Manual Downloads - Difference Between XYZLegacy.zip And XYZDS.zip
3dcheapskate
Posts: 2,720
The '<XYZ>DS.zip' (or just '<XYZ>.zip') files seem to contain the modern DS4 style .duf files, while the '<XYZ>Legacy.zip' files seem to contain the old DAZ Script .dsf, etc stuff that works with DS3. That kinda makes sense. Best answer so far: DUF was introduced at DS4.5, so 'legacy' is pre DS4.5
But I'm wondering because some of the Genesis specific stuff, e.g. Stephanie 5, has these 'Legacy' files, and I thought Genesis didn't work in DS3 ? (Edit: or does it? I recall a thread where I asked about this, specifically the 'Compatible Software' on the 'Genesis Starter Essentials' page stating DS4.8 when it was actually compatible (as in 'works with') with an earlier version. But I can't track the thread down.) Best answer so far: Genesis first came out with DS4.0, before the DUF format existed. Anything made for Genesis before the new format would have used the old (now referred to as 'legacy') format. The 'legacy' download is no longer available for the Genesis Starter Essentials - but some Genesis addons still have the legacy downloads.
(Also what are the '<XYZ>PoserCF.zip' files? I remember the old Bryce Companion Files, and I recall that DSON requires some Poser-specific files for Genesis-based stuff - are they something to do with that? They seem to contain Poser files, each with an associated, identically named .duf plus a .py file which calls the DSON importer, so I think I've answered my own question about the '<XYZ>PoserCF.zip' files... and chohole has just confirmed :) ) Best answer so far: the Poser Companion Files are indeed for DSON/Poser
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Comments
It might be helpful to have a link on the Product Library page (the one with the downloads) to a page in the Documentation Center wiki with an explanation/overview of what the different files are/contain ?
Another related question - the 'Manifest.dsx' and 'Supplement.dsx' files that are often found in the top level of the zip, alongside the 'Content' folder, what are they for ?
Looking at the XML they seem to be datafiles for the DIM installer, so I assume I can ignore them if I'm doing a manual install ?
Poser companion files are for those who wish to use the DSON importer to get the product into Poser.
Thanks - I'd just cottoned onto that and edited the OP.
Still wondering about <XYZ>Legacy.zip though, specifically as concerns Genesis stuff (and trying to track down the thread I mentioned in the OP edit)...
Use DIM to download and install, set the filters and you don't need to wonder anymore.
But I like to wonder... ;o)
I found the series of posts I was thinking of, but they weren't about Genesis and DS3 (they were about Genesis 3 and DS4.8). And DUF-based Genesis doesn't work with DS3 (I knew that, but wasdouble checking)
So back to one of the questions from the OP - what are the '<XYZ>Legacy.zip' files for Genesis based stuff ? Obviously not DS3
Example? Okay - Stephanie 5 has three files: IM00014842-01_Stephanie5.zip, IM00014842-02_Stephanie5Legacy.zip, and IM00014842-03_Stephanie5PoserCF.zip
The first contains Content>People>Genesis>Characters>Stephanie5.duf, etc and the second Content>People>Genesis>Characters>Stephanie5.dsf, etc. So which version of DS are the legacy DSF files for ?
I think the Legacy stuff is set up to work with D|S versions before the .duf file format, which means before D|S4.5 — they should also work with D|S3, but probably not any earlier versions.
That makes sense - 'legacy' meaning 'pre-DUF'.
Does anybody recall at which DS version Genesis appeared ? I thought it was 4.0, but the Genesis Starter Essentials have no 'legacy' zip for the manual download, and the Genesis base figures in the current download (IM00014812-01_GenesisStarterEssentials.zip) are only in DUF (i.e. DS4.5+) format.
Yes, Genesis did appear with D|S4.0 — as for the Starter Essentials, they've changed and updated several times since then. They were first released with D|S4.0 in the original .dsf format, then changed to .duf after D|S4.5 came out. I'm fairly sure that on the file level in the installer, there's nothing left of the original Starter Essentials except for the textures.
When Genesis first came on the scene with DS4,0 it didn't use the DSON DUF/DSF format as that started with DS4.5, the 4.0 files were all DSF files, even the ones you see in the Content Library and were in something like a JSON format.
Those old DS4.0 files are your Legacy zip files, not sure why they are still available though as the Starter Essentials are only in DSON and wont work in 4.0
Should add that some DS2 and DS3 items have Legacy in the name as well, they have nothing to do with Genesis, they are the DS version of a Poser item that has been saved as a .DAZ scene file and the data folder full of DSO, DSD & DSV files.
DSON is "something like a JSON format" - DS 4.0 used an earlier version of the DSON format, though possibly not named that even internally.
Ah yes - the removal of the 'legacy' download from the Genesis Starter Essentials would explain my confusion. And the observation about the alternative, DS2/3-support, meaning of 'legacy' highlights another compounding confusion. All makes sense now... sort of.