too frustrated with DS ... Content and using the program in general
daveso
Posts: 6,447
I have no idea what I'm doing with DS. I keep trying to use it, but get totally frustrated..every version.
So now I have 4.9 something ... I'm just trying to download and install new content for G3 ... I have Install Manager.
The content is going somewhere and i figured out it was set to install at my Poser 11 files..so changed it to DS ..but both times it the icons are there, but they have an exclamation mark ..so the stuff is not actually installed. ... and most of my files are like this.
And ... I try to do shaping or morphs... no idea where this stuff is ...
It is why I always go back to Poser..it is so much easier to find stuff in the library, no messing around. This DS is terribel imo.
BUT ...now that I've been buying things, and have seen so many very good renders, I want to use and learn it ... but even after watching videos, i'm not getting it.
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so here is a screen shot..just trying to do guided lessons ... and also note from previous load the exclamatin point icons on right panel.
I'm feeling priced out of most of the content. een buying stuff with PC+ discounts, but cannot control myself and am spending too much.
A lot of the products are too much anyway. It seems prices overall are much higher than before I took a hiatus .. even PC.
So , yea, DS is free, but it surely isn't free.
Plus i cannot take advantage of iRay anyway with my system... would need to buy video card ... and they are too much.
Priced out of a hobby ... so back to the basics. Either learn to make my own stuff, textures, etc, or move on to a new hobby. whine whine whine
And DS is still much harder to use than Poser. I just cant even get the tutorials to work ..or loading the opening scene..it cant find the content and I installed everything stock ... pita bigtime
I totally disagree with you.
With DIM, or Connect, or manually?
Merged threads since they are both addressing content issues.
That typically happens if the folder DIM is installing to is not currently set as a Daz Studio content directory. Where is DIM placing files, and where is DS set to look?
DIM ... i did find that it was installing to a Poser location ..which I changed to where I thought it should go ..to User/public documents/DAZ3d libray .... but that does not seem to work either. the files that would normally install with the program do not work either ... as indicated in the screen shot. Not sure where they are though.
thats cool ..i'm feeling very frustrated at the moment..as usual. so was about ready to cash it all in ... but now too much invested to not get this going.
now i see some folders titled Download and the other Manifest ... not sure exactly how they tie in. these are within the DIM directory.
I just noted the the My DAZ 3D Library folder has nothing in it ... so I have to assume DIM is installing someplace else.
Your problem is how to set-up aprication to install Contents.
then you may need to check document of DIM, (if you use it). and DS need to know the root directory path, to show content in DS contents viewer. You say, you install Contents to poser location, or change it to "User/public documents/DAZ3d libray"
after all, you need to tell, those content root path in daz studio correctly.
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/207531233-Content-Install-Path-for-Daz-Studio-4-and-the-Daz-Install-Manager
And I totally agree your frastlation, DAZ do not know how to offer good document to install their selling contents.
they offer many documents, without organaize to find easy.
I can serch how to use DIM, but in DIM official document, there is no clear discribe, after install contents, how to set-up DAZ studio
to serch content which installed by DIM,, DAZ just believe, they offer documents already, but it is separated and parsed .
and about manything, DAZ keep WIP statusl.
I'd like to offer a few suggestions here to help with the frustrations you have been experiencing. While DAZ Studio can be annoying to learn, patience really does pay off. Look at each thing one step at a time. I for one, don't use the tutorials because they are often out of date with the latest version. Instead, I try out things by trial and error. Things I encounter as issues, I then look to the forums for help, and post my own threads asking specific questions if I cannot fnid an answer that already exists.
The DAZ community here are really helpful, and if you have a specific product causing grief, you can ask the seller (usually an answer within a day or two), or even just search the topic online will find answers. The DAZ forums are not the only 3D forums for problem discussion.
As for price, I think for the quality of items we are getting, prices are okay, some are getting a little high, but be more selective with your purchases. Buy on sale, use PlatClub bonuses, spend at buy 2 get a 3rd free etc. There are also plenty of options available with just the Genesis, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3 freebie characters that come with the program. Learning how to use shaders, apply textures, or alter them, can turn a small repertiore into a huge one.
