About DAZ Categories
his x
Posts: 866
Hi People,
I've begun an experiment with content location that is working well except for one small detail.
I've replicated my DAZ content dir on an NAS. The goal is to have two different boxes access the exact same content. That will allow me to use one box as a render box (Z drive), and another as the front end box (C drive). So far so good.
Then I began to use the category system to organize my files. I added a base dir associated with (I thought) ONLY the files on Z drive. Then I created a file using only content from Z drive. This way, I thought, I would be able to shut down the C drive and leave only the render box running. What I found was that, if a given file existed in BOTH content dirs, DAZ added BOTH files to the new category entry, even though I had explicitly told it to use the file on Z drive. So far I haven't found any switch to disable this behavior, or any forum threads discussing it. Removing the C drive reference removes both refrences.
I look forward to reading the comments on this.
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Comments
The CMS in 4.9+ uses relative paths, it doesn't care about or store the location of the content directory.
Really? I just opened CMS on my HP Z600 and removed the locally saved Content folder and added the Content folder on my built machine, and so far it's working. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding the discussion. Again.
I can change content dirs from one drive to another, no prob. However, when two fairly identical content dirs exist, categorization will find and list the same file twice, once in each location. The categorization process cannot be restricted to a single location. I think I'll read about the CMS.
Now you've lost me. What's this "reading" thing you speak of? lol
I'll have to try this setup myself because I'm clearly missing something. I just set my HP Z600 to read the content directory of my built system over the network, and removed the path to the content directory on the HP, and all I had was the one entry per item, and they're identically maintained through DIM, with the only exception being the base drive letter. Both start with a "Content" folder.
Unless network-attached storaqe devices behave quite differently?
Network drives perform properly. My current interest is in how the categorization function behaves. I started out hoping to get a better grip on DAZ content management. I read a post recommending the Categories function, because it allowed for greater user control, so I tried it. I like it. As one user wrote, "I don't have time to waste searching for my tools."
Now I see that, for example, if one of your content dirs happens to be on a removeable drive, or on a network to which you may not always have access, you must use care when selecting a component via Categories, lest you select a component that could be unavailable next time you load your scene. I believe the same holds true for Search. I hadn't known this.
Makes sense: can't find what isn't there. And if the NAS' IP address somehow changes each time you disconnect and reconnect (I have no clue if it does - think I read that somewhere else), then CMS can't resolve.
I've put all my laptop content on a removable drive. As long as I remember to connect it before starting DS, I should be good, but I know the day is coming when I'll forget, and I'll be camping unhappily.
Well, I think I found an answer. I learned that if I assigned tags to my files, I could Smart Content search on those tag names and get the results I'm after. Only the very files that I added tags to are found. Other files with the same filename and relative URL are not returned. This is very good. I hope I'm not dreaming this.
I've been experimenting with tags, but I've had no luck searching tag names in a Content Library search. I don't understand why that should be, but for the moment I don't care. I've learned to be suspicious of anything with the word "smart" tacked on the front of it, but this time I'm going to make an exception. Of course, if I could change the name to Obediant Search, I would do it.