Connecting New Content into DAZ Studio 4 Pro so program "sees" it..Please Help-thank you
TrainGy2010
Posts: 0
I recently purchased some new content (poses, materials, etc) from a web site called, renderotica.com. (I'm using Windows & it's a 64 bit system).
Originally I was graciously advised by Wendy to, "copy the folder called runtime and paste it in my Daz studio content folder under library in documents usually..."
I see several folders, however, with DAZ Studio 4 content & I'm confused as to where to copy these runtime folders to.
There is the Program Files folder, Program Files (x86) & then there is the original files created after I unzipped the original zip file for DAZ Studio 4 Pro.
I did not see a "content folder" or a "library" folder in either DAZ folders under in the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders. So, I just pasted the runtime folders in the DAZ Studio4 under both Program File folders. I had two different runtime folders, so I renamed the second one "runtime 2" before I pasted it. Maybe that wasn't necessary, but I figured it would not hurt. I pasted these runtime folders in each DAZ Studio4 folder under both Program folders (Program Files & Program Files (x86)).
When I opened DAZ Studio, however, I could not see the new content in any of the menu categories.
Am I totally way off course here? Am I close? I thought I was, but I don't know what else I can try.
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You should only have one runtime folder. Every time you unpack a zip to install content, you'll find 'runtime' and a bunch of stuff under it. Your OS is smart enough to merge that with the existing runtime, if you drop it into the 'content' directory. If you install stuff to 'runtime2' or whatever, there's a good chance Studio will either not see it, or not load it correctly if it does see it.
I'm still running DS3, but my structure looks like: [programs]/DAZ3D/Studio/content/runtime
You might want to wait for someone who's running DS4 to point out the default path for it, because I think it may have completely changed.
HI
ALL of the Daz Studio "Content" goes into your "My Documents / Daz3D / Studio / My Library" folder
NO "content" should be placed into your Program files or Program files (x86) folders.
.
Inside the "My Library" folder,.. you;ll find a "Runtime" folder.
Unzip y new content to this folder, or Unzip it into a New folder on your desktop,. then check the contents of that, and drag the contents into your My Library / Runtime folder. (Make sure you don't create another Runtime folder, within the main Runtime folder)
Delete any content from the program files folders.
Unzip your new content into your My Documents / Daz3D / Studio / My Library
.
Hope it helps :)
Thank You. I appreciate your help
Ah-ha! That helps greatly. COOL!!! Thank you loads :)
Actually my Library folder goes: Documents / My Documents / DAZ 3D / Studio / Render Library (instead of MY Library).
Nothing was under Render Library yet, so I unzipped my new content folder & had it placed in the Render Library.
This created a Runtime folder.
The second content package, I copied & pasted the contents within this newly created Runtime folder.
That should do it, right? :)
No no. Render Library is where your renders (= pictures you made using DAZ) will be stored. It is empty because you did no renders yet. There should be a My Library folder, in the same folder as Render Library ( .../ DAZ 3D / Studio / My Library). Create My Library folder, then copy & paste that runtime folder into it. I am a bit startled that you do not have My Library folder. DAZ Studio 4 comes with some content (like Genesis) after all and that content should be in My Library folder.
HI TrainGy2010 :)
No,. that's not right.
you should have a folder called "My Library" (this is created automatically when you install Daz Studio 4, and it's the default location for all of your content and also includes the "Default content" that comes with Daz Studio4. ...So, it should be there.
The "Render Library" is a folder for saved images you render in Daz Studio. ...It's NOT a "content" Library.
If you don't have the My Library folder it most likely means you changed the defaults when you installed DAZ Studio. Go to Edit>Preferences>Content Library and click the button at the bottom, Content Directory Manager.... Under Current Directories you should have a line erading DAZ Studio Formats with a + next to it - click the +. Now, what folders do you have listed there?
Just one:
C:/Kens Stuff/New Folder (2)/New Folder
Just one:
C:/Kens Stuff/New Folder (2)/New Folder
Then this should be where DAZ Studio is going to look for installed content in your case (your equivalent of the My Library default folder). I would first check if you have DAZ content installed in there. If yes, and if you can see the items when you open DAZ Studio as well (for example Genesis loads and some basic clothes for it etc.), then it should be fine and this folder should be the one in which you must put the runtime with your purchased items. Look if you have a folder called "runtime" there. If yes, put your purchased things there as already explained before.
Then this should be where DAZ Studio is going to look for installed content in your case (your equivalent of the My Library default folder). I would first check if you have DAZ content installed in there. If yes, and if you can see the items when you open DAZ Studio as well (for example Genesis loads and some basic clothes for it etc.), then it should be fine and this folder should be the one in which you must put the runtime with your purchased items. Look if you have a folder called "runtime" there. If yes, put your purchased things there as already explained before.
COOL! I DO have a runtime there, so I will load my stuff there. I'm so happy!!! Thank You so very much:) Have an awesome evening
I do not wish to be a pain BUT, TrainGy2010 with your custom install of DS4 and the content path not being the DEFAULT path I just want you to know this. ALL the installers you download will need to be pointed to your CUSTOM content path for them to install properly. All Daz exe's will need to be pointed to your content folder. All Zips will need to be pointed to the same folder also.
