The million-dollar metadata question [Resolved]
Herald of Fire
Posts: 3,504
As evidenced recently by a failed metadata install script, I lack the knowledge to create a means to add metadata into a users smart content. There's a piece of this puzzle missing, and documentation is non-existent on the subject so everything I have learned thus far is purely based on deconstructing other examples.
What I know:
- I know that there is a RunOnce folder stored in the Daz user folder which executes a script and then handily tidies up the loose ends by removing the files.
- I know that two files are necessary. A file for the actual data and a script file which executes, placing that data into the metadata queue.
- I know that the format of the metadata is very much like CSS, and that there are various components detailing filenames, compatibilities and categories.
What I don't know:
- I don't know whether items like the StoreID, GlobalID or ProductToken are necessary to successfully import data.
- If they are, I don't know which values can be input without potentially jeopardizing existing metadata content.
- Why, despite having everything other than those last two points catered for, the script I created fails to successfully import the data, even after it successfully queues it in Daz Studio.
It's entirely possible that what I'm attempting is currently impossible without Daz's direct intervention, but nothing ventured nothing gained. Right now I am a seeker of knowledge, and would appreciate some wise input on the matter.
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Comments
Here is a step by step of creating metadata
http://wiki.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/userguide/creating_content/packaging/tutorials/adding_metadata/start
It's not a case of merely creating the metadata, as shown in that tutorial. I am well aware of how to create metadata for my own products (I even authored my own tutorial on the forums). As stated in my post, I'm looking for an answer to a very specific question, and that is how to package metadata for other people to use and install. Sadly, information on that is conspicuous by its absence.
Sorry ...
maybe inspecting Mattias Cibien's Metadata would help?
http://www.sharecg.com/b/9/Plug-ins?PSID=41674932df37716d73bbf76ae4557899
It is supposed to be possible to create metadata outside of DS with a pair of files, as you are attempting to do. I don't have access to any undocumented secret info, but I might be able to help a bit.
If you create a new product from content in the library, a global id is automatically assigned, so I think that might be mandatory. It can't be edited, but can be reset. I don't know what algorithm is being used to create the global id. I assume it needs to be unique. Maybe it's some kind of hash of the current date/time value. Rob might be willing to answer this question if you ping him-- I don't think it's intended to be a secret. Maybe there's a DS script call that can generate it for you.
New products don't automatically get a store id or token, so I think these are optional. The only store id I've seen officially assigned is for DAZ3D, so I imagine you could just pick IDs for other stores and try to get people to use them-- standardization would be the problem, but if you're writing a script or utility, that would help, because people are likely to stick with a utility that makes this easier, rather than trying to do it manually. The token is the product number from the DAZ3D store, so you could use the equivalent value from other stores, ShareCG, etc.
Does that help at all?
(Edited to add: you already know you can export these metadata scripts from DS and share them, right? Again, I assume this is about generating the files from outside DS, e.g. in bulk.)
Mattias Cibien's metadata files were generated out of DS (as were mine, on the same page). The question here is how to create the scripts without using DS, presumably so it can be automated in batch.
HoF, one of the key components will need to be setting the SceneID of any assets with mesh. Have you got that covered already? It seems to me that it's just the file name with the vertex count appended, though putting it into the appropriate hierarchy will also require an algorithm.
An interesting new development. There was apparently nothing directly wrong with the metadata files I was using, but rather the method of getting Daz to recognize there is metadata to import. Apparently, it needs a copy of the metadata files in another folder as well. Now that I've isolated the cause I can finally create an installer which will actually place the metadata correctly.
So it doesn't need a unique GlobalID, then?
Is the extra copy you're talking about the manifest file for DIM?
It sounds like the issue is needing both the .dsa and .dsx file in Runtime:Support, as well as having a copy of the .dsa file in RunOnce.
Bing bong... give this man a cookie! Yes, I had originally assumed that Daz would execute the dsa file and import the metadata from the dsx file stored in the same location, but that's not the case here. Moving the files to Runtime\Support was the missing piece of the puzzle. A lesson learned for future attempts.