content nightmare

themarkcymru

I'm having the most common issue with DAZ 4.5 running on Mountain Lion. Access to downloaded content.

Originally I wanted the content I would purchase and install to be stored on a separate HD to my system HD.
So I went ahead with the install and everything seemed to be fine. That is until I purchased and installed V4andM4ShapesforGenesis.
I just couldn't find these adjustments anywhere in DAZ.
So after two days of trying to figure it out I decided to uninstall and re-install DAZ 4.5.
This time around it just wouldn't work and after spending a whole day installing and uninstalling I decided I had no option but to install everything to my system HD:
Destination Directory - /Applications/DAZ 3D/DazStudio4 64bit
Content Directory - /Users/USERNAME/Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio/My Library

CMS install location:
/Library/DAZ 3D/Content Management Service
Database Location:
Users/USERNAME/Documents/DAZ 3D/CMS/database

Again everything seemed OK, until I tried to find "M4ArmyCombatUniform", which incidentally when installed defaulted to /Users/USERNAME/Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio3

I even tried installing "M4ArmyCombatUniform" into /Users/USERNAME/Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio/My Library, but still no luck.
I've also noticed that if I try and re-install the above product I don't get an error message telling me it is all ready installed.

I've tried botching by my self for days and now I give up, I need help, please?

Richard Haseltine

The shapes don't produce content files that appear in the library - they just add a new shape to Genesis (a newly loaded Genesis, or a Genesis in a scene saved as a .duf file).

The M4 Army Combat Uniform is older, Poser format content - it may not have Metadata to appear in Smart Content, in the Content Library it would appear un Poser Formats>My Library>Figures>Some folder.

3DAGE

HI themarkcymru :)

The V4 / M4 Shapes are a set of Morphs shapes for Genesis, so, they should only appear as Morphs in the Genesis figure,.
there's no Icons needed to load them onto the figure, as all morphs should be available in the genesis figure once you've installed them.

The “M4ArmyCombatUniform" is an older product for M4,.. so it'll show up under in the Content Library,.. under "Poser Formats"
then "Figures" ... for the clothing models,.
and under "Poses" ... for the materials.

There should also be a "Readme" .doc which is installed with the product, which will give you the full details of where the files are normally found.

On the Bigger issue of where to install you stuff,..
The main program and the CMS should ideally be on your main hard drive, since it should run faster there and it's not that big.

the Content (which can get into serious gigabytes) can be installed to an external drive, as long as you tell Daz Studio where those content folders are located, it should work fine.
there's a Content manager section in Daz Studio, where you can add folders where you have content files, or let it perform a search or all drives looking for content.

Hope it helps :)

themarkcymru

Thanks both, great advice.
I suppose most newbies go through this pain. I mean I am sort of picking it up. Eventually found the "M4ArmyCombatUniform" under Poser Format, plus the V4 m4 Shapes are available under Shaping. So all seems fine.

A question for you regarding content management:
If I were to create a DAZ3D folder on a different HD, would I set the location up under Content Directory Manager/Add etc, then install content to that directory?
Would I then be able to copy my content folder over once set up in Content Directory Manager.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated

3DAGE

Hi :)

If I were to create a DAZ3D folder on a different HD, would I set the location up under Content Directory Manager/Add etc, then install content to that directory?

yes, :)

but,... you could equally create a content folder, install content to it, then Add that folder in Daz Studio.

Would I then be able to copy my content folder over once set up in Content Directory Manager.

The subject of installing content to one location,.. and then manually Moving those folders to a different location or different drive is a contentious one,..

personally I've always considered it to be a problem maker. and it's a user created problem,.
Every product has an uninstaller, so it's better to have the product installed to where you want to keep your content, rather than installing it somewhere and then manually moving the folders to somewhere else.

Most products have links to the texture maps or geometry (in other folders) which are used in the item,. and by moving one part and not another, Which can be easy,... you can break that linkage, so the next time you try to load that item, you get an error saying it can't find such and such.

Use the product installers and uninstallers to place or remove content wherever you want it.

Hope it helps :)

Richard Haseltine

As long as the relative paths don't change (the \Runtime\...., \Data\..... and so on locations) then I think moving the content directory en bloc should be safe - easy enought to undo if not. It's moving files within the content directory that breaks things. Uninstallers would, though, be an exception to that.

Joe Cotter

I and others install everything to an alternative location first so I can rearrange things in a clean environment before moving to it's final location (I also zip the results so I don't have to redo it barring an update to the item.) I very rarely have a problem, and in the few cases I have, DS prompts me for the location to the obj/texture files, I point to them, and DS updates the file and it's no longer an issue. DS actually handles this issue of broken paths pretty decently. I give it kudos here.

If items have to be reinstalled for some reason, installers are much slower then copying the files for a zipped version of the already installed item. Also, one can get a single file from the zipped versions if necessary. Finally, zipped versions take up less space, especially if using the 7z format.

Disclaimer: your mileage may vary. If it doesn't work, one has the original install file they can still install from. And yes, uninstallers would not work for uninstalling from any other location then where it was installed to. This is endemic to the way all uninstallers (that I'm aware of) work.