The Content Library - Help Me Understand It

Nyghtfall3D

I adore DS's user interface. It is an absolute pleasure to work with.

Since returning to DS in September, its Content Library has been giving me the same headache I experienced when I started this hobby eight years ago, and is part of what drove me to Poser four years ago. I simply cannot wrap my head around the concept behind its utilization of two completely separate types of libraries, and its taking the fun out of my creative process. By stark contrast, Poser's highly structured Runtime system is its own work of art. I know exactly what I can and cannot touch, how to organize and locate my content.

These are the problems I'm trying to resolve:

* I don't understanding how to arrange the DS content folders, and safely delete content I don't need. For example, I have content that includes mats for both DS and Poser. Can I delete the Runtime folder it came with, or does DS need it for something? With Poser, that's a moot point. I know that, if there's a Runtime folder inside a Content folder, I can discard the Content folder and put the Runtime wherever I want.

* If DS needs those Runtime folders, how do I know which content to use, from either the DAZ Studio Formats or Poser Formats section of the Content tab, when building a scene?

Richard Haseltine

If the item has a full, stand-alone DS installer then you need only the \Runtime\Textures and \Runtime\Support (for the metadata, if you need to rebuild the content database). However, some older items will work by loading the Poser files and then applying DS native materials (those should usually have either no separate DS installer, if the materials are applied as you load the Poser-format version, or they will have DS Companion Files for the materials).

Nyghtfall3D

I just checked the Runtime folders for some of my DS content, and the only sub-folders they have are Textures and Support, so I need to keep those. Ok.

Does the Content folder have a Poser-equivalent of the Textures and Geometries folders that I should not touch with regard to building my own folder layout?

Richard Haseltine

Textures are kept in Runtime\Textures, the equivalent of \Runtime\Geometries is the \Data folder (which is also the equivalent of the \Runtime\Libraries!DAZ folder and other folders with morph injection files).

sriesch

Note that you don't need to touch your actual runtime folders on disk in any way, unless you are doing it out of personal preference. The Content Library categories you see under "Categories" can be arranged in any way you want without affecting the actual files on your disk. If there is content you don't want to see, you can just create a new category called "trash" or something and dump it in there so you only see the content you want.

Note that the Content Library provides several different ways of viewing your content.
DAZ Studio Formats
Poser Formats
Other Import Formats
Products
Categories
When you create your own categories and arrange your Poser and DAZ Studio content the way you want, you will be doing this all within "Categories", most likely, and all the poser and DS content can be mixed together here. I have actually never used "DAZ Studio Formats", "Poser Formats", or "Other Import Formats". I occasionally look in "Products" when I have lost something.

When you install a new product, tell DS what directory it is in, then tell DS to search that directory, the content should then show up within the special Categories > Default > Unassigned (and maybe also in Categories > Default within the pre-defined categories.) You can then create your own categories within Categories, and move that content wherever you want. (It might be a lot easier to do if you only install and categorize one product at a time.) For example, the screenshot shows some of the custom categories I created within "Categories"; yours can of course be completely different.

Concerning content that exists as both poser and DS format: while you want to use the DS format in DAZ Studio so the materials look right and don't need the poser format duplicates, there have been cases in the past where due to changes the DS format didn't work anymore, at which point the poser format duplicates were suddenly needed, even if the materials aren't optimized for use within DS. Because of this, I've gotten into the habit of saving that content alongside the DS content "just in case", which is a lot easier to do a little at a time when you buy new products rather than having to find everything all at once suddenly when you unexpectedly need it. Hopefully with the new .duf format this will no longer be an issue for new content though.

Nyghtfall3D

Sean Riesch said:

Note that you don't need to touch your actual runtime folders on disk in any way, unless you are doing it out of personal preference.

It is a personal preference. I don't use the DIM. I want the Content tab to mirror the folder structure on my HDD so I can easily modify how my content is organized outside of DS.

... the equivalent of \Runtime\Geometries is the \Data folder (which is also the equivalent of the \Runtime\Libraries!DAZ folder and other folders with morph injection files).

This is the default setup for the Content folder for the G2F Starter Essentials:

Camera Presets
data
- Bobbie25
- DAZ 3D
-- Genesis 2
--- Female
-- Genesis 2 Female Basic Wear
- FWDesign
- SWAM
DAZ Studio Tutorials
Environments
People
ReadMe's
Runtime
Scene Builder

Using the example content above, my understanding is that G2F is located in the People folder, with her support files in the data and Runtime folders. Are you saying that, if I want to keep only G2F and get rid of the starter content she comes with, I can:

* Delete everything but the data, People, and Runtime folders
* Delete all of the data sub-folders except the DAZ 3D\Genesis 2\Female required just to load G2F
* Organize the People folder however I want

?

fixmypcmike

Is your objective to get the clutter out of the interface, or to save disk space? The Data and Runtime/Textures folders won't show up in the interface, so I would leave them alone. For example, the Bobbie25 subfolders in Data and in Textures will be clothing for the figure, so you'll want to keep them.

As long as you stay away from the Data and Runtime folders, you can rearrange the other folders however you like.

Nyghtfall3D

fixmypcmike said:

Is your objective to get the clutter out of the interface, or to save disk space?

Disk space isn't an issue. I'm trying to prevent clutter.

fixmypcmike said:

... the Bobbie25 subfolders in Data and in Textures will be clothing for the figure, so you'll want to keep them.

I have no use for the clothing included with the starter essentials.

As long as you stay away from the Data and Runtime folders, you can rearrange the other folders however you like.

Good deal. Thank you for clarifying.