Install Content to Different Drive

shoepuffdaddy

Ok, this is a long one.

I didn't pay attention when installing Daz, so all the assets were going to my boot drive. This is not good, because it's not very big.

Using forums here and elsewhere, I attempted to point Daz at a new asset folder, but that didn't work. I would try to redownload, and Daz would recreate the asset folder on the C: drive. I tried manually moving assets to the F: drive, thinking that, since Daz was pointed there, it would work. It didn't.

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/224286/installing-daz-studio-on-a-secondary-drive is the forum I kept going back to, since those people seemed the most knowledgeable, however there is no location tab in my folder properties (any of them) and the post is from 2018, so Win10 has probably changed quite a bit since then. Ergo, that post is sadly useless to me.

In my frustration, I deleted everything I could find related to Daz on my PC and reinstalled. Unfortunately, it didn't revert my faulty custom file paths to default as I hoped that drastic measure would accomplish, so in the end I wound up in the exact same boat as before.

Best result I achieved with assets on preferred F: drive? Daz recognized the assets, but they didn't work. I would make a Michael 8, and he would “load”, but it would be a default gen 8 male, albeit taller. All characters, male or female, same result: default gen 8s of varying heights and weird textures. I got frustrated and deleted everything again (except my saves which are backed up anyway).

I have now installed Daz Central onto my preferred F: drive. When I launched it, it created Daz folders in the following places:

C: Daz 3D, which is empty.

C: Users/me/appdata/roaming/DAZ 3D, which has folders called cms and InstallManager.

This PC/Documents/DAZ 3D, which has a folder called Hexagon. If Central made other Daz folders, I haven't found them.

I have not reinstalled studio yet. I don't particularly care if Studio installs to the C: drive, since there is plenty of room without the assets, but I would prefer it on the F: drive. Except Central, as far as I can tell, doesn't let me pick a file path.

I am not computer savvy at all with this sort of thing. If anyone can help me figure out how to install Studio to the F: drive, and then why Daz is seemingly outright refusing to download assets where I want them, even though I had told DIM and Content Directory Manager where to install and find them, I would be super appreciative. Also, if necessary, how to revert the file paths to default first, assuming they are still in whatever messed up order I had attempted like the last time I reinstalled Studio. And feel free to use small, easy to understand words, because I am clearly in need of beginner guides. Also, I use Daz Central for all my downloads because that's how I learned. I would like to keep it that way, but if I must adapt then I must adapt.

Oddly enough, my one Renderosity asset works just fine, but wings with no people are kind of pointless.

And finally, I work weird hours and too much overtime, so it might take me a day or so to see any replies to this. But I will see them, because I am done trying to figure this out by myself, it's been three weeks and I must create. Thanks in advance!

 

 

Gordig

It should be fine to install DS itself to your C drive, because the program doesn't take up that much space; it's the content you need to worry about. Installing Daz Central onto a different drive won't help unless you change the download and install paths within Central, which I don't know how to do as I don't use Central. I BELIEVE it's possible, but it might not be, because Central is intended to be easier to use for beginners. I'd recommend you ditch Central and use Daz Install Manager (DIM) instead.

Inside DIM, click on the cog icon at the top right and select Advanced Settings.

In the Downloads tab, set the Package Archive to whatever folder you want installer zips to download.

Then, in the Installation tab, create a new profile by clicking the plus button at the bottom left, and set that to wherever you want your content to live, then set Content Path Shortcuts to your new profile instead of the default. If you install DS into a non-default location, you'll want to change the Software Base locations for whichever version(s) of the software you use.

If you use Daz content in any other programs, like Hexagon, Blender, Maya, etc., you'll want to click over to the Applications tab and add each program in, setting the path to wherever the actual application is.

Press Accept, and now you're set to start downloading and installing content.

Inside DS, go to Edit -> Preferences, click on the Content tab, and click the Content Directory Manager. From here you either

1) Select Daz Studio Formats, click the Add button, and point it to where your content is/will be OR

2) Expand Daz Studio Formats, select one of the entries (I believe there are two by default), click Edit, and replace the current directory with the actual location of your assets.

shoepuffdaddy

Your instructions are perfect. I have tested one character asset because I have to go to work, and it is working now, Studio on C:, assets going to F:. You are currently my favorite human. The steps I was missing seem to have been changing the content path shortcuts in DIM and, not that it makes a huge difference, changing where the zip archive was located.

Now the long process of reinstalling all the assets begins. For what it's worth, if anyone else happens across this post, I saw in the Daz Central settings that it just uses the DIM settings, so I can reinstall everything through Central just fine. I'll do that because DIM kinda scares me still, I don't want to break Daz anymore. I've had enough of that. You CAN change the paths in Central, but I wouldn't recommend that since Gordig's instructions worked so nicely and Central uses DIM paths anyway.

Again, Gordig, you are my hero. Thanks a million!

Gordig

shoepuffdaddy said:

not that it makes a huge difference, changing where the zip archive was located.

It does make a huge difference if, like me, you don't delete the zips after installing.

Happy to help.

shoepuffdaddy

That's true. I actually never intended to delete the zips, I meant to keep them along with my scenes. At least now I know exactly where they will be going.

wjpblathwayt

This is awesome!  Thank you very much!