Wireless Server for storage between two computers

rustaj

Currently I do the majority of my actual rendering on a desktop and my DAZ creation and photoshop work on a laptop. I've been thinking of using a Raspberry Pi server to communicate between the two computers. Has anyone done this, or something similar before? Any easier solutions that will produce the same sort of result?

currently I save renders to a USB and go between the two computers with that, so suggestions that's more efficient than what I'm doing now would be greatly appreciated.

Jason Galterio

I use this https://www.daz3d.com/content-gatherer to do exactly what you are doing. It collects the files needed to open a project without having to keep everything installed. As far as I know it works with DIM and Manually installed content. Your milage may vary with Connect and the like.

Once I use it to make an archive, I save the file to a thumbdrive plugged into my router. Then I walk to the other machine and copy the file from the router.

Then its just an unzip, point DS to the new content directory, open project.

nonesuch00

I tried using Windows Home Network and it was so slow & broken. Mainly because of CMS and I don't want CMS to be syncing it's data between network computers.

Try saving all your DIM installers to a USB drive and then installing all your DIM installers to the same USB drive. Use the Windows 10 / Windows 11 User/Public, eg:

A:\Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager

A:\Users\Public\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library

A:\Users\Public\Documents\My Daz Connect Library

A:\Users\Public\Documents\Poser Library

You add your external SSD to the Windows "Library". You just move the "Library" rather than add new directories to the USB SSD so can stop using the system drive or other internal drive for "Library" "Documents", "Music", "Pictures",  "Video" & such. It's easier to manage and keep synced between multiple computers that way. Make sure you by a 2nd same size SSD and clone the main one to the 2nd SSD regularly, about once a week I do. You could do backup if you like instead. I prefer regular cloning as I'm not a bank legally obligated to keep all that data and can recover without incremental and full backups and such with as little as I do. 

Set them up in DIM & DAZ Studio configuration data and do it the same way on both computers. You also still have to install CMS & the content on both computers but with DIM you don't have to sit there and wait for it.

You want to use a USB port that is USB 3.2 and one of these USB SSDs that run at about 1050mb/s on USB 3.2 ports. Don't forget to save your work & exit DAZ Studio & DIM each time you move the SSD between computers.

AmazonSmile: SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD - Up to 1050MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 - External Solid State Drive - SDSSDE61-2T00-G25 : Electronics

AmazonSmile: SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD - Up to 1050MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 - External Solid State Drive - SDSSDE61-4T00-G25 : Electronics

So the weird thing is this scenario:

1) Install new product(s) on computer 1. Save work. Exit DAZ Studio.

2) Move SSD to computer 2.

3) Uninstall new product(s) on computer 2. 

4) Install new product(s) on computer 2.

5) Save DAZ Studio work. Exit DAZ Studio.

So it's trouble when 1st set up but not too bad if you remember to regularly keep the installed products synced up between the two (or more) computers.

Jason Galterio

Unfortunately this method won't always work as you may be missing the geometry files that DS creates under the "Auto Adapted" directory when you first introduce the model into the scene. I found this out the hard way a few years ago when I tried to recover some old project files.

Initializing the offending models into the secondary DS sometimes works.

That's why I use CG. It finds all of the geometry files and zips them up along with the textures and project files.

WendyLuvsCatz

when it works I use my wifi network, I can temporarily add my library over the LAN connection to the one on my other computer.

Every Windows 10 update breaks it no fail. 

the other computer is a Win7 and requires creating a Homegroup and often I have to go through that process again to fix it, other times it randomly starts working again.

Both libraries are on externals though, C:drive between the two computers will only share documents and media regardless of settings 

Jason Galterio

If you are using a relatively recent router then the back should have a USB port. You can pick up an inexpensive thumbdrive and stick in in and it should be visible to every device on the network.

You may need to do some gymnastics with Windows to get Windows to recognize the drive as "friendly." Usually you only have to do that once though. The configuration settings in the browser interface on the router should be able to keeep Windows from having a connipition about it.

The exception is the USB ports on the modems that cable companies provide. Usually they have those port disabled or set up only for firmware updates.

I use mine to easily transfer files across the network and I host video / audio files that I can play from my TVs and Amazon Fire.

I mention all of this because its possible you already have the hardware to set it up, without having to buy anything.

The only thing I would add is that I tend to use cheap, small TDs on my port. And I don't leave anything important on them. This is for security reasons, though the data should be as safe as your network. The bigger thing I worry about is having the drive constantly active probably reduces its life.

Ascania

Or just use a WiFi-connected NAS.

nonesuch00

Jason Galterio said:

Unfortunately this method won't always work as you may be missing the geometry files that DS creates under the "Auto Adapted" directory when you first introduce the model into the scene. I found this out the hard way a few years ago when I tried to recover some old project files.

Initializing the offending models into the secondary DS sometimes works.

That's why I use CG. It finds all of the geometry files and zips them up along with the textures and project files.

