here' command. And it did with no extension. Then added the .duf or .dsf extension and it could be read then in the text editor.

Thanks, I'll give that a try...edited to add that's worked.

thanks for the help

Pen

Pendraia

I'm posting this as it may help someone else.

What I saved was a simple attachment to the head under anatomy.

In the file there were only two paths inside.

Both lead to the Data folder, then to a folder that had been already created using the name listed for Vendor Name. This folder must have been auto generated when I saved the file. It contains a geometry dsf file and a uvset default file.

I would imagine if there was a texture file that would also be included.

Given that I figure it's probably the same as for clothing.

You need to provide a data folder containing the files specific to the item and a folder structure for where the product shows up.

In my case that is Default\Anatomy\External

Both folders would probably need to be within a Content File or MyLibrary folder, I'm guessing myLibrary? Any thoughts...
thanks for the help

Pen

SickleYield

Standard product packaging for DAZ Studio 4 and up starts from My Library.

Within that structure are three substructures:

data
People
Runtime

The data folder structure should go data/yourname/youritemname, as you chose when you saved from the main Studio interface.

The People folder structure should go People/Genesis/ItemType (in this case Anatomy, probably)/YourName/YourItem.

If it is a non-smartprop, you would substitute Props for People, so it would be

My Library/data
My Library/Props
My Library/Runtime

There are others, such as Environments, Lights, and Cameras.

Don't put the materials under My Library/Materials or Presets, put them in a folder called Materials under the prop's base folder. It makes them vastly easier to find. That is, they'll be in My Library/People/Genesis/Anatomy/YourName/YourItem/Materials. Some artists put character sets in Presets or Materials and I hate it (I think it's more efficient to put them in Characters) but that's up to you should you end up creating a character set.

The Runtime structure should be Runtime/Textures/YourName/YourItem/thisitemtexture.jpg and so on. Do not save textures you plan to release under just runtime/textures. It causes unnecessary clutter in a customer or downloader's files. You MUST include the texture you used in this structure; it is NOT packed in the data files.

I hope that's clear?

Pendraia

Pendraia said:

In my case that is Default\Anatomy\External

On further investigation when I browse to file location from the icons it is MyLibrary\Figures\Treebranches

so I'm guessing that's what the structure for those files needs to be.

SickleYield

Pendraia said:

Pendraia said:

In my case that is Default\Anatomy\External

On further investigation when I browse to file location from the icons it is MyLibrary\Figures\Treebranches

so I'm guessing that's what the structure for those files needs to be.

*Headscratch*

My Library/Figures is a new one on me. Usually trees go in Props or Environments.

Jaderail

I agree with SY on this one, for Textures and Mat files. If the item is DS4 or DS4.5 only Avoid the Runtime folder. (something I'm just now learning thanks to others such as SY.)

EDIT: The Mat Folder under the Item Folder is the best way to go. And you can store the texture files at Creation time in this folder as well. They will not show to the end user only the Mat Files will show in the content window.

Pendraia

SickleYield said:

Standard product packaging for DAZ Studio 4 and up starts from My Library.

Within that structure are three substructures:

data
People
Runtime

The data folder structure should go data/yourname/youritemname, as you chose when you saved from the main Studio interface.

The People folder structure should go People/Genesis/ItemType (in this case Anatomy, probably)/YourName/YourItem.

If it is a non-smartprop, you would substitute Props for People, so it would be

My Library/data
My Library/Props
My Library/Runtime

There are others, such as Environments, Lights, and Cameras.

Don't put the materials under My Library/Materials or Presets, put them in a folder called Materials under the prop's base folder. It makes them vastly easier to find. That is, they'll be in My Library/People/Genesis/Anatomy/YourName/YourItem/Materials. Some artists put character sets in Presets or Materials and I hate it (I think it's more efficient to put them in Characters) but that's up to you should you end up creating a character set.

The Runtime structure should be Runtime/Textures/YourName/YourItem/thisitemtexture.jpg and so on. Do not save textures you plan to release under just runtime/textures. It causes unnecessary clutter in a customer or downloader's files. You MUST include the texture you used in this structure; it is NOT packed in the data files.

I hope that's clear?

Okay...thanks for posting Sickle but now I'm more confused than before...

Shouldn't the structure show where the files actually are in the My Library folder?

The files show up under Figures\TreeBranches. Figures is the folder that automatically pops up when I saved using support assets\figure prop assets. Which is where I was told is the best thing to save things as. When I was saving as wearables with clothing it showed up under People\Genesis.

Pendraia

Jaderail said:

I agree with SY on this one, for Textures and Mat files. If the item is DS4 or DS4.5 only Avoid the Runtime folder. (something I'm just now learning thanks to others such as SY.)

EDIT: The Mat Folder under the Item Folder is the best way to go. And you can store the texture files at Creation time in this folder as well. They will not show to the end user only the Mat Files will show in the content window.

Sorry I confused people mentioning textures...I just meant that they would need to be included on the correct path. Still early here...

