Content Location Confusion

murph101

I'm primarily interested in finding things through Carrara.

I've installed and re-installed my content using the DIM several times.

Other threads mentioning similar content location confusion are answered with reference to DAZ.

I've put everything into C:...\documents\MyPurchases. I can see most of the 150 products I've ordered there.

However, when I go into Carrara, I go through the steps to "Add a Runtime" and I can only pick up on a few items in the Browser Content tab.

In the Smart Content tab, I see other things, but there's little sense to what shows up where. I spend lots of time just trying to locate things, and they're in very odd folders for what they really are.

In the olden days, I used to unzip all my stuff to one directory, which seemed easier at the time. Still, I always felt I was missing things.

Is there a better way to organize the content so I can locate everything I've purchased in a sensible way?

Thanks for your help.

evilproducer

Dartanbeck has done a wondeful job of collating a lot of information about C8 and C8.5 in particular. The first post in this thread is essentially a table of contents with links to various topics and tutorials, including ones relevant to your question. Scroll down and you'll see links for using DIM and Carrara and Content.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/15970/

Dartanbeck

Thank you for the compliment, evilproducer.

Now, here's something to consider:
In your "Contents" tab, you should have already had a DAZ Library and a DAZ Runtime, if you have DAZ Studio installed. Personally, I think that if you really want to use Genesis, DAZ Studio should really become a part of your system. I know that a lot of people don't particularly care for that idea, but it's a small sacrifice if you're really against it. The reason that I feel this way is that Genesis truly is DAZ Studio, and DAZ Studio is Genesis. It's like the Genesis control station. Keeping DS Pro up-to-date will help to ensure more power to your Genesis endeavors.

Wow... I went on a rant. Sorry.
First of all, make certain that DIM has the correct location for your Carrara installation in the settings. Note that some Carrara-specific items will require that you "Add a Folder" somewhere, often several of them. Make sure to check the ReadMe's of anything you cannot locate. They'll often tell you where it is.

Okay, I like that you're used to the old way.
So... if you have separate runtimes, when you add them to the Content tab, never select the folder called runtime. Select the folder which that runtime is in. When you do this, a popup will occur. If this is a runtime, which contains Poser format figures, poses, etc., then answer saying Runtime. If that same folder also contains Genesis stuff, load it again, but this time select "Content".

For example, when I decided to just have the DIM install everything I ever bought from DAZ 3D, I install all of my Genesis related products to the default DIM-chosen library. Doesn't matter if you chose a different library, but personally, I prefer to have one library that contains nothing but Genesis related stuff. This avoids confusion (for me) on finding things, because I'm used to the older style, and Genesis doesn't use that - so I (so far) only use the special DS library for Special DS things. Everything else, I treat like my old runtime system. Vehicles go to my "Vehicles" runtime, etc.,

When using the DAZ library system for Genesis, simply go to the Content tab and open the library. All things related to Genesis falls under "People" > Genesis, "People" > Genesis 2 Female, etc.,
Inside those you find characters, poses, clothes... everything.

If you use the DS Library for everything, you should find everything within those folders inside the library. Like the Horse and Dragon will end up in Animals, etc.,

You can use DIM to rearrange the location of your installed content as well. If you delete the install files upon installation, all you need is an internet connection and your login. Use DIM to create new folders and such, uninstall anything you want, even select a bunch at one time and uninstall whatever. Everything you uninstall immediately shows up as an available product to download, unless you still have the installers, in which case it will show up in the Ready to Install tab.

It's so easy to do, it's actually a fun activity compared to the not-so-old way of doing things.

In the following image, notice the repeat folders in my content tab. This is due to my experimenting and helps me to explain something. This is the result of me allowing Carrara to detect all of my content folders. When I installed things to my "runtime" folders, I also installed their DAZ Studio Content files to the same location. While it may seem redundant, it allows me to have optimized files for both Poser and DAZ Studio content. However, their structures are different. That's why Carrara added " V4 Runtime", which is the Poser Optimized and organized content files, and also "V4", which is the DAZ Library like the one in my Genesis library. They're organized differently.

Therefore:
If I want to find something the old way, go to "Figures", "Poses" and "Props", etc., then I go to any of my folders ending in "Runtime".
If I prefer to go to "Animals", "People", Vehicles", etc., the same categories found in DAZ Studio, open the others without the "runtime" suffix. The problem that I've found with the DAZ Studio Library system, is that many of the Published Artists paid no heed to a proper organization - keeping their folders within an agreed upon naming convention system. This not only surprised the heck out of me, but it made me completely ditch the DS library for the much more organized runtime system, which can also get really messed up if you don't watch carefully what you get from other places.

So, inside the DS Library system, yes. You might get lost strolling around for where whom put what. So I am only using that for Genesis and Horse 2, along with any new official DAZ 3D animals or people made with the new Triax system. Everything else gets treated as a Poser runtime install... at least that's how I've been doing it so far, with great success. Everything's where I need it.

Dartanbeck

Those top two in the screenshot: "My DAZ 3D Library Runtime" and "My DAZ 3D Library" are what should show up before you have a chance to add any folders - perhaps under a different name. But maybe that's because of having "My DAZ 3D Library" already mapped to DAZ Studio when I first ran Carrara? Not sure.

Additional note about my urging of having Daz Studio installed - if you plan to use Genesis:
You'll all be seeing, fairly soon here, how easy and fun it can be going back and forth between Carrara and DS Pro with Genesis, Genesis 2, Horse 2, etc., - new Trix figures. Carrara, I'm telling you, is the tool that will make this whole thing help all of us create images and animations that will compare to the likes that the pros do. Add in a great animation or still post effects app, like Dogwaffle Pro: Howler (obviously my tool), and you can filter and edit your animations and/or stills to look any way you want them - even a moving painting or sketch. Fun stuff!

Sorry for going a bit off topic... just wanted to explain a bit further. For me, it's like using Carrara as the area where I mold and move the clay, while DS Pro is what I use to twist the wires together to help me keep my clay in the right organization and proportions. Then Carrara becomes the stage with all the lights, cameras, action...

What has me just blown away is all of the content creation tool work DAZ 3D has done with DAZ Studio Pro. It's one heck of a rigging, weight-mapping, system controls setup - where Triax is the system, and DS Pro tells Carrara what is built into the Triax mesh.

Carrara has the absolute most powerful methods of shading that I can imagine. Adding Inagoni, Fenric, DCG, Sparrowhawk, Fredrick Ribble, and others, plugins make these systems expand in enormous amounts of possibilities. Carrara Pro already includes a super-impressive array of nodes that are not only incredibly impressive, they are set up in such a friendly and sensible interface that makes experimentation and expertise within the reach of anyone whom cares to practice with them. Now add a single, professional shader plugin. Just one. A whole new world opens up in at least one, entire method. A friend just recently bought me three plugins from DCG: Shades Ops 1 and 2, and Enhance C. All I can say, at this point, is: "Wow!"

I really feel like continuing on and writing down the thoughts that are flowing through me... the new PySwarm, the power of PyCarrara, Sparrowhawkes Free and amazing plugins, Fenric, YaToon, it just keep going...

With this kind of support, Carrara can totally rock socks!

murph101

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

This is a fantastic reply. I appreciate the effort you have put into your knowledge post. I will check out the other items you have posted as well. This is good stuff!

Thanks again.