How do you organize your content?
raindog308
Posts: 0
How do you organize your content so you can look through it efficiently to see what you might want to use for a piece?
I have a lot of content for Poser/DS and a lot of times this happens:
- decide to use a female figure in a render
- need to decide which (V3, A4, etc.)
- then see what clothes I own for her, which hair, etc.
- and usually I want to see the product advertisement pictures, since that gives me a good idea of what it could look like
- and I want to save a link to where I bought it - sometimes there's info on the page that's faster to read than hunting down the README
What I do now is save all the pictures from the website when I buy a piece of content. Then I have a bunch of hacked up perl scripts that creates web pages on my private web server that I can browse through.
Not perfect but it works...though I'm wondering if there isn't some whiz-bang software out there that does this more efficiently, or if someone has a better idea.
I've seen this though haven't tried it: http://rocketshipsoftware.com/software/pzdb/ - though of course, that's just looking through your runtime library and doesn't include promo pics from the vendor site.
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Comments
This has been my method for years - http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/2460/#32068
It takes time, there is no way to avoid that bu in the end its personally worth it as I can easily find stuff even if I forget where it is.
The same method works for Genesis content though DS is rather forgiving as to where you put stuff in its content folder.
If you are new to Runtime organization, I recommend you have a look at this too - http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/5436/ - as it will help you understand the Poser folder structure some more.
I'm working on a content database that can do this, but it may take a little while before it's ready.
I'm working on a content database that can do this, but it may take a little while before it's ready.
There already is a content database or I should say was. I don't think Daz sells it any more. If you've been a PC Member long enough I think Daz gave it away for free and so you may have it tucked away in a forgotten corner of your drive. Unfortunately it isn't completely working any more. It used to be able to log into your Daz account grab your order history and get everything it need from that to populate the pages of content in the database including links, picks, who made it, was it free, bought or gotten on sale, was it a PC item, product id and a few other items of useful info. There were even scripts for using it at other stores. Unfortunately when Daz changed the web site it prevented the database from working properly. There was someone who tried to support it by fixing the scripts so they would work with the new site. Unfortunately since Daz kept changing things every few days trying to fix the site after it was live, the script kept getting broken eventually the few trying to use it still gave up and so the support stopped. If you have it though it still works as a database and if you don't mind manually entering things it's as useful as it ever was.
I think you may have got mixed up with a utility that was released by a forum member (Taozen), and it was a freebie not a product, and available through the forums here.
I'm working on a content database that can do this, but it may take a little while before it's ready.
I, too, am working on a content management application, because I've been wrestling with the same issue - with over 170GB of content, scattered over 17 (I think!) runtime libraries, three versions of Poser, 2 versions of DS, plus Carrara, Hexagon, Bryce (not to mention Blender, GIMP, and a couple of others whose names escape me at the moment)..., I really, really needed a system. So, I fired up Visual Studio and SQL Server, and got after it.
Here's a screen-grab of the Products page of the current incarnation. It's still very much a work-in-progress, but it's finally beginning to come together....
I don't.
I just keep a folder full of "Runtimes" - one for every product I own. Then add them to Carrara's browser one at a time as needed, clearing them out when done.
It loads much faster than a multigigabyte runtime, and I like it better this way.
Of course, since I hardly ever work on a render involving one of those yucky human being figures, I don't run into the same problems all the human-o-centric artists do!
Yes, I already have it but like you say, OrcaSouls DAZ script doesn't work anymore. I've heard that he's working on an update but how that turns out I don't know.
Looks very nice. Mine is much simpler though (no runtime support and all that stuff), don't have the time for making (or maintaining) something really advanced. I basically just want to have a database of my items and what works together with what (what clothes and hair works for what figures etc.).
Does yours have CSV and XML import?
No I was letting Taozen know there was already something similar to what he is working on out there. I figured it might help give him some ideas if he might happen to have it.
Yes, I already have it but like you say, OrcaSouls DAZ script doesn't work anymore. I've heard that he's working on an update but how that turns out I don't know.
I was under the impression OrcaSoul has given up because he wasn't getting any cooperation from Daz.
Organization of content is a matter of taste and workflow. There is no right or wrong way. It's pretty much a matter of what works for you and what your comfortable with.
I was under the impression OrcaSoul has given up because he wasn't getting any cooperation from Daz.
OK. Not sure what kind of cooperation he asked for but they have been very cooperative with me. Actually one of their programmers PMed me unsolicited a while ago and offered me access to their test servers, and was very helpful in general. He even offered to add some extra data fields to the data in the Product Library if I should need them for my programs. Maybe they have changed their policy in that respect, I don't know.
That's very nice!
I'm not a Windows programmer, so my system is Linux/MySQL based and serves it on web pages, but it's kind of the same thing.
I'm trying to be disciplined about tagging and saving images when I new something new...I store this info:
- type of content (character, prop, scene, vehicle, etc.)
- all the product images
- link of where I bought it
- tags, such as "science fiction", "car", etc.
- if applicable, character tags such as V4, M4, V3, etc.
- notes on any dependencies (i.e., "this requires V4 Morphs" or "this is an expansion for X")
I should suck in the READMEs, too.