Pendraia

SickleYield said:

Pendraia said:

Pendraia said:

In my case that is Default\Anatomy\External

On further investigation when I browse to file location from the icons it is MyLibrary\Figures\Treebranches

so I'm guessing that's what the structure for those files needs to be.

*Headscratch*

My Library/Figures is a new one on me. Usually trees go in Props or Environments.

Sickle, I sent you a pm...sorry to confuse people I'm really confused by the new file structures in 4.5 : ( and where things need to go.

SickleYield

NP, replied to that.

Pendraia

SickleYield said:

Don't put the materials under My Library/Materials or Presets, put them in a folder called Materials under the prop's base folder. It makes them vastly easier to find. That is, they'll be in My Library/People/Genesis/Anatomy/YourName/YourItem/Materials. Some artists put character sets in Presets or Materials and I hate it (I think it's more efficient to put them in Characters) but that's up to you should you end up creating a character set.

The Runtime structure should be Runtime/Textures/YourName/YourItem/thisitemtexture.jpg and so on. Do not save textures you plan to release under just runtime/textures. It causes unnecessary clutter in a customer or downloader's files. You MUST include the texture you used in this structure; it is NOT packed in the data files.

I hope that's clear?

This is the structure I used when I did the skirt and top so I would have done this automatically...

It's just the other parts I'm confused by...edited to add got your pm

thanks again for all the help...

SickleYield

Pendraia said:

SickleYield said:

Don't put the materials under My Library/Materials or Presets, put them in a folder called Materials under the prop's base folder. It makes them vastly easier to find. That is, they'll be in My Library/People/Genesis/Anatomy/YourName/YourItem/Materials. Some artists put character sets in Presets or Materials and I hate it (I think it's more efficient to put them in Characters) but that's up to you should you end up creating a character set.

The Runtime structure should be Runtime/Textures/YourName/YourItem/thisitemtexture.jpg and so on. Do not save textures you plan to release under just runtime/textures. It causes unnecessary clutter in a customer or downloader's files. You MUST include the texture you used in this structure; it is NOT packed in the data files.

I hope that's clear?

This is the structure I used when I did the skirt and top so I would have done this automatically...

It's just the other parts I'm confused by...edited to add got your pm

thanks again for all the help...

Sorry, I know you know the score. I just tend to harp on it because I've got products from some otherwise great artists that I forget to use because I can't find them when I want them, and metadata has not proved a good solution.

I'll look forward to the item wherever you choose to have it go. ;)

SpottedKitty

SickleYield said:

Don't put the materials under My Library/Materials or Presets, put them in a folder called Materials under the prop's base folder. It makes them vastly easier to find. That is, they'll be in My Library/People/Genesis/Anatomy/YourName/YourItem/Materials. Some artists put character sets in Presets or Materials and I hate it (I think it's more efficient to put them in Characters) but that's up to you should you end up creating a character set.

As someone who's just installed a bunch of recently bought DAZ goodies, I'd like to agree with this point. I don't install non-Genesis stuff directly, I install to a dummy folder, and anything still useable in D|S3 (yes, some of us still use it) goes into that content location. So far, I've found scenery files — eventually — in the following locations:

Environments
Environments>Architecture
Props>Architecture
Props>Environments>Architecture
Scene
Scenes

The old habit of splitting materials and props away from everything else into their own folder hierarchies does, thankfully, seem to be on the way out; I don't think I've seen it used for quite a while. I can't use the CMS and I've never bothered with Categories, so all I have to go by is the folder locations. Keeping everything in a set together is really the only thing that makes sense to me. After all, we're not saddled with the old Poser Runtime restrictions any more.

Pendraia

SpottedKitty said:

SickleYield said:

Don't put the materials under My Library/Materials or Presets, put them in a folder called Materials under the prop's base folder. It makes them vastly easier to find. That is, they'll be in My Library/People/Genesis/Anatomy/YourName/YourItem/Materials. Some artists put character sets in Presets or Materials and I hate it (I think it's more efficient to put them in Characters) but that's up to you should you end up creating a character set.

As someone who's just installed a bunch of recently bought DAZ goodies, I'd like to agree with this point. I don't install non-Genesis stuff directly, I install to a dummy folder, and anything still useable in D|S3 (yes, some of us still use it) goes into that content location.

I hear you SpottedKitty...I have the same issues but I usually install it and then go to the Poser runtime and set it up from there. I've recently discovered that if you right click on the product folder in the Poser and DS runtimes and use create a category it will place the folders and sub folders where you have chosen. It works like duplicate folders and will merge them if there is already a folder of that name.

I thought everything was supposed to show up under categories when you do a search but Poser installers don't for some reason. It was driving me crazy until I discovered the create a category and how it worked.

Thanks for the help Sickle...I think I've got it now!

sorry just noticed SpottedKitty that you don't use the categories but it is still a similar problem...

SickleYield

No problem!

patience55

Pendraia said:

... edit ... Thanks, I'll give that a try...edited to add that's worked.

thanks for the help

Pen

You're welcome.

Glad to read that you've got it all sorted out.

