.pp2 content and where to put it

Aabhnormal

Okay, so I've been going over this and going over this a lot and I'm just not getting anywhere.

I have an old runtime and I can't get it to install no matter what I do. I go to the "Poser Formats" and click "Add Runtime Directory" and navigate to my old Runtime and what I get is a "MY RUNTIME" folder with nothing in it.  looking on the physical drive there are subfolders, directories, etc... all kinds of stuff... but in Daz, nada, it's as if Daz simply cannot SEE the files in the Runtime. There is a second runtime inside the runtime (It's been my runtime since my Poser4 in 1999... so over the last 18 years it's a little jumbled), so I try to link to THAT Runtime and I get the same thing: I get a folder with "RUNTIME" but nothing underneath... or rather, I get all of the subfolders, but nothing in them, like the folders are empty.  When looking in Windows, there are clearly .pp2s

I've tried doing this with "Other Import Formats" as well with the same results... I get empty folders...

 

If I load it into the "DAZ Studio Formats" folder I get anything DAZ, but nothing Poser, so I can at least load all of my DAZ stuff (But of course I can also get a clean reinstall from the Smart Content library as well, so that's actually not an issue).

Okay, so I get that perhaps Daz has a discrete setup and you have to have Daz materials in the Daz folder and the Poser materials in the Poser directories and maybe after 18 years it's a good time for me to just do some house cleaning and get all of my models cleaned up (I mean, really... am I ever going to use Posette or the Dork again?!?!? But I DO want to use that cool Star Trek Phaser prop I downloaded in 2002 or the bridge model I made in 2005...)

So, presuming I have a bunch of just random .pp2s and .objs and stuff... and knowing that I'm going to (in Windows) straighten this out and organize them into a Props directory, a Characters directory, a Textures, Objects, etc...  how would I structure it so I could make a "clean" Runtime that Daz could read... and then which Import method should I use that will "read" it into Daz Studio so that I don't get the "empty folder" syndrome I've been getting recently?

 

Thanks guys!

 

---Aabh

glaseye

I t works a bit different..

In DS open the preferences tab from the menu bar (F2 in windows)

Then choose - content - content directory manger. Then you can choose to add the poser directory (ies)

 

 

Aabhnormal

Well... that's not my problem...  I got that... (Though that IS a faster way than I've been doing it, so that's awesome! Thanks! :D)

 

Here, I've done screenshots :D   You can see that when I do the thing you are talking about: it just doesn't SEE the files... it even can't see the "DAZ Fantasy Castle"... which is a DAZ product...

Richard Haseltine

Either method of selection works, but you have to select teh folder that holds the Runtime folder, which in its turn holds the Geometries, Libraries, and Textures folders.

Aabhnormal

I most certainly did that.  I selected all of the folders... Heck, I took a stab at selecting just the "Libraries" folder just for fun...  I got all of the sub folders... but none of the items IN the folder.

fixmypcmike

Can you post a screenshot of the Content Directory Manager showing everything that's in the Poser Formats section?

Aabhnormal

You got it! (Note that this is after attempting all kinds of funkiness... like attempting to link DIRECTLY to my libraries...  I didn't try that initially)

fixmypcmike

That doesn't seem to match your earlier screenshot of the Content Library pane -- what does ther Content Library > Poser Formats look like now?

Aabhnormal

Well, I've been attaching/unattaching the directories in an attempt to fix this problem.  The last screenshot is the most up to date version of the system (save the name of the root directory, which, for some reason that is completely beyond me, must use my ACTUAL name... It was part of the backup process... so I changed my name on the screenshot to my username here so I don't have to have that online)

fixmypcmike

And you still aren't getting anything in Content Library > Poser Formats > P8Runtime > Props?

Aabhnormal

No... I'm starting to think something is wrong with my installation.  But before I go through the headache of uninstalling/reinstalling everything, I wanted to make absolutely sure I didn't have a checkbox unclicked or something really dense before I do all of that and find myself right back where I am 24 hours from now...

jestmart

Uninstalling and re-installing Studio almost never fixes content problems.  You appear to be creating nested libraries.  Uninstall all your content.  Create a folder as follow G:/3D/Content/My DAZ 3D Library.  Set that folder path in DIM and in Studio under both Studio Formats and Poser Format and delete any other paths under them you currently have.  For Connect create folder G:/3D/Content/My DAZ 3D Connect and add in Studio only under Connect format (then never use Connect except for those products that are Connect only).  For content from other sites make individual libraries, for example G:/3D/Content/My ShareCG Library.

Aabhnormal

Alright, I think I'm following,

So though I have a lot of ShareCG content, it's mixed in with all of my old Poser stuff now, I'd never be able to untangle that mess.

What you are recommending is that I should pull all of the Poser/old things out of the Daz folder and have it in its own folder off of the root? I can do that. :)  I'll report back to you to see if that works!

Thanks for helping me, folks!

Aabhnormal

Okay, here's the update folks: It's still not working (Info on the screenshot)

Richard Haseltine

You don't see the Libraries folder (or the runtiem) - only the actual Poser library folders under /Runtime/Libraries show, and Character is displayed as Figures. You path should be G:DAZ3D-Content/PoserFormat/Runtime/Libraries/Light/Vanguard/somefile.lt2 for example.

Aabhnormal

Alright! I got it! 

So: Jestmart was spot on!  It was totally a "Nested runtime" issue.  I had a "Libraries" directory INSIDE my Libraries directory... *I* just couldn't see it because I'm old and I need glasses I guess.... but it's all working now.  Everything is on and it's all good. Thank you all for your help! :)

---Aabh