DAZ Studio 4.x Pro BETA - HOTFIX - version 4.8.0.56!
DAZ_Vince
Posts: 114
DAZ 3D is pleased to announce the next public version of the DAZ Studio 4.x Pro BETA - version 4.8.0.56!
Another build, so soon?
Yes. We want to provide access to builds that fix issues you may have encountered in the General Release, earlier and more frequently.
What is a BETA?
Despite our best efforts, DAZ 3D cannot possibly test the software under all possible conditions. So, we are providing a version of the application to the general public in order to uncover problems that were not discovered during internal/private testing. We expect that there will still be problems and we hope that when users encounter any problems, they will report them to the Bug Tracker so that they can be validated, prioritized and fixed.
As with any software classified as being in the BETA phase of development, you should expect to encounter bugs. Any bugs you do encounter while using BETA software can vary in terms of severity, from minor features that do not work correctly to problems that cause your computer to crash. Before choosing to use BETA software for production purposes, you should decide whether the benefit of new features and bug fixes provided by the BETA version outweighs the risk of instability you may encounter.
Public Build, BETA, what is the difference?
Public Build is a release channel, while BETA is a phase of development.
DAZ Studio is distributed through four separate channels:
- Production Build - This is where the General Release build is distributed and is open to the general public.
- Public Build - This is where the builds that are not considered stable yet are provided for testing by the general public; this channel typically provides a build that is in the BETA phase of development, but technically can provide a build in the ALPHA phase.
- Private Build - This is similar to the Public Build channel, except it is limited to a select group of individuals that serve as the "front line" or the "canary in a coal mine" for a time before the build is promoted to a less restricted channel; this channel is more likely to see an ALPHA build than the Public Build channel is.
- Dev Build - This is for a much smaller group of individuals; this channel provides "bleeding edge" ALPHA builds; sometimes referred to as "nightly", although the builds are not limited to one per night nor to strictly occurring at night.
Will this Public Build replace the General Release?
While builds in the Public Build channel do eventually replace the build in the Production Build channel, the existence of a public build does not preclude builds that are currently in the Private Build channel from replacing the General Release before one in the Public Build channel does. One of the reasons we provide a Public Build channel is to gain broader coverage of the various fixes/additions. Sometimes fixes/additions in the Public Build channel are validated more quickly than others and can be integrated into the Production Build channel while the remaining, more risky, changes are allowed to "bake" a while longer.
What is new in this version? Do I need to update my copy?
The 4.8.0.56 version resolves a few specific issues and adds a few specific improvements since the 4.8.0.55 General Release. More detail on specific fixes/changes/improvements can be found in the Change Log, which can be viewed online within the Documentation Center portion of our site. All new downloads of the DAZ Studio Pro BETA product (SKU: 12000) will be of this version.
Has the Content Management Service (CMS) been improved?
If you are already using the PostgreSQL based service, no.
If you are still using the Valentina based service, yes it has. The existing Valentina based service is still included and supported, however a new PostgreSQL based service is proving itself to be much more stable and much less prone to the data corruption issues that many have experienced in the past. The new PostgreSQL based service has also proven to be somewhat faster.
With this new solution, there is no longer a need to start a service that runs in the background. Normally, the PostgreSQL server starts when the application starts and stops when the application stops; unless another application, like Install Manager, is connected to it - in which case it will stop when the last application connected to it closes. Explicit control to start the service is provided via an action [in the Content Library pane option menu] and a button [in the Smart Content pane] without ever needing to leave the application. Explicit control to stop the service is also provided via an action [in the Content Library pane option menu].
To help get you up and running with the new PostgreSQL service, we've added a separate package in Install Manager that will automatically migrate any existing data from your Valentina database; you simply install it after the PostgreSQL server is installed. We've also included an "Import Metadata from Valentina" script with the Built-In content. The amount of time required to migrate the data will vary depending on the amount of data you have and your system specs.
*Note: While the PostgreSQL server is installed, Install Manager will not install any data to the Valentina database.
What is the Application Improvement Program about?
It's about improving the DAZ Studio user experience. Support tickets and bug reports provide important clues as to the needs of you the customer, but they are only hints. This improvement program will allow us to to "see" how the features of DAZ Studio are actually performing and where users are getting hung up.
