reorganizing content and smart content folder

golem841golem841 Posts: 127

Hello there,

could someone be kind enough to point me to a good tutorial on content management in Daz Studio ?

Specifically on a way to put things where I want without getting the dreaded blocky things that appears when dsf (or duf ???) are not found. This thing is the equivalent of a BSOD in windows. Nor the litany of cliking on "texture not found", when loading an object for which Studio is unable to find them by itself.

I plan to stop my subscription to Eon/Bentley Vue/TPF. Because, for my humble use, it's really too costly, it went sky high with time.

Once upon a time, long time ago, there was a really good bridge between Vue and Poser : is such a thing is too complicated to implement in Dz Studio ???

At Eon, they do have a content folder which is much more simple to use than the one in DAZ Studio.

In studio, finding a specific plant is a real mess. For instance, when I pick a tree, the content folder goes back automatically to the props "root", no pun intended, so trying to make a small landscape is extraordinarly time consuming, one must go back to props/landscape/plants, for each "planting", that provided it's in the "smart" content category.

Outdoor stuff like rocks, haybales or whaterver, are scattered in all sort of sub sub folders, and when it's not "smart contented", then one spend hours browsing the whole content folder.

It may be done on purpose to train our aging brains ?

I must say that vegetation, exept from a very few people, like Howie Frakes, are not as realistic as in Vue/TPF, making close ups shots acceptable with a big amount of DOF and the scattering distribution system do not permits to obtain slight variations for each plant. Ok, I know that these programs are for real different purposes.

Is integrating a simple terrain generator too complicated ? the Carrara one is very limited, but it could do the interim job.

Now a bit of jokes  :

In Vue you click drop object and the aforesaid object drops on the next lower object : you can easily dress a table that way : you drop the table on whatever floor you chose, then ou drop plates and silverware, than you drop food : magic !

In studio everything is supposed to drop to floor.

Maybe "l'art de la table" is that different between a french born software and a US one ; but I will not dare infere that eating things dropped to floor without plates is customary in the US !

I had the opportunity to go dine in fine Michelin restaurants (it's my daughter job, so we were invited ...) in DC and NYC, I've never seen that food was dropped on floor ; even in middle west burger joints, they do have tables and plates, even if  linen "serviettes de table" are replaced by the throwable paper model.

Are Salt Lake people THAT different ?

 

Comments

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 97,179

    The Smart Content pane will refresh when you chnaeg the selection with Filter By Context selected at bottom-left - you could try turning that off, or use the Categories section of the Content Library pane if you are in the Files tab of Smart Content.

    Drop to floor is literal, one alternative is to use the Align pane (the first item selected is used as thw anchor, other items are moved relative to that; it works on bounding boxes so not a universal solution, for example if the table has a modelled-in back plate then items would be aligned to the top of the back plate rather than the table surface).

  • DMaxDMax Posts: 637

    I had the exact same question: How do you DS experts organize your DAZ item inventory?
    I only have 1050 items installed but I am already getting frustrated with not being able to easily locate some stuff which greatly reduces my capacity to utilise them.
    Even with Smart Content, some items are not in their "ideal" location while others are in subgroups under the names of the designer, etc...

    One example: some of my buildings are in >Architecture while others are in >Sets or >Scenes... they should really all be in one "branch" and subdivided into smaller "twigs" instead of being on other "trees".
    Another example: I just located "FSL Tactical Shaders" in >Environment >Backdrop ?? And "Dforce Starter" in Scenes>Samples ???

    How can one move products around to one's preferred category/subcategory and will it ultimately mess up with the installation?
    Will Smart Content pick up on the manual changes?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 97,179

    Right-cick on the files, or a folder in the Content Library pane, and select Categorise then add it to the category you want to use by checking it in the dialogue.

  • DMaxDMax Posts: 637

    Right-cick on the files, or a folder in the Content Library pane, and select Categorise then add it to the category you want to use by checking it in the dialogue.

    All the necessary files of that product (materials, shaders, morphs, etc) will automatically move along with it?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 97,179
    DMax said:

    Right-cick on the files, or a folder in the Content Library pane, and select Categorise then add it to the category you want to use by checking it in the dialogue.

    All the necessary files of that product (materials, shaders, morphs, etc) will automatically move along with it?

    If you use a folder in the Content Library pane, yes.

  • DMaxDMax Posts: 637

    If you use a folder in the Content Library pane, yes.

    Got it! I shall try moving things to a proper order via Content Library > My DAZ 3D Library! This is going to be quite a game changer!

  • golem841golem841 Posts: 127

    Is it allowed to create folders with new names ?

    For instance for my specific needs : Props/Outoor/Vegetation -trees

                                                                                              -bushes

                                                                                              -grass

                                                                                              - debris

    Should the props sub folders be distributed in specific character folders : mainly Gen 8f & m ?

     

     

     

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565

    You can create any categories you like -- I prefer to make mine outside of Default, but you can make sub-categories of the Default categories if you like.

  • golem841golem841 Posts: 127

    You can create any categories you like -- I prefer to make mine outside of Default, but you can make sub-categories of the Default categories if you like.

    Thanks, time to experiment !

  • DMaxDMax Posts: 637
    Hylas said:

    That's a very handy tutorial, thank you!
    Now... how am I going to begin reorganizing over a 1000 items... but the more I hesitate and put it off, the bigger the problem shall become!

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