Save a complete Character after completed

leo04

I apologize if this has been answered in another thread but in my search I was unable to find what I am looking for.

I have created a character. I have all the morphs settings where I want them.

I have created the skin of the character using the Skin Builder. Makeup, all of it. I am happy with this but now I want to save the character so I can merge it into any scene and there it is all complete and everything.

I have done Save As.. for the Scene and others listed there and what I get it lots of files created in all kinds of places and in folders I would rather they where not created in.

In addition to this, every time I open this duf model, it creates a whole new set for surfaces for it in the "roaming" folder...and that is also fustrating me.

I want all of my character's specifications in one folder, not in the DAZ folder system but on an idependant drive.

I want all the skin surfaces to be created and used over and over not created new every time I open the character's file or a file the character is used in.

I tracked down all the skin materials in the "roaming" folder and copied them into the folder I have the "duf" file in and then applied them to my model, saved it and closed it.  

Upon reopening the model, all the skin materials I put in place were again replaced with a newly generated material from the "roaming" folder.

This is not how I would like this to work. I would like the model to use the skin that I assigned to the parts of the model in the folder where that "duf" file is.

I would have expected the "Save As..." to "save" all that stuff and the file be stand alone, but I guess that is not how it works. That's okay but I also would like it to keep the settings and materials "saved as" I saved them.

Can anyone give me any advice or help with this?
Please keep in mind that tho I have been doing this for some time now I am still very inexperienced with the software and how it works or what all it can do and how.

Thank you for any assistance rendered.

mjc1016

You will ALWAYS have the textures copied into the temp folder (that's probably the folder you are seeing in 'roaming').   That is perfectly normal, they are being optimized for rendering and kept in a central loaction accessed by the renderer, along with any other temporary render files. 

If you put the textures in your content library Runtime/Texture/name/product folder and loaded them from there, that is where they will ALWAYS be loaded from (or any other folder, really...but that is the expected default location, it makes things easier to start there).  For consistency and compatiblity  purposes, they are NOT saved in the same folder as the duf preset file (of course, if you put them there to begin with and load them onto the surfaces from there, then that is where they will stay).

To be 'portable' you need the files in the /data, <whatever preset> and /Runtime/Texture (or where you loaded them from) folders.  Ideally, the /data files will be in Daz/figure/your name/morphs.  The preset should be in either People/Figure/Character/your name or /Preset/your name.  Textures were listed above.  <Your Name> will be what you listed in the Author info when you installed Studio (it also appears on the General tab of the Preferences...along with an Edit button).

kitakoredaz

There are many options to save , for each purpose. I believe, you hope to  save as "character preset"  .,then you can apply the character mat and shape, for  different scene Actor ,, (  though it need to be same base figure  to apply preset,, you can not apply genesis characer preset,  for genesis3) , or you can load new Actor of same shape and mat,, .too.

about skin builder,,I believe,,  it use LIE , then it make layered texture in Loaming directory,.you mentioned.  if you copy and paste these generated texture from  "Loaming"  to your decide directory,,and re-apply each texture again in surface tab,, shader parameter,, after that, save as  "character preset",, the character preset  usually keep the path of  texture in new location, I believe,,,not path for loaming directory.

if it not worked,,   you might delete cash file, which stored in temp, then re-assigin  pasted texture,, or re-name texture and assign them to your character,, and save as character preset, should work.. (sometimes or often ds can not reflesh  texture file which you modified,,  then we need to delete cash, or rename them  and apply them,  to load texture  correctly)

or you may buy script,, http://www.daz3d.com/lie-baker , to save those temp LIE image. it auto-generate mat file too.

(from the discribe,, and Dragon storm is vendor of skin builder too,,then it should work ^^;)

And if you discribe,, which base figure you used,, and  which save option, you need to know,,  more clear,, we can advice more detail.

And I believe, you may no need to save your modified texture in runtime directory. it is only need for vendor to keep

rule . (each vendor change directory , it may cause difficulity,, )

But . if you use texture and character for your purpose, you may not care,, where you stored textures. I have never seen

any problem about it. you can save texture with same duf. (or make texture directory, with duf ).

But I recommend, you  make new root directory, then assign it content directory manager,, to  manage and separate , other files.

leo04

Thank you I will try what you suggested and let you know how it turns out.

Drunken Duck

Create a sub folder by right clicking on the my library in your window tree. Name it whatever you want then save the scene. The character should be saved as you have it. Works when I do it.