If you choose to participate in the program, the statistics we will collect are anonymous and contain no personally identifiable information. We respect your right to privacy. That said, if you choose not to participate, we respect that too.
We encourage you to participate. In doing so, your use of the application will have a greater influence on where we focus our efforts.
Has the Genesis Starter Essentials, the Genesis 2 Starter Essentials (Male/Female), or the Default Lights and Shaders packages been updated too?
"Genesis 2 Starter Essentials", "Genesis Starter Essentials" and "Default Lights and Shaders" have not been updated beyond what is already currently available with the previous beta or general release.
*Note: Install Manager users are notified of product updates when they occur.
How do I get the latest version?
If you have previously added the DAZ Studio Pro BETA product to your account, launch Install Manager, log into your account and type "DAZ Studio * Public Build" into the filter field to filter out anything else. Then simply download and install as you would normally.
*Note: The current version of Install Manager has a new Public Build download filter that is disabled by default. You must enable this download filter to see packages in your Ready to Download list that are tagged PublicBuild.
Optionally, you can locate, download and install the BETA from the Product Library [once you are logged into your account] by entering "DAZ Studio Pro BETA" into the text field near the top left of the page and clicking the "Filter" button, or by clicking here. Then, simply click the "download & install" button.
If this is your first time downloading DAZ Studio Pro BETA, simply follow this link, click the "Add to Cart" button on the page and then follow the checkout process.
*Note: This BETA version is not available as a standalone installer. It must be downloaded and installed using Install Manager. This does not impact the General Release, which will be made available through Install Manager as well as a standalone installer.
Can I have the General Release and the BETA installed at the same time?
Yes! You can have both the General Release and a Public Build (as well as a Private Build, for those involved in that endeavor), of the same major version, installed at the same time. Please be aware that the settings for each of the builds are stored independent of each other. This includes mapped content directories, layout, style and style colors, among many others.
What about the plugins I have?
The DAZ Studio 4.5 SDK has not changed in any way that causes it to be binary incompatible, which means that any plugins created for a previous version of DAZ Studio (4.5.0.114+) should continue to load and function with this build. That said, as with any new release, there is always the possibility that a plugin has had bugs fixed or features added, so the latest versions should be downloaded and installed if they are provided.
Plugins that are currently built/produced by DAZ 3D will provide a separate package specifically intended for the Public Build. 3rd party plugins that DAZ 3D creates install packages for will be updated to allow simultaneous installation into the General Release and the Public/Private builds. These packages will display as "Product Updates" within Install Manager once they have been updated.
Is there any documentation?
Yes, there is. And we're actively working on more.
Check out the User Guide and QuickStart Guide that we've posted in the DAZ Studio 4.x Documentation section.
The Reference Guide is also in the process of being populated/updated.
*Note: Some pages are still being built. If you see "permission denied" for a page, that page is not live yet.
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
...NM, found what I was asking about.
Thank you for the continuing updates and improvements!
...so question, does this install to the Public Release Beta location or the General Release one?
Public beta location.
...thank you. Good to see the Bryce bridge fixed.
I love this fast release cadence. Keep it up.
T H A N K S.
Did anyone else have their Beta shaders wiped after installing the .56 hotfix? Looks like all of my Iray BETA shaders are gone. Also testing out odd behavior with emissive meshes with & without photometric profiles loaded. getting hyper translucency on lightly translucent surfaces that render correctly with photometric lights sun sky & HDRI. Still investigating.
I was going to have a look at the new beta, but when trying to connect for the change_log, CloudFlare keeps showing "docs.daz3d.com" as being offline (Host error).
Installing the Beta does not affect your content directly at all, but the only library that is listed in the Content Directory Manager in the Beta version is 'My DAZ 3D Library', the default DIM install location.
If you have your content in a different location, then you will need to go to Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager and list your content libraries there, under BOTH formats, Poser and DAZ Studio.
All of my IRay shaders were installed to the default 'My DAZ 3D Library' and they are still there in the Beta version as well.
I get a driver crash with this version. - see attached image.
with 4.8.0.55 everything renders fine (tested on same scene)
The beta content was updated to remove the files, and they were rolled into the main Default Lights and Shaders (mostly) and the Genesis 2 Starter Essentials (for the male and female presets). If you hadn't installed the beta content update until you installed the new beta application that may have removed the files if you hadn't updated the base content. Installing the updated base content should restore them.
