Dilema - Opening Old Scenes Created in Previous Versions
sazzyazzca
Posts: 495
I would like some advice please before I go seriously messing things up.
I have scenes (probably around a hundred works in progress) created in DS versions all the way back to version 1.7 on a desktop that had failed miserably several years ago. To make a long story short, no amount of magic was letting me or anyone else back into it, period. While I had my runtimes backed up, in that version the data folder was still in a subfolder in Program Files ( C:\Program Files\DAZ\Studio\content\data\ ), and it was not backed up. As well, my Gen4 figures were installed into that Program Files subfolder ( C:\Program Files\DAZ\Studio\content\Runtime\ ).
Upon re-installing DS into a new computer, figuring I was starting from scratch as far as having lost my scenes forever, I installed my Gen4 figures in completely different folders ( C:\Users\name\Documents\MY_RUNTIMES\DAZ\ ), and tried not to mope about my lost files. Recently, for some crazy reason, I have been able to get into that desktop and recover my data folders and now would like to try opening my old scene files again.
I realize this is a gamble at best, and I may still not get them to open.
Yes, I have read this page in the Knowledge Base https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/21226651-Opening-a-DAZ-Studio-Scene-in-a-Different-Installation-of-DAZ-Studio
What it tells is where the data folders are located in different versions of DS. What it does NOT make clear is where to put data folders that were backed up from older versions. Should they go into the same place they originally were in the previous version, or into the place the current installed version of DS stores the data folder?
Also, and I suspect this is the bigger problem, having Gen4 figures installed in more than one place can lead to all kinds of nasty problems, like morphs not loading.
Essentially what I'm thinking of doing is the following (on an as needed basis):
Unmapping my current Gen 4 content folders from the mapped Content Directories, mapping the old ones in so I can work on my scenes, and then unmapping them again and going back to my current Gen4 folders.
Has anyone tried doing this (in terms of having Gen4 content installed in more than one place), and if so, was it successful?
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Comments
My guess is that the data files need to go where they where when the scene was created so that the file paths are correct. Not sure about the gen 4 stuff as I've never had but the one install of them.
Not sure about DS1 but DS2 and above all used the Default Data folder. I ran 2 3 and 4 all off the same content folder without issues, and could open older files swapped to the new PC without needing to use the same folder structure I had before I switched to this PC. All I copied was the Data Files into the new Data folder.
The data folder goes in a folder you have selected as a DAZ Studio content directory - not in a sub-folder but in the actual folder that appears in the Content Library pane. Note, however, that there's a fair chance your scenes will load with the UV mapping messed up - I'm not sure if 1.7 may be just new enough to escape that. If you do, and if you have a version of DS2, you can install that, open your scenes, and save them; if not then you will need to save presets for materials, morphs and poses and then apply them to newly loaded copies of the items used to rebuild the scenes.
Is there a way to link old data folder from DS 3 to DS 4 without merging two of them together?
The situation I have is that DS 4 predictably messes up scenes from DS 3 but DS 3 itself now can't open its own scenes without messing up by some reason :/
...I've had the UV maps mess up on scenes created in 3.1Advanced when opened in 4.5Pro.
I've also experienced it when loading "legacy" character textures though GenX.
KK: As I recall your problem was that the wrong maps were applying, not that the UVs were messed up - in any event, it seems to be a different issue even if the result is in fact the same.
...well the Baroque Grandeur maps shouldn't have corrupted as I was using the updated version.
...and the character texture did show as using the V4 UV map.
When I reconstructed the scene from scratch in 4.5 everything worked fine.
It doesn't work for me, not for all scenes. M3 content library is pathed but instead of M3 I'm getting a bunch of errors and an empty space.
If you have that mapped as an Extra Runtime in DS3 you will need to Map it in DS4 as well.
Example All your D3 Paths must be Added to the DS4 paths for it to work.
It is mapped in DS4, with results described above.
ODD, never had that Happen, Knock on Wood and Crosses Fingers now.
Can you open your Content Directory Manager, expand the "DAZ Studio Formats" and :Poser formats" sections, and post a screenshot?
Sure, here they are
Poser folders are exactly the way they were in DS 3. Actually, I just mapped them again, as DS 3 is still installed and running (only it messes up with some of my DS3 scenes just like DS4 does)
In DS4, go to Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager;
In DS3, go to Edit > Preferences > Directories > Content Directory Manager;
Expand both DS and Poser formats and post screenshots
Here
DS 4, then two screenshots from DS3
Um... Your DS folders must be mapped as BOTH DS and Poser content Folders, And your Top DS folder needs to be your Top Poser format Folder as well.
EDIT: And your DS Paths do not even Match the Mapped paths.
You should have the 3 folders listed under DS formats under Poser formats as well, or the textures won't be found. Can you do a screenshot of the DS3 version?
Why should I map DS folder as a Poser folder if it is a DS folder?
Yes, two last screenshots
I'm not worried about textures, I can always reapply them. But geometries/morphs won't load.
The top Poser folder doesn't have to match the top DS folder, but the top DS folder is where the Data is written, so the DS3 one needs to be listed in DS4. The first 2 folders in DS3 are nested, which could be messing things up.
After some experimenting, there is more weirdness. M3 scenes don't load geometries in DS3 but before DS4 was installed, M3 scenes loaded just fine and I changed absolutely nothing in DS3 (data folders are different to both DS3 and DS4) so why is that happening?
Can you check one of the error messages and search for the exact file name it's looking for?
Sure.
It says: "Unable to find files"
One or more files could not be found while loading file
Make sure that your DAZ Studio content directories are correctly set in the Content Library > Options Menu > Content Directory Manager. Please see log file for details. If you safe this scene be sure to use File > Save As and save to a new file."
Log file lists all missing data which is too long of a list to quote.
This situation is weird because DS3 was set and worked correctly with this same scene before DS4 was installed.
I can merge data folders from DS2, DS3 and DS4 but a) I don't know if it would solve a problem. b) I'd prefer to keep them separately because I still use DS3 sometimes.
Just select one of the files listed in the log and search your hard drive for that file, so we can find out where it is (if it exists somewhere DS isn't looking).
OK, I did the search and found my old DS2 data folders. After I mapped them all M3 scenes seems to load in DS4.5
Can you explain maybe how data folder work? Will data for DS4 content be kept separately from DS2 and DS3 content or they will eventually merge?
I'd like to know if I can backup, say, full DS2 data folder as it is and load any scene with it later or if I resave save DS2-3 scene with DS4 the new data will be added to DS4 data folder?
Oh, and is there a way to make some DS/Poser folders invisible in Content Library Browser? I don't really need them cluttering my interface, I just need data folders linked for DS4 pathing sake.
DS2, DS3, and DS4 save in separate subfolders of the Data folder, so they won't overwrite each other. If you load a scene in DS4 and resave it (as a .duf), it should resave the needed files in the DS4 content folder, so you can then remove the DS2 one from the list. In Content Directory Manager you'll note it says "Saved Sets" -- you can save a different set of content folders, so you can switch between them.
I said "it should" above, because I know .duf scenes are more efficient if you load the item from the Poser files and save them, than when you load from a .daz scene.
So when I save DS2/DS3 scene as new DS4 scene the data in DS3 and DS2 folders will not be corrupted, so I will be able to load DS2/DS3 scene in older DSs without any problems?
Another question.
If I rename Poser-mapped runtime (say, it was Content M3 and I want to rename it Runtime M3), will older scenes be corrupted in any way and won't load (data folder stays the same)? Or only textures won't load?
File paths are relative, so if you rename the folder containing Runtime and change the path inside Studio everything will still work.
Thanks, it seems to be working :)