Content Library - An easier way?
Valsharess
Posts: 0
Hi!
Trying Daz 4.6. I've used Daz in previous versions, dating back to something like 2.x.
Most of my content is pre-genesis, so doesn't have all the fancy metadata Daz uses for it's "Smart" content panel (why is everything labeled "Smart" these days? Thats a rant for another forum...).
I'm noticing navigating the normal Content Library is extremely tedious. Files only show when you navigate to their specific sub-directory in the tree. This is counter-intuitive, compared to displaying ALL content in a category by clicking the main category (maybe this should be an option?). At the very least, clicking a sub-directory should display all content, as opposed to having to navigate sometimes half a dozen folders deep to list everything.
For Carrara users, what I'd prefer is something more like Carrara's content manager. It's made for humans.
Is there an easier way? My chronic tendonitis is crying out in agony at all these redundant clicks. Not to mention I have a hard time browsing content for inspiration, when everything requires digging through redundant structure.
It reminds me of how some people structure their hard drive folders. Instead of having a "Fantasy" category in their pictures folder, they'll have Fantasy > 50 sub-categories > 12 sub-sub-categories to each sub-category, and so on. Sure, it's neat, but it's impractical 99.9% of the time.
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
© 2024 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
I should add that I have searched around, before anyone points me at Google or tells me to use the Search function.
Most of what I see is ranting about Daz development, and the occasional "I reinvented the wheel and hand-categorized everything individually" posts.
I was really, really hoping for some other alternative. It's worth a try, right?
The only way to do what you want, is to Categorise it yourself. You can save your User Data so that you only ever need to do it once, but you still have to decide what way you want it to be configured.
You can use the Products category, which is listed alphabetically, and shows the thumbnails for each product without having to drill down through folders.
Most of the Generation 4 content is listed in Smart Content, which ones do you not have, and have you kept them updated using DIM?
DIM only goes so far...
Stuff that came on magazine disks, which there was quite a bit of Gen4 stuff that did, isn't going to show up in your store purchases, so won't be updated by the DIM...nor will Rendo, RDNA or any other third-party material. And, of course none of the free stuff will, either.
All of that content is never going to be dealt with, without manually doing it yourself.
DIM only handles DAZ 3D Products bought from the Store here, and that is never likely to change.
Which for many is only a portion of their content...so all the other stuff HAS to be done manually, anyway.
In the content library you can try to "search known directory for files". It will give you the possibility to use the search function. Then you just have to type something in the search bar to get corresponding items to be shown
I agree that there has to be an easier way. Metadata is a good idea, particulary for older products with quirky file structures, but collecting and distributing it for numerous publishers is a large task. Particularly since some of them are old or outdated. Freebies aren't supported, and I wonder what the legal standing is on distributing Metadata for other products.
What would be nice is a clearing house for Metadata on existing third party products, paticularly freebies. Submissions could be made and commented on by users and corrections updated.
One thing I do is search the hard drive, usually with Search Everything (for windows, http://www.voidtools.com/ ). I know it sounds silly, but I'm lazy and haven't gone through my 50+ GB of content (about half from Daz Studio) to hand organize it. So when I need a pose or something but can't remember where the textures are (because they're in Pose folder and under a different name than the original product) I just try a quick search.
The Smart Tab only works for meta data, and you have to make sure the product you want to search for is selected.
The Content Library search function is okay, but seems so slow.
Like said before .. its easy to make your categories . These solutions work like Poser Favorite folders . You can move everything and arrange like Smart Contents
I too have been wondering about sharing Metadata files. I have been making Metadata for all my content including a lot of Renderosity stuff. I would like to be able to share and trade Metadata. I was thinking about setting up a list of all the one's I have to share, but didn't want to infringe on any rights. I would think it not a problem since the data is completely user made, and only works if you already have the content. I is only information about the products.
In the past people have posted metadata on ShareCG, mostly for the Optitex freebies.
Personally, I think there would be more community involvement, if there were something like a github repository set up for handling the uploading/distribution of it...
I've been testing the trial version of PzDB from Rocketship3D (also available at Rendo) which does a full scan and categorization automatically for Poser, Carrara, DS4, Bryce, VUE, etc, .and lets you drag and drop them into the appropriate programs. To be honest, I'm finding that the current version 1.25, is rather sluggish but I also have insanely huge installed runtimes and the upcoming version 1.3 coming out is supposed to be much better, as well as handle files for just about every major software pack under the sun, including oddball stuff like Google Sketchup and Anime Studio, There's a sixty day free trial so you might want to give it a shot.
I didn't want to start a new topic and as my problem has to do with the content library I've figured this one should sufice.Most notably I can't seem to upload any third party objects and my content liblary is simply empty.I've did some research and tried to reset the paths in the tab back and forth and DAZ#D still fails to find any.I am runnnig on Windows 7 and I've tried both the My DAZ 3D Library and DAZ 3D/Studio in the Documents folder and nothing seams to work.I would apprecieate any help with this issue.