Hi,
I have been creating some custom shaders in the "Shader Mixer". (Iray)
One of the shaders is for mixing texture maps. I have used the "Clamped surface Mix", which allows for up to 16 mix materials, each material having its own weight map.
I have started just with 2 texture maps / 2 weight maps.. I then add a "Texture Tiler" for each texture. These are then added into a "User Parameters" brick.
With the Textures and Weights I can access the "parameter settings" while in the Shader mixer, so can set the "name", "Label" and "Path", so in the DS UI these are in correct place. But for the "Texture Tiler" bricks there is no way to access the "Parameter settings" in the "Shader Mixer", so no way to preset there position for the DS UI, and the 2 "Texture Tiler" setting in the DS UI become combined. (see pic)
[note: I have found a workaround for this, but it is a bit of a pain]
Is the "Texture Tiler" bricks "Parameter settings" option missing from the shader mixer for a reason? or is it an oversight?
They are combined 'cause they share the same label. For each User Parameter expand each node and double click on the interior node's title to show the Parameter Settings, just use unique names. Then re-apply shader.
Also I would point out that the "Texture Instance" bricks already have the ability to be individually tiled through the "Image Editor.." so you probably don't need two "Texture Tiler" bricks anyway.
Ah, right, I missed that. The other bricks have a little cog wheel you LMB click to select the parameter settings.
Thank you.
Ah, something else I had missed.
Again, thank you.
I am a bit slow these days, too many senior moments.
Hello again,
I have seen that "Light Portals" are possible in Iray, will that be added to Iray in DS?
Another question if I may.
Custom MDL?
I see there is a custom MDL in the shader bricks, but with only an output, no inputs, and I can see no way of changing that (to add custom inputs).
There are multiple custom MDL in the various example shaders, but how where they created? Is the Iray SDK required? or can we create them somehow?
Thanks.
The Custom MDL brick is mutant. When you set the "MDL Callable" setting the brick updates and show inputs and outputs exposed by the script referenced on the "MDL Callable" field.
There are a number of sample MDL shaders in "C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4\shaders\iray\nvidia", which you can drag and drop (1 by 1 >:( ) onto Shader Mixer, doing this will create a Custom MDL brick for you with proper inputs and outputs.
Also if you got more interested go to the MDL Handlbook
HTH
...I still wish they'd have used the Carrara Shader Room model. I understand that.
Hi jag11, thanks for the reply.
I have been playing a little more.
Yes, I have seen and used (some of) those. I was looking for a way to create custom brick so only had correct input/output.I will read when I have time, but I get withdrawal symptoms if I do not have regular polygon modeling session.
update / edit:
removed by user.
will test further and then submit a bug report depending on the results
So let me get this strait. daz went back and made 4.8 a public build again to fix a few things. If that is right, i guess i'll have to use the piblic build for now. I did notice that when i was rendering it was taking a long time to render. i mean i know when i use a certain light set, it slows down some, but not as bad as it was a few moments ago.
You don't have to install or use the Beta version if you don't want to, but you can have both versions installed on the same machine, the Beta version installs to a different path.
You can read what was fixed in the release notes here : http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/57264/ The Bryce - DAZ Studio bridge has been fixed, but nothing in the 3Delight renderer that I can see.
There were changes made in the previous release version 4.8.0.55 which made 3Delight faster if anything for most people. Are you using 3Delight or IRay? IRay is now used by default
3delight i believe
If you go to Render > Render Settings, it will tell you the name of the render 'Engine' near the top of the window. It is set to 'NVIDIA Iray' by default. You can select 3Delight from the drop-down menu there.
Hello,
The "Firefly > Nominal Luminance" was fixed for the default sampler(at least up to now), but for the "Architectural Sampler", the Nominal Luminance stops filtering(working) after approx 60 iterations.
An update (4.8.0.59) has been posted to the General Release channel. The General Release announcement thread has been updated to reflect the update; see the Change Log for details.
-Rob
So, the release version is now more currant than the public build, and we shouldn't run the public build at all?
So, the release version is now more currant than the public build, and we shouldn't run the public build at all?Correct. :)