Organizing Scene Folders
ebergerly
Posts: 3,255
Dumb question...I'm real nervous about messing with any of the content libraries/folders/locations since the last time I did it caused a bunch of error icons in my Smart Content listings.
So let's say I've got a bunch of Scene files, and I want to organize them into folders. They're located in the standard Studio/My Library/Scenes folder location. Can I just add subfolders and D|S will recognize them?
Now the Scenes folder already has some subfolders, though I'm not sure where they came from. They're named ".... Objects", apparently related to some of the scenes? And those show up in the Content Library, but not Smart Content.
I'm cornfused.
Thanks.
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I have all my scenes in separate folders in the Scene folder under different headings depending on the render contents i.e. Nature, Miscellaneous, Space etc. When saving a new scene Studio will ask where to save it so I choose the folder and save. When you open a saved scene it will save to the same folder unless you want to save it as another scene then use Save As and choose a new name and folder.
Thanks. But when you're in Smart Content, and you want to open a Scene, under Saved Files/Scene, it doesn't show the sub folders under Scene. So If I make more subfolders and put scene files in there, it won't see them?
In Smart Content with it set to Files/Scenes I see all my saved scenes. To get them to show up in their folder you have to create Categories for each folder under the Scene category.
Don't you Smart Content, just navigate to your scene folder in the Content Library pane. If the folder is in a Studio native format library click the "+" at the bottom to save to that folder.
Ahhh....okay. So you go into the Content Library, right click on "Scene", select "Create Subfolders", then right click on "Scene" again and select "Create a Category From Selected Folder(s)" ?
And once you do that it will generate the metadata needed to show up in the Smart Content?
Why bother with Smart Content for your own scenes?
The thing I don't like about Content Library is that it doesn't seem to show icons when I select folders. It just shows, well, nothing. Or it takes a LONG time to finally show the icons/contents. Makes me think everything is empty.
For example, if I click on "Figures" under Content Library, none of the standard DAZ figures show up (G3 and so on). Just a few wardrobe and prop items I saved that probably shouldn't even be there.
And another example...
In Content Library, under "My DAZ 3D Library/People/Genesis 3 Female", if I click on that folder expecting to see a listing of icons for the Genesis 3 Female, NOTHING shows up on the contents listing. And with other things you have to keep click drop down arrows until you finally get down to the very bottom of the heirarchy to actually see some contents.
With Smart Content at least you see stuff
The Content Library always shows your properly installed and mapped content. If you are having problems it is because you have something set wrong.
Yeah, no kidding....
But if I install for example, D|S and all the Genesis 3 content the way I'm supposed to, using DIM, and I then go into Content Library/My DAZ 3D Library/People/Genesis 3 Female, and nothing shows up in the folder contents as I explained above, then did I do something wrong? I don't think so.
On the other hand, I go to Smart Content/Figures and BAM!! Icons for all my DAZ figures are there.
Honestly, while I love D|S and I'm very impressed with how they have developed it, I think the entire Content configuration system is an absolute fiasco, and has been that way forever. Multiple content libaries (Smart Content and Content Library), having to configure stuff manually between the two, the entire naming/terminology system with assets and actors and presets and support and so on is just horrendous.
I noticed that some folders I have created weren't showing up in Smart Content either :) I went to the Content Library and right clicked on Scenes and chose create a Category from /Selected Folder and sub folders and when the pop up opened just added it to Default. It added all the missed folders and left the ones that were already there alone. Now all the folders are showing up :)
Cool, got it. Thanks.
Now how do I move my scenes from the general "Scenes" folder into the sub-category folders without upsetting Smart Content?
Personally I would try dragging one from the Scene folder into a sub folder and then refresh the content and then Smart content and see if it appears there. If not then the long way is to open the scene and re-save it to the subfolder and then delete the one in the scene folder.
FWIW, I found that when using the traditional content folder navigation, that sometimes after clicking on a folder I'd get no content showing in the pane below until I moved the mouse down *into* that pane - doing that would show the icons as expected - they would suddenly appear. I didn't have to click or anything, just select the folder up-top, and mouse-over the content pane below... This was the case in DS4.8 for sure on my system. Haven't checked the updates.
