I would like the ability to categorize products. [Solved]

RexRed

I would like the ability to categorize products.

Not just individual assets but group whole products in category folders.

Richard Haseltine

Why would you want to give a product a category that didn't apply to any of its files?

RexRed

Richard Haseltine said:

Why would you want to give a product a category that didn't apply to any of its files?

I would assume the category would be smart enough to display the folders and products below the main icon if one were to click on it. 

If the category where to have access to the default folder tree and the files therein.

Another question is why would I want, for example, group a specific hair asset category if the files that accompany that hair i.e. materials, shaders, morphs, utilities... are all the way across to another place?

And would it not be better to categorize products that have a lot of siblings and have the category able to present the siblings as well by clicking on the product and not have to spend the tedious work of building the sibling hierarchy manually?

I could right click and select “open file in smart content” but it would be nice to have the category able to display the sibling files right there that are contained within the asset.  

The category should be able to look down and display the thumbnail file and folder structure within the asset.

 A category of environments with their props and materials... for each and not just a category of scenes that are disassociated from their siblings. etc

You end up with category folders of assets with no preview image icon.

Categories need to also handle assets and their default folder structures.

NorthOf45

It's called Custom Categories, and it has been around, like, forever. You make a category from a folder in your Content Library, including sub-folders. Set up a tree structure to suit your needs in parallel to the Default Categories. You can add other scattered folders to the new category from any place you want, as many times as you want. Say you have a clothing product, with materials and utilities. It also has some props in another folder, maybe some poses in yet another folder (Poser-style layout). You can reference all the other folders under the main Custom Category to have it all in one place. Smart Content will see everything under that folder with Context filtering off. Content type and compatibility is at the mercy of the metadata quality.

RexRed

NorthOf45 said:

It's called Custom Categories, and it has been around, like, forever. You make a category from a folder in your Content Library, including sub-folders. Set up a tree structure to suit your needs in parallel to the Default Categories. You can add other scattered folders to the new category from any place you want, as many times as you want. Say you have a clothing product, with materials and utilities. It also has some props in another folder, maybe some poses in yet another folder (Poser-style layout). You can reference all the other folders under the main Custom Category to have it all in one place. Smart Content will see everything under that folder with Context filtering off. Content type and compatibility is at the mercy of the metadata quality.

Thanks for your comment, please read what I wrote again... Apparently you are not understading my request.

 

Richard Haseltine

RexRed said:

Richard Haseltine said:

Why would you want to give a product a category that didn't apply to any of its files?

I would assume the category would be smart enough to display the folders and products below the main icon if one were to click on it. 

If the category where to have access to the default folder tree and the files therein.

Yes, if you open a product it will show the full category tree for the files included. Which is part of why I don't understand the request.

Another question is why would I want, for example, group a specific hair asset category if the files that accompany that hair i.e. materials, shaders, morphs, utilities... are all the way across to another place?

I am not foillowing this.

And would it not be better to categorize products that have a lot of siblings and have the category able to present the siblings as well by clicking on the product and not have to spend the tedious work of building the sibling hierarchy manually?

I could right click and select “open file in smart content” but it would be nice to have the category able to display the sibling files right there that are contained within the asset.  

What do you by sibling? The right-click options already allow you to find items that are add-ons for the current item, without needing a special categorisation.

The category should be able to look down and display the thumbnail file and folder structure within the asset.

 A category of environments with their props and materials... for each and not just a category of scenes that are disassociated from their siblings. etc

You end up with category folders of assets with no preview image icon.

Categories need to also handle assets and their default folder structures.

RexRed

Richard Haseltine said:

RexRed said:

Richard Haseltine said:

Why would you want to give a product a category that didn't apply to any of its files?

I would assume the category would be smart enough to display the folders and products below the main icon if one were to click on it. 

If the category where to have access to the default folder tree and the files therein.

Yes, if you open a product it will show the full category tree for the files included. Which is part of why I don't understand the request.

Another question is why would I want, for example, group a specific hair asset category if the files that accompany that hair i.e. materials, shaders, morphs, utilities... are all the way across to another place?

I am not foillowing this.

And would it not be better to categorize products that have a lot of siblings and have the category able to present the siblings as well by clicking on the product and not have to spend the tedious work of building the sibling hierarchy manually?

I could right click and select “open file in smart content” but it would be nice to have the category able to display the sibling files right there that are contained within the asset.  

What do you by sibling? The right-click options already allow you to find items that are add-ons for the current item, without needing a special categorisation.

The category should be able to look down and display the thumbnail file and folder structure within the asset.

 A category of environments with their props and materials... for each and not just a category of scenes that are disassociated from their siblings. etc

You end up with category folders of assets with no preview image icon.

Categories need to also handle assets and their default folder structures.

The issue is that I cannot take a product, right click on it and categorize it. I can only categorize the files within it. Smart content shows both "files and products" tabs. The products tab takes all the customized files and shows a summation of products in the products tab contained within the files folder. So, to categorize products one would only need to place one file from within that asset into a file folder and that product will appear in the products folder. In a roundabout way you can categorize products. It is a confusing way to categorize products, but it does work.

 

Create a sub folder in the categories content library and call it products. Then place one file from a product into each sub category and the product will appear in the product tab. [problem solved]

Richard Haseltine

I assuem by file folder you mean category. You appear to be describing what already happens - a product will appear in the Products tab in any category to which at least one of its files belongs, you can then open the product to see all of the files in their respective cateogries.

RexRed

Richard Haseltine said:

I assuem by file folder you mean category. You appear to be describing what already happens - a product will appear in the Products tab in any category to which at least one of its files belongs, you can then open the product to see all of the files in their respective cateogries.

It is complex how Daz works in this regard, but it is also simple... You can create a sub-category, I named "Products", then by adding a single asset from the product into sub-categories folders, the products tab in smart content will filter and list your products, not the assets. When you click on the product it will open the product in smart content where your default folders are located.

It took me a while to figure this out, but this amazing filtering and rerouting functionality is already built into Daz Studio.

Thanks for the awesome help!