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Gray Block From Drag and Drop

IceScribeIceScribe Posts: 694
in Technical Help (nuts n bolts)

I've searched for the "gray block" and found the same kinds of answers, but they do not help me. 

What I want to do is drag and drop, for example, a non-DAZ hair onto my compatible figure in DAZ.  But, the dsf and the duf in some of the new files for G3 either don't do anything at all, or I get the unforgiving gray block. Any mention of the gray block has the same basic instruction, look at the mapping. I want to do the mapping "by hand". 

I do not want to install non-DAZ purchases. I use the DAZ installer for DAZ products, but the last time I "copied" an outside purchase to "My Library" or "My DAZ Library" (per vendor instructions) everything in my content disappeared from the selection panes in both smart content and content. It took a lot of uninstalling of perfectly well performing DAZ products and reinstalling them, which is not yet complete but it was too much to do in one swoop

If I want to drag and drop, what do I drag and drop?  dsf? duf? which ones? What is the Geometry "obj" now? How can I manually point to the "missing files"? They are in the same folder that I unzipped to, same file names, etc. I tell it the path, but it doesn't "see".

I note if I drag and drop a cr2, there is no problem. If the dialog comes up for a mat, I use the window that pops up and find the mat image asked for, and drag it to the surface pane to the appropriate surface item, ie bmp for a hair cap. This works for me, as I do not crash my computer for the time I spend doing it this way. But, I've just wasted money on dsf/duf products if all I get is "The Gray Block". 

 

Comments

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 108,001

    Assuming this is a curentish item, the .dsf files go in the Data folder (in a particular place) and are referred to by the .duf file - if they are not in the right place the file will not open (there's no option to browse for missing). So at the very least you need to place the folders from the Data folder in the zip into the Data folder in one of your content directories.

  • jestmartjestmart Posts: 4,449

    You can have more than one library in Studio so you could install non DAZ store products to that library (or those, a library for every content site).

  • IceScribeIceScribe Posts: 694

    Hi Richard,

    product folder image attached shows the basic folders listed. 2n is Error message images which shows the files that can't be found. The .duf files are in People folder, 1 for Genesis 3 Female and 1 for Genesis 3 Male. 

    The first 2 "missing" files listed in the error message are in the Data folder, along with Morphs and UVs. The "missing" mat files are in the Runtime folder. 

    I have a content directory for this vendor, but I can never actually open any file through it, it is basically a "file location" tool. I drill down inside DAZ Other Format directory, see where the product is and then just go there in my personal directory and open the folder to click or drag. DAZ will not import the dsf or duf files anyway. So I go to the directory folder for the product, open it, and see the DATA, DOCUMENTATION, PEOPLE and RUNTIME folders.

    There are 2 duf files in the PEOPLE, most of the dsf files are in DATA, and  some are in RUNTIME, which is textures that the error messages says "can't find".  

    Is there no other way to open a dsf/duf product without inserting its DATA folder inside DAZ library? 

     

    BizHairFolder.PNG
    610 x 179 - 8K
    BizHairErrorMessage.PNG
    465 x 310 - 16K
  • IceScribeIceScribe Posts: 694

     Ok. I carefully looked at the files in My DAZ Library "data" folder (It is in lower case). I note the folders stored there are by Vendor Name, then next lower tier, by the product name. 

    I looked at the DATA file of my product, noted the next folder inside was the Vendor folder, copied and pasted that Vendor folderinto the My DAZ Library "data" folder. 

    It worked! I got the "locate" message for the mat, which is no problem for me. I can find that and drag and drop also.  I successfully loaded the hair from the external product folder I have set up in my Documents -the .duf file 'Genesis 3 Female" folder. I'm happy. smiley

    I was afraid to do it, but it worked. I think what happened in past was that I had copied the DATA folder as DATA and not the next inside that folder, which is the Vendor, and, havining  pasted that into MY DAZ Library 'data' folder, put a severe monkey wrench into my entire database. It is not clear from the many instructions attached to products and from what I have read online in various suggestions----- that it is the next lower folder, that is specifically, the vendor folder, that is to be placed in the Library folder (not the one with the same name ). So not "DATA" to "data", but DATA\Vendor folder to "data. Bottom line, I'm looking at my hair product in the DAZ viewport, and am very pleased I will be able to use it, and several other dsf/duf items recently purchased. 

     

    Thank you! 

     

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 108,001

    Glad you were able to sort it out.

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