Daz Studio Pro BETA - version 4.9.0.21!
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I realize, but I was under the impression Daz Connect would not touch Poser (or other non-Daz) runtimes or content folders. This approach ought to allow letting Daz know where *ITS* content has been moved, which ought to include folders with mixed content. When updating content, Daz doesn't manage the folders, only the files in them. The fact that 10 files are for Daz, and 10 are for Poser, shouldn't be an issue.
Because the new authentication/encryption system relies on DUFs and other Daz-specific files, I think it's safe to assume that if you purchase a product designed only for Poser, it might be distributed through Daz Connect, but will not be encrypted. You could externally move the files for both Poser's and D|S's separate use, but that would break any ability in Connect to automatically update these files, should that sort of thing be important to you. I don't know if doing this will send Connect ito a lockup tizzy. It shouldn't, but if it does, Daz should change that unseemly behavior.
There are now grouping tools for content - like the New flash in 4.8 and earlier - so you could tag stuff you didn't or did want that way.
Thanks Richard.
-- Walt Sterdan
Isn't the Connect cache already part of your library? That's where the CMS would be, or at least an index to it. (Or if not done this way, it should be!) If you're transporting your library already, then there should be no problem in sharing the same runtime folders with multiple instances of D|S. The CMS is already there.
For having separate runtime folders maintained for each PC: I've tried that, and it's simply not workable when doing it manually. So some form of synchronization is still needed. I don't see this use case as a valid reason for not having D|S do the file management, rather than relying on the OS.
I feel kind of stupid but where is the window to point Connect to my folder/harddive of choice? The content downloader had it where is it in Studio?
It will use the first DAZ Studio directory so you need to use the Content Directory Manager to make the desired directory top of the list - you get to that from the Content Library or Smart Content pane's option menu, or the Content Library tab of Preferences.
How easy is it to use these for this task? In my experience, D|S idea of grouping is a rushed bandaid over addressing the real problem -- like having to use groups to show or hide related child nodes all at once.
A system where this is done online in the Product Library is actually preferable, form a UI perspective. Having to first load references of all your content into D|S just for the purpose of saying what you don't want is counter-productive.
I believe it was DAZ Spooky, Rawb, Vince, or someone that said in the next beta you'd be able to nominate the folder Connect will connect to.
I suggest you be very careful. I tried 4.9 and installed my Genesis and Genesis 2 Starter Essentials. Even though I uninstalled the new ones, through DIM I cannot get my regular unencrypted files to download or install.
Actually not, at least at the moment - I was thinking we could sort by or show only content a group but that isn't the case. Grouping itself is in the right-click menu on files and products.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean there... DAZ Connect will manage everything you install with it, be it Poser or DS files.
I doubt that content intended exclusively for Poser would be distributed via DAZ Connect, DS couldn't use it anyway so what's the point of installing it in your DS library?
For content usable in both apps, installing them via DAZ Connect would be a bad idea if you want to use the same content libraries in Poser: encryption is not the problem there since they won't encrypt Poser files, but files are stored in a different folder for each product in the new setup, so you'd end up with a Runtime by product in Poser! And all those Runtimes would need to be organized as they were installed as moving the files would break metadata and categories in DS, not only updates, and since it seems to be the only way to access that content in DS it would be a bad idea. And if you meant "copying all the Poser files in a Runtime not used by DS", that's would mean duplicating all content, so no thanks.
Was this on a different computer as your 4.8 install, or the same computer?
One of the first things this thread told us was once something gets converted over to DAZ Connect, we'd have to continue using connect for that product. That's why I'm not willing to install the Beta on my desktop computer. I don't want to be stuck if I happen to not like DAZ Connect.
Does "active machine" mean a machine that has Daz Studio running, or is there a background process that would keep a computer logged in all the time it is switched on? I often leave my desktop computer on all day even when I am using a laptop.
Okay, I'm not through reading this yet but...
I have my files set up in several separate runtimes (One for Genesis, one for Mil 4, one for Mil 3, one for toons, one for props, etc.)
