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Apparently the DAZ Install Manager is about ready

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  • namretteknamrettek Posts: 168
    edited December 1969

    Well, I have started now. WOW WOW WOW very cool!!!

    I just did an hours worth of clicking in just a few minutes!

    After I download and install (or rather after the install managers does it...) can we delete the downloads?

  • namretteknamrettek Posts: 168
    edited December 1969

    oh, and I forgot to ask...

    Can we install while Daz Studio is running or is it recommeneded to shut down studio?

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    namrettek said:
    Well, I have started now. WOW WOW WOW very cool!!!

    I just did an hours worth of clicking in just a few minutes!

    After I download and install (or rather after the install managers does it...) can we delete the downloads?

    Yes. In fact, there is a checkbox on the "Ready to Install" tab that tells Install Manager to do that as soon as it has installed the zips. :) (If you have that one checked and the one on the "Ready to Download" tab that says Install after download checked, then Install Manager will download the files, install them and delete the zips all for you as it goes.
  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    namrettek said:
    oh, and I forgot to ask...

    Can we install while Daz Studio is running or is it recommeneded to shut down studio?

    It will work but it is definitely not recommended that any database work is going on in DAZ Studio while Install Manager is working.
  • namretteknamrettek Posts: 168
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for the answers. Allready installed 23 items in just a few minutes (big ones - m5, v5, starter bundle etc.).

    make that 24...

  • namretteknamrettek Posts: 168
    edited December 1969

    namrettek said:
    Thanks for the answers. Allready installed 23 items in just a few minutes (big ones - m5, v5, starter bundle etc.).

    make that 24...

    well...

    looks like I jumped the gun.

    The install manager installed everything to the wrong place

    It installed it to the "recommended" folder.

    It changed my installation folder choice to the same one as my downloads , and installed a bunch of scripts into the original folder I chose as my installation folder....

    so what do I do? do I have to uninstall everything before I try to install it to the right place?

  • nightwolf1982nightwolf1982 Posts: 1,166
    edited December 1969

    I haven't even finished the first download (Starter Essentials). I think it's really ridiculous DAZ didn't include some way of using the exe installers, or that we have to UNINSTALL our content and re-install it through the IM just to make this thing work.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    namrettek said:
    namrettek said:
    Thanks for the answers. Allready installed 23 items in just a few minutes (big ones - m5, v5, starter bundle etc.).

    make that 24...

    well...

    looks like I jumped the gun.

    The install manager installed everything to the wrong place

    It installed it to the "recommended" folder.

    It changed my installation folder choice to the same one as my downloads , and installed a bunch of scripts into the original folder I chose as my installation folder....

    so what do I do? do I have to uninstall everything before I try to install it to the right place?

    I did that the other day when I installed about a dozen files to the wrong place. (The test number of files was over 3000 I had installed at the time) Now I didn't delete the zips, so I didn't have to redownload, and dumping the entire thing and starting over took less than 2 hours. :) That is the safest way to do it.

  • 3Ddreamer3Ddreamer Posts: 1,312
    edited December 1969

    adamr001 said:

    1. Export your userdata before you start installing with DIM. (Content Library > Context Menu > Content DB Maintenance > Export User Data).
    2. Backup User_Data.dsx files from your primary (first listed) DAZ Native content directory. They will be found in the ~runtime\support directory.
    3. Reset your Content Database (Content Library > Context Menu > Content DB Maintenance > Reset Database)
    4. Close DS.
    5. Install with DIM *over* existing content directories. (This leaves your content from other stores in place).
    6. Restart DS.
    7. Re-import User Data (Content Library > Context Menu > Content DB Maintenance > Re-import Metadata > Make sure UserData is checked).
    8. That should do the trick, although you may find you have two versions of some items on next scan. This will require manual cleanup as this is most likely caused by the location of something changing between the old installer version and the new DIM version.

    In the end this is less work than recategorizing everything and/or reinstalling everything from other stores. IMO anyway. :)

    Thanks Adam, I think that would be my favoured option but is this specific to Content Library Categories - I couldn't care less about Metadata, so do I need to backup the *dsx file and re-import metadata? I thought these instructions were for people with personalised metadata they wanted to keep.

  • namretteknamrettek Posts: 168
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    namrettek said:
    namrettek said:
    Thanks for the answers. Allready installed 23 items in just a few minutes (big ones - m5, v5, starter bundle etc.).

    make that 24...

    well...

    looks like I jumped the gun.

