Warning: New Purchases May Not Work With DAZ Studio 4.8
ColinFrench
Posts: 649
Today I bought a new clothing item which will not work in version 4.8 of Daz Studio. Daz support confirmed the issue:
"Hi Colin,
I just installed and tested in 4. and it is definitely a 4.8 issue. Updating to 4.9 should fix the issue.
Jared"
Yes, technically the product page lists the "Compatible Software" as DAZ Studio 4.9 but it's unusual to cut off support for the previous version so quickly. Due to various reasons we don't need to repeat here, not all users are jumping on the 4.9 bandwagon.
Unless Daz can provide some guidance about what works and what doesn't, all 4.8 users will now need to exercise extra caution when buying. Be prepared to go through the refund process.
I don't expect a company to provide backward compatibility forever. Actually, Daz has been pretty good about supporting older content. But cutting off users of the previous version of Studio so quickly gives me pause about continuing to buy new items.
- - - - - - - -
I avoided mentioning the PA and item involved since it's not their fault. They developed the product under 4.9 and had no idea there could be an issue or issues which would render it unusable in 4.8. That's something that Daz should have warned them about, assuming they knew about the bug.
For the record, it was the JeanZ product introduced today (http://www.daz3d.com/jeanz-for-genesis-3) and the attached pic shows what happens to it under 4.8. Again, this is not a slight against the PA The3DWizard. I'm sure he is more concerned by the situation than I am.
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
Well to be honest, you should be on the latest version. Besides the fixes that are incorporated to both rigging and iray, nothing is in 4.9 that should keep you from upgrading, including Connect. When the popup comes up asking if you want to log in, simply choose "Work offline" and you're at the same spot as in 4.8. The 4.9 compatiblity is on the page is correct, so I'm confused what the complaint is.
With Nvidia coming out with more fixes to iray and to use their new video cards that are incompatible with the current version, if you use iray, you're going to need to upgrade or you're going to out of luck using products that incorporate those fixes.
Thanks for the headsup as I am still using 4.8 and don't plan on going to 4,9 any time soon, mainly due to things like this
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/104276/ok-i-give-up-how-do-those-damn-categories-in-ds4-9-work#latest
except the older Iray version which I do need for some of my older scene/character files (or have to go through to a LOT of hassle to get them fixed for the new version....)
As such I have 4.8 and 4.9beta installed, not the '4.9 official release' version....
Unfortunately 4.9 doesn't work for everybody. I cannot import my 4.8 library without loosing lots of stuff for example, so unless I want to spend another decade recategorizing everything from the last decade, I'm also stuck at 4.8 for now. :-( I'm also uncertain what content, if any, might stop working between version changes (just in general, as that has happened in the past), others might have similar concerns. Luckily 4.8 is very useable.
It would have been nice to maintain compatibility, but for various reasons (some of which I disagree with, some of which I agree with) the simple truth is it isn't happening. There are unforunately no good answers. You may loose existing (or loose the ability to acquire new) content eventually both by upgrading and by not upgrading, you simply need to take whichever you feel is the least risk given your personal situation.
Not to get snitty on something that really doesn't concern me... but I always get pissed when someone says something to the effect that there's no good reason not to do something. "I don't want to" is all the reason I (or anyone else) needs.
Now, I'll count to 10 before hitting "Post Comment." That will give me time to decide if it's me or the whiskey talking
1 . . . . . . . . 10
Hmmm. I think they whiskey has a vote in this, but it's definitely me talking. I''m going to click that button.
I have the same issue with the the JeanZ using it in DS4.8 on g3f but I will not return the product because 3dwizard is trying to fix the issue. So lets see and wait.
What I do not get is that DAZ changes fundamental things from DS4.8 to DS4.9 while still having the same figures like g3f and g3m for example. I can`t understand why some clothes for g3f or g3m do not fit correctly in DS4.8 while fitting perfect in DS4.9 is there any reason DAZ do such fundamental changes on its versions of DS for the same figures (clothes fitting)?
Maybe we can have the same issues with stuff made for DS4.8 when using it in DS4.9 that is a thing DAZ should work on.
...as well as certain resources for 3DL no longer working. Still miffed that the 4.7 update broke flagging of SSS when using the AoA lights s well as the colour and vignette cameras for the AoA Atmospheric Cameras.
...same here. I just installed the beta to test render times with.
...
Same issue here. I'd easily go up to 4.9 if they reinstate some form of Blue Highlight again. This product also has issues with fitting G3M at the moment from what I've read - and I would only be buying it for G3M - so I was holding off purchasing a little until that got fixed first.
Why exactly 'should' someone upgrade if they wish not to?
+1
No alcohol for weeks; I am however still on the first coffee of the day; I saw red and counted to a lot more than 10 before I posted my reply.
However still there are fixes in 4.9 that solves issues of some content blowing up in 4.8. Still eventually you will need to upgrade otherwise you are going to left behind because of upcoming changes. That point you simply can't argue against.
Remember that, if you have and want to keep 4.8, you can use the Public Beta to get access to 4.9 (currently it really is a beta, but once the latest update is a release version the beta will - based on past behaviour - be advanced to the same version).
Again, I can`t understand why clothe fitting has to be different from DS4.8 to DS4.9, render engine stuff okay, but fitting issues?
