How do you organise your content?

AnnikasArt

I'm coming back to Daz after a long break. My favourite figure to use was Aiko 3 lol but it seems things have come a long way since then. I use to have a runtime for Aiko, Victoria, Michael, etc. Then I had another for places and non character specific props. This helped me find things much more quickly. Now I guess the cr2, pp2, etc files are gone? I'm not really sure what I can put where without breaking anything. Also, I've tried Iray and really like how it looks, so can I remove the 3delight files on things with Iray? I feel like I have a million questions, is there a good beginner guide?

Pendraia

Hi, i used to set up my directories in a similar way. 

Content folders are set up under edit/ preferences

1. You can still use cr2s and pp2s in ds. You will need to set up a content directory under poser directories. I simply link it to my daz library folder. 

2. You'll also need to set up directories under daz content for ds items.

3. You have a number of options once you've set up the directories so ds knows where to find things. 

4. I set up my own categories but that takes a lot of work, currently reinstalling at the moment. 

Pendraia

Some quick screenshots to show where the edit/preferences is, plus to show you where to find the content manager which is on the content tab, and also an expanded version of the directories you need to set.

If you need further info just ask.

fred9803

Similar to Poser you need to leave the texture files and geometry files (called Data in DS) alone and not rename them. As for the people/props etc. you can put them anywhere you like in those folders and re-name them how you wish. Personally I manually install everything because a lot of assets are almost impossible to find in the content library when hidden inside nested vanity folders. Or you could use Smart Content to get around the mess that auto installing makes of your content library.

3Diva

I used to set up custom categories but it was too hard to keep up with since I purchase content pretty regularly, and most of it is new and has pretty good Smart Content metadata (so already much easier to find than older content). If you don't purchase much content and/or use a lot of older Poser content then it might be worthwhile to do custom categories. If however you mainly buy newer stuff it's mostly already set up in a pretty intuitive way in Daz Studio. Between Smart Content and the category folders it's not hard to find the products you want when you need them. :)

Nyghtfall3D

I install everything manually.  Here's a breakdown of my process:

1. Download content to a central Downloads folder, into an assigned sub-folder for maintaining backups

2. Copy zipped content to a Test folder and re-organize as desired, removing all vendor vanity folders

3. Move re-organnized content to main Library and happy rendering

xyer0

I use the Products folder [Content Library > Products] in which every product is alphanumerically listed. With rare exceptions, all the files can be found thumbnailed therein. If not, it's back to the legacy folder method, though I've only had to do that a few times. I do category folders for my 3rd party products. 

McGyver

Nyghtfall3D said:

I install everything manually.  Here's a breakdown of my process:

1. Download content to a central Downloads folder, into an assigned sub-folder for maintaining backups

2. Copy zipped content to a Test folder and re-organize as desired, removing all vendor vanity folders

3. Move re-organnized content to main Library and happy rendering

I do basically the same, but I keep some vanity folders since it's sometimes easier for me to find stuff that way(it depends though)... also, it's not always happy rendering... there is often a lot of cursing and mouse slamming.

Cybersox

3Diva said:

I used to set up custom categories but it was too hard to keep up with since I purchase content pretty regularly, and most of it is new and has pretty good Smart Content metadata (so already much easier to find than older content). If you don't purchase much content and/or use a lot of older Poser content then it might be worthwhile to do custom categories. If however you mainly buy newer stuff it's mostly already set up in a pretty intuitive way in Daz Studio. Between Smart Content and the category folders it's not hard to find the products you want when you need them. :)

Er... the problem here is that this assumes that you only buy products at DAZ that are correctly set up for smart content.  Unfortunatately, that's not the case by a long shot for many of us with large libraries... who are, needless to say, the ones who are most in need of organization.       

Cybersox

One other thing that I haven't seen mentioned:  when I'm working on a project in which the same assets are used frequently (as in a comic book, continuing ad campaign, series of book covers,) or if I have a group of items that I constantly use together, like a collection of skin or hair shaders, I'll create a custom content folder specifically for that collection of elements.  At the same time, I'll also create a custom Presets folder for things like specific wearables, kitbashed assets, custom figures, groupings of figures, modified environments, etc., and list those in that custom content folder.  Not only does it save a ton of moving back and forth looking for things like a specific foot pose for a certain shoe, but it also makes for a convenient memory jogger if I just want to quickly reference what was done on that project without having to actually load up the original scene or presets files.        

nicstt

I install everything via DIM.

I create folders for items i use regularly, that the user facing files get placed in.

Smart content get's left the hell alone, as does anything claiming to be 'smart'.

tsroemi

I've started to use different processes side by side and find this a good compromise in many ways. Figures, lights, and effects are all in the main library and installed via DIM. Shaders are in a separate library, which I install manually because I really do hate the shaders presets folders, and I don't need them to have smart content meta data (so I delete that). Props are split up in categories like nature / plants, interiors, food etc., and then also installed manually. I'm gonna split a separate folder system from that I think, with stuff I rarely use which can therefore be offloaded onto an external drive. Clothes and hair used to be in the main library as well, but I'm not sure if I will keep it that way. There's many clothing textures I want to delete, and DIM has this nasty habit of remembering everything that was once installed. 

fred9803

Same here tesoemi.... I make a temp folder in the content library where I put copies of the resourses for a project. As they are just copies, I delete the folder after the project is finished.

JOdel

Manual installer here. I split up my content into seperate content libraries. I compartmentalize, so there are several dozen different ones. 

The 1st screenshot is of most of them. There are a few additional ones for gen4 figures and one for the Poser content that came with my old version of Poser as well. The 2nd screenshot is of the inside of one of the libraries. As you can see the Studio content and the Poser content are both installed in the same library. In Studio's Content Manager, the library is entered twice the 'Content-Sets Natural' is entered in the DAZ Studio content listing while the runtime folder is entered in the Poser content lisiings.

I do have to switch between the Studio and Poser content to find things, but that's easy enough to do as necessary. It's easy enough to remember where I put things.