Again: CMS - Smart Content - Categories

EddyMI3D

Hello out there in the wide world

Some more times agao, I arranged my runtimes with the Studio Categories that were shown the same way in Carrara.
Now the database changed from Valentina to Postgre.

I fumbled around a bit and I can categorize my contend in Studio. Same as before.
Now in Carrara the category folders show up but not the content.
Items in "Files" and "Product" only can be seen when I (re)install them with DIM.
Any hint how I can access the categorized content in Carrara?

Thanks in advance,

Eddy

 

Dartanbeck

Here's the thing: Only products with "metadata" installed with them (or created inside D|S(?)) will show up in Smart Content.

That being said, pretty much everything that DAZ 3D sells comes with metadata ever since they started doing this stuff, around the Genesis 1 era.

I have no clue how to use the database inside D|S to add custom categories and the like. I don't really use D|S to build scenes and render, so I just use the default categories and then use Preferences to add my Poser Runtimes.

So DAZ 3D came up with this great system: CMS and a cool installer: DIM and they work together really well, from what I understand. I'm still an old-school Poser content style manager when it comes to my files, so I look stuff up the old way. But some things have changed since I've tried using DIM: I use DIM all the time for all of my DAZ 3D content now. It makes it super easy to install things where I want them and then even move them if I need to (using DIM to do it).

Funny. I was about to say that the stuff in Runtimes won't show up in Smart Content - and that would have been wrong! LOL

I rarely use Smart Content in favor of just going through and finding stuff. So to try and help you out, I fired up Carrara on this little laptop and went to the Smart Content tab. Keep in mind that this whole system was originally designed for use with D|S and has been implemented later into Carrara... 

I'm noticing that it takes some time to populate if you don't select something specific, or have something selected in the scene. For example, if we have just bought Olympia 6 Pro Bundle and then loaded Olympia 6 into Carrara and had her selected, then by clicking on the "Files" listing at the top we'd see everything that was specific for Olympia in there, along with anything else that we can use on her, no matter where it might be. DIM runs CMS as it works and keeps track of what you have and where it is. But if we don't have anything selected we'll get a whole lot of stuff in that Files listing.

Categories seems to me to be fairly empty of stuff for use in Carrara. Perhaps if I would follow hierarchies down far enough I might find something. But "Files" opens up to the categories that I see in My DAZ 3D Library, and selecting those categories seem to populate with the correct stuff accordingly. 

When I select "Figures" under Files I get a whole slew of Figures from across most of my runtimes as well as the My DAZ 3D Library. What it doesn't show are things from Poser's Figure list which might be vehicles or environments and such. Those are under different categories (under Files). Like Transportation has my vehicles, etc., and then these main categories open up into even more descipt sorting.

Not sure if that helps. I think that, if you create your own descript categories in D|S or CMS or however you do that, they'll probably appear under that Files listing in Smart Content.

Dartanbeck

Dartanbeck said:

Keep in mind that this whole system was originally designed for use with D|S and has been implemented later into Carrara... 

In saying that, I meant to add that some things might seem empty in Carrara simply because they might not hold any DUF files or other formats that Carrara can open - so it only shows us what we CAN use - so instead, we just don't see anything. In that, there's another important thing to know:

When it comes to products that offer installers for both Poser and D|S, the Poser content often works better inside Carrara than the D|S stuff. Those Poser versions might also contain the files that WILL show up in Smart Content, that is if they come with metadata.

Dartanbeck

There is a way to add metadata to content from within D|S, but that is beyond anything I can answer. But you could probably find out how with a search something like "How do I create metadata in DAZ Studio?"

Dartanbeck

EddyMI3D said:

Hello out there in the wide world

BTW: Hello Eddy! 

EddyMI3D

Hello Dartanbeck,
and thank you for your detailed informations.

The years ago, when Studio V3, or was it still V2.3?) was up to date, I categorized my stuff (DAZ and Poser-Type) with the Categorize option of Studio. Main benefit for me was, the possibility to sort the stuff like it's done since the appearance of Genesis. V4 at the start, below that, Skin Mats, Morphs, Poses, Clothing, etc. Inside Clothing the different materials for them. That was very handy. Especially when the runtimes grow...
I think, we will have to wait for the next version of Carrara. We put a lot of hope in it. I hope soon

 

Dartanbeck

Well, for Carrara we have our awesome browser instead. I think of it like this: The Content (and now also Smart Content) tab is there to help us get the stuf Into Carrara and the Objects tab is where we organize it to, so that the next time we need it it's Carrara-ready. 

Still, I think that if you go into DAZ Studio 4+ and create yourself a new organization system like that - it may just cross over into Carrara's Smart Content... but I'm not sure.

EddyMI3D

The content browser is really not bad - but I miss a search option.