I'm totally ignorant

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  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited March 2013

    Public Documents is the proper folder on Win 7. It will list once selected as just C:/Users/"Name Here"/Documents

    All you need to do is COPY the folder in Programs (My DAZ 3D Library) and then PASTE it to that folder. Then you point DS to that path as a content folder. After testing that it works you can Delete the folder in Programs.

    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • lippy_75lippy_75 Posts: 0
    edited April 2013

    Again, many thanks for all your help. I'm very grateful.

    That said, I think I'm going to have to give up.

    I've done everything suggested and have certainly moved on. I can now insert a figure and add one or two items of clothing etc. But things are still going wrong. (Unless they're not, and it's just me thinking they are because I'm still not doing something I should.)

    To give a couple of examples:

    I can insert a figure and add hair. However, I can't change the colour of the hair with one of the colourful 'hair materials'.

    I can, as a maximum, add two items of clothing, after which I don't seem to be able to add anything else.

    If, having added an item of clothing - say 'boots' - I then move the figure's legs, the boots stay where they are, ie they are no longer on the figure.

    I would really love to get to grips with the program, but am almost at the point where I feel like throwing in the towel. :(

    Post edited by lippy_75 on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 101,002
    edited December 1969

    lippy_75 said:
    I can insert a figure and add hair. However, I can't change the colour of the hair with one of the colourful 'hair materials'.

    Make sure the hair is selected, in the Scene pane or by right-clicking on it and choosing it from the menu - just clicking in the viewport will usually drop through to the figure, assuming the item you want is fitted to the base figure.

    I can, as a maximum, add two items of clothing, after which I don't seem to be able to add anything else.

    What happens after that? Anything? Or does it just give dumb insolence?

    If, having added an item of clothing - say 'boots' - I then move the figure's legs, the boots stay where they are, ie they are no longer on the figure.

    Clothing items, and some hairs, need to be fitted to the base figure - you can either select the clothing and use the Fit to button in the Parameters pane, in the General group, or you can right-click on the clothing and select Fit itemname to from the menu, then pick Genesis (assuming that's what you are using) from the list. Some items will fit themselves automatically, some won't - fortunately you can do the fit to after posing, the figure doesn't have to be in the base position for it to work.

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited December 1969

    jwtemp said:
    Thanks for the advice. When you say 'Documents', do you mean 'My Documents' (ie where I have many other folders/files.) ? If I expand my user name folder I don't see a 'Documents' folder. I'm guessing this is right, but thought I'd better make sure before going further.

    In Windows 7, the "Documents" folder is both My Documents and Public Documents. If I type a path at the C: Prompt, for instance, I have a RIB folder under my DAZ 3D folder. I go to C:\users\wancow\documents\daz 3d\rib\ to get to my RIB folder... In Windows Explorer, I see this folder as users\wancow\my documents\daz 3d\rib\

    Dunno why they did that, but the user Documents file is always seen as My Documents. Same with Videos, Pictures and Music...

  • jwtempjwtemp Posts: 0
    edited April 2013

    Message deleted

    Post edited by jwtemp on
  • lippy_75lippy_75 Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Thanks Richard and wancow.

    Richard - I'm attaching a screenshot of what happens when I try to add extra items. In this instance, I haven't been able to add any - though I was able to change the hair colour.

    There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to why/how I can add items. I added hair, boots and a jacket to the female figure before reaching the point where I could add nn more. I started again - and couldn't repeat the process. With the male figure I didn't even get that far.

    Sorry to ask another daft question - it where is the 'fit' button in 'Parameters'? I can't see it.

    In the screen shot, the minimise/history buttons can't be touched; if I click on any of the options inside the 'Select an item' box, the box just disappears and nothing happens.

    I'm now on my third download of 4.5. (I've deleted everything twice already, just in case anything had gone wrong with the process.)

    I appreciate DAZ clearly works for most people. I can't fathom why it won't work for me. I've tried the first tutorial, but the screen looks nothing like mine and the instructions don't seem to be appropriate. (The cube no longer works, for example - so I can't rotate the figure easily.)

    I'm thinking of taking up art instead, and drawing the figures! :)

    Add_item.JPG
    1149 x 653 - 93K
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited April 2013

    Your screenshot sheds some light on the situation. You have "Genesis Starter Essentials Poser CF" highlighted in the Content Library pane (the "CF" stands for "companion files"), meaning that all the icons displayed there are just textures rather than the actual clothing items. And in fact they are materials settings intended for Poser, not DAZ Studio. So what DAZ Studio is attempting to do is to apply the Poser version of the Royal Armband texture to one of the items already in your scene, none of which is the armband itself (which is why the process fails).