If you do not wish to have that problem I would install all your content to a default DS4 folder. Just my two cents. It will be easier to move things after you learn how it all installs.
So, I guess the two installs I got from the DAZ site, 12992_GenesisEvolutionHeadMorphs_1.4_trx &
12994_GenesisEvolutionBodyMorphs_1.3_trx need to be put in the custom content path. Under runtime?
Nope. The way I see it your content path for DAZ items is the folder above Runtime. That is one reason to not do custom install's. DAZ content need's to be in My Library and the Poser content need's to be in the Runtime under My Library.
Untill you understand the differance a STANDARD install path is the best. The Installers are made for it and will default to it. No Opp's will happen just because you did not install properly.
BIG EDIT Let me be very blunt. The Program DS is not going to change but you will learn how to change it and then do wonderful pictures with it. The only thing that can change at your will is the content. You can put it any place your system can find it as long as you tell the program DS to find the content where you put it. That is great. But if you never learn HOW the content installes in the default folders you will never understand how the files should be set up. That will lead to you buying items that never work properly because you installed them wrong to start with. That gets old very fast.
I never modified my DAZ Studio untill I had used it for over a year. I still messed up after that. As a new user I strongly suggest a DEFAULT install of DS and all the content. Once you learn how the DAZ and Poser file systems work then you modify. Not before.
Then this should be where DAZ Studio is going to look for installed content in your case (your equivalent of the My Library default folder). I would first check if you have DAZ content installed in there. If yes, and if you can see the items when you open DAZ Studio as well (for example Genesis loads and some basic clothes for it etc.), then it should be fine and this folder should be the one in which you must put the runtime with your purchased items. Look if you have a folder called "runtime" there. If yes, put your purchased things there as already explained before.
COOL! I DO have a runtime there, so I will load my stuff there. I'm so happy!!! Thank You so very much:) Have an awesome evening
So, I've done all this, but when & where do I start seeing the new contents listed in DAZ? The quick reference shows a menu tag called, "My Stuff" on the left side. I don't have that. Is there something else I need to do to get at my new contents?
I concur with Jaderail's advice,..
Keeping things "standard" makes a lot of sense if you're just learning. as these 3D programs can be confusing enough to learn without starting to customise the way that you think they should work.
Your Daz3D "Content" should ALL be installed into a folder called "My Library" which is normally in (My Documents/Daz3D/Studio/My Library)
Poser type "content" Should normally be installed into a Poser style "Runtime" folder structure,. and for those users who don't own Poser. Daz Studio has a "Runtime" folder which should be inside your "My Library" folder.
Most Daz 3D installers which include "Poser" type content, will automatically place the product into your "Runtime" folder, when you select your Daz Studio / My Library folder, as the installation location.
If you mess around with these folders, or place contents into different folders, then you'll find that things don't work as you expect them to.
Hope it helps :)
I just installed DAZ again. I see that the installation process picked the content location-I didn't. It was not under libraries-it was were it had been installed before. This time I set the content install location to the Library folder. There is NO folder called, "My Library".
I don't know what else to do here. I thought I was getting close to getting this thing working, but it's just a confusing mess at this point.
I have no such folder called, "My Library" anywhere. When I installed this program, I never changed any of the default settings.
Stupid I was stupid not you!! I missed the error.
Ok, it's official documentation time:
How to Download and Install DAZ Studio 4 (Mac)
How to Download and Install DAZ Studio 4 (Windows)
Content Configuration in DAZ Studio 4
Content Install Path for DAZ Studio 4
That's all the relevant docs I could dig up. Hoping that points you in the right direction.
Okay I do not understand why you do not have a My Documents folder on your PC. I'm Win 7 and 64bit and I have a My Documents folder on my PC. But I noticed you kept saying you UNZIPPED the archive. The ZIP version is for MAC! You should download and install the PC version. The installer will end in exe. The Mac version will not install properly on a WIN system.
I've heard rumours that some of the PC content has started migrating to zip files, so this may or may not be accurate. Also, I'm pretty sure the OP is talking about content from a third-party site, which would be zipped, unless I'm confusing him with another new user with content issues...
Oh, wow! I was wondering why you thought I had a MAC. So, I downloaded the wrong load:(
Okay-let me install the RIGHT one then :) Sorry-that was ding-bat of me
I am at work right now & not at my home computer that has DS installed.
I DO have a My Documents folder. I'm saying I never see a My Library folder created under that folder (My Documents) or ANYwhere for that matter.
I'm uninstalling the DS I have entirely & I will try installing it again. (for some reason the last DAZ 3 folder in my programs list won't go away-keeps saying it's open somewhere, but it's not. I'll reboot & see what that's about).
I thought we had discovered something-I was wondering why you thought I had a MAC. I have Window 7, 64bit & I'd copy & paste the exact name of the file I used to install DAZ, but it ended with a "win 64 bit.." I don't think I installed MAC software then. I downloaded the windows version & it was a zip file.
TrainGy2010, you did not uninstall cms and not delete 'dzinstall.ini."
did you?
