[SOLVED] Strange discrepancy between systems

DrNewcenstein

So I've got DS on 2 different personal PCs.

Both machines have identical libraries set through DIM. I tell it where to put stuff when it installs stuff, and it does what I tell it.

However, this is something I've only just realized is not normal:

Whenever I load even the Base G2 Female on one machine, certain morphs are already set that I have to manually zero.
On the other machine, when I load the Base G2F, these same settings are already at 0 where they should be.

So basically I'm not getting the Base G2F on one machine, but a slightly tweaked one. This makes me wonder if I'm even getting the correct G2F Characters (Vicky 6, Lilith, Mei Lin, etc), or if they're also slightly tweaked.

Surely the CPU/GPU/RAM have nothing to do with this. It has to be something "stuck" in one installation, but what?

DrunkMonkeyProductions

Are these seperate installs or a network install?

If it's a seperate install than the glitch is due to a bad character/morph/preset that may not be in one install but not in the other.

If it's a network install, then it may be a mapping issue, where something is missing in one but not in the other.

 

You may want ot check if you've previously installed content for g2f via manual install, exe etc, as there may be something there that isn't dim.

 

I'd suggest an update of all content and a clean install if you'r content library isn't too big

 

Padone

DrNewcenstein said:

Whenever I load even the Base G2 Female on one machine, certain morphs are already set that I have to manually zero.

It has to be something "stuck" in one installation, but what?

Usually the broken asset is the one causing the unwanted morphs. If you can be more specific about the two pc specifications and the unwanted morphs may be someone can help better.

 

DrNewcenstein

It looks like it's loading the Norma character but with the default G2F "anatomically incorrect" textures. The Body and Head are set to 100% under the Norma entry. For all intents and purposes, she's now my Base G2F (which is fine with me, since Base G2F is a skank anyway).
I'd need to see scientific proof that the CPU or GPU can cause this problem. It's not like my machines are Top Secret US Gov't Spec, it's just that it's a physical impossibility for hardware to cause this issue, and thus irrelevant.

As for the install, they're totally separate, no sharing of assets over a network.

IIRC, DIM had an issue a few years ago where it "forgot" to inform DS of my content location and I had to do 4 tons of physical rearranging to make it work. Not to mention all the files I had already saved that were broken by that.
It's more of an annoyance than a problem, really, but it has me curious about the other character presets.

 

(rolling edits to follow)

I've reimported the Metadata, as well as copied both the dsf and duf from the "good" installation, and she still comes in as Norma instead of normal.
I uninstalled the G2F Starter Essentials and re-downloaded, no change, except now I have 2 Base G2Fs that point to the same folder, and they both come in with the Norma figure morphs applied.

Maybe it's a problem with that? Hmmmm.

Ok, so I uninstalled Norma. Now she comes in with the V6 head and body morphs at 50%. I see now where this is going.

Looks like it's something I'll have to live with until the nex time I build a new PC and install everything from scratch.

Padone

That seems really odd. About PC specs I was more wondering if they are mac and windows and/or if they have the same OS. Since you have two content libraries that are the same, one last thing you may try is to copy the one that works fine on the other pc. I mean if they are in the same location since I fear DIM uses absolute paths. And of course backup first.

In my way of working I keep my assets organized my way in a backup disk. Then I only use manual install and I only install in the content folder what I need for the current project. When I switch the project I simply switch the content folder. This way I avoid most issues.

DrNewcenstein

Both Windows, one is 7 one is 8.1. Neither installation nor content is on either machine's C:\ drive, so there's none of that "permission" stupidity from Windows (probably my biggest peeve with Windows - needing "permission" on a machine I own and on which I am the admin and sole user).

I did think about copying the "good" one over to overwrite the "broken" one. Neither install gets the default content directory setup, but the base folders are named differently (Daz/Content on one and DazContent on the other)

I uninstalled and reinstalled Norma, and now her morphs don't show up where they don't belong.

Going through some of my other character presets on both systems, I'm seeing widespread contamination. On the good one, Belle 6 shows only 4 items under "Currently Used" (Belle 6, Belle 6 Head and Body, and Navel) under the Shaping pane, and adds the "Scale" slider to that list on the Parameters pane under Currently Used. On the broken one, I've got about 6 more, including V6 head and body at 50%, on the Shaping Pane's Currently Used heading, and all of the CTRLRIG entries are lit up on the Parameters pane Currently Used. On the good install, I don't have CTRLRIG entries on the Parameters pane. This might be the problem, but aside from a 4-hour uninstall, defrag, and reinstall of everything I've ever bought over the last 10 years or more (however far back it goes - I've got V3 content from when it was new), I'm not sure of any other way to fix it except copying my "good" Content folder over the network. Time-wise should be about the same.

 

DrNewcenstein

Ok, so here's something odd. Like I needed more.

I uninstalled and reinstalled the Norma G2F character via DIM on my "broken" system. I have done nothing to the "good" system.

When I load Norma now in the "broken" one, and check the Currently Used heading on the Shaping tab, I get:
Thin
SC_Norma
Nipples
Glute Crease Left
Glute Crease Right

When I load Norma in the "good" one and check the Currently Used heading on the SHaping tab, I get the same as above, but also V6 head and Body at 50%, as well as all the breast and glute tweaks my other figures have been afflicted with.

