Are DAZ Studio scene assets references relative or absolute?
hjake
Posts: 930
DAZ Studio scene assets references relative or absolute?
As I understand it, a DAZ Studio scene file contains references/links to the assets used in the scene. If I create a scene on my laptop which has my manually installed runtime/content on an external USB drive will I be able to use that file on my home computer to render the scene if all the assets contained in the scene have a different install path on my home computer? The home computer's library was installed with DIM.
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Absolute, unless you're using something from the library because that reference always starts at the library root.
So if the laptop and the home computer have their runtime/content stored to a root folder called "DAZ-content" and the products were installed in the that root folder to the same pathways as the product installer (DAZ zip file or DIM) then the scene should load on either computer?
It would not matter that laptop pathway is "D:\bobs-your-uncle\DAZ-Content" and the home computer is "R:\luke-im-your-mother\my-awesome-daz-stuff\DAZ-Content"?
Absolute would mean the references would include the drive letter, which they don't.
You specify the root of your Content Library in "Content Directory Manager" and the references are using that root as the base of the path, ie. the drive letter does not matter.
if you have your directories referenced in Directory Manager then the names of your main folders where content is installed is irrelevant, you can name as any name you want exactly like you exposed above.
(I read "Boobs your uncle", btw
)
if one of your assets are not in the main Content or My Library then Daz will look on customized named folders regardless whatever name they could have or even renamed, the key is adding on Manager.
Just so you don't get me in trouble
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob%27s_your_uncle
Thank you to all of you for the replies. So it sounds like my folder layout should be compatible between laptop and home computer.
They will if you're using contents from outside your Daz library.
Why would anyone even want to use CONTENT from outside Daz library?
I know there are products where for example textures are being searched from E:\Billy\My Textures\, but that is just something the creator of the product did wrong.
Why not?
For a silly render I shared elsewhere I needed an easy backdrop, so I grabbed a render which I made using Bryce. Obviously you don't keep renders in your Daz Library. And that's only one example.
I have two computers in two separate locations where I have to travel for work. As long as I stick to daz content installed with DIM, I can open up the duf files on either computer. I have ocassionaly run out into trouble when I am using content from another store, but that is solve by using Riversoft Art's Content Wizard to install everything in the same path.
To clarify
Absolute Reference: Has a drive letter, e.g. C:/[file path]
Relative Reference: Does not have a drive letter. e.g. /[file path].
Note: The forward slash is not a typo, as that is how it's written in DUF files.
Daz files, including scenes, can contain both absolute and relative reference depending on where an asset used was when opend or imported in daz studio.
For something that will be shared with other user's, it's "best practice" to remove all absolute references, as not every body installs to the default C drive.
Be aware, though, that unless the path is an exact match, the file will produce missing file errors.
Example
Save file reference: /runtime/textures/fugazzi1968/generatorroom. Drive structure: \blork\runtime\textures\fugazzi1968\generatorroom
Both paths are in the 'j:\Content', mapped in CDM, parent directory, but because there's an additional folder, 'blork', daz studio won't be able to find the texture files.
To correct this, either map the 'blork' folder in addition to the 'content' folder in CDM, or move the runtime folder to the 'content' directory.
Because there's a lot of non-daz compliant assets out there you can use in daz studio.
HDRI's for lighting, IES profiles for lights, OBJ/FBX/DAE files, textures, etc.
There's also some people, myself included, that only use it for rendering and don't use DS assets at all for their projects.
I like the results in iray over certain other engines, and since it's only available, directly, in certain software, DS is the cheapest option for iray rendering.
Thank you everyone for the replies. I have Content Wizard but have not yet used it on my non-DAZ stuff. I now understand how the duf file uses file references.
Personally my preference is manual installs but due to the fact that DAZ does not indicate the date the files were last updated in the product library, or what was updated, it hampers my ability to keep my DAZ files up to date without DIM. I know they place info in the web page file list but, in my opinion, it is not consistent or complete.
You can map any folder as a library, or add any folder to a library, but it doesn't have to have user-facing files. I have all sorts of wayward folders full of .jpg, .png, .hdr, .pdf, and so on, that were "installed" by well-intentioned vendors that appear blank because none of the file formats are supported directly by Studio. All the contents can be accessed from Studio with appropriate presets or scripts, and are all relative paths.
Thanks