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Update and a BIG THANKS to everyone who chimed in with possible fixes!!!
I got all the updates installed (and even longer list now that there were several Genesis 9 updates). Here is a general explanation of what I did, and some thoughts along the way, hopefully it will help anyone else with similar problems in the future.
I thought jbowler was on to something with the permissions issue, since I did change the username on my login a while after initial computer setup. I checked the permissions, and everything looked OK (I'm a member of the administrators - so that "should" be OK). So I thought I'd try the advise provided by johndoe_36eb90b0 - it worked! I copied the files to a backup folder just incase It didn't work. I used cut/paste (because I'm lazy) and noticed when trying to paste the files, I had to give administrative permission (I assume the permission was needed to delete the original file). I installed the updates for DS, Measure Metrics, Dynamic Clothing Control, and the new update for Genesis 9 Starter Essentials (I tried to install the updates normally before deleting the .zip and .dsx files, they all failed). This is where it got weird. I tried to instal the DIM updated filters, and as expected, they wouldn't update. So I deleted the .zip and .dsx files, then the filters installed as they should. Then I tried to install updates that had previously failed (without deleting their .zip and .dsx files), and everything installed as it should. The new updates also installed as they should.
Totally unexpected behavior. I can't see why the updated DIM filters would suddenly make the other updates install without deleting the .zip and .dsx, but that seems to have been the key. Especially since updates that previously wouldn't install now worked flawlessly. I'm baffled as to the real reason, but everything is working, and should I have problems in the future I know how to "fix" them. The funny thing is that it was looking like a permissions issue, until after installing the filters update made the problems go away. Definitely the computer gremlins at work!!
Thanks again to Richard, jbowler, and johndoe_36eb90b0!!!
I was reading the Daz Studio change log and I can't but notice that the developers seem to be putting in an exorbitant amount of time on a (new) New Scene dialog and in-app notifications, and it also seems like there will be store integration in the Daz Studio as well (store search is mentioned).
So... I am genuinely curious... are there really Daz Studio users who have been asking for those features and even if there are, how come they are such a big priority?
1. New Scene dialog -- if I am not mistaken that's the place where people spend the least amount of time in the program? Like, aren't we all starting from a blank scene or some template scene we already made?
2. In-app notifications from the website -- I might be in a minority, but I really, really despise things that pop up and demand my attention while I am trying to do some work and it seems there will be both a sidebar and (if assuming you can hide that) also a footer for those notifications. Just.. why?
3. Store integration and search -- It seems to me that we are witnessing an introduction of a user interface dark pattern designed to blur the distinction between owned content and the content which is "just a click away" if you pay for it. That's predatory behavior pure and simple.
Ask anyone here and chances are they will tell you that neither of those 3 things deserve any attention given the amount of long-standing bugs and issues with animation, dForce, lack of the latest Iray features, and so on.
There's only one word to describe what's happening -- [removed].
Well, we haven't seen it but it does sound as if it might add some useful features - but I would suspect part of it is aimed at helping new users to find their feet. With luck we will just be able to click through if/when we don't want its features.
These have also been added to DIM< though they don't seem to have been used much if at all.
That is gross overstatement. It wouldn't be the first time there was store access through DS, and the rest of youre comments are a jump based on a guess. I'm sure daz would like to encourage sales through DS - they are, after all, what pays for development - but the change log gives no real insight into how they will work.
I am just worried, Richard -- I have seen enough similar changes in other products and services before to have a good hunch as to where this could be going. I really hope I am wrong and you are right this time.
Then there's also lack of communication from Daz -- sort of like some public Daz Studio roadmap (there are threads asking for it, but nothing official was ever published to my knowledge).
For example, what happened with migration to Qt 5? Is that still on track? Wouldn't that be a priority before designing (new) New Scene dialogs or any other new UI elements for that matter?
There is also no clear roadmap for when new Iray feature updates will be integrated.
I do understand the need for monetization, but in my opinion you first need people to want to use Daz Studio before you can sell them something to use in it.
Judging by what little there is in the changelog over the past couple of months, the effort seems to be focused solely on gaining new customers instead on keeping the existing ones who would serve as a free advertisers / product evangelists / if the long-standing issues were fixed. This way Daz is alienating existing customer base, and if they manage to get new customers those will also leave as soon as they learn about all the product shortcomings. At best, there will be some short term profit (good enough for C-suite to collect their bonuses) until new users realize they were had and then it will be all over for Daz.
Again, I really hope I am wrong on this.
I'm near the front of the line for people asking for updated information, but DAZ Studio in its current form is far, far from crippled. It's still an awesome program for most people – especially for free – and as has been mentioned before, it's not their focus, the focus is the content.
The transition to QT6 is ongoing as it's necessary to building DAZ Studio 5. QT6 is how the user interface is constructed, so as they transition more into QT6 you'll see more things in the changelog related to the updated user interface. It's not a matter of concentrating on QT6 instead of the UI, they're mostly one and the same.
My thoughts are that with fewer things showing up in the changelog for verson 4.x.x it most likely reflects that we're getting closer and closer to DAZ Studio 5.
I honestly can't imagine that very many new customers download DAZ Studio and purchase content ever feel they'd been "had" because they don't feel they're getting new software features on a regular basis; DAZ's product is and always has been the content, not the software, and for people needing more than the current version of DAZ Studio, they've provided bridges to other software and the users here have pitched in to make transitioning to other software even better. I especiallly can't imagine anyone feeling like they've been "had" when the users here contiue to amaze me with the work they produce daily in the forms of both stills and animations.
