ISO: script to batch create "dummy" .duf files from .pz2 files to be able to see them in DS folders
jakiblue
Posts: 7,281
I'm not sure if this would exist or even work, but I'm looking for a script that will create "dummy" duf files from some pz2 mats, so I can put them in the DS section and be able to see them.
I'm sure there is a script floating around somewhere that does this....I have a very vague memory of someone creating something like this...I keep thinking it was Richard Haseltine, but I checked his "free script" thread and couldn't see it...
Am I going mad, or does this exist?
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Will pz2 files even work outside of the \Runtime folder? I know you can put DS files in \Runtime with a dummy pz2, but never heard of it vice versa.
The script you are thinking of was by Richard and was Prep DS Files (had to dig in my saved downloads to find the name). It creates dummy pz2 files for DS files so you could put the DS files in the \Runtime folder.
Funny thing too.. it was another one of your threads I found an old link to it in. lol
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/8851/
oh that's a point!!! I never thought of that! Hmm I have a Gen2 character that has a .duf file for "injecting" the character, but the mats are all .pz2.
And YES!! that's the script I was thinking of! I ALWAYS ALWAYS forget the damn name of it *laughs* And I keep losing the file, which is no doubt why you found the mention of it in an old post of mine! LOL.
Weird. What character?
Not out yet I don't think, so can't say :D
Vendor is primarily a V4 Poser creator, which is why I suspect the no duf files for the mats - even tho the character "inject" is duf and poser. The mats DO work, but I just wanted to have them in my DS section, not the Poser runtime.
Jaki why not save the materials in DS ......that way you put them where you want.
There's always the 'long way'...load each one and then save it back out, in Studio.
Yeah, i was hoping to avoid the long way. LOL
Kind of on this topic, if I put .duf material files in a Poser folder, should DS load the correct materials automatically?
I ask because I tried it this morning in 4.8 and got an error. Unfortunately, the log tells me to see the log for the error, which isn't very helpful - lol.
What I normally do is put .DSA materials in with props in the Poser folder and DS loads the materials. I was hoping to do the same thing with some Iray materials, using .dufs.
Has anyone any clue about this?
Edit - Ok. I think I figured it out. I need to use a scene subset .duf, rather than a Material Preset. Is that right? It seems to work ok.
TIA
mac
it should read the DS materials if the files are named exactly the same
On the other hand, I've done it with .dsa and .ds and .dsb files, but I don't think I've done it with .duf files. So maybe not with .duf?
oh wait...i didn't read properly....i have no idea about them being iray materials.....
That should work. Off the top of my head, I've got Lyoness' Emily character and the Gen4 version does that. Just make sure the duf, pz2, and the icon all have the same file name.
/edit
Xposted w/ Jaki and did the same damn thing. I'll test real quick w/ a Gen4 Iray preset I've got saved.
Yes, it works (from a Poser runtime). I have my duf, the png, and renamed a hair mat pose (just to see if it picked the right preset) and it loaded the Iray shaders just fine.
Sorry folks. I edited my post, before I saw the replies.
I tried it again, but saved a Scene Subset .duf and it worked fine. But y'all are saying it should work with a Materials Preset? It doesn't for me.
Edit - Vaskania. Did you use a Pose? I'm loading a prop, not a pose.
Also, I've discovered that if a .dsa is in the folder, DS 4.8 reads the .dsa INSTEAD of the .duf. Which means I'll probably have to end up making completely separate versions for Iray, 3Delight and Poser. Wahhhh!
mac
yeah, it should work with a material preset. I used to do it all the time - a lot of add on textures in the PC used to split the poser pz2 and the DS dsa/ds files up, and if they were named the exact same, i used to just put the ds/dsa material files in with the poser pz2 ones and they worked perfect.
I've only ever done it with material files actually.
oh, i assumed you were JUST having one ds file there....not a ds and a duf.
Do you mean you are loading a prop duf file? And it's in a poser prop folder with a ... is it pz2 for props?
What I have now is a Poser folder with a .pp2 prop and a .duf (scene subset) and that loads fine with Iray materials.
Previous I tried a .pp2 prop and a .duf (materials preset) and got an error.
Lastly, I tried a .pp2 prop, a .duf (scene subset) and a .dsa and DS 4.8 loaded the .dsa materials, NOT the Iray .duf.
mac
Rename the dsa and create a new dummy file for it. You can have both the DUF and the dsa in there, just need to be different names.
If there's a native file and a Poser file DS will load the native file and ignore the Poser file. So that works for materials, poses, lights etc. where the native file is self-contained. It can be hacked to work with script-based presets - edit the .dsa/.dsb to add a line loading the prop or figure. It may be possible to make it work with a .duf - I think you can tell that to run a script - but it would be fiddly.
That won't work. If I rename the .dsa, it won't load with the prop. And I need the .dsa for 3Delight materials.
Easier to create 2 separate versions.
mac
Richard - Everyone keeps telling me it will work, but it doesn't. A Materials Preset .duf gives me this unspecified error.
When I have time later on, I'll try a materials .duf in 4.7 and see if it works. Maybe it's just 4.8 that's wonky.
mac
Richard - Everyone keeps telling me it will work, but it doesn't. A Materials Preset .duf gives me this unspecified error.
When I have time later on, I'll try a materials .duf in 4.7 and see if it works. Maybe it's just 4.8 that's wonky.
mac
But you said it was for a prop? I meant that you can replace a Poser material/light/camera file with an equivalent native file because the latter doesn't need anything from the former, it is self-contained in that sense. A materials preset still needs the target to be loaded and selected though. DS loads the native file (the .duf) and ignores the Poser file (the pp2 in your case), so the prop isn't loaded and selected for the material which therefore throws an error.
Ah, ok. Now I understand why it didn't work. And why only a scene subset .duf does work.
One last thing. Is there no way to get DS4.8 to load the .duf and ignore the .dsa? If it did, I could put everything in one folder, rather than making separate versions. DS4 would load the .duf, DS3 would load the .dsa and Poser would ignore them both.
mac
You could add a version check to the script and have it load the .duf and then stop if it was 4.5+. Is it the standard load an item and apply materials script you are using?
Yep. Just the usual prop+modified .dsa.
But the problem is that a version check would preclude 4.8 users from using 3Delight materials.
The .dsa has the normal 3Delight materials, and would be needed for DS 3 - 4.8. The .duf would have Iray materials and be 4.8+. But I'll definitely have to separate them, because I have no idea if 4.8 users will want to use 3Delight or Iray, or switch around.
Oh well, I kinda saw coming. It'll just take longer to finish.
mac
Well, I wouldn't expect all users to stop using 3Delight when 4.8 makes a production build. It probably depends on how much overriding of the auto-conversion is needed when using Iray - metals and glass often require custom settings, and I imagine you will have at least some of those.
Yes, I have a lot of glass and liquids in this product, and I'm slowly getting to grips with the Iray shaders and saving various tweaked presets of my own, which I'll be including in the pack. And of course, I'll have to do the same thing for both 3Delight and Poser.
mac
Oh, I'm definitely including Iray, 3Delight and Poser materials. I was just pointing out to Richard that since I don't know which one customers will be using, I'd need to have separate sets, therefore his script idea wouldn't be feasible.
mac