Organizing Content in Daz Studio
MelMaverick
Posts: 18
Just a short tutorial on how I manage my own growing library of CG assets in Daz Studio. Hope someone finds it useful.
Post edited by MelMaverick on
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Definately. I have over 2,000 items (some people really blow that away). I would go NUTS without categorizing. I also found that the Products Library just throws all the icons into one folder. If you want the subfolders, you have to find it under your main Daz Studio Formats folder.
I have also done a tutorial on Categorizing - a link is in my signature.
The Categories Function is one of the Best things in DAZ. Below are a few tips I've learned over the years that help me keep organized, your milage may vary.
1. I organize my Environments by Scene. If I am working with zClub or the "Real Room" there's minimal Cross over. So if I have a Product Tab that puts all that together. I tend to make a Catagory under that, Scenes/Real Room/ ... Mats, Poses, lights et all. Rather than scattered all over the Database.
For People. I believe you definately want to Organize by figure, Say
People/G1F ..
People/G2F ...
People/V4/ Characters
People/V4/Hair
People V4/Wardrobe
People V4/Poses
et all. But Keeping Assets Grouped in such a way so that All the Clothes, Shoes, Hair that can be used with a Toon are in the same place. This will save hair tearing as when you realize that cool After School outfit you wanted to use in this scene is a GF2 Asset and wont work with V4.
Props can be a bit iffy, but Unless they are really common props that can be used in a wide range of scenes, I keep them as a subcatagorie of the Original Scene.
Lights pretty much as Props. My Top "Lights" Catagorie has a 3Point Default I use to get started, and thats pretty much it; if a scene comes with lights of its own they stay with the scene. If I buy a lightset it generally to light a scene and so I put them there.
The Uncatagoriezed Catagorie is your friend. Its often the Easiest place of find a new asset if your having a time with 3rd Party Content. Unfortunately one Dev will put a new Charactor under People, another under Poses; but if you make it a Discipline to clear out this section it will often be the best place to find something and you can just move the whole Catagorie presorted where you need it to go. It the Uncat catagorie gets too full just rename it and create a new clean UnCat catagorie and new content will go in there.
Probably the biggest Boneheaded thing I had to learn the hardway; is even after a big splurg; say for March Madness; Alway Always Always, Take the time and sort your new assets at the time you install them. Even if that means taking a few days to work through all your new Zips from Rendo, or any other 3rd Party Site. You'll get alot more use out of properly organized Assets.
The Best thing about the Catagories DB is its yours, I've described how it works for me, it might work for you; but what ever works for you; do that; this is your oppertunity to sculpt your content DB to your workflow and your way of thinking of things; and sort out the Chaos of this Toon is in Figures because X developed it and This one in Poses because Y did, and ... If you've downloaded a few files you know there is very little consistancy.
I hope this has been worth your time, Thanks to Imglegg for starting the Thread; Brightest Blessings, BB.
@ dracorn and Blackbirdx61,
Thanks for the excellent additions to this post. I also have accumulated well over 2,000 separate items during the past 4 years, and when I recently had to get a new computer it took me days to get everything reorganized. I think the customization capabilities of Daz are worth their weight in gold, as everyone has their idiosyncrasies when it comes to organization and workflow. The only thing I haven't figured out yet is where the new catalog created in Categories is stored. It would be nice to have a copy and just load it back into Studio in the event of a crash or another computer upgrade.
Keep those comments and suggestions coming!
L M Glegg
Thanks Imglegg, and I believe I have an answer for your question
Follow this path: C:\Users\BB\Documents\Daz 3D\Studio\my library\Runtime\Support
UserData_1.dsx This is the File that DAZ3D creates when you save your user data, and if you port it to a new install on a new computer I do believe it will work. Just replace the file created when you make with the install from the file from your old computer. Of course this assumes your file structure remains the same.
Ta. BB.
@ Blackbirdx61
Thanks for the reply - I'll check that out as soon as I can.
Doh, not quite Rightly said above, Replace the file created on Install with the file from the Old computer and Reimport User Data.
If you've made editions since they will be overwritten; but the underlying file is Text; so I believe with a little time and care a working composite could be made. BB.
I know this topic is a bit older, I found it via Google. Wow, so helpful. I'm new to DAZ and I was just starting to wonder how I'm ever going to find all the things that I'm downloading, especially the freebies. Thank you!
It appears some time has passed and the link to the tutorial no longer works -- by any chance, does it still exist somewhere? Thanks!