    The install manager installed everything to the wrong place

    It installed it to the "recommended" folder.

    It changed my installation folder choice to the same one as my downloads , and installed a bunch of scripts into the original folder I chose as my installation folder....

    so what do I do? do I have to uninstall everything before I try to install it to the right place?

    I did that the other day when I installed about a dozen files to the wrong place. (The test number of files was over 3000 I had installed at the time) Now I didn't delete the zips, so I didn't have to redownload, and dumping the entire thing and starting over took less than 2 hours. :) That is the safest way to do it. '

    I had all ready deleted everything... I did another test - it worked this time. and now I am downloading genesis starter again.

    Weirdly I have 3 folders in my Libraries\Documents two folders with the same name DAZ 3D and one with My DAZ 3D library... does that seem right?

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    3Ddreamer said:
    adamr001 said:

    1. Export your userdata before you start installing with DIM. (Content Library > Context Menu > Content DB Maintenance > Export User Data).
    2. Backup User_Data.dsx files from your primary (first listed) DAZ Native content directory. They will be found in the ~runtime\support directory.
    3. Reset your Content Database (Content Library > Context Menu > Content DB Maintenance > Reset Database)
    4. Close DS.
    5. Install with DIM *over* existing content directories. (This leaves your content from other stores in place).
    6. Restart DS.
    7. Re-import User Data (Content Library > Context Menu > Content DB Maintenance > Re-import Metadata > Make sure UserData is checked).
    8. That should do the trick, although you may find you have two versions of some items on next scan. This will require manual cleanup as this is most likely caused by the location of something changing between the old installer version and the new DIM version.

    In the end this is less work than recategorizing everything and/or reinstalling everything from other stores. IMO anyway. :)

    Thanks Adam, I think that would be my favoured option but is this specific to Content Library Categories - I couldn't care less about Metadata, so do I need to backup the *dsx file and re-import metadata? I thought these instructions were for people with personalised metadata they wanted to keep.They are.

    There is an advanced feature to try to help clean up installing over an existing directory. (As Chris mentioned earlier in the thread.)

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    namrettek said:

    I had all ready deleted everything... I did another test - it worked this time. and now I am downloading genesis starter again.

    Weirdly I have 3 folders in my Libraries\Documents two folders with the same name DAZ 3D and one with My DAZ 3D library... does that seem right?

    No idea, and without looking I can't tell you one way or another. :)
  • jerhamjerham Posts: 155
    edited December 1969

    After a little test i'm reinstalling all my content to new runtimes. Downloaded everything overnight, and must say this tool makes the installation really easy.

    Also a question (sorry if it is are already asked, but could not find it).

    -I'm noticing that a lot of (older) V4 content does not show up in the smart content tab, only V4 and M4 are shown and some newer content. I kind of expected that all content downloaded with DIM would be shown in the smartcontent. When manually importing the metadata i see them in the list, but they are only visible in the content library. Is this correct, or could there be something else wrong?

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited February 2013

    jerham said:
    After a little test i'm reinstalling all my content to new runtimes. Downloaded everything overnight, and must say this tool makes the installation really easy.

    Also a question (sorry if it is are already asked, but could not find it).

    -I'm noticing that a lot of (older) V4 content does not show up in the smart content tab, only V4 and M4 are shown and some newer content. I kind of expected that all content downloaded with DIM would be shown in the smartcontent. When manually importing the metadata i see them in the list, but they are only visible in the content library. Is this correct, or could there be something else wrong?

    No we have not done Metadata for everything, yet. However under the product view you should see everything.

    I will note that one of the advantages of Install Manager is as we do product updates, like Metadata, you see new files right there in Install Manager, instead of hoping we got you an E-mail, and you hoping you noticed it. :) Those days are gone. :)

    Post edited by DAZ_Spooky on
  • jerhamjerham Posts: 155
    edited February 2013

    DAZ_Spo said:
    jerham said:
    After a little test i'm reinstalling all my content to new runtimes. Downloaded everything overnight, and must say this tool makes the installation really easy.

    Also a question (sorry if it is are already asked, but could not find it).

    -I'm noticing that a lot of (older) V4 content does not show up in the smart content tab, only V4 and M4 are shown and some newer content. I kind of expected that all content downloaded with DIM would be shown in the smartcontent. When manually importing the metadata i see them in the list, but they are only visible in the content library. Is this correct, or could there be something else wrong? No we have not done Metadata for everything, yet. However under the product view you should see everything.

