Re-Organising Similar Content
marble
Posts: 7,500
I would appreciate any ideas on how to re-organise content so that similar assets can be filed together in the Content Library.
1. I don't use Smart Content
2. I don't like the Categories sub-folders because, on more than one occasion, I've spent hours (days) creating categories only to lose them completely after a DAZ software update.
3. I do use DIM but I don't use DAZ Central. I am happy to install products manually but that is usually how I install content from other stores.
4. I have been copying duplicates to folders which fit similar descriptions (e.g. outfits that have separate shoes, underwear, etc.). This is taking up a lot of disk space and is not very satisfactory.
Preferably I would like to be able to create links - something like symbolic links you find in operating systems - however, one script (Create Asset Links) that was suggested might work like this does not seem to do anything at all.
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You can create links to assets from the Content Library with a right-click on one or more files. You will be prompted to "Selct a Base Destination Path" dialog. This is a library level path that will reproduce the full tree from there to your selected assets.
I tried the script, but it is not obvious what to do. I selected the assets in the Content Library folder of interest, then ran the script from the Script IDE (copy it somewhere on you computer and open it, then execute). It created the links in the expected folder. The advantage with the script is that it works recursively with folder structures, so you won't have to do one folder at a time. Just pick the highest level you want, and let 'er rip. You might want to start small to get a feel for it.
Anyway, those links can then be moved and/or copied anywhere to any library location. They only use 1KB each, so you won't even notice the space used.
I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly. When I said in my OP that the script does not seem to do anything I was actually doing what you suggest here. I picked a .duf file and found the right-click menu "Create Link for Asset" and when I click that a file explorer windows pops up so I select a folder where I want to put the link - but nothing appears in that folder.
Update
Ah, Ok - I see it now. It created another tree in the specified folder. Still not sure how to select folders though.
For DAZ products, I install with DAZ Connect when possible. All files are installed in separate product folders by SKU in your user defined DAZ Connect folder. DAZ Connect does not install anything in DAZ Studio Formats library. You do that by creating links/shortcuts to populate the DAZ Studio Formats library in any folder structure that YOU prefer. You can even build the folder structure via Windows OS in the DAZ Studio Formats folder tree before creating the links/shortcuts within DAZ Studio. Just refresh your DAZ Studio Formats library to update the folders structure. You need to have the Smart Content Tab and DAZ Studio Formats library on separate pane to populate the DAZ Studio Formats library with links and move the tab after finishing. I've attached a picture of a working setup for creating the links/shortcuts.
You'll run into a couple of issues.
1. Some products won't work when installed via DAZ Connect, typically scripts or some product has some special characters in the product icons and they don't work (a few pose products I've ran into.) I install those using DIM into a separate DAZ Studio Formats library. The Smart Content tab will show the product where you can create the links/shortcuts into your "Work from" DAZ Studio Formats library.
2. 3rd party products you can continue to install manually. I create DIM installers with metadata using Content Package Assist and install with DIM.
3. Multi-figure products, such as hair, can be a challenge to decipher what files are for which figure using the Smart Content Tab because those products aren't typically categorized by figure. To assist in separating the product by figure, I "Browse to folder location" to see the folder structure by figure, ie: G8M, G8F and place an x in front of the folder name I want to block those files from displaying. Refresh Smart Content and those figure's files will show "missing", but you'll be able to display the files for the figure you're working on. Links/shortcuts will not be created from the "missing" files so you can grab visible and missing files and shortcuts will only be created for the visible files. This blocking and unblocking folders within a product helps identifying what is what when creating your links/shortcuts. When finished with a figure, I change the x to a z and unblock the next figure. After finishing with that product, I unblock everything allowing all files visible in Smart Content and the DAZ Studio format library.
I even go the extra mile and re-categorized those products by figure so they show separated on the Smart Content tab. ie: Hair/Genesis 8 Female/ then the typical subcategories of a hair product. Make sure to create new support files for these products and Export User Data regularily.
Using links/shortcuts to populate your DAZ Studio Formats allows you to create alternate libraries easily. For instance, I have a Bundle folder when I create links/shortcuts for each Bundle and it's products. When each bundle is complete, from the Windows OS, I COPY each product into to their final folder structure ie: People, Hair, Poses, etc. You can do the same for a theme folder structure.
