Smart Content for not very smart people? :)
mambanegra
Posts: 586
So, I have moved everything, and none of the content links up with where DS thinks it should be. So, I've never used "Smart Content", since...well, to me it wasn't very smart:)
Obviously, though, if I get more connect stuff, I'll have no choice. So, I'm open to changing my evil ways and conforming to the DS way with a really big gotcha: I have no interest in reinstalling everything (don't have disk space for the redundancy, nor do I care to deal with the mess if I decide I hate the new way).
Is there a way to add the "Smarts" back into my content to match where it stands?
I've seen categories, and it probably would have been great if I hadn't already spent a ton of time organizing stuff for poser (and then translated that system over to DS when I switched). If I can write a script to write some files to allow me to import that information, that would be great. I just need to know what the format would be and how to load the data into DS. Is there something like that? I guess I could hack the PostgresSQL DB...but I'm guessing there is a frontend way to do it. That said, the regular Smart Content stuff looks to be more effective if it works like it seems to be described in the manual and I would prefer getting my reconfigured with that, if possible.
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Comments
Smart content has never been useful. How can it provide a answer to this type of question: I want a western scene, so what clothes have I got that are appropriate (Western, Steampunk) then which figure are they for? That works ONLY with categories.
That is the first problem...moving stuff BROKE the metadata that drives the database (and maybe more). Smart Content is only as smart as the metadata, and with it broken, it's not going to do anything. There are ways of moving stuff AFTER, but it needs that initial 'default' location to register in the database. And yes, there are editing tools...especially if you are using the Postgre CMS. Or you can create all new metadata. Not easy and not something that really can be done without manually doing it.
I'm not sure which of those would be easier.
That said, you can create custon folder wide categories and then divide them even finer...(this is probably the easiest option).
Maybe someone can create some metadata editing tools that allows us to fix things the way we want them?
Well...LibreOffice can edit Postgre database and presumably the meta data. I haven't tried it yet...
Sorry for the brief reply, I'm a bit tired but here are some things you should know.
1. Make sure that any metadata you create doesn't re-use an existing UUID, product SKU or store name as the metadata you get from DAZ.
2. Only use "user data" metadata for these kinds of updates, anything that is saved out and reimported as a dsx for a product typically is reimported with a flag saying that this is "vendor" supplied data. When metadata updates happen (like say, when you first connect to Daz Connect and it fetches all of your metadata) all of the vendor metadata is swapped out for the new stuff that Studio just downloaded.
3. Directly editing the store metadata in the database, while possible is very dangerous and entirely unsupported, so if you break it you get to keep both pieces.
4. There are tools built in to Studio to allow you to "import" a directory tree from content library and use it as a base for a custom set of categories so that is probably going to be a better way to get your hand-sorted files in to the database to begin with.
So, can anyone point me in the direction of this feature? I'm looking through the context menu for the "Content Library" tab, and I see a number of options, but the description on the actual dialogs isn't clear and I don't want to randomly run some long job that won't do what I'm looking for (I ended up doing something last night that wouldn't stop even though I tried telling it to stop many times. I'd prefer not to do another one of those:) )
Go to the folder you want to create a category from in "Daz Studio Formats" or "Poser Formats", right click on the folder and choose Create Category... > And Subfolders.
This sounds easy enough. But, when I do that, I get tons of categories, but none are associated with anything. Did it actually create associations between content and the new categories, or did it simply create a bunch of categories? I'm currently using 4.9 and as best as I can tell, it simply recreated the folder hierarchy as categories and didn't associate any of the items contained within...which...well, IMHO is pretty useless. Activity monitor doesn't show DS getting any CPU hits, so I'm not expecting this is a background process that just takes time. It did take a minute or two to parse the folders and generate the empty category tree.
Mambangera it seems almost same of my case.
Yes it just make empty categories. but I can not assgin or categorize any file for the foolish empty categories.
