Frustration With a Product Update (SOLVED)

Escribano

I bought this product in June of 2023: https://www.daz3d.com/dd-pbr-metal-grille-shaders-for-iray-vol-1

I used the shaders in a few projects. One of them was a set of images I rendered in January of this year (2024). When I opened the scene file for one of those images today, Daz was unable to locate some of the files used. In particular, the image files used for the shaders in this product.

I followed the path Daz indicated. The directory for the product was still there. The specific image files Daz was searching for (all of which start with the prefix DD_BR) are not there. I checked in DIM, and I see that there was a product update on 6/4/2024. It seems that the update either removed those files or renamed them.

Should I assume that the removal/renaming of those files was an error, and open a ticket? Or was there some legitimate reason for the PA to do it? The product index for the product offers no clue as to what prompted the update.

arioch

Just a complete guess but it may be possible that the artist renamed the DD_BR images to DD_BZ. I see a bunch of jpg files with a DD_BZ prefix but no DD_BR ones. Their volume 2 has images with the DD_BR prefix so it's possible there was a conflict thus causing the rename. Or is is possible you're thinking of the wrong product? I have Vol.1 myself but I don't have Vol.2 and the last time my files were updated was back in December (possibly when I bought them).

 

Hope this helps you figure out the issue!

Escribano

arioch said:

Just a complete guess but it may be possible that the artist renamed the DD_BR images to DD_BZ. I see a bunch of jpg files with a DD_BZ prefix but no DD_BR ones. Their volume 2 has images with the DD_BR prefix so it's possible there was a conflict thus causing the rename. Or is is possible you're thinking of the wrong product? I have Vol.1 myself but I don't have Vol.2 and the last time my files were updated was back in December (possibly when I bought them).

 

Hope this helps you figure out the issue!

Thank you for responding!

The first thing that occured to me was that the files might have been renamed, so I checked that. I made copies of the corresponding DD_BZ files, switched the prefix to DD_BR, and then loaded the scene file and compared it to the render I did back in January. They are not the same image files; they look completely different. I visually checked each of the image files in the directory, and none of them look like they could be the right one, based on my render.

As for the possibility of me thinking of the wrong product, I simply followed the directory path that Daz told me it was following when it went looking for the missing files (see attached image). I ran a search for the missing files Digital Delirium's directory in Runtime/Textures, and they were not in any of the sub-directories, either.

EDIT: I did not realize there was a volume 2 of this product until you mentioned it. I do not own it. I just checked the page for https://www.daz3d.com/dd-pbr-metal-grille-shaders-for-iray-vol-2, and I recognize  the shader I used among the promo images.

It appears that the PA originally included the shader that I used in volume 1, and later removed it.

Escribano

Per the exchange you can see above this post, I figured out what happened. For reasons unknown to me, the PA originally included the shader that I used in Volume 1 of the PBR Metal Grille Shaders for Iray product, then later removed it. That shader is now part of Volume 2 of the PBR Metal Grille Shaders for Iray.

I am giving the PA the benefit of the doubt, and assume he or she included the shader in Volume 1 by mistake, which was corrected with the later update to the product.

I resolved the issue by purchasing Volume 2 of the shaders. It annoys me that I had to spend more money to regain the functionality that the product had at the time that I originally bought it, but it was the fastest way for me to get back to work without additional hassles. When I installed Volume 2, DIM dropped the needed files in the same directory as Volume 1; now I can open my old scene files without having to take any additional steps to sort out the shaders.

NorthOf45

I remember some confusion about the two shader packs. One was an Easter Egg promo from last year, and the eventual product (or the contents) was actually Vol2, not Vol1, or something like that.

PerttiA

The Easter egg was Volume 1, but the installation files originally contained Volume 2. It took Daz quite a while before Volume 1 was fixed.

arioch

I'm glad you figured it out! Yeah as the others have mentioned, and now I recall, there were issues with the Easter Egg product, resulting in the shaders being divided into two products. It seems you found the "sweet spot", so to speak, on using the shaders and them being removed from Vol. 1.

Escribano said:

Per the exchange you can see above this post, I figured out what happened. For reasons unknown to me, the PA originally included the shader that I used in Volume 1 of the PBR Metal Grille Shaders for Iray product, then later removed it. That shader is now part of Volume 2 of the PBR Metal Grille Shaders for Iray.

I am giving the PA the benefit of the doubt, and assume he or she included the shader in Volume 1 by mistake, which was corrected with the later update to the product.

I resolved the issue by purchasing Volume 2 of the shaders. It annoys me that I had to spend more money to regain the functionality that the product had at the time that I originally bought it, but it was the fastest way for me to get back to work without additional hassles. When I installed Volume 2, DIM dropped the needed files in the same directory as Volume 1; now I can open my old scene files without having to take any additional steps to sort out the shaders.