Help with Base Directories

richardnadeau

I am in somewhat in distress.

I attempted to place all of my Renderosity content in it's own folder named "Renderosity" within the "my Daz Library folder so it would be more easily accessible.

I followed online instructions listed by SickleYield on Deviant Art:

https://www.deviantart.com/sickleyield/journal/Tutorial-Installing-Content-in-DAZ-Studio-508155677?comment=1%3A508155677%3A3723180959&d=123&modal=welcomeback

In particular, after creating the "Renderosity" folder inside the "my Daz Library" folder I right clicked on "Daz Studio Formats" and selected "add a base directory" and selected the "Renderosity" folder I had created. My "new" Renderosity content is now available, but all my previously installed characters have disappeared. 

I'm guessing that my "base directory" is now the newly created "Renderosity" folder and Daz doesn't know where my previously installed content from "my Daz library" is.

How to I recover the old content and get Daz3d to recognize both the "new" and "old" base directories?

TheKD

Click on this widget, then go to content directory manager. On the right side of the box that pops up, click on daz studio formats. Then click add, and add the old directory back in. Repeat those two steps if you have more than the two directories. You can have lots if you want.

richardnadeau

Thanks TheKD. That worked.
Btw, should I place the Renderosity content folder "inside" the "my Daz 3d library" folder or elsewhere? (Does it matter?)

Richard Haseltine

Don't place one content dirctory insie another, it is likely to produce saved files with mangled relative paths. Instead create your Renderosity folder alongside the My Library or whatever folder.

richardnadeau

Will do. Thanks

 

richardnadeau

One last question if the Forum can indulge a newbie. I inadvertently installed the same content in my external "Renderosity" folder as well as in "my Daz3d library" folder. Will this cause a conflict?

TDBAGZ

Simple answer YES.

More complex answer:

The Download Zips should be saved in a folder seperate from the install library.

So I have my high capacity Hard Drive (D:), then a folder "3D content", in "3D Content" I have a folder for each of my Venders, ("Daz", "Rendo", "Devart",... etc) as well as personal "Products","Projects" and a "Render Archive".

My prefered method is to Download the zips, including DAZ products manually and move the zips into those folders. (this makes finding anything easy as all the products zips can be searched for in "3D Content" and show which vendor by the folder they are in).

*Optional but suggested, make new folders for each product in those folders and along with the ZIPs, use the print page "save as PDF" option (Chrome browser) to save Products webpages and drag n drop or save promo images as well. Insurance against a products discontinuation, undesired moddification, as well as a self held proof of purchase.

Now for Installing content: 

Daz items I just use the Daz Install Manager (DIM). Quick, easy, downloads then installs.

The other stuff.

I still dump it all in the Daz Library because I dont wanna have to go on a hunt to find anything while in Daz. Being mindful that artist uses the correct (DATA, PEOPLE, RUNTIME) format. This is mostly an issue with new artist producing freebie items.

I right click the zip, 

I use 7Zip to open archive,

click into "Content" folder usually, (Documentation liscening and artist websites might also be here but we want the content) 

till Im at (DATA, PEOPLE, RUNTIME) you may also see (DOCUMENTATION, TEMPLATES), these files corispond to your Daz Library folders

I hold click and drag to box select them all

then use the Copy feature in 7Zip,

Select path to DazLibrary and copy them over. (*If you are installing many items in a row copy the path to paste later so you dont have to find the path everytime.)

watch the copy bar run across, They are installed.

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It takes a little time but if you poke around and just look at the folders you can see the way its set up,

DATA will have artists names and whatever geometries, morphs, metadata, are needed for their products.

RUNTIME has the Shaders, UVs, Textures

DOCUMENTS is Read Me's, Licences, etc (these are commonly packed outside of the "Content Folder" as they aren't directly accessible from within DAZ and create unneeded redundancy)

TEMPLATES is UV mapping mock ups for texture artist.

PEOPLE, PROPs, ENVIRONMENT... etc:  are directory based daz folders with DUF files (essentially search files and categorization) that instruct DS on what DATA and RUNTIMEs to call. They also contain the pngs and tip files used to display the products within DS. (This is why you dont want to have multiples in libraries as the DATA and RUNTIMES could cross paths F'N up your files) 

Honestly, I think we all have unistalled and reinstalled daz and our libraries at least once or twice in our early days just to get our files sorted. Its easier in the begining, once the library gets big..... yikes.