Which 4.xx version of DS you wish you kept using?

Torquinox

@zombietaggerung taught me how to balance multiple installations. I can do around as needed. I installed latest version and still have access to the older version.

Richard Haseltine

columbine said:

nelsonsmith said:

It's always weird when people constantly call DAZ a software for hobbyists and not professionals, and yet don't seem to have the slightish idea of what amateur, hobbyist and independent artists that don't make money off their work have to do to keep up with companies that operate as if everybody who wants to have an artistic pastime has an endly source of disposable cash to keep a computer with the latest OS, and highest end graphics cards, pay monthly subscription fees for the privilege of using software they can never own ( and can't even use if the money gets tight and they can no longer afford the fees ) and a whole host of other things.

I guess it's true that it is extremely difficult to empathize with people that have problems, or even acknowledge hardships that one doesn't personallly have to deal with.  Prime example I recently lost access to hundreds of games on Steam because the most powerful computer in my possession with decent specs still ran an OS that they decided they would no longer support, and I was only able to upgrade because an IT guy at my job forgot and left a network disc with Windows 10 on it at our offices.

Slightly off-topic (and I'd like to note that as a frequent griper about Daz prices, I agree with you about the money/investment being an extremely frustrating barrier): Steam didn't pull Windows 7 support until it absolutely became unsustainable to keep supporting it. At that point Windows 7 was already several years past its official end-of-life and Microsoft was sending out open warnings like "If you're still running this you might as well be skinny-dipping in Lake Salmonella, as far as personal risk factors go." I know, because I, too, was running a Win 7 system well past its expiration date (I hate Win 10) and the Steam change was what finally forced me to upgrade that machine.

Back on topic, when a new version of Studio comes out I tend to wait a couple of months so I can find out what things they broke before I go ahead and upgrade. I've determined that there are only a couple of minor broken things in 4.22 and there are fixes/workarounds for them, so I really do need to upgrade (I hate to do it while I'm in the middle of a project, and I'm always in the middle of a project). But I haven't seen any compelling reason to keep or use an older version. (A couple of months is actually pretty fast, as these things go for me. For example, I have a rule never to buy a Bethesda game until the "unofficial patch" is released, so that's at least six months after the game comes out, often closer to a year.)

I do suspect that when Studio 5 ever happens--if it ever does--I will either put off getting it as long as I possibly can, or will try to install and run it in parallel with 4.x. Once upon a time, back in the Pleistocene, new versions of software usually improved upon the version before. That has not been true for many years now; now new versions of software inevitably make the experience of using the product worse.

We have been told that 4 and 5 will be separate, and that 4 will continue to be avaialble from your downloads - Daz knows that people will need this for plug-ins (and potentially some scripts), if nothing else.

Gordig

Richard Haseltine said:

We have been told that 4 and 5 will be separate, and that 4 will continue to be avaialble from your downloads - Daz knows that people will need this for plug-ins (and potentially some scripts), if nothing else.

Isn't that how previous major versions of DS worked? 

Bejaymac

Fixmypcmike said:

I still use DS 4.8.0.59 most of the time because there's a disconnect between DS and the CMS starting in DS 4.9.  I haven't found anyone else who has experienced it, but I can easily trigger it in every version since 4.9.  It seems to be something specific to my exact purchase history through 2016.  It may only happen if I log into Connect, but I rely on my custom categories, so I don't want to risk having DS not displaying things even though they're in the CMS database.

There were a lot of changes made to DS4 and the CMS with the release of 4.9.

With 4.9 a number of Studio's functions were tied directly to the CMS, so without the CMS installed/running some functions wouldn't work correctly, and some would even hard crash the software if you tried to use them.

So some of those changes are likely what's causing your issue with 4.9+

Leana

Gordig said:

Richard Haseltine said:

We have been told that 4 and 5 will be separate, and that 4 will continue to be avaialble from your downloads - Daz knows that people will need this for plug-ins (and potentially some scripts), if nothing else.

Isn't that how previous major versions of DS worked? 

It is. I still have the last version of DS2 and DS3 Advanced in my library, and you can have them installed along DS4 without problem.

WendyLuvsCatz

I use the latest but have 4.11 as well because if not using newer features it is just faster

CMS hasn't worked on my Win10 since my C drive was replaced and all my programs reinstalled 

I tried everything, had it up and running briefly with smart content then it stopped again forever, now I live without it

Bejaymac

WendyLuvsCatz said:

CMS hasn't worked on my Win10 since my C drive was replaced and all my programs reinstalled 

I tried everything, had it up and running briefly with smart content then it stopped again forever, now I live without it

When the CMS isn't running it usually means a security program is blocking it, third party AV/firewall usually need it to be "white listed", same for windows own security systems, however if DEP has taken a dislike to it then good luck getting it to leave the CMS alone. 

