How come DAZ does not understand this ?
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Posts: 206
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Saving a character you have created. Poser has been doing this since over a decade ago and people have complained about it's absence in DAZ 4ever.
Don't get me wrong, DAZ surpassed Poser in just about every manner a couple years ago, but is it really that difficult to do something we have been begging for 4 years ?
Please do not start going on about sub scenes etc, I already know about all that.
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I have no idea where saved sub-scenes and such go (and, therefore, how I'd reload them), so, I just tend to save everything as an entire scene and label it accordingly. Just select 'merge' from the file menu and it'll hook everything within that scene into whatever you're presently working upon. If the only thing in it was a character (no environmemt, lighting and such), then that's all it'll bring on over.
Doesn't the character preset do exaclty that?
I save as a character preset. I have a lot of saved characters....
Character Preset.
Create your character, select him, "Save As -- >Character Preset". Then start new scene. Navigate to the "Presets-->Characters" folder and double-click or drag your character into the new scene. If you already have the same type of figure in the scene you'll get a warning to either apply the character to the existing character or to load an additional character into the scene. (unless you've turned that option off sometime earlier).
I would point you to the manual but I gave up on the DAZ "manual" years ago.
That's the thing that DAZ doesn't understand. Proper manuals! 
Up to date, accurate, and thorough.
I'll point out the manual that you think is accurate isn't either. It's missing parts on new rendering, weightmapping and especially character creation. This is a old moot argument that needs to be dropped as well.
Also to the OP: Character presets are what you use. It saves the character, texture and also the rendering subdivision. Also because it's a pointer to the the character setup and not a static file, it will load new morphs, jcms and corrections into that character unlike saving a character as a CR2. This keeps you from having to resave a character if there has been a change or you want new morphs used with that character.
You don't really explain why a Scene Subset is inadequate, or a Character preset if you are also rejecting that. Please describe what it is that you want to do that DS doesn't offer.
Easiest to find them by going into your content library, same place your presets are saved (something like: daz content/mylibrary/scenesubsets.
dyoo mean like a character save independent of the mothership?
If you want just to save the morph and Texture map: Use Character Preset.
If you want to save the clother and hair too: Scene Subset
QED
I do it the clunky low-tech way. I build the character; morphs, texture, wig, basic costume, props, whatever, and save it as a separate scene in a character library folder. When I need it I merge that scene into the one I'm building for the illustration.
Works, so long as I don't hopelessly rearrange my content libraries. But since those rearangements typically don't affect the data, geometires, or textures folders it usually works out. Although sometimes I have to go hunting a file that Studio is pretending it doesn't know about.
look in the Content Pane (not Smart Content) and look at the bottom of the pane you should see a - and + sign. Go to the folder of choice and click on the + sign and this will save any scene/scene subsets etc in the folder. :) As for Presets well they save in to the Preset folder by defualt.
Nice thing about using Subsets to save your charcters, you can save wardrobe, accessories and prop with them. Makes dropping your Charater into the Scene. Superman in his "SUPER SUIT" and Clark Kent in his good gray suit, don't forget the fadora.
Save Character doesn't save hair or any other "wearables" such as anatomy or clothes.
Save Subset does that just fine, but it took me a very long time to realize that as a new user.
Drop downs could make a bit more sense to new users if there was a "Save Full Character & Parented Wearables" under Save Character that essentially did the same thing as Save Subset, even if it's a bit redundant.
Also would be handy is any saved characters showed up in your list of characters in smart content.
Brugan, are talking about "save character" in Poser ? Poser saves the character and all it's hair and clothes. Not only that but in Poser you can name your character instead of having to put up with something like "Genesis Male 3".
I understand all the preset and sub scene line of thoughts etc, but years and years back I just always assumed that at some pont in time DAZ would come out with a version making it easy just to load a character so you can easily use the same one in differnet scenes without worrying about issues that might occur through merges.
You can rename any asset in a scene in Daz Studio. and it gets saved out.
You have to rename the asset before you save them is all.
That is why some Characters come in as Genesis X M/F and others as James, Roberta, Tween Julie 7
I find this extremely helpful if you have more than two character's or two of Anything.
