DIM is fine. But Content is disorganized.
Ron Knights
Posts: 1,805
Yesterday, I found the lost zombies. They were hiding in my content library. There were many items in my Content Library that were not clearly identified. The original zip files clearly list the description of the items. But the installed content isn't clearly labeled. I've made my decision.
DIM will install my content. I will also install manually. Why? If you have a problem with content, the support folks will only support the item if DIM installed it. I found an error in an item today. I have a lot of work to do.
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Comments
promise me you will learn how to assign your own metadata!
nemesis10, sorry, but I won't. I want to make art, not occupy myself with such intricate tasks.
But categorising is no harder than manually moving the files around, and takes up considerably less space.
Categorizing can be lost if the database is corrupted, etc. A physically moved item stays there. It would be better if the originals themselves were properly labeled and organized.
Exporting user-data after a categorisation session should avoid issues like that. You can also use copy-and-paste in DS to create links, which are little text files that point to the original file.
If you insist on categorizing.. there are a few issues.
Any automatic updates from Daz may splat your files, and they also alter the smart content database. (Some folks wind up cleaning up the database after updates.)
I recommend you set aside a 'Test Library'. Download and install into that. Rearrange the files to your heart's content, and test them. Finally, merge that Test Library into your real database.
Backup your database as often as you can. Get another drive and keep that on your system for backups.
You do know that when you "move" files, you are only creating new symbolic links and the files don't actually "move". Likewise, when you categorize, you are also making symbolic links. In both cases, they both can be backed up; corruption should be a very rare occurence in a healthy computer and you should be keeping good backups because of things like house fires, earthquakes or hurricanes etc...
Thank you, everyone, for responding. I have resorted to a decent working strategy. First, I divide my Content library into different sections: "Animals, Gen4 (anyone before the Genesis generation), Scenes Favorite, etc. I let DIM install into those category folders. Then I copy each of those folders and rename them. "Animals" has a duplicate folder names "Animals Ron," etc. That way I only need to move the "facing files" (the files you see when DAZ Studio is running.) DIM can keep track of what is installed, and do what it needs.
I still have trouble finding items that were named wrong. For example, if one install zip file is called "Rebel Germain," but the installed content is called "Jermain." I struggle between my love of "making art," with DAZ Studio, and my frustration with the confusion of not finding things. Each time I get excited about a project, I run into obstacles. I know the products can be assembled with greater care. Part of me wishes I could convince people of the need to fix things. But I don't want to offend or alienate my community or DAZ, the company. With that in mind, I will gladly let this thread slowly fade.... and try to make some art.
Rename your product folders. If the folder is called "Rebel Germain", rename it to "Jermain" manually.
If you are using DIM to install, after it is installed, you can right click on the product in the "installed" column, and choose "see installed files". That shows you exactly where it installed to. If you are not using smart content, and you are only using the Product Library when you are in DS, you can rename product folders to anything you like. NEVER rename or touch the geometries, data or textures folders. I'm referring to the actual folder the content is in that you using. I rename folders all the time - if an outfit is in a folder called "FredSmith Red Dress with Sparkles", I rename it to something that I will remember - "Red Dress" or "Red Dress with Sparkles". I do it after I install, so I'm not spending hours organising my content.
I detest smart content and have found that folders for specific vendors mean nothing to me. The first area I reorganize is the People/Genesis X/Character folders. For Genesis I create folders for creatures, growing up, adult females, adult males, and young teens. For each character's folder in the adult folders, I will rename them based on their base figure, for example Gn Riley for a Genesis based figure or S5 Riley for a Stephanie 5 based figure. Before I did this, one Riley character would partially overwrite the other. I also make notes for myself in the folder names, for example D5 Neo(NG) means Neo character based on David 5 with no genitals map. Genesis 2/3/8 are simpler. I just create a folder for each base character and move their characters into them. I also move the textures for the base characters into those folders and delete the People/Genesis X/Materials folder.
Clothing is a little different. I create catagories based on genre. For me that includes !Asian, !Child, !Fantasy, and !SciFi. I put the exclamation marks in so they will be at the top of the list. I then move the clothing folders into the appropriaye folder, leaving contemporary clothes in the main Clothing folder. After moving all the items out of a PA's named folder, I will delete it. In some cases a clothing item will have a copy in two folders, for example Lycan Hunter goes in both my !Fantasy and !SciFi folders.
This system works for me. I suggest coming up with a system that makes sense to you, but be willing to adapt it as you need to. I also suggest moving a few items at a time, then testing to make sure you haven't broken anything. The People folder is pretty safe, as are Environment and Props. Vehicles and the various Scene folders can have some issues with older products.
I won't go into all the fun you can have in the Runtime/Libraries folder, unless you want me to and don't use Poser.
Edit: I ignore the database, don't have the PostgreSQL installed, and deleted my smart content pane.
I hear you; I loathe it and don't have it.
Custom folders all the way. I copy additional facing files to folders as I need them; I also delete them when no longer needed.
As databases go, Smart Content doesn't seem trustworthy. I use SQL at work, amongst other languages.
While I can't guarantee there will never be issues changes were made some time back to ensure that vendor categorisation was hidden, rather than truly deleted, so that updates would change the vendor categories but not anything the user had done.
Those of you who refuse to allow the CMS to run do need to bear in mind that it is used by more features than just the content panes.
You saying you can rename the folders? (as long as they are not in data, textures, or runtime etc)
I am just OCD enough to freak out everytime i see folders and there are Geneses 8, Genisis 8, Genesis 8.... etc etc etc.
I also have a ton of folders with various spellings of "Architecture" and "Environments" that I would love to rename/reorganize.
For some reason, I thought there might be somehting in the .duf file that linked it to the mispelled original file name. Are you saying that doesn't matter, and I can reorganize/rename till my hearts content?
Likewise, I abhore DIM, and Smart Content. It's manual all the way for me. The day they stop delivering content as manually installed zip files is the day I stop buying.
My scheme is rather simple compared to others. "Genesis 2 Female" has Characters, Clothes, Expressons, Hair, Poses." I believe that lines up with existing content folders. I tried using more specific categories, as others have mentioned.. "Fantasy, etc..." I get lost if I go too deep into categories, whatever. I immediately move content out of "Environments, Architectures, etc." Props is another troublesome category. Sometimes a building is listed as a prop. Sometimes as a scene, etc. I created an entirely different content folder for any character that came before the Genesis generation. I've created folder templates to help me organize all that old content. Then I don't need to bother with it any more.
I rarely use "Vendor or Vanity" folders. They just confuse me too much. Imagine working in an office. I have a filing cabinet, and try to keep my personal affairs in order. I tried putting the most frequently used files in the front of the filing cabinet drawer. I got too confused. I rearranged everything in alphabetical order.
Yes, usually. Test it every so often just to make sure nothing broke.
Some of the older content had crucial files in the "facing folders." In those cases, the content wouldn't work properly if you moved or renamed the "facing folders."
Could you let us know what else it is used for? I believe it's used for DAZ Connect, but if there are other uses I would reconsider installing it.
Usually, yes. Maybe things like scripts can't? Although no, I have renamed folders that contain scripts with no problems at all.
Don't rename the "Genesis 8 Female" main folder etc tho. (along with the data, textures, characters, poses etc...the main ones) But the products you download, yes you can rename those folders. You can PM me if you want more info if you feel like it.
AutoFit uses it, probably Face Transfer, I can't recall what else.