I really do not like about these changes. I have no plan to use DAZ connect etc, but if it work about meta-data update,
I may hope so. but now simply think all Smart content or DAZ connect etc just kill my time .
Actually ds 4.9 broke my hand made categories of many files, and my organized meta-data of product which daz have not offered us.
I really feel ,DS 4.9 is worst case which I have experienced about DAZ.
I often get problem when DAZ up-date DS. And most of case, there is no fault for me.
DAZ just cause problem when they up-date DS, about user content organization.
Not sure why it isn't working for you. I just tried it again in 4.9 -- I go to Content Library > Poser Formats and pick one of my Runtimes, right-click and create categories, and all the content shows up in the newly-created categories. I tried it with Daz Studio Formats and that also works.
Well, maybe it is a bug and not intended behavior. But, the results are the same to me. Are your files in the same place as they were installed or did you completely rearrange them? I'm also on a mac, which could be a difference between our system, and might be why they didn't catch it in the beta if it is a bug. I suspect a lot of Mac users are avoiding iray altogether due to the lack of GPU options there.
Ok, so I am on a MacBook Pro running 10.11.2 (will be switching to newest later today). I am also pretty new to both Categories and Smart Content. I have to admit, Mike needed to walk me through it, but I did have some Pose folders I had created that contained sub-folders, so I used this as a test.
1. When I created the category, by right-clicking the intended folder in my Content Library,it asked me if I wanted just the folder or the folder and sub-folders and I chose the latter; it then asked me where I wanted to put it, so I chose the Pose folder>by function>actions.
2. When I then looked under Categories>Poses>By Function>Action, the pose folder was there along with its subfolders and the expected contents; nothing more or less. I also went to Smart Content and unchecked "Filter by Content" and found it there, too.
I am not sure why you are having the result you are getting.
I'd also like to say to others in the thread that I have started using Smart Content as of 4.9 and I am pretty convinced now that I will be using it a lot more. I was pretty impressed with how it works. One thing I found was that I was looking for a particular product I had installed and when I double-clicked on the product, it sent me straight to the readme. I'm going to be reading more about how to use this properly. I know Daz has made huge improvements, so if you tried it and didn't like it, or never tried it, I would really recommend trying it out.
@Chris
you say, and recommend ds 4.9 smart content is great for you.
and said you that "I have started using Smart Content as of 4.9"
OK? I have used Smart Content as I like, from DAZ offer it as named "Smart Content " in ds 4.5 or before.
with many category user_data, and Original product meta-data.
and There is almost no improvement actually. it just change style withou DAZ connect things.
You could directly access "read me" from smart content > product as same as in ds 4.8 by double click the icon.
the problem is DAZ often forget to up-date the "read me"
and You could see all items in Content library>product without filter by context.
to be honestly , there are improvement about only meta-data installation way,and the actuall meta-data ,
but it is not about improvemenat of Smart content self.
And I hope to Clear about smart content merit compare with Content lbirary.
it just add "compatibility" as new filed of each file data record. actually it is only merit of smart content.
then to use it for serch items with "category"
if you need to use it without "compatibility" = "no context filtering"
you actually need not use Smart content, just use Content library>category. as same as before.
it is perfectly same with smart content >category. why it means progress, or so amazing ?
About ds 4.8 we could choose Smart content, or Content library as we need.
We may choose, perfect reliable Content library directories and categories (user need to tweak if there was not)
it will show you all files not only for DAZ shop contents with right meta-data. if you find the directory, or simple category base.
but without "Smart filterinng by compatiblity" named as "smart content"
Smart content get meaning only when user need compaitbility base filtering and serching.
but it work only about DAZ product, and offered with real product meta-data. or we need to make them by my self.
(by user_data, or product_data to see them as same as daz shop product, in smart content>product section)
Now In ds 4.9. it seems to force user to use smart content as default tool with DAZ connect up-date (meta-data)
but actually it will confuse user who use Smart content and Content library at same time,
and choose them, with knowledge of both weakpoint and merit clear.