Digital Art Zone

I installed Daz3D a while ago and only now am finding the chance to work with it and get to know it.  I am new to Daz3D and 3D in general (well the creation of).

When the software loads, I come to a screen that tells me 2 plugins (animate2 ($59.95 to buy and decimator $99.95 to buy) are no longer working because im outside the trial period.  I’m guessing my problem has something to do with this.  But clicking on anything at all in that screen is troublesome at best.  I wind out having to click it’s red X to close it. 

Ok so now i get the startup screen that has buttons to video’s, etc.  (its a pop up).  Everything highlights as I hover over it which seems to imply i can click and things will happen, but the video links do nothing, the close button does nothing ... nothing works except the red X to shut it down.  Ok so i click the X.

Now the software finishes loading and I have my greyman figure and the right side flyout with shaping tab instructions open.  However, to follow the instructions it says select the shaping tool THEN a part of greyman ... i can click everything in the screen but NOTHING happens ... selecting the tool, menus, tabs, options ... NOTHING happens when i click and i cannot open the flyouts on the right of the screen.  It’s like the software is there but not there ...

ok so 1. what am i missing?  do i have to buy and install these plugins?  If so how’s the software free? lol but 2. whats the difference in these plugins vs. other paid packages or carerra, etc ... i’m so confused.

NOTE: I have tried a fresh install from a fresh download and still ... same trouble.

Thanks.

First of all, Animate 2 has always been a paid for plugin, there is a version of it given away free with DS4P called Animate Lite.  As you may have guessed it is used for animations.

Decimator cannot be given away for free by DAZ 3D becuase of contractual obligations.  I have it becuase I had to buy DS4P when it was fist released, but I hardly ever use it.  It is mainly for reducing the poly count of DAZ 3D models for use in Gaming or very large scenes.

The software is called DAZ Studio, it is the company that is DAZ 3D by the way.

The greyman is the fairly new Genesis figure, which can be morphed to almost any shape.

You should have a tab called ‘Scene’ which will show you what is in the Viewport.  If you cannot see it, go to Window > Tabs > Scene, and it will load.  It can be docked anywhere, and the next time you load DS4P it will be where you left it.

What Operating System are you using, and what version of DS4P (version number in Help > About DAZ Studio)

You don;t need either of the plugins for DS4P to work properly, that is not your problem.