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Content Library Rant

Shjak MondeShjak Monde Posts: 30
edited December 1969 in Technical Help (nuts n bolts)

I have purchased over the years around 1500 products from daz3d.com. I am now using the Version 4.7 64bit on Windows 8.1. I got my new computer after it totally crashed and I was unable to recover files. I was saving all those products I had purchased on an external HD, however I was having a problem keeping up with updates that way.
After I purchased my new computer I upgraded DAZ Studio to 4.7 and with it the "Install Manager". The "Install Manager" is Super Great for helping me keep up with updates. The "Smart Content" is a super idea, if I could actually find what I am looking for with it. The "Content Library" is a whole different animal now.
In DAZ Studio Version 3, When I installed a New Item, It allowed me to move the new files and folder to my own Category filing system. Which I prefer to keep all the items Parts together in Subfolders of the Main Model. This makes it so easy for me to find all the parts to the item. However you realize how long it would take me to rebuild my "Categories" from scratch with 1500 Items. Now in DAZ Studio 4.7 with the new Content Manager, I do not get a chance to build my "Categories" as I install one Item at a time. Now I have to Find Each Part of the Item. (as if I even knew what parts came with the Item). My only hope is if the Parts have some indication of the Name of the Main Item, and Many times they have a totally different Name.
To me Subfolders of the Main folder is a logical way to maintain the Content Library.
My Question is:
Is there a way to get my DAZ Studio to locate all files linked to a product for me and build this Category for me? Or am I forced to do it all Manually?
Thanks

Comments

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,948
    edited December 1969

    Look under Products, that should group all the files for a particular set (though it won't include add-ons that are in other products). DS content is generally set up that way anyway, under DAZ Studio Formats.

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,583
    edited December 1969

    One way around this problem if you are using the PostgreSQL CMS:
    1) Launch both DAZ Install Manager and DAZ Studio.
    2) From the Content Library options menu in DAZ Studio, click "Stop CMS".
    3) Shut down DAZ Studio
    4) Install your products using DAZ Install Manager
    5) Launch DAZ Studio -- it should automatically start CMS.
    6) From the Content Library options menu in DAZ Studio, click "Scan Known Directories for Files"
    7) Your newly-installed files will appear in Categories > Default > Unassigned
    8) Categorize the files as you like -- I use separate categories outside of Default.
    9) After you have categorized everything, Re-Import Metadata for the new content (this can be done in DAZ Studio or in DAZ Install Manager).

  • Shjak MondeShjak Monde Posts: 30
    edited December 1969

    Thanks Richard,
    To use "Products" you need to be able to remember the names of Items I have purchased over 5 years ago. Sifting through 1500 products for an item that I vaguely remember having that long ago is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Although I have done that before. I click on each product and look at the thumbnail image and move on. I have searched "My Account" on daz3d.com. but once again you really need to remember the items name, its product number, the transaction number, or the date I had purchased it. Now I have gone to my external HD, where I was saving all my purchased items. There I had build Categories That are much more user friendly. all Plugins went into a Plugin Category. All space items went into a Space Folder no matter if the item were planets or spaceships and so on. there I would discover the item I was looking for. Grab the name of the item and go back into my DAZ Studio and search for that name, and bingo there it is. However since "Install Manager" I have stopped saving my Purchased Items on my External HD, because daz3d.com has made it more convenient just knowing my items are safe in my daz3d.com account. And in the case of a catastrophic Computer failure. I can just download the latest DAZ Studio and the Install Manager and I can be up and going in just a few hours. Plus as I had said before keeping up with 1500 items worth of updates all the time had become a burden and the Install Manager has solved that problem.

    As for using the DAZ Studio Formats, although it does kind of work pretty good still rely on the Creators Naming system. If the texture that is going onto their product is a Material or a pose or if its a DSON or a Duf or a pz2 or CR2. I am sure there are many different ways for a Creator to create an Item.

