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Far too early to get excited as new features for most users haven't even been mentioned and the pre-beta is still not released. I'd check back in another 100 pages or a few months, whichever comes first.
-- Walt Sterdan
I think he's only saying that if someone creates a new plug-in that replaces the function of one that might no longer work, that you won't be able to automatically assume that it'll be a free replacement for one that you bought, that's all. The creator might make it free, or charge double what the old one cost, but it'll be that creator's choice.
-- Walt Sterdan
Yeah, that's what I would expect although I wouldn't have much use for that particular plugin (I do have the original though). My biggest concern is compatibility going forward. By far my largest investment with DAZ has been for the G8F range of characters and clothing (mainly clothing). I don't have any G8M characters or clothing because I find G3M, his characters and his limited wardrobe enough for my purposes. I cannot afford to start on a new collection of items for Genesis X or whatever she may be called so being able to use my existing library, without having to buy conversion utilities (which have turned out to be limited and disappointing for this generation) is very important.
...outside of Gen4, my largest investment has been in G3.(both genders)
I agree about conversion utilities, They have been somewhat hit or miss. Sometimes I can get all components of a specific clothing product to convert sometimes only one or two, sometimes none. Still haven't been able to get the G8 ➨ G3 character converter to work properly either..
Yep, that's the one I really needed to work too. I bought some G8M clothes hoping to convert them for G3M and the results were poor.
Great source of new income for developers .... while we are -- if you want or need functioning plugins (at least the most important ones) -- impoverished in the process of regaining ground that had already been claimed and won thru spending hard earned cash. Argh .....
Ditto .... unless updated versions are heavily discounted for those who helped support their earlier iteration.
Ultrascenery's Howie Farkes announced his flagship plugin will be a free update for DAZ5 .... yeah .... some good news. Hopefully others will follow suit, or heavily discount previous owners.
Well, as always, you don't have to update your DAZ Studio, especially if updating or replacing plug-ins or scripts might impoverish you.
For what it's worth, I don't think I've ever worked with a developer who looked forward to updating years-old code for little or no new profit; the ones I've worked with would much, mjuch rather work on something new.
-- Walt Sterdan
If a user wants Millennium characters in DS5 he/she can use DS4 and GenX2 to convert it to Genesis 3, from this he/she can use the RSSY or ZEV0 converters to Genesis 8/8.1. Once the character is converted it isn't necessary to convert it continuously every time it is going to be used, Only move, if necessary, the created files to make it visible in DS5. So, a new DS5 tool is not necessary from a practical point of view. An old DS4 user, who bought GenX2, will always be able to make conversions until the day that can not install Win10 again.
Only a new user who does not get DS4 before it is replaced by DS5 will not be able to do conversions from the Millennium generation using GenX2.
Such a new user, as already has been pointed out, at most will be interested in conversions between different generations of genesis, or more likely only in the last one.
Well, I'm saving all my David 3, M4 - V4, etc., in case DS5 does not work well on a Macintosh. Instead of going and buying a Windows machine, which was suggested above, with "face reality" being recommended, I'll go back to using Poser, as v 12 does work in OS 11. True, I'll be working on figures that aren't what the Gen 8 figures are, but I did get a lot of fun out of Poser and D3, M4, etc., and I'd still be using a Macinotosh. It'd be more of a loss to me to give up the Macintosh and go to Windows. Others will see this differently, and that's fine. I'm not trying to reanimate an old conflict, but rather just saying that some Mactintosh users, myself among them, will cling to their Macs. My version of "reality" is Macintosh.
And about moving figures from one generation up to another, I've tried that. It isn't good enough, in my opinion. If I want to use a David 3, for example, I'll just use a David 3, either in Poser, or in DS. I tried moving him (to give just one example) to Genesis 1, and then to Genesis 2. Nope. Not satisfactory to me. I didn not go on and try Genesis 3. (I manage to adjust the Poser shaders in iRay for David 3.) For those who are satisfied with the transfers –– great. Not trying to argue, just saying that to me it isn't worth all this angst trying to get an older figure to somehow become a Genesis 3 or Genesis 8 figure.
If it's not Windows users griping about how this early beta is geared more towards the oft-forgotten Mac DS users and forgetting it's an entirely optional early beta they don't have to opt-into, it's about the ethics of continuing plug-ins after the creator has died.