    To load the actual clothing items, you can select Genesis and look in Smart Content under Wardrobe, or if you prefer the Content Library, you should look under DAZ Studio Formats>My DAZ 3D Library*>People>Genesis>Clothing

    Hopefully this will get you moving in the right direction, but if it's not clear, or if you are still getting stuck, let us know! :)

    Edited to add:
    Here is some more information on loading items from Smart Content: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/23225307-How-to-Use-the-Smart-Content-Pane
    And finding items in the Content Library: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/23056501-how-to-find-content-in-the-content-library-pane-in-daz-studio-4-5
    (either option is valid in this situation)

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 101,002
    edited December 1969

    If you get the "Select an Item in the Scene" prompt, when there's nothing selected, then the file you are loading is some kind of settings file and not an actual item. Also watch for having variations - here you have Royal Pants and so on, and probably there are other-word Pants and so too - that again tends to indicate that you have settings for varying the way an item looks, not the item itself.

  • lippy_75lippy_75 Posts: 0
    edited April 2013

    Hi again.

    You've all been been so helpful, and I'm genuinely very grateful.

    Though this is the first time I've ever tried anything like 3D Modelling, I am very familiar with Photoshop, so am not 'totally ignorant' about all aspects of creating images etc. That said, I've found DAZ a nightmare to get to grips with,

    It's obvious that DAZ works for most people, so it would be unfair of me to criticise it. That said, having loaded it three times to date and followed all your helpful suggestions, I'm scarcely any further advanced.

    The latest info was, as ever, easy-to-follow (thanks Scott-Livingston and Richard) and looked as if it would resolve my problems. However, nothing on my screen matches up to what I expect to see. I was able to get to where I need to be via Windows, but more error boxes have been thrown up - and now I can no longer manipulate the figures.

    I've also found it's too easy to lose the screen page I'm on and be unable to get back to where I was. I'm sure it's easy if you know which buttons to press, but if you don't, it's easy to get into even more trouble.

    I expected problems, but not on this scale. For the absolute beginner, I'd have to say the program is not user-friendly. Maybe a future version will iron out these wrinkles/problems. But as things stand, all I'm doing is wasting your time. You're all very generous with it, but all that happens is that I come back to you with more problems.

    If I thought things would get better, I'd stick at it. But I've invested so many hours to date, and have reached the point where it's taking up too much of my time and with no end in sight.

    Thank you again for your friendly help and advice. As I've said, I've genuinely appreciated it. But, for whatever reason, I'm obviously never going to get to grips with DAZ as things stand.

    Sorry, I won't be a part of the community as I'm sure I'd have had a lot of fun.

    All the very best to you all,

    LL

    Post edited by lippy_75 on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,887
    edited April 2013

    lippy_75 said:
    Hello again,

    Still, I can make the cube go round - which is a start!

    All the best for now,

    L


    EDIT: the discussion has moved way past this point- but in case anyone else can use it- here tis.

    http://youtu.be/sSpCf1n4Nds
    Here is Video 1 that I made a few weeks ago, am working on more for the series (Video 2 is already done) and it's for brand new users of the studio. This goes VERY SLOW so take a peek- it's the basics on using that cube you were referencing (I call it the Universal Tool cube), and how to select an object, how to use the cube, etc. It is the VERY basics. (I'm a beginner too. But I was a training professional so the videos are, I believe, totally different than most others in that there is NO narration- it's all in print for you and goes ULTRA slow. No zippy mouse movements!) If anyone finds a boo boo, let me know.

    EDIT: went ahead and published Video 2. Continues with how to use the Parameters tab, the Universal Tool cube to rotate objects, resetting the Parameters sliders, chaning the slider limits.
    http://youtu.be/xe1rov-cFHM

    Just hang in there- and think about joining the Platinum Club. Although there is a 30.00 start up fee so to speak, you will save that much just buying three things on average! You get stuff for 1.99 instead of 9.99 or more, and freebies too.

    And keep asking questions :)
    Cathie

    Post edited by Novica on
  • jestmartjestmart Posts: 4,449
    edited December 1969

    There are multiple User Interface style. I suspect you are still using the default and very limited dress-up doll interface. At the top click Window, Workspace, Select Layout, then either Self Serve or City Limits. Under Windows you can also change the Style but that just changes the look and has no bearing on functions.

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