BTW, if you have Poser format products that you buy from DAZ3D and can see them in the Smart Content tab, you can create working links/shortcuts to populate your DAZ Studio Format library. Ironically, the attached picture I had created long ago shows creating links/shortcuts with a Poser product, but concept is the same with a DAZ Studio product.
As products are updated via DAZ Connect the links/shortcuts will be up to date too. The only drawback is if the update involves a folder structure change. You'll notice this when your DAZ Studio Formats library show broken links. With a little sleuthing you can figure out the product and update the links accordingly.
Try a few products to get a feel if this is the way to organize your product library.
As I said above, I have been avoiding DAZ Connect (DAZ Central??) mainly because I like to organise content myself, not how DAZ thinks it should be organised. However, you make some interesting points so I'll take a look. Obviously I buy from other stores too so that's extra work to try to fit those products into the DAZ Connect scheme but then I already install those products manually anyway. I'm also wary of something that requires me to be online and connected - I really do not like the idea that something or someone has access to my disk space all the time I am online.
Yes, that is what I meant by library-level folders. The entire folder hierarchy will be reproduced in the folder you choose all the way to the root of the original. I would suggest making a parallel tree to create the links (they are just simple text files with the path to the original) so that you can easily find them.
To run it on folders, just leave the folder selected in the Content Library when executing the script, not the individual assets. It will take everything below it, and rebuild the tree above it. If you select, say, the /Environments/Architechture/Ansiko folder, it will make a new /Environments/Architecture/Ansiko folder in the destination you choose, then make a folder for each one under Ansiko, then links for each asset in each of those folders.
Maybe I'm missing something here but if I click on (highlight) a content folder I do not get the right-click menu option to "Create Link for Asset". That right-click is the only way I know of to run the script. When I originally downloaded the script I couldn't see what it had done but then I noticed that right-click menu option. But that is only available when I have an asset selected, not a folder.
Load the script into the Script IDE tab, not the right-click. I presume the script was created because the code for Studio does not support the option for folders. So, select your folder in the Content Library, switch to Script IDE with the script loaded in the editor, and press Execute. Done! You obviously can't run the script from the Content Library, because that changes the selected folder. Maybe from a custom action on the Scripts or Favorites menu if you will use it a lot.
Unlike DIM and DAZ Central, DAZ Connect only installs into the DAZ Connect designated folder and displays on the Smart Content tab.
DAZ Connect does not install any files into the DAZ Studio Format library.
YOU do that by creating short cuts, into the DAZ Studio Format library folders YOU create.
YOU control where files (aka links/shortcuts) show up in the DAZ Studio Format library folders.
Just think of DAZ Connect as a way of installing content into the Smart Content tab purchased from DAZ3D store and notification of product updates.
Smart Content tab is the source for populating your DAZ Studio Formats library with links/shortcuts. You never need to use/look at the Smart Content tab once you create links/shortcuts into your DAZ Studio Format library other than to check for updates.
Nothing gets installed into the DAZ Studio Formats library unless YOU put it there with links/shortcuts.
Put this script in your content library (where you like), right-click the script and Create Custom Action. Then you can access the script from the Scripts menu.
For using the script, select the folder in Content Library for which you want to create links. Then run the script from your Scripts menu (the custom action you created). It will create links for the selected folder and all its subfolders and duplicates the structure for that. Note that the script doesn't interact with you. When started, it does its job in background, creates the links and exits, you see this when it refreshs the view of your Content Library pane.
By default, the script saves the links to a folder "Generated Asset Links" in your first mapped directory. If this folder doesn't exist, it will be created by the script.
The content installed through Connect is aggregated into the virtual Daz Connect "content directory" immediately under Daz Studio Formats (and Poser Formats) as if it was in a single folder.
This is not what you want to hear, but even so I'd still suggest looking into the smart contents pane. For the simple reason that it can provide you with exactly the thing you're asking for.
Now, this pane and its contents are far from perfect. Don't be surprised if you come across a vendor who thinks that the best place to propagate their item is directly within one the main category folders (like "Props"). You know... the folder which will list all your props from every. single. subfolder, in my case an easy few hundred different props (if not way more)? Yah, good luck finding that one asset in there. And to add insult to injury: because that location was designated by the product itself I can't "just" overrule it either and move it out of the way.
