How do you stay organized?
LaPartita
Posts: 401
I'm brand-new to DAZ and I've already accumulated lots of content. Finding it, however, is really hard! The Smart Content pane doesn't account for auto-fitting older products, and at any rate half the stuff I bought from Daz that should show up in the Smart Content pane doesn't appear there! And that's not even including basic tasks like marking favorite products (can we even do that?) and saving custom morphs. I know some people modify meta-data, but that terrifies me - it seems much to easy to screw things up.
What do you do to stay organized in Daz? How do you arrage things so that they're easy to find? Is there a way to search for content, or tag content once you've found it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Comments
For favourites, you could add a tag or create a new group and filter by those. For finding potential auto-fit targets, you can turn off Filter By Selection at lower-left or use the actual file views in Content Library
I apologize if this is a stupid question, but how do you create groups?
The process is fairly simple, it just requires a couple of iles in a particular location http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/smart_content/results_view/start#group
I appreciate the link, but I'm afraid that's still beyond my skill level. It looks like using "categories" might help, but the reference guide page on managing categories is blank. (http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/smart_content/managing_categories/start).
Returning to the subject of the Content Library - I am so sick spending 30 minutes looking for a skirt, and then spending another 30 minutes trying to find the material files.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks for making it more user-friendly? Or even a way to easily find an item again?
I stay orginized by not using any part of the so called "Smart Content" 'features'....I have found that intalling my content manually into my own folder structure makes finding things far more efficient and simple.
I have been manually installing my content for years, old, new, Poser and Studio content. It is easy once you have a folder structure of content that works for you. So many vendors have their own way of bundling their content that a lot of times it is almost imposible to find content you have or even remember you have it.
Now to be 100% fair I have never used the Smart Content feature in Studio but after all the work and time I invested in properly orginizing my Tb's of content why would I? I don't have to worry if it is old or new content I know what I have and where I put it so it is easy to locate when I need it.
One suggestion I will make is to not be afraid to create multiple runtimes to store your content. I have several and add more as new 'firgures' or 'figure versions' are introduced. For example I have separate runtimes for each of the following:
Victoria4
Michael4
Aiko4
Genesis
Genesis2
Genesis3
Genesis8
Acrhictecture
Props
Landscapes
etc.
....you get the idea
A big issue with manually installing is updates - especially if asset files, such as moprhs, are renamed or removed from a product. Having a lot of diectories can also slow the system down, as each time you ask for a file (and that can be often with a figure with many morphs or a model with a lot of maps) DS has to check each directory in turn until it finds a match (or runs out of diectories).
I made a quick Favourites icon (I called it favs in the interest of a) quick typing and b) not arguing about the u). If you go to the folder you installed DS to - e.g. C:/Program Files/Daz 3D/DazStudio4 then you should see a Resources folder, and in that an Images folder. You will then (probably) need to create a Groups folder in that, and in the new Groups folder create a Products folder and an Assets folder (all of these may require admin permission). Once you have the folders, copy the PNG (or make your own) to both the products and the assets folder and restart DS - now when you right-click on a product or file you should have a new entry, Favs, in the Group as sub-menu. You can restrict Smart Content to that group by typing
group::favs
in the filter box.
In DS Format items the materials will usually be in a sub-folder of the main product folder. Poser format files do get split across the library types.
Thank you! I feel like your instructions were clear and I followed them to the letter, but it doesn't seem to have worked. When I restarted Daz and right-clicked on a product there was no new entry in any of the sub-menus. Any idea what might have gone wrong?
While experimenting with this yesterday I noticed that when you are trying to save an image attached to a forum post it is automatically renamed.
-> Make sure to rename the image to
1.Favs.png
either during saving or afterwards when placing a copy in both the assets and products folder.
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If you would like to see some additional screenshots how to create your own groups and examples how to use a favorite group check out this post:
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2737736/#Comment_2737736
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I just couldn't get along with the base file structure or content panes, so what I did was make my own library with a file folder structure I thought was logical. I then copy whatever I'm using into it. So everything gets installed as normal into Daz3d default folder and I just copy-pasta into my own structure. It means my library only contains what I need and I know where to go to find it. All stuff I don't need that get installed just isn't in there. If something needs to be updated, I re-copy it from the Daz3d library to my own.
I split this off from the "groups" question to a separate post:
@ How do you stay organized
I did the following
- created different Libraries for content of different stores
- only installed plugins and software with the DIM
- installed a constant selection of about 1000 of the latest products with DAZ Connect
- created additional categories when needed
- created a favorite group
- - -
Why am I doing it that way?
- I leave products and assets provided by DAZ3D in exactly the folder they are to make sure everything is working as intended.
- With more than 5'000 products in my library I do not want to install all of them to save space on my hd and to improve performance.