    The fastest way I have found to find things is the Content Library search Option. However I am never sure I am finding all the Parts of the items because many different items have parts that have the same name and then again some Creators have named parts of their items with names that have no reference to the main items name. Sometimes the name of the part is an abbreviation of the Main name. Which forces me to do a bit of detective work, because the Content Library Search Option does not find it.
    However, all in all even the Content Search Option requires me to remember the name of the Product.
    In the past I was constantly finding that I had purchased the item several times, because I did not even remember already buying it. Although daz3d.com was eager to help me on those occasions, I was so happy when daz3d.com updated their website to show when I was about to purchase an item that I had already purchased.

    If DAZ Studio 4.7 does not have a Content Library Option to link all parts of a Product together, I pray that future releases would see fit to add this Option.
    My Content Library has just grown to big to keep up with.

    Thank you for responding fixmypcmike,
    I have read about the PostgreSQL CMS I am not sure if I have it or not. From what I had read, that if I do not have it, my "Smart Content" will not work properly. But my "Smart Content" seems to work. I mean it does find some things however a lot of time I can not find things that I am looking for. I did try a search through my "Install Manager" searching for "sku::18869" as the post in the Forum suggested but I found nothing. I am probably doing something wrong.
    If you have information on how to find out if I do already have it or not. I would appreciate it.
    I was assuming that the new CMS came with the new "DAZ Studio 4.7 Pro" which I purchased and am using right now.
    If I need to acquire it from somewhere and install it separately, Please let me know.

  • Shjak MondeShjak Monde Posts: 30
    edited December 1969

    Ok I followed instructions on finding out if I have the PostgreSQL CMS.
    I found in my DS log file where it says:
    Connected to CMS:PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ build 1600, 64-bit.
    So I guess I do have it.

  • Shjak MondeShjak Monde Posts: 30
    edited December 1969

    ok fixmypcmike
    1) Launch both DAZ Install Manager and DAZ Studio....................................................Did this
    2) From the Content Library options menu in DAZ Studio, click “Stop CMS”..................Did this
    3) Shut down DAZ Studio................................................................................................Did this
    4) Install your products using DAZ Install Manager........................................................Ok wait a moment.

    How do I install my products which have already been installed?
    Does this mean I first need to Uninstall everything?
    Before doing all this, do I need to "Export User Data" to save the Categories I have already created?
    Are you suggesting to wipe my Categories clean and start over?
    Will I lose all my work where I converted Morphs and Characters to the Genesis 2 model?

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,583
    edited December 1969

    It won't remove any of your categorizations -- this is for installing items using DIM without DIM categorizing them, so you can categorize them how you like.

    For things that have already been installed, Export User Data, then Reset the Database and Re-Import just the User Data. Then you can categorize your content as in step 5 above.

    Once you've done that for the already installed content, you can then use the instructions above when installing new content.

  • Shjak MondeShjak Monde Posts: 30
    edited December 1969

    ok fixmypcmike,

    1) Launch both DAZ Install Manager and DAZ Studio..........................................................................................did it
    Export User Data, then Reset the Database and Re-Import just the User Data
    2) From the Content Library options menu in DAZ Studio, click “Stop CMS”........................................................did it
    3) Shut down DAZ Studio......................................................................................................................................did it
    4) Install your products using DAZ Install Manager...............................................................................................did it
    5) Launch DAZ Studio—it should automatically start CMS...................................................................................did it
    6) From the Content Library options menu in DAZ Studio, click “Scan Known Directories for Files”....................did it
    7) Your newly-installed files will appear in Categories > Default > Unassigned....................................................did it
    8) Categorize the files as you like—I use separate categories outside of Default................................................ok same problem. files are fragmented into different categories. Default > Unassigned > Preset has Cameras, Materials, Poses. I still have to figure out where "LS_wp2mystic2" belongs to and so forth. From the thumbnail image I believe it goes with DAZ Environments.

    It would just be so much easier if there was a Content Library Option that allows DAZ to Link all parts of a product together if I so choose. Also if an add-on is created by the Creator for a given original product that Add-On could be tagged to be associated to the original product.

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,583
    edited December 1969

    There are several things you can do:
    1) Install in small batches, so you can categorize the files as you like
    2) Products gives all the parts in one place
    3) You can add tags to items to help you find them if you forget the name of the product
    4) Smart Content associates add-ons with the main product

    I use a combination of all of these, although 1) is my main way of finding things.

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