I'd also suggest, look at purchasing a new computer that comes with everything you need to run the program smoothly. Buying just a graphics card for $250 or more only gets you the card. I don't know where you are located in the world, but I picked up an nVidia, i7, HP laptop that runs iRay beautifully for $800AUD. And that was 2 years ago.
I buy stuff I can kitbash with other sets. Pro Bundles, while higher for an initial purchase, really do make a huge difference with this, as they often have sets of gear/clothing that can be used across all characters.
And if budgets still concern you, there is the Freebies list here (unsupported content, but work well), or there are primitives you can use to make your own items, and then use Shaders to give them a unique look. I hope this helps and alleviates some of your worries. All the best.
I can understand your frustration. I don't agree with it (as in: I can't recognize myself in it) but I can definitely see where it's coming from. It's been quite a while but when I first installed Daz Studio I was annoyed that it installed itself onto drive C while I wanted it to go to D. The installation process itself didn't give me any options to change (which is normally the case) and it took me a while before figuring the whole thing out. So from that point of view I can definitely understand.
But... It helps to try and read up on how to set the whole thing up. Daz can be userfriendly, but it's not "idiot proof" (please note: that's a saying, I am NOT making any insinuations here). But yeah, trying to look for official documentation on how to install DS (see the documentation centre here) ends you with WIP (Work In Progress) material. It's easy to out criticism, but yeah, let's move on....
Hope this can help.
Daz Studio ("DS") is installed using the Daz Installation Manager ("DIM") and there are 3 things to look out for. The location where the software itself is installed (the DIM and DS itself), the location where your main graphical material gets installed (the main Daz content library) and finally your personal library (where your own work and save files will end up). If disk space is an issue then you can optionally also check where all your items get downloaded (and stored) before they get installed.
After you started the DIM (and logged into your account) you'll see 3 tabs. Items ready to download, ready to be installed and items which are installed. Click the cogwheel in the upper right corner, now you get a new screen with new tabs. "Downloads" specifies where software gets downloaded and stored before it gets installed. When in doubt: leave this as-is. Installation is used to configure where the software itself needs to be installed as well as specifying where your content library will reside (so that it can install purchased packages for you automatically). Click the "..." buttons to specify the right path(s). Example: on my end the software path is D:\Program Files, which allows the installer to set things up in d:\program files\daz 3d (which contains DAZ3DDIM1, DazStudio4, etc.). In the section below you can specify the location of your main content library. When in doubt you can leave this, but due to disk constrains I set this to a specific directory myself (d:\media\daz 3d\library).
If everything is set up (normally you can simply ignore these steps and use default values, but it can help to specify 32bit vs 64bit software) then you can proceed with the installation. However... It will help to keep note on where your main content library is located (shown in the "Installation" tab).
After Daz Studio is installed you can start it up. And it helps to ensure that it points to the same locations as the DIM used. This should be done automagically but you know how it sometimes can go... It's been years ago for me, but I also recall that this didn't go easy for me the first time either (I don't know much details though). In Daz Studio press F2, click the "Content" tab and then click "Content Directory Manager".
You'll see 3 main sections. "Daz Connect data" is a directory used to store new DRM based contents. Let's ignore this for now and leave it as default. Daz Studio Formats as well as Poser Formats should list 2 directories at least. One of them being the same directory which was used in the DIM (the main media content library). Ensure that this matches. The other library will be used for your own personal save files and other creations.
When you made sure everything matches you can consider to try a manual (re)import of your data.
Easiest way I can think of: Click on the Windows menu, select panes => Content Library (couldn't see if this was already visible).
Small side step: the content library is one of the most important panes in DS. This will show you your material in the physical location(s) its in. So even if DS hasn't imported anything (referring to the "Smart contents pane") then you'll still be able to browse through your materials here (of course: assuming that everythign got installed in the right folders, and that DS has been pointed to the right locations as well).
Back to my explanation... Right click on the 'Content library' pane itself and then select "Content DB maintenance". Try using "Re-import meta data", optionally you can consider using the "Reset database" option as well.
After all that has ran you should end up with (some of) your items being visible in the smart contents pane.
But as said: at the very least you should be able to browse your material using the "content library" pane.
Hope this can help you get some useful pointers to sort out your installation.