    Thats good news, because i like the idea behind the smart content,

    EDIT:
    Sorry i thought you mend to the smart content products, but think you mean the product menu in the content library , that one works ok and shows everything


    I will note that one of the advantages of Install Manager is as we do product updates, like Metadata, you see new files right there in Install Manager, instead of hoping we got you an E-mail, and you hoping you noticed it. :) Those days are gone. :)

    Just got my first update in the list so i definitly see that part of using DIM :)

    Post edited by jerham on
  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,231
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    RAMWolff said:
    Question

    So if I were to rename "My Library" to "Content" and pointed the DIM to that directory it would then overwrite all the stuff it found in the data and runtime:textures folder and then if I were to go in through DAZ Studio and move one folder at a time over to the Clothing:!Genesis Male and Clothing:!Genesis Female folders would it overwrite but retain the meta data info as discussed? I'm just trying to figure out a way to not have two whole libraries since the old "My Library" has SO much in it already and being THAT established perhaps it's best to just try to keep that going.

    The name of your Content Directory makes no difference whatsoever.

    As for the rest of it. Possibly, and probably. Remember the more manual work you do the more manual work you are going to keep having to do.

    Well the only things I have split up are the clothing and character packs and a folder for fantasy characters like RAWN's and Midnight Stories stuff.

    As for the Content VS My Library...... The zips all show that the top folder within are named "Content" but "My Library" in My Documents is of course named differently. Your saying it makes no difference. Wouldn't DIM see that there is no "Content" folder and just create one and put everything in there?

  • VoltisArtVoltisArt Posts: 212
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    Alisa Uh-Lisa said:
    I sure wouldn't rely on this program at this point. The most recent thing I got a few days ago was the Urban Shabby Chic product

    This SHOULD have
    Boho Chic
    Urban Fashion Trend
    Urban Shabby Chic for V4

    When I originally got the exe products, all were there. I just went to DIM and the only part of it that's showing is Boho Chic.

    That would be a bug, as those should all be there but for some reason the bundle is not entirely associated. Please report that to http://bugs.daz3d.com (Note that is a different log-in than the store. )
    I went searching in the store and I only see the following products:

    http://www.daz3d.com/boho-chic
    http://www.daz3d.com/urban-shabby-chic

    These are both single products (Boho requires Urban) and not super-new or old, so my first thoughts were probably wrong. The latter's title ends at "Chic" but the text says "...Chic for V4." Probably a rename of the base item.

    If there was a bundle, it may have accidentally been removed from the store and downloads. I'm thinking this may be more of a clerical issue than a problem with the program or the files it's queuing. Maybe the renaming of the base item messed up the bundle in the database?
    _ _ _

    DaWaterRat: No worry. :) The early concerns before release I think were certainly valid. This is a big change and not all of DAZ's plans have gone as smoothly as any of us would like, including DAZ. Info wasn't overly forthcoming to make clear what was required, recommended and completely optional, either. More people questioning snowballed the thread and made good info even harder to find...which, I believe, is why some of us are annoyed (is that too gentle of a word? lol) that DAZ keeps letting their marketing people out of the gate before the techs are finished writing documentation -- and there's been times it never got done.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    RAMWolff said:
    DAZ_Spooky said:
    RAMWolff said:
    Question

    So if I were to rename "My Library" to "Content" and pointed the DIM to that directory it would then overwrite all the stuff it found in the data and runtime:textures folder and then if I were to go in through DAZ Studio and move one folder at a time over to the Clothing:!Genesis Male and Clothing:!Genesis Female folders would it overwrite but retain the meta data info as discussed? I'm just trying to figure out a way to not have two whole libraries since the old "My Library" has SO much in it already and being THAT established perhaps it's best to just try to keep that going.

    The name of your Content Directory makes no difference whatsoever.

    As for the rest of it. Possibly, and probably. Remember the more manual work you do the more manual work you are going to keep having to do.

    Well the only things I have split up are the clothing and character packs and a folder for fantasy characters like RAWN's and Midnight Stories stuff.

    As for the Content VS My Library...... The zips all show that the top folder within are named "Content" but "My Library" in My Documents is of course named differently. Your saying it makes no difference. Wouldn't DIM see that there is no "Content" folder and just create one and put everything in there? If it creates a Content Directory, this is the old Content/Content bug in Content Installers and is wrong. WE have found a few products that do that and have fixed the ones we found. That doesn't mean there might not be one that still exists.