YMMV
--ms
If you click on "Figures" in the Content Library tab, the reason you're not seeing any DAZ figures is because you're looking in the Poser Format section of the Content Library. If you were looking at the DAZ Studio Formats section, the DAZ figures would be found under "People". If you don't have a visible DAZ Studio Formats section, your content directory settings might need to be adjusted.
The Content Library pane is the only content pane that is 100% reliable when the content is installed and mapped properly (and you haven't accidently collapsed it). If it is not working for you then yes you have done something wrong.
Thanks jestmart.
So tell me, if you go into DAZ Studio right now, and under Content Library/My DAZ3D Library, if you select People/Genesis 3 Female, do you see any icons for the base G3? Or do you see any icons under Characters? Because I see nothing. And I changed nothing, just installed it using the standard procedure.
I can't imagine what I did wrong.
Thanks.
I see the icon for the base Genesis 3 and under Characters I have 14 icons for actors.
if you right-click in the area where the content is supposed to be showing, you can 'browse to folder location' and see if there's actually anything there, and/or determine if the folder is the one you think it is...
--ms
Content Library/My DAZ3D Library suggests that have created nested library entries and that will break the Content Library pane. I see exactly what I expect to see because I know how to install and map content properly.
I am using DS for years and never had a problem with the Content Library. If you have your DIM given the right path to where your My Library folder is than you should see everything.
I conclude that you must be doing something wrong if you do not see anything.
Smart Content to me is to confusing so I have disabled it, do not need it.
I would suggest to check DIM and see if you have the path to My Library set up correct.
Pet
wow. You're awesome.
Pet,
I'm looking at DIM, and the path for installation is the recommended C:/Users/Public/Documents/My DAZ 3D Library. I assume that's the default, and I never changed it. And as I said before, the Content Manager also sees that, as well as another library in my personal Documents folder.
What I don't understand is this:
What about my configuration is wrong? People keep telling me how stupid I am for doing it wrong and not understanding this entire subject like the "experts" here, but nobody can tell me WHAT I've done that's wrong.
I get it, I'm an idiot. No question. But now what?
That is the DIM folder that it is saving to but what folder is Studio looking at? Check the studio preferences and make sure it is looking at the same folder.
Fishtales,
I assume you mean the Content Directory Manager settings? That's the only "studio preferences" that seem to apply.
In any case, for DAZ Studio Formats, yes, it's looking to the same Public folder, AND to the DAZ 3D folder in my personal documents folder
When I installed D|S, maybe a month or two ago, I probably just used defaults cuz I didn't know what else to use. I *may*, if it asked me if I want to install some stuff into Public, have told it no, I don't want it in Public because anyone could access it, so put it into my personal Documents folder. If that was wrong, then I'm an idiot. But it seemed reasonable at the time, and still seems reasonable.
But it's beyond me how that could have caused me to have problems finding content, and having to look in 20 different places (Smart Content, Content Library, and so on).
If anyone really knows the story please enlighten me. Thanks.
Open Content Library. At the top of the pane is an icon with 4 lines and an arrow, click on it. In the dropdown menu choose Search Drives for files... and see if it finds them that way.
You' re going to have to step by step with lots of screen shots show us the preference settings for installation in DIM, Studio's Content Directory Manager with all the format sections expanded and finally a good hi-res view of your Content Library pane.
this may be well-known to most, but perhaps not to all who follow this thread (now or later)
when 'adding' DS folders (vs Poser Runtimes) to your DS library be sure to browse-to and select the DS content folder containing the 'data' folder. They sometimes have different names (Content/MyContent/My Library/etc.). Any higher, and you'll see stuff, but many of the products won't be 'right' because their 'data' folder won't be seen by the DAZ library manager.
Note that the Genesis1,2,3,8 stuff should all be visible on the DS library side of things.
when adding Poser Runtimes to that part of your library list (second item down on the first folder tier), browse to and select the 'Runtime' folder itself.
it may be obvious to some, but it took me a while to figure out that many of my older DAZ products were only visible in the Poser-Style runtime folder. The DS Comapanion files that made some Poser-Runtime based products also visible in the DS folder tree were helpful, but also made it tough to figure out what was where and why.
hth,
--ms