And another thing is,who guarantees that stuff that was created for DS4.8 is working in DS 4.9 if DAZ changes fundamental things on clothes fitting for g3f and g3m (what they have done so it seems otherwise it is not logic that the JeanZ fits in DS4.9 but not in DS4.8)
I'm sorry, but I feel that you are insisting they should, without giving any consideration to peoples preferences and entitlement not to do so.
Daz 4.9 offers a number of features that 4.8 does not; people make their own choice based on their own reasons. Each of us determines if the features are worth the upgrade or not.
I'll reverse it and state you should have stayed with 4.8. Not because it is better or worse, but because you should agree with me. (When it's put like that, it isn't very nice, is it?) That is how you post came across to me. My apologies if that wasn't your intention. It would also appear, I am not the only one to think that.
EDIT
For info: I use 4.9, but have uninstalled SQL components. I feel others should do as I did, make their own decissions and act accordingly.
As I mentioned at the top, I was hoping this wouldn't turn into another 4.8 versus 4.9 thread. Can you not just accept that some people have different needs / concerns / workflow than you and respect their decision?
Generally true, but it's a matter of degree here. That is, if I was complaining about something not working in Daz 3.x or 4.2 etc, you've right. But for the immediately previous point release of a product to suddenly display incompatibility issues, that's more of a concern. While companies would love everyone to immediately jump to their latest and greatest incremental version, that's not the reality of product support.
I hope that Daz will join this discussion. Is this an isolated bug that's cropped up or an indication of deeper incompatibilities between 4.8 and 4.9? What should PA's do to ensure they avoid it?
Of course we can argue against it. Stop purchasing at DAZ. Simple. Worrying about 'being left behind' depends on definition of 'behind'.
If I were cynical, which I'm becoming more and more, I'd say it's called nudging people to accept encryption by strongly encouraging them by any means necessary to upgrade to the first version that enables it whether they ever use Connect or not. My uncynical self says it's just one of those things that happens when you change something and haven't tested it sufficiently.
Is there a way, short of having two computers, for a content creator to have the two most recent versions of DAZ Studio installed for testing purposes if they already have 4.9 installed? It's something that I'm considering after seeing this thread is why I'm asking
Well, I certainly want to upgrade to 4.9, it's just that small shader problem with Iray that makes me keep 4.8 for now (and for what I understand, the problem is actually in the Iray version used in 4.8, the newer Iray version is the one fixing the problem.. alas, older content making use of that flawed function in the old Iray version may have been corrected for that flaw....AFAIK, not all relevant older content has been updated to '4.9 Iray')
Same for the 'models blowing up problem' mentioned. I'm not a modeler, so I maybe wrong, but for what I can tell it is again a change in Iray (displacement handling) that causes that, as the problem does not occur (for me) when rendered in 3Delight. I did have that problem with one clothing item, Correcting the problem for 4.9 was setting the min. displacement in the Iray shader settings to zero.
The point being, don't blame DAZ for every Iray related problem, they are dependant on the wims of nVidia for that....
(On a side note, want to experience some more compatability problems between different versions, try Vue ....
)
It's an easy enough fix; many haven't been updated; but select skin under the shader tab (or if prefered skin-lips-nailes) SSS reflection tint is going to be slightly blue; change it to slightly red. Personally I adjust all those till I get the look I want anyway. There may be blue tints elsewhere, they may or may not need adjusting.
I know, but, well, let's say results may vary
(I've not been able to reproduce a near-exact same skin tone/look when rendered, and that is problematic for series of renders with the same characters). Same goes for the characters that do come with legacy Iray setting. Using the same scene in 4.8 with legacy settings and 4.9 with the latest Iray settings, the skintone in the renders is usually quite different...
Only the beta and the production, like everyone else. So eventually 4.8 support will go away. I know some have argued that they can simply stop buying and that is correct, however that's not going to stop the majority of people from upgrading and many already have and that's why the content providers don't have the option of staying behind because they will lose sales by doing so. The only ones that really lose opportuntity are the ones that don't upgrade. It is what it is.
Things do progress and progress generally means things change but it might be nice if previous versions of Studio were available to be used with stuff that gets broken in upgrades and updates. It took me a while to realize DIM removes your previous version if you just download the new one. I would love to get 4.6 back for the AOA light issues just for when the current version isn't going to play nice with 3delight, but I'm not a pirate so I just let it go and compromise. One of the great things about Blender, if something gets changed or removed you have all the previous versions there to fall back on for that tool or feature you just can't do without. Glad I didn't buy Jeanz yet. Hopefully it can be sorted out. It makes me nervous about spending money if what I buy is going to become useless at some point, let alone straight away because I haven't upgraded yet. The reasons people have for not doing so are many and varied and they all seem pretty relevant to me so I won't go into my own...
If you have a 4.8 isntaller (or a DIM zip for the last 4.8 "beta") then you should be able to unistall 4.9 (or 4.9 Beta) and isntall 4.8. The only downside I am aware of is that changes made to the CMS in 4.9 (saved files, or adjustments to categories) will be in the 4.9 tables only and won't show in 4.8 (but the 4.8 tables should be as they were, plus anything isntalled via DIM as far as I know).
----------------------
While support has confirmed that this is an issue with a content item created in 4.9 that doesn't necessarily mean that it is intentional, nor that it will not be addressed as a bug in a forthcoming update. Since we don't know why this is happening in the first place, nor whether it is a general issue or a quirk that affects only this item, we will have to wait to see what develops.