My Runtime Drive Died - Trying to Rebuild with Better Organization
sandmanmax
Posts: 992
I lost my content drive and decided it's a good opportunity to clean house and rebuild a better runtime with better organization then having one GIANT 300Gb runtime. My theory is to divide out everything by type, so I'll have DAZ People, Poser People, Props, etc.
So I did a test. I reinstalled Victoria 4.2 on 2 drives - I've got a folder structure on one drive called E:\DAZ People\Runtime (with all the appropriate folders underneath) and one on my F: drive with the standard DAZ Studio/Poser folder structure. Poser recognizes the DAZ People folder (and DS4.6 shows it in the Poser Formats section) and I can see the V4.2 cr2 file in both place. However, in the DAZ Studio Formats section, it doesn't show up at all. I tried changing the folder structure to E:\DAZ People\content\Runtime and the DS4.6 Search for Content didn't even see it as a valid runtime.
If I manually map it to DAZ People, nothing except the Documentation folder shows up. If I map it to DAZ People\Runtime folder, it shows all the folders which I don't think is right. It's showing Geometries, libraries and everything else. Besides, the Content Library displays "Runtime" instead of "DAZ People", which kind of defeats the point of subdividing my runtime. What am I doing wrong? Is there way to show the new folder name in the DAZ Studio Formats section?
On a slightly different note, even the full correct folder structure on the F: drive isn't showing a V4.2 cr2 file in the DAZ Studio Formats section. So I went back to an old backup of my original GIANT runtime and never could find a copy of the V4.2 cr file in the content\People folder. Is the cr2 file only in the Libraries folder? Maybe V4.2 isn't the best test.
Any thoughts on the advantages or disadvantages of a GIANT runtime? Besides the fact that restoring the backup is the quickest way to get my runtime back. Is it worth reinstalling everything?
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Comments
Victoria 4 and her generation 4 kin are primarily Poser format figures and can found under Poser Formats in the Content Library tab. In Content Directory Manager set the path to E:/DAZ People for both DAZ Studio Formats and Poser Formats. Always set a path to the folder that contains the Runtime folder instead of the Runtime.
Thanks. I'll try that.
One disadvantage to a single giant runtime is that all your products are mixed together, and you have no way of knowing what file belongs to what product. If you want to uninstall a product, you can't. If you accidentally unzip a folder in the wrong spot (which happens occasionally) or if the unzipped folder has a bad folder structure (common in freebies) and you need to clean up and move files around, you may not be able to find all the scattered unknown files in unexpected places. (Unless, of course, you are willing to uninstall and reinstall every single product you own.) If you have each product in it's own runtime, if you want to uninstall it, simply delete the folder it's in. If it gets messed up, or the product gets updated, or you accidentally install one product on top of another, just delete the folder and unzip/install it again.
Some disadvantages of having a runtime for each product are that you have to map the DS and Poser runtimes for every product, which adds two minor extra steps and significant extra installation time to every product installation. Also there ?is?was? a DAZ Studio plugin called Finder, which at the time I used it did not support more than a few runtimes (I don't know if that's still the case.) There could very well be other places where multiple runtimes could also cause you a problem that I simply haven't seen yet. If you use DIM to install products, I don't know what would be the best way to handle splitting a block of products into the multiple runtime folders (and backing up this setup), I haven't really thought about it.
I started by letting Studio install everything where it wanted to. Which was one giant runtime. I could never find *anything*.
Moved to splitting my content into categories and things were much better. (Caveat: I don't use smart content)
I had an inadvertent disk wipe a couple of years ago and reinstalled with the categories split further and the Studio versions installed in the same content (sub)folder as the Poser versions. I have to enter the subfolder into the content manager twice, once for Studio and once for Poser, but switching between them isn't that big a deal and it's fairly easy to remember where everything is.
Your milage may vary.
I gave up using installers years ago. The only way I could manage my GIANT runtime was to manually move products into folders that made sense to me (the stuff that can be moved, obviously Geometries, data,etc stay put). So I've never counted on uninstalling things. And yeah, they get all jumbled up. Which is why I've lived with one runtime for so long - path of least resistance. Trying to split it up was nigh impossible.
Oh - and I found V4. I had installed the DAZ content into the Runtime folder (one level too low).
And I did think of another question.... since My Library was organized with People/Genesis and then all the Genesis stuff - Characters, Clothing, Props, Poses, etc. in the same folder, I was planning on leaving all the People stuff as one big runtime. Now I'm wondering if that's going to be too big. I've got hundreds of character sets for V4 and M4, not to mention all the clothing. But so many people are making products for both
V4 and Genesis/Genesis 2, it would be much easier if they're combined into one runtime. What do y'all think?