  • VoltisArtVoltisArt Posts: 212
    edited February 2013

    So the zip files normally have that Content folder but install without writing it? Interesting.

    I suppose that makes sense to include reference files that don't need to be installed.

    Post edited by VoltisArt on
  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited February 2013

    VoltisArt said:
    So the zip files normally have that Content folder but install without writing it? Interesting.

    I suppose that makes sense to include reference files that don't need to be installed.

    The primary reason for it is not all files get installed inside the content directory folder. For example the SDL files that comes with RSL shaders, or the extra files that come with puppeteer presets.
    Post edited by DAZ_Spooky on
  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,231
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    RAMWolff said:
    DAZ_Spooky said:
    RAMWolff said:
    Question

    So if I were to rename "My Library" to "Content" and pointed the DIM to that directory it would then overwrite all the stuff it found in the data and runtime:textures folder and then if I were to go in through DAZ Studio and move one folder at a time over to the Clothing:!Genesis Male and Clothing:!Genesis Female folders would it overwrite but retain the meta data info as discussed? I'm just trying to figure out a way to not have two whole libraries since the old "My Library" has SO much in it already and being THAT established perhaps it's best to just try to keep that going.

    The name of your Content Directory makes no difference whatsoever.

    As for the rest of it. Possibly, and probably. Remember the more manual work you do the more manual work you are going to keep having to do.

    Well the only things I have split up are the clothing and character packs and a folder for fantasy characters like RAWN's and Midnight Stories stuff.

    As for the Content VS My Library...... The zips all show that the top folder within are named "Content" but "My Library" in My Documents is of course named differently. Your saying it makes no difference. Wouldn't DIM see that there is no "Content" folder and just create one and put everything in there? If it creates a Content Directory, this is the old Content/Content bug in Content Installers and is wrong. WE have found a few products that do that and have fixed the ones we found. That doesn't mean there might not be one that still exists.

    Well, ALL of the zips I've downloaded via the DIM show a Content folder as the parent folder. See the screen shot...

    ContentFoldersZIPS.jpg
    1120 x 832 - 320K
  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited February 2013

    RAMWolff said:
    Well, ALL of the zips I've downloaded via the DIM show a Content folder as the parent folder. See the screen shot...
    Right, but no "content" folder is created when Install Manager installs the Contents of that folder.
    Post edited by DAZ_Spooky on
  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,231
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    RAMWolff said:
    Well, ALL of the zips I've downloaded via the DIM show a Content folder as the parent folder. See the screen shot...
    Right, but no "content" folder is created when Install Manager installs the Contents of that folder.

    Oh, OK! Thanks!

  • VoltisArtVoltisArt Posts: 212
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    VoltisArt said:
    So the zip files normally have that Content folder but install without writing it? Interesting.

    I suppose that makes sense to include reference files that don't need to be installed.

    The primary reason for it is not all files get installed inside the content directory folder. For example the SDL files that comes with RSL shaders, or the extra files that come with puppeteer presets.
    This program is smarter than the average bear. :D Now if we could just convince people that using it is exactly like using non-DAZ zips but faster and potentially easier...
  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    VoltisArt said:
    DAZ_Spooky said:
    VoltisArt said:
    So the zip files normally have that Content folder but install without writing it? Interesting.

    I suppose that makes sense to include reference files that don't need to be installed.

    The primary reason for it is not all files get installed inside the content directory folder. For example the SDL files that comes with RSL shaders, or the extra files that come with puppeteer presets.

    This program is smarter than the average bear. :D Now if we could just convince people that using it is exactly like using non-DAZ zips but faster and potentially easier...To do that, it may have to make up pickinick baskets and hand them out.
  • StorypilotStorypilot Posts: 1,675
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:
    VoltisArt said:

    This program is smarter than the average bear. :D Now if we could just convince people that using it is exactly like using non-DAZ zips but faster and potentially easier...
    To do that, it may have to make up pickinick baskets and hand them out.

    This made me laugh out loud.

    But seriously, having this way of having my two computers easily show what is installed on each is a huge plus. I used to copy my whole runtime to my laptop from time to time when I wasn't certain if I'd already installed this or that bundle on it. Now I see I can manage exactly what's installed/uninstalled on the laptop (where space is constrained) and make sure it matches up with the big computer for whatever project I'm working on.

