Carrara 8.5 how to manually manage Daz Content

Zach Wilson

I'm looking for tutorials on how to manage manually set up and manage Daz Content for Carrara.

Mistara

when you add DS library to your carrara browser tray, it's just called 'folder'.  not the same as poser runtime.

the real trick is to know what daz content is combatible with carrara, since the store doesn't tell you.  
if given a choice of poser version or ds version, is usually wiser to use the poser version.

if you're having trouble with a specific model, ask here in the forum.

Diomede

I think @Dartabeck has a video detailing what he does.

Zach Wilson

Thanks for the feedback.I've never used content before and I would like to set it up my content without having to rely to much on the automation of the DIM.

Mistara

the trick to adding a ds content folder, you want to select the folder that contains the data folder in it, 

if you see the dsf not found message, it means it's not finding the data folder.

and to preserve relative paths
the data folder and runtime/textures folder needs to stay default paths,
the rest of the folders, customize to heart's content , not sure how the smart works, dont know if meta data stores paths
i don't have the cms installed

the ds data folder is similar to poser's geometries folder.

Dartanbeck

Diomede said:

I think @Dartabeck has a video detailing what he does.

An article. It uses DIM, but the same can be done manually simply by opening the zip files and dragging to the proper locations, as you probably know. DIM makes it So Much Faster, however, since we can select large groups of items and install them to the directory we want.

Anyway, here's my rambling on the subject:

Daz Install Manager - Installing Custom Poser Runtimes
Basic walkthrough of designing your own custom runtime structure

While we're at it, this article may be of help to you as well. Once I optimize something for use in Carrara, I store it to Carrara's browser, and this details how I've set my browser up as a catalog of goodness!

Your Carrara Browser
Making great stuff isn't as cool if you can't remember where you put it. Let's get some good habits going right from the start

Dartanbeck

Also about DIM:

Let's say we decide that we want to remove items from one of our libraries and add it to either a different, or completely new one. In DIM, we just tick the items we want to remove and run the queue. Now they're either in the Downloads tab or the Install tab (Install tab if you don't choose "Delete after Install" option).

Now we create our new directory, if that's what we're doing, tick all of the items we just removed, select the library we want (be sure "Show Details" is checked to see your list of directories) and run the Queue. So fast and easy - especially since each item we install goes to several places within the directory (hard to scrub them clean manually without opening the original zip to see where everything went, etc.,)

I must say, with all of the negative talk preceding the release of DIM, I was leery to try it. I decided to give it a shot on a laptop that didn't matter - fell in love with the thing and have been using it to great effect ever since.

I am a die-hard Carrara user, so when I get products that have both Poser and Daz Studio versions, I often hide the DS versions until I need them. DIM rocks for that too!

Also, if we want to know where certain parts of a product is, simply open DIM, go to "Installed" tab, search for or navigate to the product, right-click > show Installed Files. It shows every file installed for that product. I want to get to the Textures folder quickly, so I click on it or one of the textures ad it opens the folder for me as well as showing me where it is on my drive! Love this thing!!!

But that's just two cents. I understand liking to keep thing manual too. To each their own, I say!

Cheers!

Dartanbeck

Into learning about Carrara? Me too!

Check out the Carrara Information page on my website. Links and topics, videos, downloads...

It's a fun little place!

Mistara

or poser content.

putting the birds together from the birds sets, can be confusing on the fly,
taking the time to put the birds together and saving them to carrara.

WendyLuvsCatz

need to turn off limits before loading the old Songbird remix birds or hip deformed 

the new updated ones from Hivewire3d can use the duf ones

Zach Wilson

Here's what I've done so far. I created a place for my content C:\ Runtimes\V4, then I downloaded and unzipped the Victoria 4.2 base there, next I opened Carrara and went to the File/Folder icon on the browser tab but the option to add a runtime is greyed out. Obviously I'm doing something wrong.

Nevermind I forgot to select the content tab first. She's loaded and everything is working. I'm sure more questions will follow later when I and more items.

Dartanbeck

brother grim said:

Here's what I've done so far. I created a place for my content C:\ Runtimes\V4, then I downloaded and unzipped the Victoria 4.2 base there, next I opened Carrara and went to the File/Folder icon on the browser tab but the option to add a runtime is greyed out. Obviously I'm doing something wrong.

Not "wrong", you just didn't get there yet ;)

For this to work, you simply have to have a scene open - even if it's empty. Just go to File > New and start any ol' scene, and your options will appear for you! 

Zach Wilson

After reading the information in this thread again I decided to use DIM. I uninstalled Carrara then reinstalled Carrara and Victoria 4.2 with DIM and everythings works fine. Then I installed V4 Hi Res Shaders for Carrara 7 but it's not showing up in the content tab. I ran auto dectect runtimes again but no luck. Where should this have installed and am I doing something wrong.

Mistara

The hi res shaders are carrara files. 
they would go into your carrara library. 
there is a specific tab for shaders.  if you don't see the folder under the shader tab, you may need to 'add' the folder to your browser tray.

Zach Wilson

Thank you very much. Never would have thought to look there I just assumed that it went into the content tab.

Bunyip02

In the event that they are Poser files instead of Carrara files, and if you installed using DIM, you can locate the files by clicking right mouse button on the item in your installed folder in DIM. Then left mouse button click on Show Installed Files.

Mistara

can you tell dim you want the poser version of downloads?

i've never used dim.  i cant see the light gray font in prod lib.  i might have to dim sum.

can it download files with the actual product name and not the im number.  i hate the im number, cant sort files alphabtically.  even better if can automatically extract all files, in folder name of the product.  doing it manually takes a very long time  doh

 

thanks.

Dartanbeck

Mystiarra said:

1 - can you tell dim you want the poser version of downloads?

i've never used dim.  i cant see the light gray font in prod lib.  i might have to dim sum.

2 - can it download files with the actual product name and not the im number.  i hate the im number, cant sort files alphabtically.  even better if can automatically extract all files, in folder name of the product.  doing it manually takes a very long time  doh

 

thanks.

1 - Yes, if there are separate files specifically between Poser (Ps) and Daz Studio 

Being a Carrara-only user for so many years, I formed a habit of selecting all DS verions of products, right-click > Hide Selected, which hides them so I don't have to install them to not see them. Easy peasy!

2 - Well, it downloads what the files are named - but that's not what we "see" in DIM. DIM gives us the actual product name, which is then searchable. Very slick!

In addition to Searching, the Installed tab (list of everything DIM installed for us) has several really handy list order criteria we can choose from, like Install Date Newest/Oldest, Order Date Newest/Oldest, Alphabetically, etc., etc., there's a few options in there.

Searching is also a real breeze. I love DIM.