Torquinox

I don't use the cms. Worked better for me to use the files. Of course, I've moved a lot of files around to make life better for me. I don't recommend that to other people.

WendyLuvsCatz

Bejaymac said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

CMS hasn't worked on my Win10 since my C drive was replaced and all my programs reinstalled 

I tried everything, had it up and running briefly with smart content then it stopped again forever, now I live without it

When the CMS isn't running it usually means a security program is blocking it, third party AV/firewall usually need it to be "white listed", same for windows own security systems, however if DEP has taken a dislike to it then good luck getting it to leave the CMS alone. 

I am pretty sure it has as Windows notifications pretty much told me so  

I tried everything I could with whitelisting, firewall settings etc, I did finally stop Windows from deleting PostGreSQL but that's about it

I used to get lots of PostgreSQLs in taskmanager under DAZ Studio before on the old Win10 installation, now I get none

Taoz

Bejaymac said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

CMS hasn't worked on my Win10 since my C drive was replaced and all my programs reinstalled 

I tried everything, had it up and running briefly with smart content then it stopped again forever, now I live without it

When the CMS isn't running it usually means a security program is blocking it, third party AV/firewall usually need it to be "white listed", same for windows own security systems, however if DEP has taken a dislike to it then good luck getting it to leave the CMS alone. 

DEP? 

protosynthetic

Taoz said:

 

DEP? 

Data Execution Protection

TheKD

I think 4.15 was the one I stuck with the longest. I thought I still had the installer, tried a new version. Wanted to go back to 4.15, couldn't find installer, so grudgingly started just installing latest stable beside a beta. I update maybe once a year when I do new install of OS, or if I see a feature or fix that looks promising.

Taoz

protosynthetic said:

Taoz said:

 

DEP? 

Data Execution Protection

Oh, thanks. 

Bejaymac

Taoz said:

protosynthetic said:

Taoz said:

 

DEP? 

Data Execution Protection

Oh, thanks. 

Not quite, it's actually "Data Execution Prevention".

Basically if program A starts program B then DEP checks to see if program B is malicious software, if it is then it blocks it from running.

Now the reason DEP goes after the CMS is down to some of the functions in the CMS, they behave in a similar fashion to how trojans/randsomware behave, technically they aren't but DEP and a lot of AV think they are.

Now if DEP has blocked it, then admin privileges is the only way around it.

Oso3D

I always jump on whatever the latest live version is. I did that before I was a PA.

So far that's worked just fine for me, I've never had a machine SO far behind the curve it's been a problem. (And I did a lot of my initial dforce hair work on a machine veeeery behind the curve)

 

 

 

PerttiA

For me, it's not about the hardware, but the changes that have been made. Taking away (by nVidia) the information about VRAM usage, making rendering slower and now filling the interface with useless dialogs that slow down the process even further. I have still downloaded the newer versions for safekeeping and for that time when I may need them.

Mattymanx

I do wish the Vram info was still posted at the start of the render and in the log but other than that, I see no reason not to move forward so I tend to stick with the latest.  

Bejaymac

Personally it would be 4.5, as I'm not a fan of a number of the newer systems, IMHO they weren't implemented very well.

Two reasons why I don't use 4.5, I have two friends who live local to me that use DS4, instead of using DAZ CS for any problems they have they instead use me as their customer support, so I have to be using the same version as them.

Second is I'm a big fan of G8.1, especially the facial rigging based expressions, for someone that makes their own characters it's like a wet dream come true. No more having to make corrective morphs for existing expressions, or having to sculpt brand new expressions for each character I make. Now I just have to make sure to fine tune the facial rigging (adjust rigging to shape causes some of them to wander from the optimum position), then every expression for the base G8.1 will work well with my characters.

MimicMolly

I think the best one, for me, was 4.18? I can't remember. It was quite fast, then it got slow on subsequent releases. But I also love G9, so I upgraded to 4.21 for it. I just regret not backing up 4.21, but mostly because that's the minimum for G9.

Matt_Castle

I don't believe there was a DS 4.18 - possibly the Betas might have had some of the intermediate numbers, but to my recollection it went straight from DS 4.16 to DS 4.20. (Similarly, DS4.13 was skipped).

PixelSploiting

4.21 for the time being. Good enough for having both G8+ and G9.

I might update eventually, but I'm in no rush.

lenjen09_a04520c3aa

I use 4.21 and am happy with it.

CHWT

Matt_Castle said:

I don't believe there was a DS 4.18 - possibly the Betas might have had some of the intermediate numbers, but to my recollection it went straight from DS 4.16 to DS 4.20. (Similarly, DS4.13 was skipped).

Yes 4.16 does render fast

Philippi_Child

I still use 4.12. I just don't know if the most up to date versions would work with my GTX 1060.