As far as transitioning DAZ Studio to a subscription service, I don't ever see that happening. Their whole business model is built on selling assets, made easier by providing free software to use those assets. To stay in business you need new customers to buy your asssets; the odds of someone downloading a free DAZ Studio and playing with it is far greater than if they see a subscription software. More people will download and test interesting, free software than will download something that they'll eventually have to pay to subscribe to. They will lure in more people with free software; I think that's undeniable.
That said, once they do play with DAZ and are hooked at how easy it is to make cool images, they spend money on assets. That money that they might have made from a smaller group of new customers on subscription fees they will still get from a larger pool of new customers spending it on assets, their real product.
If you're not spending $5 or $10 a month on a subscription you're going to spend it on assets; either way, they get our money, but with free software they get it from a larger number of new customers, and part of that money goes to the content creators to keep them fed.
As someone already pointed out, they *do* have a subscription service for their actual product, the Platinum Plus club; the beauty of that is that even though you usually save money on an ongoing basis with minimum purchases and extra freebies, it's optional.
For what it's worth, I also can't see them ever having a cloud-based software/rendering system as their only option; they already have their hands pretty full just getting DAZ Studio 5 out the door and the forums running.
-- Walt Sterdan
The canaries are now 21 iterations ahead of the public beta.
Any chance of updating the public beta, please?
When the canaries stop choking and croaking, I expect.
That is a valid point! :)
I guess they survived.
This is what I see in the new beta (4.21.1.104) when I select File/New. In the main area we have a bunch or templates to choose from. I haven't tried any yet. They seem a bit disorganized, with Render Settings, Scenes, and lights kind of jumbled together. We have a big notification (ad?) panel on the right and a store panel on the bottom. The store panel was slow to load for me. but populated after 10 seconds or so. I've been having intermittent internet connections today, so that may be affecting it.
The new New is explained here https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/654951/new-scene-workflow-in-app-notifications-daz-studio-4-21-1-91
Thanks, I hadn't seen that thread at all. I did look at the hightlghts thread, but it was still just a skeleton outline when I looked.
>Added support for the “Iray Handle”, “Enable Iray Matte”, and “Iray Ghost Light Factor” properties on basic camera types when NVIDIA Iray is the active renderer
Oh, does that explains why Iray mattes (shadow catchers) weren't working? At least they weren't working for me, haven't checked yet with 104. Is the HDRI ground fixed too? (It didn't catch shadows either.)
Every Warning in the log has a reference to someone's Development folder. Is anyone else getting the same?
2023-10-21 07:02:35.057 [WARNING] :: C:\DAZDevel\Hudson\HUDSON_HOME\workspace\NB_DS_Dev_cmake\src\sdksource\cloud\dzcloudtasknotifier.cpp(184): Failed to download output file "C:/DAZ/connect\data\cloud\1_14226\people/genesis/characters/james for m5/00 morphs.duf.part"I can see where they are going with the new new and the freebies in the bottom pane are welcome. I can see the recent tab being useful at times, but the others are unpopulated for me except for my default scene as DS is set to not log on and I never use favourites. it would be nice to have the option to skip straight into my preferred default scene as before.
It sounds like a content issue, submit a bug.
You can as soon as you click File - New or press Ctrl+N press Enter to speed it up.
I am afraid I do not see any of the templates. I just have a placeholder-type icon. Underneath adverts for products from the Daz store to the left Jay's tutorial ad. I have re-installed Daz twice already and no templates appear. I have downloaded the zip files and tried to install them from the zips but to no avail. I am stuck am I doing something wrong why did the templates install correctly from the DIM ???
Could you please add a screenshot of your New Scene dialog.
I assume you downloaded and installed the templates zip IM00013176-44_DefaultTemplatesForDAZStudio421?
Those "free" assets there are for us to be kept (AKA Freebies) or they will work only if loaded from that pane and will disappear after a while?
They are like normal freebies.
The templates are a separate package in DIM and need to be installed. The freebies have been free for a few weeks already. I didn't see any new ones there.
For me both of those options launch the new window. I'd like to be able to skip that entirely and open my saved default scene.
I hadn't seen the ones marked 'lite' before.
Where do you find the templates zip? They do not show in Install Manager or in my products library. Thanks. Oops found em.
Interesting... But how can I check the related license? I don't want anything that got an editorial license on it.
Just select any item, it will bring up the store product page which has (should) all the info.
The path queried is pointing back to the relevant section of the source code, so not much use to us but potentially infroamtive for the devs if a bug eport is required. The failure to download the .part file (which isa temp file that later gets decrypted to make the actual content file) would be a problem with the content, or possibly metadata.
The point is that hitting entre will immediately clopse it with the default action - a standard new scene, which can load content if you have that set in Edit>Preferencs>Scene tab. So, it is an extra hit of the enter/return key but it doesn't require finding and clicking a button, which should minimise the interuption.
This actually addersses an issue that came up earlier in the week, where someone wanted to use the Headlamp to light their scene but didn't want it relfected - at the time all we could offer was switching the headlamp off and parenting a light to the camera. It is expanding the range of items which can have the Iray Advanced Node properties assigned, it isn't (as far as I know) making any changes to the way the properties work.