Daz Studio 4.9 Beta Now Available..
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So, if you have some then it is not going to grab what you have, again. But if you are doing a completely clean, as in no existing content library, install then it will be all of it?
And DAZ wants us to use Studio to fix that mess? I'm suddenly hearing Sigourney Weaver in Galaxy Quest. Imagine the "chompers" are Smart Content:
It only grabs what you tell it to grab.
Thanks so much to you developers who are here trying to keep your customer base calm and helping us understand what is happening. I have been trying to follow this thread and find it reflects much of what concerns me so haven't felt the need to echo posts - however I do have a few concerns I don't think I've seen brought up yet and would like to ask them...
1). Back some years ago, I believe it was at the beginning of DS 4, I had several hundred items and was thrilled to find the ability to set up and organize my own categories and put everything, including things that I'd gotten from other stores, where I could find them. I spend over a week on this and was so relieved when I finished... but then suddenly my database was corrupt! All my categories dissapeared! At this point I was very discouraged, but didn't want to give up, so again I went through every single item, re-categorizing each one. And yet again, the database became corrupt, and all my categories were gone.
For me, that was the end of categories. After that, I began putting things on a separate hard drive in a folder set up how I wanted it with everything WHERE I wanted it. No more database to corrupt, my files were where I put them.
Smart content has NEVER worked for me. When I look at a figure, there is never anything in smart content to match to it. It's okay with me though because I can find what I want without any problem. My concern about this new setup is the whole having to use the database system of categories. I now have several thousand items, not all from DS, (there are other stores out there, Rendo, RDNA, etc. that do offer nice things!) So I really don't want to have to go through the nightmare of sorting all this into categories, only to have the database corrupted and the categories lost. Is there any safeguard in place now that wasn't there in the past, so that this can't happen?
2. The whole DRM thing worries me. I am not technical. I don't understand the cloud, or even alot of what people talk about here in relation to textures and lighting and iray. I do know that I bought a used game once from a local GameStop, I believe it was The Witcher - which had DRM in it. At that time I didn't have a clue what that meant. I installed the game and tried to play it, and the video card on my new computer promptly died. It was a good computer, a good video card, and after that happened and I had to deal with returning the computer by mail to the company (across the country) in order for them to replace the card, I have never felt 100% sure that it wasn't the DRM that destroyed that card. So, I would like to know that no matter what I do with the files I purchase, there is NO WAY they can harm a computer I put them on. If I buy a new computer, put them on a laptop, or whatever, the encryption in them will in no way harm my computer.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read through my concerns. I'm sorry we are not all able to easily accept these changes, but that just shows you how important this software has become to all of us! -Cathy
DRM isn't a single thing, it's a collective label for techniques that tie content or applciations to a user or hardware. The DS DRM is just file encruption that requires a key tied to you and your machine to read, so it should have a light impact. I doubt the game's DRM is what killed your GPU anyway - more likely the item had a amrginal component and the game made it work hard enough that the component overheated and failed.
I always thought the content installation in order to fit with my organization scheme to be by far the most tedious part of using DAZ Studio. Admittedly, I found Smart Content to be somewhat confusing to use at first, but that was back when I was a noobie and back in the 4.5 days. So off I go, organizing my content by moving files around in the OS. Every time I buy a product or find a freebie I have to arrange all these files from a ZIP (organized inconsistently from file to file) into this file structure I'm unfamiliar with. (Sure, I know it now, but let's remember there was a learning curve.)
After poking into it, Smart Content (in conjunction with automatic installation) just seems strictly better. As it has been said before in this thread, the existing File structure, especially the Runtime folder, is a hold-over of a structure that existed previously, which DAZ Studio supported. Hello? Software has improved since 1995. We have better ways of organizing content. People in this thread are acting like the "Smart Content" idea is this novel concept. They panic, crying phrases like "oh noes, I won't be able to find my content any more!" "I'm DONE with DAZ if they tell me where I put my files. I mean, seriously. Get out of my computer! QQ, QQ-kachew"
If you use your computer to listen to MP3s, how many of you drill into the files using your windows file explorer and double-click the MP3 files? I personally fire up <music program of choice>, go to Library, and search for the album I want to listen to. But what if I want to listen to Metal? I go to Genres > Metal. The claim that organizing the files physically on disk is the "best" way is ludicrous. To me, it's expected that data files, save files, and so on are organized by the program that uses them. Sure, I can tell it where to install, where to save, but why should I care which specific sub-directory my add-ins get installed to? Do you know that for all other programs on your computer? Where are Microsoft Office Add-ins located on physical disk? What about your Fallout 3 mods?