..."kvetching" is one of the popular pastimes here. Why there's an entire thread devoted to it that has been ongoing for almost as long as I've been here..
Maybe five posts by people who had read the OP, then a bunch of wild speculation, feature suggestions, and pointless whining.
I have both Windows and Mac machines. It will be interesting to see what improvements are for Windows and what will truely work on the Mac.
Am I to understand that DS5 will not support the Millennium or early Genesis figures?
DAZ has said absolutely nothing about any figures of any generation working or not working. Nothing.
All they've said is that they're hoping to get DAZ 5 working by the end of the year, and that plug-ins and scripts will be a problem. The current ones won't work without being updated, and it's far too early to start updating them.
It's far too early, really, to worry about anything. November.. November would probably be a better month to start asking about how it's looking.
For now, they're only trying to get a Pre-Beta out, not even a Beta, and that's only coming now to see if it'll work on Macs running Big Sur. That's it.
I think the easiest way to thing of it is that they've told us there'll be a major rewrite coming near the end of the year, but that they're also trying to fix a huge bug that only affects Mac users running Big Sur so if any Mac users that are affected want to test a very, very, very early version, they can.
-- Walt Sterdan
No, it's all just forum talk and speculation, there has been no official word from DAZ either way.
Much can be learned by investigating the error message you get when trying to start Daz on a Mac.
I get no error message on my Mac
I don't recall a single hint of anything of that kind being said by Daz. Where are you getting your info from?
Yes, but a lot of the plug-ins here on DAZ weren't written ages ago, and besides: properly updating products to function with new Studio iterations is a matter of good customer relations (which charging full prices for an update is not) and, I would argue, business viablity.
That is to say, I am far more prone to buy a product if I think the developer will update it as the system requirements change to run Studio. Built-in obselence (which is a given based on Studio's dependencies) isn't something my pocketbook takes to kindly.
Case in point: it's not ancient code, but H.Farkes is updating USC for free, so I have no qualms buying his products knowing he is supporting them (and protecting my investments) in that way.
The buttomline for me is that I might pay something (like only a fraction of what I originally paid) to get certain updates to run on DS5, but will look at how the developer handles the overall situation in order to decide if their products are medium and long-term viable, and depending on that, if I should risk buying anymore of them.
Reasonable, goodwill gestures can go a long way in terms of customer loyality. As I said, I have no qualms buying H.Farkes' products, even at only 30% intro prices because he is treating me well too. He is paying (actually receiving) forward by doiung so. Smart thinking!
Some more OT stuff on character conversion between generations follows... those not interested in this topic (and those who don't have me on ignore yet) are free to disregard.
I have. There are several reasons.
First, G3F is "the" one to replant Gen3 characters to (males included) - because it's the only figure that has a Gen3 UV map available thanks to Cayman Studios, so all the textures will still work.
GiGi_7 suggested moving up to G8(.1) which makes no sense in this case because G8+ aren't likely to ever get a Gen3 UV map.
Of course if one doesn't mind all the "quirks" (to put it mildly) of Gen3 rigging and bending, one can use the older figures as-is... but why put up with those when it's possible to have the same faces on a much less troublesome body base (with way more clothing options, to boot).
The key is to only transfer the head morph (will likely need finetuning either way, but it's fun artistic finetuning not a "gods, the teeth are coming through the back of the head" sort of technical nightmare) and approximate the body shape using G3F-specific morphs, so that its native JCMs go on doing their work.
Basically, specifically in my case, I wish I had gotten that GenX plugin years earlier. Would've saved me many hours of manual morph transplant attempts and trying to alleviate the nightmares of Gen3 bends. Could've also said thanks to the author while he was still alive...
Unlike Gen3, Gen4 (particularly V4) have "inspired" quite a few "fixer" products around dedicated to improving their rigging/bending issues; moreover, Gen4 are quite high-poly figures, with many quality texture sets, so we can safely conclude that Gen4 will go on being very much usable as-is for quite a while. They aren't as easy to dress (in new clothes), though. But (unconformed, timeline-draped) dForce items do work.
Weird ideas are easy to come by these Days!
It is (at least theoretically) possible to port those UV products to G8.
Indeed. No reason I had to update and I doubt I will change soon because of the issues. Using 10.15