I just looked at my last two download folders. There's SO...much...stuff... to reinstall....:sick:
Originally I had my runtimes split - props, animals, v4, m4, kids etc and it was nice when i was browsing it on my hard drive but making any art was a giant pita because of the constant folder hopping it drove me crazy. So then I decided to make a giant runtime for everything. Then I couldnt stand that stuff was all over and soooo many folders by micro sorting lol. So i decided best bet for me is a mix. I have all my People related stuff (hair, clothing, poses, etc) in one runtime and all my Props, animals, scenes, etc related stuff in another. I only work with V4 and G2 so its not so bad as it is for people who use alot more. I think best bet is to figure out how you like to work. Folder hopping drives me nuts so i could never split up stuff in a huge way lol.
I think I'm leaning in the direction you did. Fewer not-so-big runtimes with the stuff the seems to belong together. I hate navigating 27 levels deep. And having the same thing in multiple places. I can never remember whether a hair is conforming or a prop and the hair materials just don't seem to belong in the Pose folder. So I've always kept all the hair in one folder. And then I forget that I installed some Genesis Hair with V4 fits over in My Library. So having a separate Hair runtime is a must. Besides that's one of things I automatically retexture if I don't like any of the color options and having JUST hair in the textures folder will be luxury.
A question for those who have lived with one runtime and then split it up - what happens with scenes that you've saved? If you load an old one, do you have to manually remap all the component parts to the new file locations?
Yes, that's right. You'll never find a .cr2 file, which is a Poser file format, anywhere in the /content/People/ folder because that's a D|S content location. Poser files are only found in the Poser Libraries folders. You can easily make a scene with only a V4 in it, save it to /content/People/ and that's a D|S file, but normally the only V4 files to be installed in there will be materials presets.
Duh!! <head smack> That's right. They're .duf files. And V4 pre-dates the combination of DAZ materials with Poser materials in the same folder so that's why all I'm seeing is the V4 Sample-Res material.
Genesis was the very first DAZ figure released with all D|S-native files right out of the box. Everything else before that was a Poser figure, with the possibility of extra D|S materials — and only materials — if they were made after D|S was created. And as always where computers are concerned, it's a very fuzzy distinction; even nowadays, there's still a significant number of new products that are made-for-Poser-but-work-in-D|S; if they aren't specifically made to work with a Genesis figure, they don't need to have D|S materials.
I'm currently sorting out my files due to having upgraded to the latest DS. I decided to create different directories as I stopped using metadata long ago. My structure is:
D:/DS directories/Core (all post-Generation 4 figures and their morphs go here)
D:/DS directories/Genesis/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Genesis/Paid clothes/
D:/DS directories/Genesis/Paid poses/
D:/DS directories/Gen2M/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Gen2M/Paid clothes/
D:/DS directories/Gen2M/Paid poses/
D:/DS directories/Gen2F/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Gen2F/Paid clothes/
D:/DS directories/Gen2F/Paid poses/
D:/DS directories/Props and lights/
D:/DS directories/Animals and creatures/ (here go all custom animal and creature figures; obviously, Genesis Gorilla goes to D:/DS directories/Core)
I'll soon create more directories as follows:
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 males/Paid characters/ (from M4, H4, F4 and Morphs++ through other sets)
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 males/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 males/Paid clothes/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 males/Paid poses/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 females/Paid characters/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 females/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 females/Paid clothes/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 females/Paid poses/
D:/DS directories/Generation 3/ (all A3/H3 stuff - well, I guess their morphs - hairstyles for A3 usually have V4 fits as well, so I'll focus on morphs if I don't change my mind about that in the meantime)
D:/DS directories/Utilities (I think I'll make this one - plugins like LAMH Player and Gen2X - or Gen2X will go to D:/DS directories/Core)
D:/DS directories/Imported OBJ/ (for conversions of XFrog plants, for example)
Of course, all directories will be mapped for both DS and Poser content, just in case. I realised DS finds the stuff on its own - I intended to add each manually when it's launched, but miraculously, a cute blue box hopped up "The following directories seem to contain 3D models; would you like to add them?". My opinion on categorising is: once you're at least slightly familiar with DS, you'll find metadata not needed PROVIDED you categorise well. When my own metadata broke, I was forced to learn how to navigate Content Library - quickly. Then I realised relying on metadata was basically making me use only the stuff that had metadata. It was going for a quick route and losing out in the process. Thus I plan categorising very rigorously. I have yet to come up with routing my freebies :lol:.
