DIM CSV Files
Jason Galterio
Posts: 2,562
A weird request and one that I am having a hard time explaining...
Does anyone know of any place to get basic DIM CSV files?
My headache is that the DIM filters will not filter things like "Genesis 8 Character" or "Genesis 8 Clothes."
I am just hoping that there is some sort of overall CSV file that can be used with the "Select Packages > From CSV" function.
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
It can be done with a bit of programming I believe but only for installers already downloaded (at least with the method I'm thinking of).
That's the frustration I have... The data exists, but its not being used. If the data didn't exist then you wouldn't be able to browse the store in the Places > Structures > Interiors manner (for example).
If I tell DIM to select all items from a CSV, then it should ignore items that are in the CSV but not in my downloaded assets. So if there were complete lists of the assets in certain categories, then it would be simple to use those in conjunction with DIM.
Well you don't need data for other products than those you own, so if you have all the installers downloaded the necessary data is there. The latest version of DAZ Product Manager is using these data to locate products in the DS categories as you probably know, it's the same principle just a slightly different context.
Well, I was mentioning content I didn't own because I was hoping that there was some sort of data file for all of the content. That way the CSV files would be universal.
It just irritates me to no end that in the store I can go:
Shop > People and Wearables > Genesis 8 People > Female... Then see all of the characters available. Easily being able to see which ones I own.
But in DIM, all we have is People > Generation 8... Which is, frankly, useless as it only shows the base Gen 8 characters.
It's possible to get the data by scraping the store pages, but then you'll have to do it every day to be up to date, plus it will only work for active products. Shouldn't be difficult for DAZ to deliver the complete data for all products though if they have them all categorized, so you could try to ask them. They would be useful in many contexts.
Thanks. I am going to try asking. I have a feeling the answer will be no...
I'm just gobsmacked that this functionality isn't already in DIM. It would seem like a no-brainer.
Install Manager has access to the package infomation, I think that's just the entries in the .dsx file. it doesn't have access to store data such as the categories. In any event there is not an exact one-to-one correspondence betwnn DIM packages and store products.
Understood.
But the classification / sort data has to exist somewhere. Otherwise the website would not be able to be sorted at all.
Currently DIM provides next to no filtering of any substantial use.
Now we come to what is motivating my efforts here... The abundance of Gen 8 Female characters with no way to filter them from being installed. If one is installed, the morph dials are installed. If the morph dials are installed then they load every time any G8F model is added to a scene. The more characters installed the bigger the hit on the model.
At this point I am willing to take the time to create a pivot table or a conversion database just to correlate the existing classification database into a DIM compatible CSV file.
I understand that the packages don't automatically contain this classification information... though it baffles me as to why. But I am not going to beat a dead horse or gansh my teeth over it. I'd rather try to find a solution with the skills that I do have at hand.
Daz Connect loads all of that categorization information.
When Daz Connect downloads the list of products you own, it also downloads and sets up in the database all of the metadata about those products. This way you can see if products you own but don't have installed have matching compatibilities (according to smart content) with what you have selected. It's the reason that Daz Connect takes longer to sync up on the first login than DIM/DazCentral (at least initially, it does some smart things later on to keep the data down to a minimum).
Initially we were looking at exposing individual items of a product instead of just listing an entire product as compatible, but the amount of data in the thumbnails we would need to download to make that function was quite large. Maybe someday we could bring that back as an option, wouldn't that be nice just being able to browse about your smart content like everything is installed and then just grab whatever you want whenever it suits your fancy.
DAZ Connect only caused me headaches. The biggest problem was that I have over 13k of products. So the menus were a nightmare.
Then when I did use it, the database collapsed and I had to reinstall everything because none of the content would come up. I don't remember the details as it was a few years ago... but my red eyed rabid rantings of insanity are archived somewhere in these forums.
This is why I am so motivated to try and find some sort of solution.
The 13k of products makes sorting through them virtually impossible. So I am constantly browsing the online catalog to see thumbnails, check compatibilities, etc. I keep DIM constantly running so that I can then filter my items by the title. Installing just the ones I need at that time.
The amount of content is such that I have to keep the DIM download packages on an external drive. I have also taken to installing non-essential items (props, lights, shaders, for example) to an external drive for easy access. (Before anyone comments on the speed of that, I have a M3 SSD drive connected to a USB3 port, so its almost as fast as an internal drive.)
Going back to my original example... G8F characters; I have 600+ of them. Just think about how many morph dials that is. I look back at the old days of "inject morphs" with a fondness now.
All of this means I need to be conservative about what I install. So I try to only install things like Lights and Shaders. Everything else gets installed as needed.
How does the CSV format for selecting items in DIM look? I haven't been able to find any information about it anywhere. And are there any examples of where it's being used in practice?