I'm also getting a Thin modifier on everything, and when I check the Parameter Settings, there's nothing under sub-components, but under Controllers I have
ERC (DeltaAdd)>G2F: Lanying Body
ERC (DeltaAdd)>G2F: Kyra Body
ERC (DeltaAdd)>G2F: Female Weight

Yes, Kyra and Lanying are two of the figures I have (I have about 42 total including Base G2F and several HD add-ons).

 

Syrus_Dante

@ DrNewcenstein Try this:

1. load / add the base/default G2F figure into the empty scene

2. go to Parameters pane Options menu check that Show Hidden Properties is on

3. go to Parameters pane Options menu Zero>Zero Figure

3. check the Property Group 'currently used' for some allready applied shapes there should be nothing in there because its the default base figure shape

4. if there are 'currently used' morph shapes turn them off (Properties set to zero)

5. go to Parameters pane Options menu Memorize>Memorize Figure

6. check the Property Group 'currently used' again now its empty for shure

7. go to Main Menu: File>Save As>Support Asset>Save Modified Assets..

It can happen that you may Save Modified Assets while some shape is memorized now the figure loads that shapes/morphs by default. See the Properties Options>Parameters Settings (the little gear symbol) there is a Default: value. I also heared from some products or maybe it was some freebies that have their shapes/morphs set to default value 1 you should never do that.

Default Genesis Figures should allways be loading in base shape - if not these instructions should help.

 

DrNewcenstein

Thanks. When I get to Step 6, it's not empty, but all the values are at 0. All the CtrlRig stuff was removed, however, but now it's added a bunch of other settings which weren't there before.

If I do Parameters>Zero Shape, the 0s change from white (edited) to Grey (Defaults).

While this does reset the figure, when I go to Save Modified Assets, I get warnings about something called "Evolution Body".

Here's some shots of what I'm getting:

Startup:

 

Step 4 results:

 

After I Zero Shape:

 

Warnings:

 

And that's where I stopped. I haven't saved anything yet. I did this same sequence on the "good" system and after Zero Figure, it added Bone Edge Opacity and Bone Fill Opacity to the list. Render SubD Level was always there. If I Zero Shape, it adds Bone Color to the list. I'm clicking off and back on to refresh the Currently Used view.

I don't recall ever clicking Save Modified Assets ever. The various Save options in DS are still a mystery to me, but I have previously tried to save a modified figure preset (figure with props and such attached like you can in Poser), and I did go through a few various options. I don't recall ever getting down that far, though. Can't say when the problem started, I just noticed it recently. I never use Base G2F because I have 40 other character presets, so this could have been broken since 2014 for all I know LOL

 

Padone

@Syrus_Dante

AFAIK the procedure you are describing is to fix a broken asset. That is, one that comes with wrong default values, where you fix them by hand then save over. While to fix a good asset it should be enough to reinstall it since this also clears the metadata. So, since both G2F and Norma are good in one installation, it should be enough to reinstall them in the broken one.

@DrNewcenstein

Norma requires V6 and G2F body morphs so it's right that they're loaded together with Norma. So the "good" system is fine. While the "broken" system should show them as well. You may want to reinstall G2F, G2F head/body morphs, V6 and Norma to have a clean setup. And/or please let us know if the procedure suggested by @Syrus_Dante works.

One last thing. Windows 7 is much more troubled with permissions than Windows 8.1. You may want to double check that the DAZ folders, both the content and the program, are set to read-write for all users.

DrNewcenstein

I did reinstall both Norma and Genesis 2 Starter Essentials (which covers G2F). Before putting Norma back in, her morphs were, logically, not in Base G2f, but rhe V6 morphs were. Since putting Norma back in, her morphs are behaving themselves. You might be correct that doing the same with V6 should fix the issues.

As for Syrus_Dante's advice, I'm trying to avoid hitting "Accept" on that warning window for fear I'll break something else. I'll try the V6 shuffle first, and the Genesis H&B morphs.

 

Both of my DS content folders are on physically separate HDDs, so technically Windows' permission stuff ignores it. I don't put anything on the OS drive except the OS. That's a habit I learned the hard way years ago after watching Windows 95 eat its own registry just for S & G. When Windows goes, all I lose is Windows, not pictures, programs, registration data and email receipts for software I've purchased, 3D content that took 4 hours to manually install (back before we had Install Managers), original music project files, and my Big List Of Passwords. While XP and Vista were more stable, the UAC nonsense drove me nuts. I could not understand why they wanted to implement a user-proof system that was not sold exclusively to corporations. Then again, tech support was probably tired of fielding calls from people wanting to know how to restore their system after deleting the largest file on their drive to make room for more pictures, which was the registry. Or like my Dad used to do - moved the Windows folder to an external drive to free up space on C:\ and then wondered why nothing worked.

DrNewcenstein

WOHOO! Success! Un-and-Re-installed G2 Head and Body Morphs, as well as V6, and everything works like it should. None of my G2Fs have morphs they ought not to.

Thanks all for the help.

DrNewcenstein

As an added and unexpected bonus, all the Scene files I had saved when this problem was apparently in full swing automatically correct when I load them. I ws afraid I was going to have to rebuild them :O

Padone

Padone said:

You may want to reinstall G2F, G2F head/body morphs, V6 and Norma to have a clean setup.

I'm glad it worked .. happy rendering