The default location for content using the DIM is : C:\Users\Public\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library, and that is the path that should be entered assuming that you used the DIM, and didn't change the default path. The path should be entered EXACTLY as shown, and there should be no sub-folders listed at all, not even for Poser Content, the path must end with My DAZ 3D Library.
If you cannot see any content inside the Content Library pane, then something is badly wrong. Smart Content relies on other things, like the CMS and Metadata, but the Content Library pane does not.
How did you install your content, by hand or using DIM?
Can you please post a screenshot of the expanded listings for DAZ Studio Formats AND Poser Formats from Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager.
A screenshot of your expanded DAZ library folder may be useful as well.
Just to be clear, when you say your content library is simply empty, do you mean that it's empty of the third party objects (and you can still see the ones from DAZ) or that you literally can't see any content at all? If it's the former, have you gone into the content library drop down menu and selected "Scan Hard Drives for files"? That should find any poser/DAZ formatted files anywhere on your computer, even if DAZ can't read it properly.
Yes that is my current set path.All I've tried to install was some free third-party content from one of links on this forum to see how the program works.And my liblary is completly empty thou the smart menu does contain the vanila pack.I did perform a scan and the programed managed to find the content but somehow it still dosen't appear in the tab.
It's easy to make them. It's also ridiculously easy to lose them, so unless you make constant back-ups, the odds are good that you're going to have to lose some of your entries. The problem seems to be in the fact that CMS runs as a separate program in the background, and it can cut out without your even being aware of it.
If the Content Library is completely empty, then there is something wrong with the pat, or the way the content is installed to that library.
The Content Library pane will always display the content if it is in the correct path, and it does not need CMS or Metadata to display it.
Can you please post a screenshot of your content library showing the expanded view of the folders? You may have put the content into the correct folder, but not in the correct sub-folders.
Ah... okay, free content is notoriously wonky. Here's a quick thing to look for: unzip the file to a stand-alone folder and see what it actually unzipped as. A lot of freeware artists do crazy things like put zip files inside other zip files, put the entire thing in weirdly labeled sub-folders or out of order, and simply forget to put some of the key elements in it. Worst case scenario, it's possible for malware to get placed on them without the creator's knowledge. A really useful tool is P3Do explorer, which lets you look inside poser and daz files without actually opeing them: http://www.senosoft.com/
Backups are quick and easy to make, at least on a windows machine... this should work for XP or Windows 7 (not sure on Windows 8)
I've made a batch file to help with this. It will need to be edited to reflect the appropriate path of your CMS database files. Just make a file called "Database Backup.bat" and open it in notepad, put the code in there, edit it appropriately, and save it. Then you can just double click the Database Backup.bat file and it'll do the backup.
Another thing that helps with CMS database stability is to always "Scan Known Directories for Files" AGAIN after you finish categorizing. That helps "cement" the changes you've made.
Er... and stick it where, exactly? Not trying to sound sarcastic, but like the vast majority of DAZ and Poser users, I don't read/write the code well enough to feel comfortable altering software without a step by step.
It's Windows batch file, just run it from anywhere.
As Jimmy says, it can go anywhere. I put mine on my desktop because I was lazy. You could put it in your My Documents folder and create a shortcut to your desktop if you like though. Really, it can go wherever it makes the most sense to you.
Thanks for help everyone.Here is a screenshot of my settings.
Are they the same location?
Is the library you have in the Windows Explorer shot actually the one listed in the DS shot? I mean is it Users/Public or is the one in Windows your user profile?
If it is in your profile, then you don't have it mapped in DS, so anything there won't show.
And shouldn't Geometries and Textures be inside the Runtime folder?
Yes these are the corresponding folders creating by the program during the installation as for the "loose" file I've copied them several time to the runtime directory before,so the one you're referring to are simply a badly pasted copy.
The paths that you are showing in DAZ Studio are NOT the paths that you are showing in Windows Explorer.
DIM installs by default into the path that you have listed in the Content Directory Manager, unless of course that you have changed that path? The path that you are showing in Windows Explorer is what the path used to be when My Library was the default folder.
It does not appear where you are showing your content. C:\Users\Public\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library
What you are showing in Windows Explorer is the Documents folder (the old location), and the new one is in C:\Users\Public, and that is what you are showing inside DAZ Studio in the Content Directory Manager.
If your content is installed where you are showing in Documents, then you will need to list that path in your Content Directory Manager instead of the one that you currently have.
I am using polish edition of windows 7 so I did a doublecheck, but it appears I am showing You the correct one.
At the top of the Content Library tab there are two little upside down arrows, click on the bottom one to expand.
Metadata is just a shortcut for files, so I do not think it would be a problem. There is one store offering free downloads for metadata for V4, M4, Elite Texture Ariana, something else AND freebies: Gift Outfit for V5, Valens Hair and its textures, so it looks like DAZ has nothing against it.
And yes, bat files work for Windows 8 as well as 8.1 - treat them like executable files, read the instructions and everything ought to be alright :P.