What I've found to be important from the start, is to have everything being created in/to their proper folders in the first place. It makes packing them up so much easier. The thing to be careful of with D/S is that it does have some memory as to where it'll offer to save files to. Sometimes it picks correctly, sometimes it doesn't. Like everybody else, I'll find about 90% of a certain type of product in one place, and the remaining 10% or so scattered all over the place.

However one has it saved to though, is generally speaking how they have to be packed up in order to work on another computer because inside the files they have very specific pathways mentioned. Names too. We can't rename items and expect them to work. They need to find themselves ;-) [this might not be true for all types, but certainly is for some].

Pendraia

Patience55 said:

Pendraia said:

... edit ... Thanks, I'll give that a try...edited to add that's worked.

thanks for the help

Pen

You're welcome.

Glad to read that you've got it all sorted out.

What I've found to be important from the start, is to have everything being created in/to their proper folders in the first place. It makes packing them up so much easier. The thing to be careful of with D/S is that it does have some memory as to where it'll offer to save files to. Sometimes it picks correctly, sometimes it doesn't. Like everybody else, I'll find about 90% of a certain type of product in one place, and the remaining 10% or so scattered all over the place.

However one has it saved to though, is generally speaking how they have to be packed up in order to work on another computer because inside the files they have very specific pathways mentioned. Names too. We can't rename items and expect them to work. They need to find themselves ;-) [this might not be true for all types, but certainly is for some].

Yeah..have to agree with you on that. Pretty much describes my problem to a tee. I'd assumed it automatically would save it to the right spot as I hadn't changed it previously.

Richard Haseltine

When you save an asset the first entry in the options dialogue is Base Path. I would suggest creating a new, empty folder for the project and selecting it as a DAZ Studio content directory, placing your Runtime/Textures/whatever folder in there (before applying the textures), saving the library file to the desired folder (e.g. \People\Genesis\Anatomy\whatever) and setting the base path to that folder in options. That way you can just add the readme and zip it up, confident that you have all and only the needed files you created.

Jaderail

Richard Haseltine said:

When you save an asset the first entry in the options dialogue is Base Path. I would suggest creating a new, empty folder for the project and selecting it as a DAZ Studio content directory, placing your Runtime/Textures/whatever folder in there (before applying the textures), saving the library file to the desired folder (e.g. \People\Genesis\Anatomy\whatever) and setting the base path to that folder in options. That way you can just add the readme and zip it up, confident that you have all and only the needed files you created.

Wait a minute!! We can do that NOW? Happy dance for that one. So saved to my Tips Folder. THANK you! A thousand Thank You's!!

patience55

Jaderail said:

Richard Haseltine said:

When you save an asset the first entry in the options dialogue is Base Path. I would suggest creating a new, empty folder for the project and selecting it as a DAZ Studio content directory, placing your Runtime/Textures/whatever folder in there (before applying the textures), saving the library file to the desired folder (e.g. \People\Genesis\Anatomy\whatever) and setting the base path to that folder in options. That way you can just add the readme and zip it up, confident that you have all and only the needed files you created.

Wait a minute!! We can do that NOW? Happy dance for that one. So saved to my Tips Folder. THANK you! A thousand Thank You's!!

Yes of course, just everybody let's be sure to give products a very unique name. One nobody is likely to have already in the program's content. Otherwise we get these rather annoying warning messages everytime Genesis loads that there are duplicate files found and therefore to check and make sure we have our content set up correctly. ;-)

For eg. there is already a morph called "Adam's Apple".
Therefore if one creates another one, fine ... but the program will not let one save it without throwing up a warning. Fine.
So what indeed might one call it. How many members make content.
So my solution is to go with Handles/Initials/Something thus making the chances of overlap much less.
JAD_Adam's Apple
CEF_Adam's Apple
PAM_Adam's Apple
etc_etc

CEF is "taken", that's me.

ruekaka

So my solution is to go with Handles/Initials/Something thus making the chances of overlap much less.
JAD_Adam’s Apple

Instead of using a prefix wouldn't it be better to use suffixes (Adam's Apple_JAD e.g). This would make it easier to find an item (at least I find it easier).

Richard Haseltine

ruekaka said:

So my solution is to go with Handles/Initials/Something thus making the chances of overlap much less.
JAD_Adam’s Apple

Instead of using a prefix wouldn't it be better to use suffixes (Adam's Apple_JAD e.g). This would make it easier to find an item (at least I find it easier).

While I agree, remember that what you see in the parameter panes is only a label - the name is not displayed, and so can be (and often is) less user-friendly. You can see the name of a channel by opening the Parameters Settings dialogue from the little gear icon on the slider.

Pendraia

Richard Haseltine said:

When you save an asset the first entry in the options dialogue is Base Path. I would suggest creating a new, empty folder for the project and selecting it as a DAZ Studio content directory, placing your Runtime/Textures/whatever folder in there (before applying the textures), saving the library file to the desired folder (e.g. \People\Genesis\Anatomy\whatever) and setting the base path to that folder in options. That way you can just add the readme and zip it up, confident that you have all and only the needed files you created.

Thanks for the info Richard!