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Need some MAC help

cclesuecclesue Posts: 420
edited July 2017 in The Commons

I decided to get rid of some of my files on my SSD in hopes of speeding up my renders. I discovered a file folder buried deep in my “users” folder called Downloads: Users>shared>DAZ3D>installManager>Downloads

In the InstallManager folder there is a second folder called “ManifestFiles” that contain duplicates of the .dsx files found in the downloads folder. The downloads folder appears to contain dsx and zip files of everything I have downloaded from DAZ using the install manager program. Since I have already distributed the files contained in the zips and since the dsx files are duplicated in the other folder my question is can I safely delete the contents of the download folder. I should add the download folder is taking up 42GBs I could use elsewhere. 

Mac Pro (Early 2008)

2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon

4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2047 MB

Post edited by cclesue on

Comments

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604

     trying to find our Mac expert for you

  • TotteTotte Posts: 14,714

    I would recpmmend the following:

    Create a direcrtory somewhere else (network volume (NAS), or a non SSD disk.

    Tell dim that "that is the download directory unter the "cog" then download, Quit DIM

    Move the content of "downloads" to the new directory.

    Start DIM again, it will now hopefully see it.

    Now you can remove the original downloads 

     

  • robert.ramin_973cab5499robert.ramin_973cab5499 Posts: 32

    It is not Mac related (i.e it is the same for Windows).

    The Users>shared>DAZ3D>installManager>Downloads contains ALL your downloads files and can be reloaded by downloading them from your account on DAZ.

    The ManifestFiles folder contains ONLY the installed files and MUST NOT be moved because the location is "hard wired"  in the CMS.

    So you can do exacltly what Toote is explaining: move (then delete) the Downloads folder- to another location and re-parameter the location in DIM.

    FYI: Doing so WILL NOT speed up your renders(maybe 15" for a 4 hours render...), you will just reclaim the space used by the downloads folder: just wait for a better graphic card/driver or an hypothetic implementation of METAL 2 by DAZ...

    Robert

  • cclesuecclesue Posts: 420

    Thanks for your help and I'll try your suggestions. As for increasing render time, I apologize for misleading. I was actually looking to free up disk space since speed is essential in rendering and using the SSD is a lot faster than an HD. In the search, I found this and wondered how necessary it might be.

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,691

    Incidentally, the ManifestFiles folder CAN be moved by editing the .ini file. But don't delete those files, they are NOT copies of the ones in the Downloads folder, they contain the information DIM needs to update or uninstall products.

  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 14,713

    Unless you have over 5000+ products the manifest files take up very little space. I have 3500 in my library and only takes up 55MB.

  • StratDragonStratDragon Posts: 3,273
    edited July 2017
    cclesue said:

    Thanks for your help and I'll try your suggestions. As for increasing render time, I apologize for misleading. I was actually looking to free up disk space since speed is essential in rendering and using the SSD is a lot faster than an HD. In the search, I found this and wondered how necessary it might be.

    Your computer is bottleneck. you have a 2008 Mac with 4GB RAM, if you are running any OS past 10.6.8 your RAM is going to be struggling, and using the HDD for cache RAM, even if you use the SSD the system will still constantly be using the SSD for cache and it can potentially lower the life span of the SSD by constant writes nd deletes for caching.

    Your computer OS caps out at 10.11.x it is ineligible for anything past that.. You are also using an aftermarket Nvidia card as Apple never made a 1,1 - 5,1 Mac Pro with anything larger than a GT120. Was the card flashed by the vendor and if so does the vendor provide drivers for the card which are not the CUDA drivers from Nvidia. Or did you get the drivers from Nvidia?

    http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/117854/en-us

    While an SSD will offer improvement in your navigation of your runtime folders and day to day activity do not expect an increase in GPU rendering and if 3D is your primary use on that Mac than consider a RAM upgrade from a reputable vendor that sells RAM specifically for your Make/Model Mac. 4GB RAM on a Mac Pro in OS X 7,8,9,10, or 11 is a car with three 3 wheels - and not those cars with 3 wheels that actually work. That system is expandable to 32 or 64 GB RAM depending on the CPU configuration.

    In addition if you are running any Anti-Virus product for Mac, or any 3rd party utility to clean, keep or otherwise step in and thwart OS X from maintaining itself you are lending to issues with tha system. Consult the developers website on the remove of those products if you are using them.

    If you have any additional questions you may post an etrecheck report over at support.apple.com for anylsis of your system and ask for suggestions as to maximzing that systems abilities now and what elese you should consider as to using a 9 year old mac to its fullest potential.

    www.etrecheck.com

    Post edited by StratDragon on
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