    ...so if I'm going on a picnic, I have just what I need packed lol :P

  • 3Ddreamer3Ddreamer Posts: 1,312
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_Spooky said:

    Thanks Adam, I think that would be my favoured option but is this specific to Content Library Categories - I couldn't care less about Metadata, so do I need to backup the *dsx file and re-import metadata? I thought these instructions were for people with personalised metadata they wanted to keep.

    They are.

    That doesn't help. What I am looking for is what I need to do for my own Categories in Content Library, I don't use Smart Content or Metadata so backing it up and restoring it doesn't interest me.


    There is an advanced feature to try to help clean up installing over an existing directory. (As Chris mentioned earlier in the thread.)

    I've just read through most of the thread again trying to find this, only one I found was to Advanced Filtering so far. I am not planning to install until I have everything downloaded (last on the list by size is Genesis Essentials, and the first I want to install) so I'll continue looking.

  • VoltisArtVoltisArt Posts: 212
    edited December 1969

    3Ddreamer said:
    DAZ_Spooky said:

    Thanks Adam, I think that would be my favoured option but is this specific to Content Library Categories - I couldn't care less about Metadata, so do I need to backup the *dsx file and re-import metadata? I thought these instructions were for people with personalised metadata they wanted to keep.

    They are.

    That doesn't help. What I am looking for is what I need to do for my own Categories in Content Library, I don't use Smart Content or Metadata so backing it up and restoring it doesn't interest me.
    Easiest way I'm aware of is to treat these just like you would zips from other stores. You could install everything via DIM to a dummy folder then rearrange as needed before copying into your existing runtime, or manually open up each zip one-at-a-time and copy its contents directly to where you need them. The number of products/zips would really define which of the two is easier at a given time.

  • 3Ddreamer3Ddreamer Posts: 1,312
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for that but that sort of defeats trying to use DIM for uninstalling. It is an option I've considered, but I don't rearrange the install folders, I do all my sorting using categories in Content Library so they make sense to me, which is why I don't want to have to recreate them. I back the database up with a batch file (Adamr's I think) and my whole runtime to an external hard disk at the end of each day's work, that is probably enough. I just wanted to make sure there is nothing else to protect things.

  • Alisa Uh-LisaAlisa Uh-Lisa Posts: 1,308
    edited December 1969

    VoltisArt said:
    DAZ_Spooky said:
    Alisa Uh-Lisa said:
    I sure wouldn't rely on this program at this point. The most recent thing I got a few days ago was the Urban Shabby Chic product

    This SHOULD have
    Boho Chic
    Urban Fashion Trend
    Urban Shabby Chic for V4

    When I originally got the exe products, all were there. I just went to DIM and the only part of it that's showing is Boho Chic.

    That would be a bug, as those should all be there but for some reason the bundle is not entirely associated. Please report that to http://bugs.daz3d.com (Note that is a different log-in than the store. )

    I went searching in the store and I only see the following products:

    http://www.daz3d.com/boho-chic
    http://www.daz3d.com/urban-shabby-chic

    These are both single products (Boho requires Urban) and not super-new or old, so my first thoughts were probably wrong. The latter's title ends at "Chic" but the text says "...Chic for V4." Probably a rename of the base item.

    If there was a bundle, it may have accidentally been removed from the store and downloads. I'm thinking this may be more of a clerical issue than a problem with the program or the files it's queuing. Maybe the renaming of the base item messed up the bundle in the database?.

    The second item is a bundle of sorts though not designated that way. If you go back and read the product page from Urban Shabby Chic, you'll see that it says "This product was previously available as 3 separate products: Urban Shabby Chic for V4, Urban Shabby Chic V4 Unimesh Fits, and Urban Fashion Trend." Apparently it also includes Boho Chic which isn't listed in the description (and which as I mentioned above is the only file that DIM pulled up, not the other 3. It's a bit of a general mess in any case, as there are a number of issues with it.

    I never got it when it initially came out so don't know if it's been renamed, as you say or has the same product number . Either way, it doesn't make sense - if it just wasn't being recognized as a bundle, then you'd think only the original product would be showing up in DIM. Hopefully they can figure it all out...

    As I mentioned, I got Urban Shabby Chic on Jan 31st and the normal downloads have exes for all four products from it.

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