DS Zip Files

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Can these be used to install content directly, instead of using DAZ Central, or the built in DS Studio installer?

Leana

Yes, you can install content manually from zip files too.

The zips made for DIM have the content files inside a top-level folder called "content". Take everything which is inside that folder and put it into your content library folder.

jjoyner

Using advice that I read in a forum last year, I stopped logging into Daz Studio upon boot up so that the insidious updates from Daz Connect would not wreak havoc with my database or content library.  I never liked Daz Central when it was launched and have never used it to install content.

I trust the Daz Install Manager (DIM), though, as it installs well to the locations that I have entered into the Advanced Settings in DIM.  On very rare occasion does something not install correctly via DIM.  A nice benefit of using DIM, though, is that it creates a list of installed files with a live hyperlink to each file's install location.  I use that at times to find or verify a file’s installation and/or location.

Most of my manual installs are usually for products purchased at Renderosity although I recently discovered that I can use the Install from Zip Archive feature in Poser to install to any directory that I choose.  Some care needs to be take to ensure that unnecessary folders or files have been removed from the zipped folder first otherwise they will be installed.  For example, I installed a zipped folder for a Renderosity product recently where all of the desired content files were in folders that were inside of a Content folder; the Poser installation process created a new folder called Content and placed the underlying folders in it; not what I wanted.

Once I manually install a product in Daz Studio, I create a Product for it using the Content Library.  That creates an item in Smart Content that has no product thumbnail and very limited metadata.  I use a product image that came with the product or which I downloaded from the product’s parent site (or which I create from a quick render in Daz Studio) to manually create and place a thumbnail in the Runtime/Support folder.