What is happening with Daz?
sam_pick_2003
Posts: 33
I've suffered enough with Daz recently and have to write this. I've used Daz Studio since 2007 and have downloaded masses of great content from this site for V3, V4, M3 and M4. But recent updates have simply made it impossible to use.
For years I favored Daz because the content quality was always high and the exe installers made it simple and clear to get content working quickly. Over a long period of time and countless products downloaded I can count the technical issues I had on one hand. Now with the arrival of Install Manager I can't get a single thing to work. Not one product. Every product I've bought since the arrival of IM has been a problem and I've had to ask for a refund. I've asked for explanations as to how IM works and nobody can explain it. This means I am simply not buying anything from Daz until I can get IM to successfully install content.
This is a great shame because there are some fantastic vendors on Daz and I can see from the updates that there is new stuff out there that I would like to buy. As it stands I am forced to buy exclusively from other sites now.
I would really ask that Daz looks at IM, asks if it is really necessary and comes up with a solution. That may be going back to the old exe installer route or making IM user friendly and bug free - but something absolutely needs to be done. Its a crazy situation when you have long term customers wanting to buy your product but unable to do so because of IM.
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
Just dont use the DIM. Its only an option.
Go to your account and see the heading "Product Library" across the top.
From there you can download the zip file for everything you bought.
DAZ will not be returning to the installers for content cause to do so mean having to have Mac and Windows installers. Double the amount of files for the same product
You do not have to use the DIM to install things, you do mnot even have to use the DIM to download anything from DAZ 3D. THere are zips provided in your product library so you can manually download and install them.
I have attempted to use the Zips but they don't work for DS3 - and its not that I don't know how to install using a zip because I have done it many times for content downloaded from other sites. I extract the Daz Zip files to the content folder and they have yet to appear in DS3. Again I've contacted support about this, followed the readme file and never got an explanation that work. As I said, Zip's from other sites work fine for me.
If the content you bought is for Genesis or G2F then it wont work in DS3.
If you are buying poser content and installing it directly into your runtime from the zip it wont work cause of the folder structure in the zip files is setup for use with the DIM where the first folder is "Content" and then from there if follows the regular folder structure. You may have to organize and repack the zip file to your liking as I do prior to installing it.
I do not have any Genesis stuff - this is all V4/ M4 and props.
I'm very able to use DS3 and other graphics programs - I usually do a basic DS3 render and do most of my work in Photoshop. I have tried DS4.5 but have ongoing issues with that as it constantly crashes half way through a render (also had IM issues with DS4.5).
How do I set up a Zip file so that it will work in DS3?
I appreciate the responses here - I'm not trying to be difficult and would like to get this thing back to working!
...can't you just extract the files to a dummy folder open the Daz3 content tree in Windows then go in and manually drag & drop everything into the proper folders like you wold do with a freebie zip from say ShareCG? A little more time consuming but it should work.
Using my latest product as an example, when I unpack the zip file I get the folder structure shown below.
But for it to work in DS3 or Poser, we only need the Runtime folder and what it contains. So all you would do is simply go to the Content folder and using a zip program of your choice, right click on the runtime folder and make a new zip file. Name it whatever you like and then from that new zip file, right click on it and target the folder that contains your poser runtime folder. Just make sure you target the folder that your Runtime is in when unpacking it (installing it from the new zip) so that you dont have a Runtime folder inside a Runtime folder.
btw, you can safely delete the Support folder since DS3 doesn't use it.
All DAZ zips have a Top Content folder now. The old way of Unzipping to the Content Folder is adding a Content folder inside the Top folder. You should move all files from inside that folder to the TOP content folder and then Delete the extra one. Also be sure you install the Proper version of the content, the files come in some versions that only work in the newer DS versions even if installed properly.
download the files to your usual location I tend yo use my desktop.
Extract all the files to a temp folder again I suggest creating one on your desktop.
Now depending how you have DAZ studio setup for the location of you content folder, copy the content of the temp folder to the location of your content folder (maker sure you past to one folder up from the location that holds the content folder). From me thats D:\DAZ\DAZStudio4
other tend to have ther content folder in the Document folder. if you end up with a content folder in you content folder youhaver pasted inside to far and ned to copy and paste up one level.
