Digital Art Zone

I read a comment somewhere on these forums suggesting that DAZ were switching from EXEs to ZIPs for PC installers. (That’s PC as opposed to MAC, not PC as in Platinum Club, just to be clear!)
But I can’t find the thread again, and I don’t recall whether it was an informed statement (i.e. by a DAZ rep or admin), or a guess by a forumite.

I know that many of the older products’ EXE installers are being replaced with ZIP files.
I know that many of the MAC installers are also now in ZIP files, not SIT files.

So what’s the low-down on this then? Are we moving to a one-size-fits-all ZIP download?

P.S. And were those metadata installers really spurious, as several of us always suspected? (you know, the 5MB EXE files that installed about 20KB of files that seemed identical to files that the main installer had already installed.)
Edit: just found a comment from chohole here indicating that the metadata installers are now being incorporated into the main installer (for the product mentioned in that thread at least…)

Yes, DAZ is moving to zips isntead of installers, with an optional install manager for those who want the installer system (which will do stuff like check for updates, too). Older products are being converted first as their Mac installers wouldn’t work on newer systems. There will no longer need to be separate files for Mac and Windows, which is presumably why they didn’t implement a filter for Mac/Windows in downloads.

And yes the metadata installers were always a duplication of the metadata in the installers.

I just downloaded this week’s freebie, and it’s still an exe, so they must have started with the older items…

EDIT, the Mac file is a zip, but it contains an Installbuilder script and archive…

How do I find this week’s freebie?  Yeah, I know - more omega3 plz.

Elowan - 01 August 2012 10:07 AM

How do I find this week’s freebie?  Yeah, I know - more omega3 plz.

Look in New Releases, it’s the one that’s free!

Or http://www.daz3d.com/shop/summertime-grill/

DWG - 01 August 2012 10:11 AM

Elowan - 01 August 2012 10:07 AM

How do I find this week’s freebie?  Yeah, I know - more omega3 plz.

Look in New Releases, it’s the one that’s free!

Or http://www.daz3d.com/shop/summertime-grill/

I got the link from the Newsletter.  Usually I find it under Sales and Promotions in the first couple of items, but this week’s isn’t there…

Got it!  Thnx!:-)

If your a member of the PC there’s a freebie topic you can subscribe to (it was created early on so you need to go back to the last page or second to last page to find it). People are posting the freebie links there to make them easier to find for people

Thanks DWG for letting us know where DAZ was hiding the freebie this week.

Never received my newsletter, and I was searching all over earlier;  Searched “Sales & Promotions”, “Free 3D Models & Content”, and even filtered for “Price” (starting at $0.00), “DAZ3D”, and even “DAZ Originals” all to no avail.

Who would of thought to look for an “older” product being offered as a freebie in “New Releases”.

Guess I am one giant “dumbass”, and I thank you for that DAZ.

Thanks again DWG.  I now know to not abandon my search before looking under obscure rocks…

Richard Haseltine - 01 August 2012 05:01 AM

Yes, DAZ is moving to zips isntead of installers, with an optional install manager for those who want the installer system (which will do stuff like check for updates, too). Older products are being converted first as their Mac installers wouldn’t work on newer systems. There will no longer need to be separate files for Mac and Windows, which is presumably why they didn’t implement a filter for Mac/Windows in downloads.

Oh, thank God—FINALLY!