If anything, we should start a thread of constructive ideas on how to make Smart Content better (if it so blatently needs to be better). "File cut & paste forever!" is a lame mantra.
Mod edit
I spend somewhere in the rough neighborhood of $10,000 annually on DAZ content and I know that even if DAZ closes for business one day, I'll still be able to use that content. But if I need a decryption key to unlock the content every time I get a new computer, how can I be certain that I'll be able to use this content in say ten years if DAZ isn't around anymore? I know DAZ has no plans to go out of business, but no one can predict the future and anything can happen. In the conversation that was deleted, I seem to remember a DAZ employee saying that in the event that DAZ goes out of business, they would release some sort of permanent unlock key so that our content would become permanently decrypted. This is a good thought, but requires faith on our part that they would follow through. If over the next ten years I keep spending here at the rate that I am, that will be $100,000 I've spent on content in the faith that I'll be able to use even if DAZ is one day no more. Those stakes are too high for me. I don't think I can trust any company that much. So if DAZ eventually shifts to a mode where all new content requires decryption keys for installation, I will unfortunately have to stop shopping here because it just isn't a sound enough investment. I can spend a few hundred bucks on the faith that a company will keep its word, but not $100,000, especially when there are other content alternatives out there that aren't encumbered with encryption.
The idea that something unforseen with the encryption plan might bite us users in the rear isn't just wild speculation, this is based on unfortunate events that have happened to myself and other people with various other software when DRM ends up hurting the paying customers. I don't think DAZ is evil or out to get us, but accidents and unforseen events happen even to the best people.
Hi, rather than keep speculating about all this and feeling uneasy, I decided to try the new 4.9 and see what it's like. I found that it's only available thru the DIM, and the DIM absolutely will not log me into my account. I have tried everything, including a new install of the DIM and change of password. Is there any way to fix the situation? Another way to try 4.9? It shows as purchased on the Product Page, but again, I flat out can't use the DIM, and I don't know why. That's one thing that makes me leery of 4.9. What if I can't log in? Am I just screwed?
I actualy have had a few bad experiences with licenses of software being difficult to retrieve after hard drive failure or problems with computers You can be at the mercy of the vendor, who may for example set a limit on the number of replaceable keys they will give you if you did not deactivate the old one. They may not be open weekends, holidays. You will have to keep records of ownership, some of which could be lost. If they go out of business and your hard drive dies your key might be lost forever.
My current machine has lost its hard drive- not once, but 3 times. Not being able to access licensed stuff we pay for because of a protection scheme in place is really a downgrade in usability. I don't know what the answer is, but I just don't see this as positive in any shape or form, especially given the unreliability of hardware. The software upgrades in 4.9 sound nice, but not at the expense of losing an expensive library of content and a substantial financial investment.
DRM represents a significant loss in usability and freedom for those of us who are wary and have been burned by bad software. It is really impossible to be happy or see this as a positive because it is a hobbing of existing freedoms.
No store, can make guarantees about what will happen in the future, so there will be no way to ensure customers have access if DAZ should go belly up. A local store where I lived unexpectedly declared bankruptcy and assets were siezed, including items that people had brought to that store for repair that belonged to individuals. They didn't get their machines back for quite some time. So no, I don't think we will have some benevloent group giving us access to our stuff in the case of sudden and unexpected financial downturn. Depending on the situation it could be a sudden and abrupt change of circumstance, and you lose it all. At least without DRM, we can continue on pretty much indefinitly. With it, there are no guarantees.
Daz_Rawb has already posted to state what would happen in those unlikely circumstances, and the post has been quoted at least once, if not more.
It would need to be in a legally binding document for me to feel comfortable that there is sufficient provision in place to protect my investment. Otherwise, asurances really don't mean much to me.
Your DIM won't log in or it won't connect?
Agreed. They're talking about changing the dynamic of the relationship with the customers where to invest in encrypted content I must have faith that DAZ will either be around forever (it's the nature of business that companies come and go, merge, split, succeed, fail etc.) or that if they one day go out of business they will out of kindness provide a permanent decrypt key for all of their encrypted products. I like to think that they would follow through on that, but I can't risk $100,000, which is what I'd likely spend at DAZ over the next ten years, on it. I'm not that kind of gambler.