So can I tell the DAZ connect that *this* Jack tomalin product goes in props, *that* updated V4 character goes in Mil 4, and *this other* new suit for G3M goes in Genesis? Or will it put them all in a single directory, and how much control will I actually have over where that directory is and what it's called? I mean, DIM still insists on installing updates to Daz Studio in G:/DAZ/DAZStudio4 when I want it in G:/DazStudio4 (and yes, I've told it to go with the base G drive, multiple times) so forgive me for being skeptical here.
Okay, here is the first render with 4.9 - and all came out well except the IRAY Shaders I used for that mobile phone and the bottle of water. The shaders worked better in 4.8. I have a render of my grandson, rather, a characature of him with the mobile using the shaders and it came out nice. Not so well with 4.9, otherwise - yeah, it's all good if the shaders will be tweaked.
Mr. Kentmen, the render of Scott 6 and the mobile with the shader is as you see it. Weird and ghosted, so is the label on the water bottle.
The characuture of my grandson for his website, shows the mobile and the tablet with the shaders - same IRAY shaders... you can see the difference.
Looks good. Might want to look at the bloom if it's an iRay render, that's all I can think of to cause that blurry edged look. Nice looking male adult there. Good facial hair.
Yep, definitely Iray... and the shaders as well. I make sure to always use those to make sure everything comes out at it's best. The renders with 4.8 - no problem at all. I'm doing another adding the second character to the bench.
His facial hair... http://www.daz3d.com/mec4d-unshaven-2-for-genesis-2-male-s I LOVE this - well, I have them all - this one is the best for G2 male, and I have the other one for Gensis and M4, LOL - every generation.
Also, I really really like in 4.9 how the list in Products that are in Alpha order... all the content shows when you hover over - showing you what you have but not installed. OMG I have TONS of stuff I've totally forgotten about. SOME - I have NEVER used, LOL - and when I bought it, I HAD TO have it! Now, this new set up is brilliant for reminding me of what I have and should put to use. It may need post working, but there is TONS of it. SMH - yeah... I really like that about this version... to see it, the older stuff, brings it back to mind on what I had planned to use it for in the first place. The more time I'm in here the more I see the advantages of the changes made.
When I opened it... ALL of my files from my other locations, it found them, and everything is there. The best way to know it, is to JUST DO IT! I read for days, and then finally bit the bullet. Now, I'm enjoying it because it's showing me a lot of my content that used to be hidden from me. It really is nice that they've done it this way. It will drive inspirations because you can now see your stuff! Well, I can... Oh, and I didn't go looking for my stuff, if picked it up right from 4.8 and all my externals as well. And it did it fast, and have TONS of content from way back in 2005... Holy Mackerel, I've been at this for 10 years, WOW! WITH Daz all the way...
I don't do Betas :)
And I'm not worried about it finding my existing structure, I'm trying to figure out how/if it's going to handle my current structure with future updates and installs, or it's going to force me to have a new directory for "post 4.9 stuff." I can adapt to that, but I won't be happy about it.
So all this stuff you're finding and intalling... where is it being installed on your computer? To your existing directories as you feel the products go, or did it make a new one? Are you able to categorise as you install, or do you have to go back in and do that (or do you even categorize)
Actually, some of the Iray shaders were adjusted to work with the known issues of the build of Iray in 4.8, but now those issues are fixed and those tweaks aren't needed, but haven't been 'reverted' to standard. I can't find the post where that was mentioned...but it is known and the shaders are supposed to be tweaked before the final release. But it may be worth filing a bug report on it, anyway, because it may be more than what was mentioned.
It is SHARING the directories the SAME way POSER shares the directories. I have Poser 10, DS 4.8 and now the beta 4.9. ALL THREE search my harddrives for the directions and make a PATH to them. So nothing is duplicated. All the programs FIND it. NO way would they build this to duplicate content, otherwise it would eat up everyone's harddrive space and NO ONE would appreciate that.