Hmmm, what & where is this "auto adapted" directory? I've never heard of or seen it.

Jason Galterio

nonesuch00 said:

Jason Galterio said:

Unfortunately this method won't always work as you may be missing the geometry files that DS creates under the "Auto Adapted" directory when you first introduce the model into the scene. I found this out the hard way a few years ago when I tried to recover some old project files.

Initializing the offending models into the secondary DS sometimes works.

That's why I use CG. It finds all of the geometry files and zips them up along with the textures and project files.

Hmmm, what & where is this "auto adapted" directory? I've never heard of or seen it.

Interesting. I may have a reason why you haven't heard of it...  It seems like it isn't as much a "thing" as it used to be.

The directory is located here:
...\data\DAZ3D\auto_adapted

But I just checked my more recent DAZ runtimes and I don't see it anymore. So it's possible that DS doesn't make use of it as often. Or at all.

Generally it was where the updated geometry files would end up for Poser and older DS products. The files were automatically created when the model was added to a scene the first time. The data directory it used always defaulted to the first content directory you had listed in your library.

I find it a little hard to believe that the files are just gone and no longer generated / used. Possibly DS is a little more forgiving in creating them now?

I will see if I can force a few to appear by opening an older product.

Jason Galterio

I unzipped one of Dreamland's city blocks, because I know that used to create a ton of auto adapted files. Set up a simple scene and then poked around and couldn't find the files. I was a bit perplexed at first, then I figured out what was happening...

If I recall correctly, DS used to create the auto_adapted files when the model was loaded into a DS scene.

Now it seems that DS creates the auto_adapted files when the scene is saved. Which was why I couldn't find them until I went back in and created a new scene, then saved this time.

DS also now creates the files under a different runtime directory:

I don't have any logical reason for why DS picked this directory to save under. It seems quite random since "Projects" isn't my first content runtime, it's not in my Poser format runtime list, and its not the directory where I saved the scene file I just created.

Lastly, this is why I extol the virtues of Content Gatherer:

It opens the scene file, shows you all of the assests you are using, then shows you where you can find them all. Regardless of how many runetime directories you span. It will then produce a list of those files or zip them up into a nice little archive with all the files in the right directories. And, in the case of projects that span multiple runtimes, reduces them to a single runtime.

nonesuch00

Jason Galterio said:

I unzipped one of Dreamland's city blocks, because I know that used to create a ton of auto adapted files. Set up a simple scene and then poked around and couldn't find the files. I was a bit perplexed at first, then I figured out what was happening...

If I recall correctly, DS used to create the auto_adapted files when the model was loaded into a DS scene.

Now it seems that DS creates the auto_adapted files when the scene is saved. Which was why I couldn't find them until I went back in and created a new scene, then saved this time.

DS also now creates the files under a different runtime directory:

I don't have any logical reason for why DS picked this directory to save under. It seems quite random since "Projects" isn't my first content runtime, it's not in my Poser format runtime list, and its not the directory where I saved the scene file I just created.

Lastly, this is why I extol the virtues of Content Gatherer:

It opens the scene file, shows you all of the assests you are using, then shows you where you can find them all. Regardless of how many runetime directories you span. It will then produce a list of those files or zip them up into a nice little archive with all the files in the right directories. And, in the case of projects that span multiple runtimes, reduces them to a single runtime.

OK, but if DAZ is going to save a scene DUF file it had better save the data in the DUF file or be able to re-create the scene just using the scene DUF file sans the auto_adapted files.

Jason Galterio

Previously DS would throw an error if you tried to open a scene file that had auto_adapted files that were not available.

Currently it seems that DS is more forgiving and will recreate the missing auto_adapted files.

I am assuming that, just like for standard projects, the used products must still be installed within DS. Or at least the runtimes being active in the Content Library.

Which probably means I can go back and reopen the projects that I couldn't open previously.

nonesuch00

Jason Galterio said:

Previously DS would throw an error if you tried to open a scene file that had auto_adapted files that were not available.

Currently it seems that DS is more forgiving and will recreate the missing auto_adapted files.

I am assuming that, just like for standard projects, the used products must still be installed within DS. Or at least the runtimes being active in the Content Library.

Which probably means I can go back and reopen the projects that I couldn't open previously.

That's good to know because I still might possibly have DAZ Studio installed on both my laptop & my desktop and my previous attempt to share via a lan network connection was a no-go. I will share my entire Windows "Library" via external USB 3.2 SSD.

thenoobducky

I had some success sharing contents using windows network drive. Content is installed on the posing computer and cms live on that computer too. Render computer had access to the installed contents via mapped network drive. Render computer dont need to have access to cms. It will be slow to load on the render computer but since it is render only its was tolerable. One trick is to assign the same drive letter on both computer so absolute path also works.

thenoobducky

Btw to op: if its for sharing rendered contents only, use something like dropbox or one drive.