Installing DAZ3D Figures - External Runtimes (Libraries)?
DarkElf
Posts: 385
Firstly I am primarily a Poser user. I want to get DS setup soon but haven't gotten there yet.
I am tired of having to re-install all of the DAZ figures over again every time I upgrade to a new version of Poser as I recently did.
So, I decided to put my DAZ people into an external runtime called DAZ People.
Well at first they wouldn't install and after doing a search I discovered the solution to this is to create a "dummy" Poser.exe file in my DAZ People folder and I managed to get them to install. BUT, I soon discovered that not everything would work correctly.
For example: If I attempt to load The Girl 4 from my DAZ People external runtime, ONLY her head shows up as The Girl. Her body loads as V4.
So, I went through the same process and installed The Girl 4 into the main Poser 2014 runtime and she loads correctly from there.
Now, I seem to recall from years back that the DAZ characters HAVE to be loaded into your main program directory (library). Do I recall correctly?
If so, why can I load V 4.2 and her ++Morphs from my external runtime called DAZ People but I cannot get The Girl 4 to load correctly from the same place?
Is there a work-around that will allow me to keep my DAZ characters in an external runtime that I can backup and link to from any Poser version?
Anybody out there have any suggestions?
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Comments
You shouldn't have any problems with Generation 4 content, assuming that it is installed properly into a Poser runtime folder, and it does not need to be in the application folder. In fact, the opposite applies in Win7, Win8 and Vista, content should NOT be stored in the Program Files folder.
The installers used to look for a file called 'Poser.exe', but the workaround was to use DAZ Studio as the target application (not Poser), and the same files exactly were installed anyway, but adding a dummy Poser.exe works as well.
You should install V4 first, then Morphs++, and then any of the other characters. Aiko 4 and the Girl 4 are only morphs of V4, and MUST be installed into the same runtime folder to work correctly. The same applies to M4, Hiro 4 and The Freak 4 are just morphs of M4 and need to be installed into the same runtime folder.
Thanks for the reply Jimmy. I appreciate it.
I did actually install V4 first into both locations. But, again, G4 will load fine from the main Poser runtime but NOT from my external runtime. Hmmmmmmm. Perhaps I should re-install everything starting with V4.2 and her morphs just in case something didn't install correctly?
I haven't tried A4 yet. I should check to see if she will load.
Does the fact that my external runtimes are on the E: not the C: drive make an impact? Doesn't seem to matter to V4.2.
Oh, BTW, at first I DID use the DAZ installer rather than the Poser because the Poser wouldn't install - this was prior to using the dummy poser.exe idea. After finding that G4 will not load, that's when I tried the Poser installers with the dummy file. Still will not work from the external runtime.
I'm running Win 7 64 bit BTW.
Nope A4 will not load properly either. I get her head (though she's cross-eyed) but V4's body. Just and FYI.
I'm not sure how it works in Poser, but technically, you should be able to speed up installing process by using DIM (provided you have the necessary stuff in your product library; if you have items from Rendo, let's say, it won't work in DIM). As for G4, she uses V4 base just as A4, so it may be because it searches for necessary files. However, I'm not sure if it's because of that, these are only asumptions. Try to read FAQ about V4's additional characters (G4 and A4). It's a bit tricky and although it's technically possible to use different directories, it's advisable to make sure everything loads in right places.
Thanks Cecilia.
Do I have to the the original V4 then? I haven't tried that as yet because I assumed she was incorporated into V 4.2. Perhaps not. You have given me an idea. It might be worth digging up the origin files and trying that.
I just finished re-installing V 4.2, her ++Morphs, A4, G4 and other related morphs but no dice. A4 and G4 STILL will not load.
Perhaps I should install them to a DAZ People directory on my C: drive and THEN copy them over to my E: drive?
Yes, V4 can cause problems when there is more than one instllation present. As Cecilia says it can be tricky.
You should really only have one V4 installed in one runtime. If you uinstall all of your V4 stuff, then only install the one version on your E drive, and it should all work OK. I know that I had problems with A4 a few years ago, funny eyes, and it was because V4 was installed into two separate runtimes.
Try that and see how you get on. I know it's a bit of a bother, but it doesn;t ake too long to do.
Ooooooooooops. That may be a problem JimmyC since I always choose "NO" when asked if I want to add an un-installer. I do this to keep my system from being cluttered by files I NORMALLY consider unimportant. Perhaps I should rethink that.
Any other way to remove the redundant installs?
Oh ... I just remembered. When I was running Poser 2012 I had redundant installations of V4 and didn't have these issues.
OK. Now HERE'S something interesting ...
I installed my DAZ ladies to a folder on my desktop and then copied over the files to my external runtime - telling the PC to overwrite existing files - an NOW G4 loads properly.
Interestingly, when I installed Aiko 4 I didn't get an initialization box like I do with V4 and G4 and SHE STILL doesn't load correctly. Still the V4 body and a cross-eyed Aiko face.
On the external content side of things all my content are on external runtimes (over 30 so far catagorised Animals, Buildings, Clothing, Characters etc etc) on a USB Hard drive that I use for Daz Studio And Poser, everything works as expected in both programs. All the GEN 4 stuff is in one Contnet folder. Not once have a I needed to create a dummy Poser.exe file to install and use any content.
Ok see if this helps with Aiko. Find this file DzCreateExPFiles-V4.bat It should be in where you installed V4 in the Runtime/\libraries\!DAZ folder. Click/double click on it to run. Once done open your porogram and load Aiko.
Hmmmmmmm. Nope. Thanks for the suggestion Szark but, though a script ran, Aiko still loads the same.
Strange that after I installed G4 to that folder on my desktop and initialized her and copied her files over to my external runtime she works now.
BTW, I just used an old install file I had backed up and installed Aiko 4 to that same file on my desktop and THIS TIME the initialization box came up. Sadly, copying the files over to my external runtime as I did for G4 didn't work.
OK. Here is ANOTHER oddity ....
I got to the point where I had nothing else to try so, I installed Aiko 4 to my main Poser directory - I know, they say not to now - BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, after installing Aiko 4 to my main Poser directory with the SAME installer as I used for my external runtime AND the folder on my desktop, she now loads correctly from my main poser library. NOTHING is different except the place to which I installed her. EVERYTHING else went the same and she loads up just fine from the main Poser library.
And get this ... I just tried her from my external library and she now loads fine from there as well and I haven't done anything to the Aiko installation in the external runtime.
SO, it would seem the DAZ character DO have to be installed to the main Poser directory at least once before the will load. At least that's how it has gone for me.
The She Freak would not load in my external runtime either until just now AFTER I installed her into the main Poser directory.
Anyone have a clue why this is happening to me when other people seem to be able to just use an external runtime without installing the DAZ characters to their Poser runtime?
You need to remove them from the internal runtime -- you want only one "Runtime:Libraries:!DAZ:Victoria 4" folder.
Installing the figures to my Poser runtime was the ONLY way I could get them to run from my external runtime. Are you saying that now that I have the figures working correctly from my external runtime it is now safe to remove them from my Poser runtime?
I think what mike is trying to get across and to reiterate is that you cannot have two installations of V4 in two different folders, not even on a USB or secondary hard drive of any kind. One installation of V4 for both programs.