If the DRM is only used to protect the valid installation of products that is fine with me. So long as once the product components are installed they will be open for user access and modifications exporting to other programs for morphing and retexturing etc. That we as users will still be trusted to honor the TOS so that we can be creative in our personal use of DAZ products we legally purchase.
I guess being resigned to the lost battle for Poser compatibility and its growing abandonment by PAs has made me less invested and upset about whatever direction DAZ takes.
I don't know which it is. I keep getting a notice that I need to check my name/password, and both are correct, so far as I know. I'm thinking I can't connect to the server, for some reason. That's happened in two other situations, and in one, I was able to activate the program offline, hallelujah. One, I just gave up on for now. Thanks for asking. :-)
Yes, that's pretty much a done deal, from what I can gather, and as long as IRay is around, I can live with the situation just fine. DAZ products in IRay, other products in other software. No problemo. But if this is the future of DAZ, I'd like to make sure I can participate before I nab anymore merchandise, as much as I admire the quality of the products here.
That's what I get when it can't connect to the server...but double check to see if it isn't in off line mode.
From what I can gather, what they are proposing is that you would need a fresh new decryption key when you eventually want to reinstall your purchases when migrating to a new computer. And anlother when migrating to the computer after that, and the one after that etc. The point of the encryption is that it requires permission from DAZ to unlock the files when they are moved to a new system, to verify that the new system belongs to a valid user and is not illegal file sharing. Since making the content freely copyable and usable to another system after the initial decryption would defeat the entire point of the DRM, I don't think they'll let us do that. That's why I'm very aprehensive about it.
Thank you again. :-) It isn't in Offline Mode. I've checked options, unchecked options, no luck. Signed in to the store, signed out of the store, no luck. Another thing, I can't connect to DAZ thru DAZ Studio 4.8 either. I get a perpetual "we're signing you in now, we're signing you in now" over and over, that never stops. So evidently I'm not connecting to the server. What is the problem when you can't connect? Thank you so much for the replies!
Edit: Wait, yes I can. Now, I can sign into the forums and the store thru DS 4.8/Help. Now that I'm signed on thru DAZ first.
Edit 2: Sigh...I give up, with the DIM. Y'all can keep that thing.
I sincerely don't mean to be a pain, I'm just a concerned user who loves DAZ and would like to continue using and buying DAZ content long into the future. I can't actually find any DAZ_Rawb post which answers to my concerns, anyone got a link? Or DAZ_Rawb, are you out there to answer this one directly?
As you have already quoted what was said, in your previous post, you must have seen the post yourself. It may not have been DAZ_Rawb, may have been one of the other devs that have popped in. After two 15 hour days monitoring these threads the posts do get a wee bit muddled up in my head.
Uhm... Probalbly it's a silly quetion, but I need to ask this:
DAZ 4.9 will upload my library somewhere?
I mean, if I connect to the cloud, my third-party products in the library will be uploaded for future usage and download?
Put your 3rd party content where you like. That doesn't fall within Daz's system and should have no effect to the cloud
I have only my own (admittedly unreliable) memory to refer to about what was said, since it looks like the answer that was posted by a DAZ dev is not viewable anymore, or I just can't find it. The issue I'm raising is one that some other users seem concerned about as well, and they'd probably like to read DAZ's plans and thoughts about it for themselves.
IIRC DAZ has already been through one investor take-over. Some promises that had been made by the original owners(?) were broken. What will happen to the promises now being made by DAZ in case of an hostile takeover now that NTT is in the mix?
I'm really beginning to hate the 'cloud' moniker...
The 'cloud' content is not going to be in the 'cloud', it will still be locally installed on your machine.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/934809/#Comment_934809
There is no cloud - your contentnis on your local machine and you do not need a connection to work with it, only to register initially and then to install content (there will also be a way to download on another machine and install later before the end of the beta).
No, this is not cloud storage for you, you download Daz products from the "cloud" (just think "Daz store") and the content is saved to your hard drive. Third party products you download from other websites stay on your hard drive and do not get stored at Daz. Daz are not offering cloud storage with DS 4.9.
Ok, understood!
Since I'm here and I have your attention... Someone is havig issues rendering with 3DLight i 4.9?
It gives me infinite stripes all long the render when in the scene there is some tiled material, like a seamless sone wall...
Sorry, doble post!
Good to know I won't have to redownload my huge purchase history to make them cloud active :)
I did redownload everything when we switched from exe installers to DIM and that was costly but worth it... Didn't really want to do it again though, plus I have a crapload more in my purchase history since then because DIM made it so much easier to collect stuff :P