I think you only uninstalled "daz studio 4 application".
if you want to install with "defalut setting",
you may need uninstall not only "daz studio aplication", but also "CMS",
then you may need to delete "dzinstall.ini"
I am "daz uninstall mania" so, I uninstalled 4 times before, but when I reinstall daz studio again,
he keep my install (for contents) folda everytime . yes, it is not default "mylibary"
but the folda is my default folda .and installer tell me that.
Because ,"dzinstall.ini" record your install setting.
If you appointed " c:// programs/ contents" as daz contents folda ,before,
your installer will indicate "c:// programs/ contents" as defalut contents folda.
So you can not see "Mylibrary" as default location for your daz contents.
when you install.
If you try to uninstall cms and delete "dzinstall.ini" read this.
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/20779763
2 or, you need indicate contents floda manually. DAZ studio diffault content path
and I recommend read manuals ThinMIck told ,carefully,before everything you try again.
Although I agree that accepting the default path would have been easier, I'm not sure that reinstalling isn't going to complicate matters further. In fact the installers would have remembered your non-standard path (for the most part) and you wouldn't have had to keep redirecting them. Because reinstalling DS doesn't reset the content database it's likely that your Smart Content pane is going to show lots of bad reference markers, as it will still be looking in the old location. I'm not sure what is going to be the best route on from here: is you Smart content folder showing the default content OK? What folders do you now have under the Content Directory Manger dialogue?
I learn something new every day. I had no Idea DAZ had moved to a ZIP for the main install. The only reason I suggested a default setup
Was to help the user in the long run. I found it easier to learn to install products with the default setup first.
first post here people.
here's the easiest of solutions to the problem.
leave the install alone, leave the current folder alone.
most of the installers are smart enough to find the dang folder through cms(content management service). exception is older installers may require manual insertion of the folder name as they can't find the current directories, or don't recognize daz 4 at all.
if they have a pop up of "serching for installed content" cancel it, and just manually put in the folder location.
put a shortcut on the desktop to that directory, so if a program is installing you can easily know where to direct it.
also if you are doing a lot of installs in succession, keep a notepad up with the file path on it.
then if it doesn't automatically come up, just highlight, and ctrl+C(copy), and then ctrl+V(paste) in the box.
a heck of a lot faster then browsing or typing manually.
and for the most part you should only have to copy the first time and then just past after that.
also in vista and 7 sometimes installers get "lost", and the product file(cr2) directs to the appdata folder and not the correct file folder. it's a vista/7 file structure issue. and will drive you nuts at first(especially with a lot of content).
in that situation it's easier to bring up the shortcut, search for the specific product and then just drag and drop it to the folder it's looking fin initally, if you select "locate" for missing content. hold ctrl, as this only copies, and doesn't just move it, as that may cause a whole mess of other problems.
a harder method is editing cr2 files but that's a whole nother beast.
another thing to keep in mind, especially as you are new, that unless the content you are downloading has a meta data file it will not come up in smart content, it will only be visible in content library.
a quick recommendation:
if you down load content without an installer(there are many), create a secondary folder for the runtimes.
i currently have about 7 directories i use for content, keeping each(including the original) under 4.5GB.
why you may ask?
simple i can back up the directories to a dvd and save a lot of headaches if i have to reinstall.
don't ask it's a longer story than i care to get into and is part of my ocd about organization of my computer.
and when you are pushing a TB of content, going through all those installers takes days. not to mention correcting all the misdirected, corrupt and flat messed up files(you will get them even through daz). easier to have the whole library backed up and just copy back and re associate with daz via the content manager.
and if you have installed the meta data files as well, it can come back too.
just have to reimport. right click on the content library and click on content database maintenance. tick the reimport meta data and hit accept. all files with associated meta data pop back up in smart content.
another reason i like to keep them separate is that sometimes installers and zips will over write previous versions of a file.
and then something will gak on you and you'll never find the file you need.
best example is the blmilbod_v4.obj. file.
this is a victoria 4 file, that was supplanted by blmilbod_v4b.(4.1 or 4.2 i think)
they are not the same file, and most content that uses the v4 cant' use the v4b.
learned that one the hard way.
took a couple hours to straighten it out and find the correct file. also the reason i started multiple directories.
the last reason is that if you get into custom categorization(trust me you'll need it), some files literally won't do it if they are in the same folder(sometimes different folders don't even work).
for instance i have the uh-60 black hawk(two versions). one has the side guns, and one does not.
the one that doesn't won't categorize even when in totally different directories.
and no it's not a morph or anything, it's a full figure. just from a different site.
just one of my many wiggy issues as a tech geek.
Happy rendering, and hope that helps.
oh and one more thing, uninstalling the program does nothing to correct this kind of issue.
the reason is that the registry entries also have to be deleted, as well as a couple "hidden" files in appdata.
i'll bet you didn't have to put the serial number in when you ran the install again.
that's why. it also keeps plug in serials and the like in it(may have to reinstall them, but you won't have to input the serials again.
A lot of programs have this somewhat psychotic structure in vista and 7, mostly to protect the user from unintentional uninstalls.
the real result is registry bloat. but i'll leave it at that.