DAZ 4 External Run time questions...

Bendinggrass

Hello Everyone.

This question arises from an earlier question I posted called: "Free Daz items from Sharecg… questions"
And I was able to learn how to open and install freeware items.

Now I want to understand better, because it still eludes me, how to construct a DAZ 4 external runtime.
I learned earlier how to construct a Poser external runtime, because an example was provided, which shows what folders are included in a Poser external runtime. These can be used by Poser, and DAZ4 with no problems
.
If someone could outline the essential basics that would be a big help.

My idea is this:
What name is important to use for a Daz 4 external runtime? Or can I simply call it something as simple as "DAZ External Runtime"?

And following from this, what are the names of the folders which are then contained in this "DAZ External Runtime"?

This might seem like a simple question with a simple answer to many, but for me I have to go to basics to understand properly.
Thanks so much.
R

DWG

First point, it's Studio 4, or DS4, not DAZ 4. Studio is one of several programs that DAZ produce, so best to be precise.

You can call your Studio content folder(s) whatever you want. You don't actually need to know what folders go into a Studio folder, as with Poser the installers will create the folders for you when you point them at the content folder. The two folders you should be aware of are data, which is vital to the functioning of Studio and holds all the hidden detail on content, and Runtime, which is a Poser runtime used to install Poser configured files into. Data needs to stay where it is, but you can happily move Runtime into your main poser runtime if you so desire, just so long as Studio knows about wherever you put it. Other folders you are likely to see are people, cameras, lights, environment, location, hair, but none of these names are actually essential. The one essential point in this is that you have to tell Studio where your content and runtime folders are, see: edit/preferences/content library/content directory manager.

You will find a lot of Studio content tends to be installed into a folder called People - characters, clothes and textures for both can end up in there, but they don't have to be in there, you can quite happily move and rename them, just so long as the data folder remains in place. However if you are using Smart Content you will need to update that with any folders you move around, so it's probably best not to do it until you are happy that you understand things.

The one issue there tends to be with content installers is that some seem to be set up to install at the parent folder to the content folder, and some at the content folder level (this is true of both Poser and Studio installers, particularly freebies). What this can lead to is nested content folders, or folders that should be in the content folder being the next level up. The solution is the same in both cases - drag and drop them to where they should be. If you run an install, and suddenly find data and other new folders in the parent folder of your content library that's a sure sign that this has happened, just drag and drop them into the content folder. Similar sort of issues for runtime - one thing to watch for is a nested runtime within the Studio content folder's own runtime,that needs to be dragged up to content folder level so it merges properly with the existing runtime.

If you're just getting started then most of this detail isn't actually necessary, just start by adding an extra content folder, telling Studio about it, and installing something into it. When you start up Studio again you should see the new folder appear in the Content Library tab, and the new content should be accessible via both Content Library and Smart Content.

Richard Haseltine

You can call the folder whatever you like (well, it's best to use US standard characters - avoid accented characters and symbols). If the item you are installing contains folders named data or Runtime then those have to go in the folder itself with their contents in place, in general other stuff can be placed at your convenience though keeping it as in the zip may avoid problems (so if there's a people folder beside the data and Runtime folders you'd put that in the folder you created, with its contents).

Bendinggrass

Hello Richard and DWG.

Thanks for writing.
DWG, that might be too much for me to digest right now, but I save all my posted questions here, and their replies, so I can go back to them as I learn more.
So now I am trying to digest the essentials of what I need to do.
Let me do a quick review here.... to make this external runtime for DS4 I can set it up something like this:
"DS4 External Runtime"
-- and in this folder would go folders with the following names:
People
Data
Runtime

Please correct me if I am wrong, is this the bare minimum folders to put in a "DS4 External Runtime" folder or should I include additional folders. This external runtime folder will be on my external F:/ drive.

Thanks again.
Randy

BlazeMystEra

Hello,

I'm not sure if this will clear it up a bit for you, but I do believe, that this is what you've been asking for... I might be wrong though, if so... I'm sorry.

I looked into my 'MyLibrary' folder to make sure I'm not posting it wrong... so it should be a correct structure. I took the Genesis Folder as an example and will use the subfolders characters and poses to hopefully claryfie the structure.

My Library
--People
----Genesis (holds what you will load to your Workview)
------*.dsf
------*.png
------Characters (holds - in this case - the basic Morphs)
--------Itemname (holds the Morphs of your Item)
----------*.dsf
----------*.png
----------Materials (holds the Materials for your Item, you could put them directly to the Item itself though)
------------*.dsa
------------*.png
-------Poses (should be empty)
---------Itemname (holds static Poses, not Materials, you know... running, standing, laughing - not animated)
------------*.dsa
------------*.png

I hope this helps... if it is totally not what you were asking about... uhm... ignore it ;)

Bendinggrass

Hi BlazeMystEra.

Thank you for that.
Yes, I think that is the kind of thing I am looking for.
I will experiment with that to see if I can use it as a model for an external runtime.

Thanks.
R

BlazeMystEra

Glad I could help :)

Richard Haseltine

You don't need to place any folders in the content folder - they will be created the first time you install something that needs them. Only the data and Runtime folders must have those names - using people helps to keep things consistent, but there's no reason in principle that you shouldn't rename it or shuffle its content around (in DS - doing it in the operating system will break Smart Content).