Of course there are still plenty of options to fix such incompetence (pardon the harsh words, but IMO that's truly what it boils down to in this particular case): I can easily add other (or new) categories to an asset and then find my items like I always would: in one of the specific sub-folders. An example... if I want to start with a scene based on Genesis 3 I simply go to Figures => Genesis from where I pick one of the default figures, in this case Genesis 3. Quickly done. Then, with the figure selected in my scene pane, I either hop over to Presets => Characters (my own doing) or I can also go to Materials => Feminine / Masculine and pick out a suitable character from there. The advantage here is that I don't just pick out a character, but I also have immediately access to all other optional presets (eyes, skins, nails, etc.).
Now, I definitely agree that this process can take some time to set up (though most of this example got automatically set up by default); but it can be worth it. Not to mention that it's actually quite easy.
Also.... you don't have to rely on the default categories either.
Normally all package contents gets propagated under the "Default" root category. It's quite easy to create a new custom root category of your own and then bring in every asset in exactly the kind of subfolder(s)s which you want to use. Right from scratch!
I know, this isn't what you're interested in. But... because the categories are fully virtual you can tweak and move stuff around as much as you'd like without any risks of corrupting your Daz library, which is a serious risk if you start to mess around with the files on the actual file system. The problem here is that you may not even notice that stuff is amiss, but as soon as you install product updates, or want to remove a product, then you may run into serious issues later on.
"When in Rome..."
Now, don't get me wrong here: I'm not claiming that the smart contents will be the answer to everything. Despite having used Daz Studio for many years myself and despite having spent a lot of hours over all those years to customize, update and improve these categories (for example by adding 3rd party assets)... despite all that I still use both "content panes" side by side: so both the smart contents as well as the content library.
But most of the time I can find anything I want within my categories.
Maybe food for thought?
The reason I avoid the Smart Content (and any other auto-generated Content hierarchy) is because I have gone so far down the personal organisation route that switching to any of the automatic methods will probably require a complete Library re-install. Just looking at some of the suggestions above is pretty scary to me and I'm tempted to think - "stay with your own imperfect system because change will be very painful". My impression is that I would need to start afresh to then be able to generate all the links I would prefer. That's a daunting prospect.
Not that sure if re organizing content is similar to Carrara but there i've sorted it for figures only.
So i've took every textures for V4 and created a folder named V4, than created a folder with the figure name (like Allyson, Katie and so on) and put the textures inside that folder.
Normal Daz sorting adds the folder from Vendor too, i don't need/want that.
I do the same with clothes but here i even don't need the Figure model as i mostly remodel the clothes for a better fitting, for example Scoopback Mini Dress doesn't really like big breast size and looks a bit odd, that's what i modify to let the dress look more natural around my character and then render it.
The same method can be applied on every dress i've got and it can be fitted universal to every figure.
So my sorting goes to Textures/V4/Name of Figure/
Or if it's the figures itself than V4/Name of Figure
Genesis/Name of Figure (and so on).
Yes, quite similar to the way I do it too other than I leave alone the placement of textures because the path to them seems to be hard-coded to the ~\runtime\textures tree. Otherwise, I group character content together under the Figure sub-folder. I group landscapes and architecture together under Environments whereas PAs don't seem to be able to agree on whether they belong there or under Props. I have a separate Shader Preset sub-category just for IRay to keep those shaders apart from all others such as 3DL. I also have further sub-categories for IRay shaders grouped under headings like Metals or Fabrics, etc.
Of course, this means moving stuff around after the DIM install and that has become part of my installation routine but I just wondered whether there may be a more efficient way of doing it though I might have painted myself into a corner now and am stuck with that routine.
I've found the best method to be copying the physical links and placing them in a folder, sure they take up a bit of space, but I have plenty. I delete ones I stop using, or move as needed.
I even have some in multiple places, to suite my convenience.
I'm not sure what you mean by "physical links". Do you mean the actual files from the install package? If so, that's what I do too - I move those to folders in the Content Library which I have organised to suit my preferences. I have a reasonable amount of space - much more since my old HDD died and took with it all my old - pre-DIM - DAZ content (V3 and V4) which I just have not bothered to replace because I haven't touched it in years. So I bought a new 2TB NVMe SSD to store my remaining content which is about 1.2TB.
Yes, I too have files in multiple places but that bothered me which is one of the reasons I started this thread.