Gonna do another one, adjust the lights a bit, and see if that helps. If not, then for sure will be turning in a bug report. Cheers
That still doesn't actually answer what I'm asking. I don't care about shared directories or not, I only have DS. I'm asking about installing different types of stuff to different Runtime directories. Like Props to a Props runtime, or V4 Clothes to a Millenium 4 Runtime. That's how I keep things organized.
You said you were finding old content you'd forgotten to install. So if you decide to install it... where does it install? Can you tell it to install somewhere specific?
Edit - okay, I found my answers (I think) in the other thread. Which told me that I definately want to wait for the non-beta release.
Be sure and check the Bloom Filter in Render Settings > Filtering. As was mentioned earlier, it looks like Bloom is enabled. Worth checking out before you turn in a bug report, if only to be able to say in the report you checked it and it was off during your render.
Other than the "bloom", both of those images look good.
Is there any clear, easily understood documentation on Smart Content at all?
Something that will explain to me: 1. What EXACTLY is Smart Content? 2. Is it metadata that organizes Smart Content? 3. What is the difference between 'files' and 'products' view?
I am seriously trying to work out if Smart Content can replace my organization - if i can use DS via the Smart Content only - as that's the major problem I have wiht the beta ideas. Cos if Smart Content actually WORKS, then when I go to "Figures" in Smart Content...where is my Eva 7? Where are all my FWART characters? And Silver characters? Why is there only ONE Silver character in there? Where is Genesis 2 adn Aiko and Stephanie etc etc? Why does my Figures in smart content only show 13 'people' instead of the gazillion I have from the DAZ Store.
Figures - People - Female.
Smart Content in 4.8, "Default"
Actually, you can test it out with 4.8. Open the Smart content Pane, it works, as far as sorting is concerned, the same.
(and what I just found out, which I wasn't aware before... the Categories I created for myself in 4.8 are actually usable as Smart Content categories, so I can use my own sorting in Smart Content. Interesting. Is this the same in 4.9?
Smart Content using my own Categories which I use for sorting from the Content Library)
EDIT: I've decided, after long deliberations, that I will install 4.9 on my main machine. That means that I still have some backing up to do, and of course I have added a new "first" directory to my DAZ Studio Formats folders, which is outside of my regular library folder. If I remember correctly, ther was something about 4.9 Categorized content not showing up properly in 4.8 Categorization , or something, so I will have to give this a closer look...
There's a new directory for that DAZ Connect downloaded content. Here's an example from my Laptop, here it added a "data/cloud" directory. In this directory, all downloaded files ar stored using the SKU as top, and below that you have the entire structure that would normally go into your content directory, like data, runtime, etc. And of course, all that encrypted files stuff, too.
EDIT: You can't move around your files any longer, or it will break things. You CAN move the entire top folder structure with everything below it, and then tell Studio where you moved it. That works fine. But moving things here and there to get rid of the directory mess - that will not work.
Have you checked if the essentials are still in the "installed" section of DIM? As DAZ Connect and DIM probably won't talk to each other, and DAZ Connect doesn't download ZIPS, DIM will probably still have its "I downloaded this already" files in the download directory.
Having had a quick look at what I assume to be the current 'Render Settings' documentation it is still without explanation!! Like many people using Daz, finding out what many of the Render settings for Iray actually do is like searching for Atlantis. Even Richard Haseltine who is always extremely helpful wrote that he also has had to search for information and use the Trial and Error method.
Unlike probably the Minority here, most people do not run machines that have 4 x High End GPU's or a Mac to expedite speed when conducting Tral and error experimentation.
Please!! Include some function explanation for the Iray render engine parameters....Pretty Please!!
Something to consider...most of this data is from users who have a problem with something. Frequently the only ones who answer polls or surveys are those who have a problem and want to change it.
The thing you should ask yourself is how many of your users are included in that data?
Many of us are quite happy with the product we have and putter along without giving any input through those things you have mentioned.
I'm still reading and considering what my options are at the moment as I only found out about this today.
As vendors are fond of saying the vocal majority are not always the best way to plan how to develop your products. Many have complained in the past of how this has led to problems for them...just a thought.