Keep in mind: this is all written ad-hoc and best effort on my part. Always be careful.
thanks..i will see what i can do
Go to youtube and start watching videos on daz studio. I have Poser and started on poser they do not work the same. It is like working with Photoshop and GIMP, both do the same thing but go about it different ways.
Dear All,
H E L P !!!
Its been two weeks since I have downloaded the latest DIM and DS4.9 64bit maually download into new DS4x and all was working well!!
Then after a couple of days of finding my way around the new and improve, liking the ease of using it, DS4.9 decided to up load all my files from account, bloated my laptop memory and now all I have left is ***** 500MB left ( I not very happy about this
)
THUS FAR, I HAVE COPIED MY LIBRARY FROM DOCUMENTS ONTO EXTERNAL DRIVE, BUT ......... I AM CONFUSE AS TO HOW TO CONTINUE SAVING MY OTHER FOLDERS FROM USER/PUBLIC DOWNLOADS WHICH CONTAINS INSTALL MANAGER, MANIFEST FILES AND MY LIBRARY with lots of XML.
I have You Tubed, read and re-read all solutions in forum's but I am still confuse and soooo scared that I'll screw up something - thats already screwed up!
Thanking all DAZ Heads in advance,
Barbz
ps. I was so happy with DS3 and finally upgraded to Genesis DS4 and its been a nightmare since then, and that was 2011!!
DS wouldn't have downloaded the files without being asked to - though you may not have realised you were asking. By default the Connect downloads will be placed in your Documents folder, which may still be set to C: if you haven't told Windows to move it (right-click on the Docuemnts folder under your profile, select Proeprties, then in the Location tab click Move - however, this won't help for existing paths). If you have moved the content you need to go to Edit>Preferences>Content Library tab and click the Content Directory Manager button, then in the dialogue expend the Current entry to see the Daz Connect directory, highlight the path, and click the Edit button to chnage it - you want to select the folder that holds the Data folder.
If the Content Management System thought your files were not already installed, which would be one reason it would try to download anything you tried to load, that suggests there may be an issue with Install Manager communication with the Content Management System (assuming you installed with DIM) or that you had not imported metadata following a manual installation.
Hi Richard,
Well, were do I start....... I have uninstall and deleted DIM and DS4.9 but copied all folders inc zips from C:\Users\Barbz\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio to external drive, within these files are the following folders:
- My Daz Connect Library - data>cloud>meta
- My Libraray x Scene - contains 5 projects (duf files)
- Render Library - contains 2 render imgs
Are these files correct for external storage? - if OK i wlll leave them and delete DL files from my documents.. Do you have a visual folder structure image for C drive and Users?
Finally, should I reinstall DIM and DS4.9 again? and if so, what are the correct path names for Window 10.
Bx
Delete every thing except the zips. Move the zips where you would prefer. Install DIM and start but tell it to work in offline mode. Open Preference and set the path to the zips in the Downloads tab. In Installation tab you can where programs are installed (best to still have separate 32 bit and 64 bit paths) and where content is installed by clicking the + sign at the bottom, add description and path (you can delete the default path no by highlighting it and clicking the - sign if you wish). Once everything is to your like close DIM, wait a few minutes then open and run as normal.
The Connect library should be the folder that contaisn the Data folder - the \data\Cloud part will be added by DS. (The meta folder is the metadata - the detaisl of what you own - not the actual content.)
Thanks Richard, but I will continue reading forum for advice until I feel comfortable to re-install program again! I have been itching to use the Genesis figures since 2011, kept an eye on how beautiful the figures have become even more sophisticated in there creation over the years - whilst still using faithful V3-V4
.
Its now jumped up to V7 and I would love to see what she is about, so daz team please sort it out! or I have to go to mash-up Poser and use their figures. instead.
Thank you
Hi Richard,
RE: DIM, or Connect, or manually?
Can the wiz kids or wiz elders behind the scene come up with a solution or choice, that once you use any of the above instalation you could tick a box of your choice and this could be displayed via color box/text as quick visual reference in menu bar - sometimes you forget how you install things, as we do not use ole installers which use to get on with it. I was thinking:
DIM = Red
Connect = Amber
Manually = Green
Just a thought to make things easier for all, as I notice it seems to be the thorn in everyone sides in the forum for years.