I honestly love DIM. I had favored the PC installers initially and refused to use DIM when it first came out. However, after 1 try I was sold :-). I didn't need anyone to help me figure out how to use the program. It really just takes 5 minutes to familiarize yourself how the program works and once you get it (and it doesn't take a genius to get it) you will see just how much more convenient it is. Of course the trick to this is not renaming the zip files you download from DAZ as the way they are named, I believe, is how DIM identifies your contents to include in the list of items to be "installed".
What I do miss is the "view read me" page for each product that came at the end of the installation process with the PC installers. At times you're not sure how to find the product your downloaded and so this read me page was always handy.
With Zip files from other sites I simply extract to the Content folder and they work.
I don't know if its just me but does all this not seem needlessly complex?
Thanks! I'll give this a go.
I have spent many hours and countless message exchanges with Daz trying to get IM to work and it ain't happening. IM has been anything but convenient for me. The problem is the number of bugs and exceptions where is doesn't work combined with the difficulty of actually controlling what its doing. Its like autopilot on a plane - works great when all goes as expected but totally useless at dealing with anything unexpected.
As was shown by Matty the TOP zip folder is no longer Content, Or Name Of Item and Then the install files, they have a Nested Content folder below the TOP folder now. That is the Issue. When UnZipping the Old way that puts a Content folder UNDER the default Content folder. Only the files BELOW, ie inside, the ZIP Content folder should be Installed. That is causing a Extra step as Matty explained very well.
The DIM uses the Content folder to do the Auto installs and Tosses it away. I Install all my content, FROM DAZ 3D only, with DIM now. I can and do Install only DS3 supported Files in my DS3A, only DS4+ supported Files in DS4+, Poser only Supported Files in my Runtimes, Bryce only files into Bryce and Carrara Files to it. All that is needed to do that is setting DIM to the proper settings each time you wish to install. Yes it takes time and understanding to do but I have not had one issue with a DIM install, and I now get updates to ALL my content the day the Update goes live. I had one today. I can also hand install all DAZ 3D content by doing exactly the steps Matty explained.
EDIT: The DIM has more than just one way to view where all files are installed and will also open the Read Me files to be viewed.
With Zip files from other sites I simply extract to the Content folder and they work.
I don't know if its just me but does all this not seem needlessly complex?
If you're using WinRAR it's fairly simple, just skip past the "Content" folder in the zip and you can install as you use to do:
http://miscfiles.net/tutorials/InstallDAZZipsWithWinRAR
WinRAR will remember the runtime path(s) after having used it once so you just have to select it from the dropdown menu after that, as in this video.
...I didn't like it at first for 1) the original release kept corrupting my user\name and 2) I was on a wireless connection and thus had really slow performance which was prone to timeouts and resets. Seeing a time factor of 4 - 5 hours for a single file DL (average of 50 MB) was pretty disheartening.
Since I moved to a high speed direct cable connection the DIM has worked flawlessly for me.
Okay, I have now purchases a set of poses called Free Weights Poses - its an M4 pose pack from Ness Productions. This vendors stuff has worked just fine and this product is pre Genesis so it sure as heck should work in DS3. I have plenty of other content from Ness bought over the past few years which does work fine.
I have added the following directory to DS3 to search for Daz and Poser content:
C:/Users/Public/Documents/My DAZ 3D Library
The Free Weights Product has then installed to this directory according to IM. I have gone into DS3 to use the content and its simply not there in the Pose section - previous content I have bought from Ness (installed with the exe) is there but no Free Weight Poses.
I've also tried the Zip install but with no success - this doesn't surprise me as I have been installing these exactly as other users have described with no success in the past.
Does anybody have any ideas what's happening here?
Okay, it just clicked - content is loading within a seperate directory within DS3.
Really appreciate all your help here and it appears all is working! Thanks so much for the support and patience.
Well there you go! Congrats! And now get to rendering. LOL