If I am putting more than two people in a Scene, I will start to name them, so I can easily pick them out. Bill is the Driver, Jane his wife is the Front Drivers seat, Jack and Julie are their Kids in the back seat. Extras just get Water Boy, Services Station Guy, and the like.
Bill and his neighbor have both got Blue cars so it is Bill's Car and Fred's Car.
Again if you name them, things you don't have the "OH $#&^$&$^ I moved the Wrong Car!"
Also if you save them out with names you can get drop your Characters into Scene. And While Mary is working on the Jeb the Zombie, and she Drops the asset on you, then You can just drop Jeb into his nice cosy grave (Where I hope he stays) or have his dragging himself across the street. You don't have the Load G3M, apply Jeb, Find his Clothes, find the crowbar that is stuck through his chest and then place him in the scene.
Subset Best thing since sliced Virtual Bread. No if I can only get the Toaster to work.
You can change a name of a figure (or rename anything in a scene) in the scene tab in DS. Also you can't change a poser character once you save it as a cr2 (which is your saved character that you speak of), you would have to save over that character again, while in DS using a character preset or scene subset any figure change in the character or outfit is propogated to the your save, which is a distinct advantage. Also saving a character with clothes is a scene subset, and does the exact thing you speak of, except with a different name.
A scene subset does exactly that as it does not hold any scene information as a full scene. A subset can be either a set of props or a character with clothing. You just merge it into a scene (or press the alt key and mouse drag the scene subset from the content tab into the position you want it in a scene). Again, i'm not sure of your complaint since your complaint is taken care of exactly by a scene subset. I use scene subsets to make my characters (with clothing or props) for my promos and drop them into different scenes... I also can save the character in a pose and just drag it to a location in a scene as well.
I put an example below... same scene and the characters were previously saved with clothing and for each render I dropped a subset containing a different figure in for rendering.
Male-M3dia is exactly right, saving your character as a scene subset would give you what you are asking for. I have directories full of the same character with different outfits, accessories and poses in Content Library--> Daz Studio Formats--> Characters. Saves me having to rebuild them every time I want to use them in a scene.
To change the name of a character or prop, go to the "Scene" tab, find the item, click on it to highlight it, wait a moment and click it again. It will change to a writable field where you can rename it. I always include the figure in the name so I can keep track, like renaming Genisis 2 Female to Sarah G2F.
Sorry for the confusion, I was referring to DS.
I do exactly the same. Maybe it makes a difference that I don't ever bother with Smart Content so my folders are organised the way I want them. I save my characters under:
DAZ Studio Formats > DIM Content > People > [G*M/G*F] > Characters > My Custom Characters
And I rename them in the Sub-Scene, for example: G3M Nelson
Just echoing what others have said here.
Yeah I save characters as scene subsets all the time. I haven't tried the 'save character' thing yet though. I usually like to have the hair, wardrobe, etc. with the character and scene subsets do that just fine for me.
You choose what is saved with the scene subset, so you can simply uncheck all of the 'unrelated' items. Then you simply use 'merge with scene' menu option to add your character to the scene you are currently working on. You can move your character around from wherever they appear/where they were located in the scene subset save once you've merged the scenes.
Yep, as others have said, if you're creating a new character give it a name in the scene tab (eg Bob) and save it under that name, as a scene subset. Also, I'll sometimes change the name of the item(s) the character's wearing (eg Bobs Hair), to reduce confusion, if another character's wearing the same item.
just wanna say thank you for those that said about saving characters created as a scene subset wish knew this ages ago but at laest now any thing I kitbash can reuse easily again and again
Ah, thanks for the reminder- I had forgotten about that!
Small addendum on this for any Reality/Luxrender users out there - saving as a scene subset will wipe the reality data, which is handy if thats what you want to do. Otherwise, save characters as a scene if you wish to retain all reality data.
it should because that data is an asset in the scene. You can also "whack" it by showing hidden in the content scene which is useful when you have a dozen merged scenes and they all inherent their unique reality data files.
Now if someone could just explain where the "gravity" files come from.