Examples:
The more morphs you install the longer figures will take to load.
The more not regularily used products you install the more willl show up in searches that you have to browse trough.
When needed I can still browse uninstalled available products in the DAZ3D smart content tab with the help of categories.
I install some of those products when I need them for an image and then uninstall them again afterwards.
- older products have either no or different metadata categories
I do not install those products to keep the categories clean at least in the "installed" install state filter
- older products include only 3Delight materials.
As a rule of thumb I only install products with Iray materials newer than June 2015
- - -
-> Basically I use DAZ Connect and the available categories to search because it helps me to very quickly install older products only when I need them.
- - -
For new users it might be very tempting to purchase older products for previous generations in sales.
Still this gives you the wrong impression that things are not working.
They actually would be but older content does not fully play along with autofit, search and category features.
If you buy only the latest Genesis 3 and Genesis 8 products released since Summer 2015 with Iray materials you may find that most things you want to do work well.
- - -
@ specific example - working with skirts
In the smart content tab if you have
- Filter by Context ON
- Files view selected
- the figure selected in the scene tab
- select the category "Skirts"
-> All skirts for the selected figure generation (example Genesis 3) are shown
- - -
- If you switch Filter by Context OFF
- have Products view selected
- Install state "All" selected
-> All skirts products for any figure generation are shown no matter if they are installed or not
The key here is as well "Filter by Context"
In the Smart Content tab
- Filter by Context ON
- Skirt selected in the scene
- browse to the category "materials"
-> All materials compatible with this skirt are shown
- - -
Alternatively
In the Surfaces tab
- Filter by Context ON
- Skirt selected in the scene
- browse to the category "materials"
-> All materials compatible with this skirt are shown
- - -
The interesting part of this is that it does not only show you compatible material files included in the same product but also addtional textures created by an other artist sold as a separate texture pack.
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If you use latest generation content purchased at the DAZ3D store and installed with either the DIM or DAZ Connect searching with categories and finding matching materials works very well.
The problem is that older generation content with outdated categories muddle the whole system.
My recommendation is to keep products with outdated or wrong metadata uninstalled and only install them when really needed for an image.
This way at least the categories of the installed products are up to date.
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As my 100% Sincerity, I can not recommend to set up original file structure for daz studio contents for new user.
It is no problem about those who know well what you are doing. but if you are lazy enough, never plan to make original file structure for daz contents.
as default, for most of user, I can not recommend to change folda structure, without those are your original library only for your saved files.
if user use default file structure, about contents, we can think problem with same premise. we can check read me. we can compare, each product how installed.
it not matter how many library you made, at least you keep "default relative path" from those library ,and tell ds where you set your default library.
but if eech user hope to make individual folda structure for daz contents, with original rule,, no one can tell you, where is problem file.
we know how manage and serch things with category. most of actuall real shop use database, to manage each goods.
we just need to make and assgin category. then ds then ds can serch and show contents with category.
and,,, for most of us actually need not use smart content things. (though it is useful ), but at least daz user need to know how content library work, with their category.
learn how to manage and serch by content lbirary only. then compare with actuall daz default file structure. it is most important things for new user to manage contents. after that, you can learn how smart content work, and when it not work, or how use serch filter, or add some cute icon for gorup things.
(but to be frankly said, most of new user may better to learn content lbirary and category, and daz default file structure,, (eg where most of texture will be installed first. there are plenty user who make something wrong, or can not find solution, just because they do not know, those things. (it is not fault of user, but fault of daz team who doucment them, they do not know importance how guide user, but push daz connect or daz smart contents etc,,,,)
and how morph are saved etc), if they have time to learn those appendix things)
Oh you're right. Don't mess with the Daz3d folder at all, install locations and so on. Don't move anything. Keep it where the installer lands it.
I do not use Smart Content, it is so much harder to find things * IMHO * , and I am very happy and with the good old content library. I find everyitng and the mats are inculuded in the same folder of the cloth or character folder. Simple.
I do not use DIM to install or connect , I download the zips and install the product manually, that way I know where what goes.
Takes a bit more time, but I NEVER had problems that I often read here in regards to the Smart Content.
Imo the problem is with the program. What buffles new users is the folder structure of installing both in public documents and the other documents. Most new users dont know where to install their assets
Secondly it has way too many subfolders.Add to that the fact that content from the library dosent show in the smart content and you have a recipe for disaster. Imo each item should have ONE TAG. eg all hair should be hair g3 or hair g8. Then color hair should be tagged color hair. Surfaces textures and all that put off anyone who has no idea about rendering and dls daz hoping to do stuff. Unless he is persistent he will most likely uninstall and move on. Easy to use program means more users means more selling of assets means more revenue
Files cannot be tagged without metadata - if they have metadata then they can be categorised, have compatibility set, and so appear in Smart Content.