If you create a CSV with DIM you can see the data fields and format.
[I attempted to reply to this last night, but lack of sleep resulted in a lot of useless babbling. Now for a second try...]
Mike handled the first question. I can provide one of my CSV files if you like.
I was only going the CSV route as an alternate to functionality that was not in DIM.My logic was that if I could get a hold of the data, then I can elbow grease out a solution with what I had at hand.
For me its gotten to a point where trying to organize / sort / find products has become such a headache that I don't want to be bothered. Which has left me incredibly unmotivated to work in DS. As well as less motivated to buy anything new.
Do I want to spend hours paging through screens of characters to find which morphs / skins I want to use... Even before I start working on anything? Recently the answer has been no.
I know this is "first world problems" but, this is my work flow now:
1. Go to DAZ website. Log in. Drill down the catalog to G8F characters. Use plug in to only show products I own.
2. Start paging through thumbnails. Right click on the ones that have possibilities. Narrow down those pages to the ones I actually want to use.
3. Open DIM. Copy and paste each character name into DIM. Install just those characters.
4. Start DS. Start playing. If any of the characters aren't what I was looking for, go back to step one.
Then this process has to be repeated for Wardrobe, Hair, Props, Settings...
I know... DAZConnect can resolve some of this, but it can't. Disregarding my previously mentioned technical issues with Connect, I still can't:
1. Have an isolated directory of installed products for a particular project.
2. Export a list of what products I used.
3. Use Content Gatherer to archive the project.
4. Uninstalling products is tempermental at best.
And, unless this has changed, there was no easy way to tell the difference between the greyed out products that I own and the greyed out products that I could own. Admittedly this might have changed.
It's just frustrating that something completely unrelated to the process has become such a hurdle that I don't even want to bother anymore.
Have you updated your Product Manager for DAZ to version 1.002/3? It has some new features which makes it easy to find stuff in DS, including a temporary product group, and in next version it will be possible to create permanent product groups. I have over 22.000 products from DAZ and other sources myself so I know the problems with organizing and finding stuff, so I'm also working on a general content manager with some more advanced features which I hope can solve some of the problems.
Thanks!
I have not, but I should do that. The amount of data involved meant that I wanted to be really careful about the update.
I am going to put this on my task list for this evening.
Taoz,
All updaed and happy to report that I had no technical issues. I was terrified of losing my old data.
Here's why:
The stats on the left are for my Product Manager data directory. The stats on the right is my DIM download directory.
There comes a point where you have too many assets, I think. Unfortunately for me, that point is so far back in the rearview that it disappeared behind the curvature of the Earth.
Glad to hear that all went well. Yes, all that stuff does take up some space. I need to upgrade my disks myself as there isn't much space left, and I only have 1/3 of my DAZ files downloaded/installed...
This is where my content resides...
That's a ASUS ROG STRIX Aluminum case containing a 1TB M.2 SSD. It's connected on a USB 3 port. I hang it like that to reduce the tension on the cable, allow better airflow, and (most importantly) to remind myself to unplug it when I'm not using it.
It wasn't cheap, but the speed and portability was worth it. I was also concerned the heat might kill a traditional external drive.
I'd probably need a 4 TB or larger SSD for my content so I'll stick to HDDs for now...
Exactly why I only install what I need for a given project. :)
I install things that I always need (Lights, Shaders, commonly used props) to directories on the external drive. I create content directories for each project and install the specific items to those directories.
I install the base items (base characters, plug ins, etc.) to the internal hard drives.
The plus side to this is that my projects are portable and always backed up. I do, occasionally, back up the back up just to be safe. I usually sync the project directories to a different external drive.
It might seem like a lot of work, but if I installed everything my DS application slows down considerably. Adding a base G8F figure for example; that would take upwards of one or two minutes even on a state of the art computer.
Besides my searching issues, the only other major complaint I have is all the "ghost" product installs that DS insists on remembering. I wish there was a way to clean them out. If I uninstalled a product, I did it for a reason. I don't need DS reminding me constantly that its no longer installed.
Yea I know how slow loading characters is when there are many, and I'm also considering making something that makes it easy to install/uninstall them. Would be nice if DIM had some install/uninstall command line parameters so you could automate it. I already have the code for one-click install/uninstall of products and it can easily be combined with a browsable character list but AFAIK DIM is connected with the CMS and that will not work with a 3rd party installer/uninstaller, so some features may be missing in DS.
Not sure what you mean by ghost installs, is that in Smart Content (I never use that)?
Yes, it's a Smart Content thing... Once an item is installed with DIM, you can't remove the icon from Smart Content as far as I can tell. It turns gray, but its always there. Eventually you get a lot of them if you do the uninstall alot.