DAZ Studio Beta Install question
nabob21
Posts: 989
Hello,
This may not be the correct forum for this question but I thought I'd post it here just in case it is. I would like to install a Beta version of DAZ Studio along with my current older version of DAZ Studio because my current version is working very well for me, but I'd still like to try out some of the new Premier tools. So my question is, can anyone help me understand, or point me to some detailed instructions, on how how to install a Beta version of the progragm so that my current version of Studio remains unaffected. My concern is that when I do a Beta install using DIM, I would like to install the various Beta plugins that are showing up in DIM without affecting my currently working without too many issues version of DAZ Studio.
As an example, I see that there is an update to Measure Metrics. It is for a newer version of DAZ Studio, so I want to make sure that it is properly installed in the Beta version so that it doesn't cause me problems with my older DAZ Studio install. So if anyone can help me to understand the install process, or point me to some kind of detailed instruction, it would be appreciated. I have read through the FAQs for the Beta versions in the DAZ Studio forum, but it is not very clear to me.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
nabob21
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Comments
To install the beta you need to "purchase" this free product: https://www.daz3d.com/daz-studio-beta
Then you can download and install via DIM - if you don't see it you may have to add the right stuff in filters as per the description on that page. Plugins are installed into the application folder and so any plugins that were installed to the regular version would have to be re-installed into the beta. Thus this means the different versions of plugins are kept separate.
Your layout and other customisations are not retained since those are also saved to the application folder. You might be able to copy the files over tho.
Can't help with the Premier questions tho as I have not signed up for that.
Regarding plugins, some of them provide a single package which is installed into both versions, and some provide a separate package for the "public build" (beta).
Daz Originals plugins like Measure Metrics have a separate "public build" version, so you can install just the version for the beta and it won't affect your general release.
Thanks for the replies SofaCitizen and Leana. Regarding the beta versions of the plugins, do they automatically install into the beta program folder? I don't want to overwrite my existing plugins because then the version numbers won't match with my general version of Studio. And when I install the beta version of Studio, does it create a beta version of the main program folders? Again, I don't want to risk overwriting my existing install of Studio.
When you install the Beta (or Public Build) it will install itself to a folder alongside the standard application. For example, if your regular version is installed inside C:/Program Files/DAZStudio4/ then the beta will be installed in C:/Program Files/DAZStudio4 Public Build/. Thus the entire application folders are separate - you can map the same base library folders for them both and keep the same CMS as I don't think that would cause issues. However, if you are testing Premier features on the beta build you may want to create a separate Connect library just for that?
Someone else may be able to confirm the exact details, but from what I can tell when the Public Build is installed DIM will see this as a separate "Entity Name" under Settings/Applications. And I think this is used by the plugins as when you look at their details they list these "Entity Names" as the "Base Path" for their installed files. Thus a plugin designed for use on the Beta will look for the Public Build entity in the DIM configuration to see what path to install into. I have probably not used the correct names/terminology but hopefully the gist is correct.
I've never noticed issues running these applications on the same machine - although I rarely boot up the standard version as I have been fortunate to not have any issues with the Beta/PublicBuild (yet). If you are worried, and have the space, you can probably zip up your application folder just in case.
Layouts go to the application data folder (e.g. %appdata%/daz 3d/Studio4/), which is still unique to the release channel. However, you can copy from a different channel using http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/api_reference/samples/general_ui/copy_ui_from_channel/start or the command line
Thanks everyone for the replies so far. I do have some further questions though. I have installed the 4.23.0.4 public build as instructed. My further questions revolve around updates that are showing up for plugins that have been updated to the 4.23x version. Since I don't want to risk the current general version that is working for me, how would you best advise me to install these updated plugins to try them with the 4.23 public build? Curiously, one of the plug-in updates (for Decimator) is showing two updates available to me, one a public build (beta) version and the other for DAZ Studio 4.23 while all of the others do not
Install the beta versions and they will affect only the beta (all of the Daz own-brand plug-ins get an updated, channel-speicifc installer for each build). Is decimator working in your General release (checl in Help>About Installed Plugins)? If so, ignore that update unless it seems to be designed to address an issue (and I don't think theer have been any changes to Decimator recently).
Thanks Richard for the reply.
A further question though. Is there a way to install the updated versions of the plug-ins so that I can use them with the 4.23 public build, but still be able to use the older versions that are working with my older general release? For example, the general release that I am using is 4.21 and plug-ins such as MeasureMetrics is working fine with it. I want to install the 4.23 version of Measure Metrics to work with the 4.23 beta, but I still want to be able to use Measuremetrics with version 4.21 general. Is this possible? And I guess this goes further with some of the new Premier plug-ins as well. Can I install them to work with the beta 4.23 version without messing everything up for version 4.21?
I guess my overall general concern is if I update to 4.23 gerneral, I may have issues and 4.21 has worked very well for me so far. From the posts in the DAZ Stuio Forum, it sounds like people are having issues and I would like to wait for a more stable version. Or are most of these issue dealt with now and version 4.23 general working well for most people?
That is what I said in the previous post - they are separate isntallers for beta and General release, installing the beta version will not affect the version being used in 4.21.x.x General Release. Just make sure you don't install the updated non-beta version of any plug-in as that will fail (and, I would say, back up your 4.21.x.x installers - you can then pop them back in the Downlaods folder and install them, with DIM working offline, if need be).
Thanks again for answering Richard, but I guess I wasn't completely clear with my question. Only one of the 4.23 updates is a beta version. So is there some way that I can istall the non-beta version, 4.23 plug-in updates to use with the 4.23 public version of DAZ Studio, without overwriting the versions I am using with version 4.21? Perhaps into a special 4.23 content directory?
If it is a non-Daz branded plug-in then, while it may have a minimum version later than 4.5x.x., it won't have a unique version for 4.23 - so, as long as it supports the beta and if you haven't installed it since first installing the beta then you could try reinstalling. However, not every plug-in will install for the beta and if you have installed this one since first installing a beta on this system it may well be that this plug-in simply doesn't support betas; you could try, with elevated privilieges, copying its files from the General reelase application folder/plugins/ to the matching location in the beta but it may well not work.
Here is the list of things that I am talking about that currently have 4.23 updates. I never installed the Heat plug-in since I believe that is for the 4.22+ verson and I'm running 4.21. I have other plug-ins that may show up as being updated as well so when the become available, I'll want to try them with 4.23 beta too. A while back, I accidentally installed a version of MeasureMetrics that was for a newer version than what I was running at the time and that caused me grief. So I'm trying to avoid a similar situation now, if I can, until I make a final decision on a general version upgrade.
Default Resources,Default Templates, and Interactive Lessons are not plug-ins, they are content.
Aside from Daz Studio and Heat the others are the General Release channel versions of Daz plug-ins so you would not want to install the current versions of those. The beta versions, which should exist. Note, however, that if you install the beta version of GoZ the General Release version will be uninstalled and vice versa.
So, I'm curious then. As I understand it, some folks are running an older version of DAZ Studio and newer beta versions. Are they not somehow able to keep the versions separate so that they can test all that kind of stuff out before they decide to do a gerneral version upgrade to avoid any problems? Maybe I'm wrong in thinking that you can if it turns out that some things can't be installed. And if I can using beta versions, how do I find them, and where would I need to install them into?
Sorry if I seem dense around all of this, I'm not particularly computer savvy.
The Daz plug-ins are separate, so theer is no issue in having two different releases installed. The non-Daz plug-ins (the PA ones) are not version specific, so as long as the older DS meets the minimum version requirement for the plug-in and as long as the plug-in supports betas at all there is no problem with having an older version of DS and using the plug-in.