Options for installing non-Daz content ?

jimmulvaney

So far, liking the changes made to Daz 4.9 just confused how I am supposed to go about installing content not of the Daz3d Store? I did my typical drag n drop n merge runtime folder > Scan directories... nothing! Check in explorer.. yeah the files are in place. Finally found them in the Content Library pane (even though no highlight was given to them), so I added them to some of the default Categories, but again they did not show up in the Smart Content pane, not even under Files > All. Can anyone explain what I am missing? Any help would be appreciated.

mjc1016

Smart Content is only as smart as the metadata...and if they have none, then just a default category isn't probably enough to do much, if anything.

Content Library IS going to show all properly installed content (maybe not, Connect only, but definitely everything it showed in 4.8).  If you want 3rd party stuff to show in SC you need to make a more in depth metadata for it.  The process of doing so is supposed to be easier in 4.9, but I haven't played around with it, yet...

 

jimmulvaney

So again, what are my options? To use the content library pane? If I have to use two panes to manage and use my content, what is the point? Where is the incentive to choose one over the other? Wouldn't it make much more sense to allow us to generate our own metadata based on the categories we create? Or does that make too much sense for DAZ logic? If I do use the content pane why isn't it highlighting new items? They keep praising relational databases, but don't allow the users to create those connections in a way that makes sense for their own workflow?!

mjc1016

You can generate your own metadata...I just haven't installed 4.9 so I don't know the process which I've been told is easier.

I just use the Content Library.

Without generating the metadata, then yes, you would need to use both panes.

fixmypcmike

jimmulvaney said:

So again, what are my options? To use the content library pane? If I have to use two panes to manage and use my content, what is the point? Where is the incentive to choose one over the other? Wouldn't it make much more sense to allow us to generate our own metadata based on the categories we create? Or does that make too much sense for DAZ logic? If I do use the content pane why isn't it highlighting new items? They keep praising relational databases, but only allow themselves and the vendors to create those associations?!

You can create your own metadata and categories.  The easiest way is to navigate to the item in Content Library > Daz Studio Formats or Content Library > Poser Formats, right-click on the folder, and choose "Create Categories > From this folder and subfolders".  I make my own categories outside of Default to keep them separate from the Daz-provided categories.  To make the items smart, have the Content Library pane open on one side and the Smart Content pane on the other.  Load the item that the non-Daz product is made for (for example, if it's clothing for G3F load G3F) and make sure it is selected in the Viewport (or Scene pane).  Then drag the non-Daz files from the category you created in Content Library > Categories to the Smart Content pane and drop them into the category under Default (for example, Wardrobe).  Now those items are Smart and will show up in Smart Content when G3F is loaded.

jimmulvaney

I can think of at least three ways to make that process less convoluted. Anyways, Not only did it not allow me to click + drag categories onto teh Smart Content pane, but when i tried to drag the files themselves, I was given a "cancel" icon and was not able to release it. Reverting back to teh Content Library... any idea why it is not highlighting them with the blue background like it used to?