I am in the same process.
I started by creating base folders that were the barest minimum
Pose
Hair
Figure
Props
Lights
Special Effects
and
an empty folder I will call "Sort"
I actually learned the best way to do this was to just bullet through the product view and put everything into sort, since I can just hit return everytime it says Do I want to create a product, without having to mouse click , and then go onto the next item, saving me time. After it is in sort, I drag it tot the best category option, then divide further. Figure becomes Male Gen 6, Female Gen 6, etc.
Yep - my big runtime was pretty well organized like that. Only all together. I had the install down to something like double-click zip, drag everything to content directory, yes/yes/yes. Drag zip file to current backup download folder. Next zip file. Once I installed everything I had bought recently, I just dragged it around in the run time into the folders I wanted.
SereneNight, what do you consider Special Effects? And what do y'all do with set that include a bunch of stuff, like any of Danie and Marfornos sets? They've got architecture, props and poses - oh yeah - and lights and cameras, probably materials, too. Do you split them up into their respective runtimes or folders or keep them together? Cecilia, why do you keep paid stuff separate from freebies?
I made a separate runtime for DM's stuff only. But then, i've been collecting them whenever they go on sale so there's more than enough to justify it.
They are about the only vendor that I've done that for, although I organize some of my backup files acto vendor.
Special Effects are things that are like the PW Ghost shader, blowing in the wind tool etc, and such.
For sets that include extras that I think I will use like rocks (I do actually have a rocks and ground folder, since I use these a lot), I put them into the rocks folder individually. If it is a set with a lot of weapons like Cyber M4, I just make a duplicate and stick it in my weapons folder.
Other things I like to single out are:
Water Planes
Rocks
Plants
Rubble and Junk (Extremely useful to put your rubble in one area so you can make a reaslistic scene)
Food
Poses
Lights
Yep, got the rocks and plants separated. Even mushrooms. I seemed to collect a bunch art one time. Wings, wands all get their own folders. Industrial Junk has stuff like 55 gal drums, trash bags, the detritus of the individual age. Does ask that PW stuff still work with DS46?
Got another V4 question. I installed Aiko 4 last night and distinctly remember there were dials on the body for Aiko 4, Stephanie 4, Aged, She Freak, etc. Since I only have Aiko 4 installed, I at least expected to see her body dial but there's nothing except the head morph. What am I missing? Is that the power loader thing? I can't remember if I ran that or not (or the batch script, if that's different).
Because I hoard freebies (my hard drives, pendrives and portable drives are rather littered with them now...) and it is a pain to find out which was free when you want to participate in freebie challenges. I had to skip a few as my libraries were too crowded. Plus as I make textures and morphs, I like to use freebies in promos so that cheapskates like me can easily recreate the render.
EDIT:
Just to clarify, DAZ freebies go into their respective paid categories to comply with freebie challenges' rules.
Oh! :lol: Ask a silly question... I didn't know there were freebie challenges. Makes perfect sense.
Are y'all sure this will be worth it? I keep thinking about that backup of my giant runtime from last Sept and re-installing just the last 9 months of purchases vs re-installing the last 5 years.
sadly had the same situation a while back. `but can tell you a complete reinstall was well worth it for me. (found some content i completely had forgotten about/ lost in my old structure).
Also two suggestion (if you have not done that already),
i've also sorted all the zip files in the same directory structure as the content structure (both on my main download drive and on my back up drive). When i now want to rebuild a certain category/ runtime i only need to select all zip files and extract (and some clean up of the directory structure)
Also in regard to the directory structure, keep in mind that DAZ (and poser) only show the name of the top folder, If you have:
D:/DS directories/Genesis/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Genesis 2/Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 males/Paid hair/
Then you will have three " Paid Hair" folders in the content library.
Personally i like to use:
D:/DS directories/Genesis Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Genesis 2 Paid hair/
D:/DS directories/Generation 4 Paid hair/
This way i find it easier to navigate in the library manager, if you are looking for a certain generation.
If you are using a separate drive for content as you did before, you could load partition the drive, load the back up and the last 9 months worth of purchases to one partition and then worry about sorting and updating your runtimes in the other partition. Not the most elegant of solutions but it has it advantages.
Oh wow! These are great suggestions. On top of that, I just discovered 7Zip will do mass-install. Select everything that goes into one runtime from my zip file archive, enter the temp directory name, click Yes to Overwrite and it's all installed. Then I just need to make sure it's in the subfolders I want and that I didn't install hair into my Props and Lights runtime.