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Can anybody recommend a (free) installer creator?

3dcheapskate3dcheapskate Posts: 2,689
edited December 1969 in Daz Script Developer Discussion

Can anybody recommend a (free) installer creator?

I've had feedback that the manual installation of the DAZ Studio WorldBall ( http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/23706/ )is rather awkward.

I've been asked if it's possible to create an auto-loader that'll put the files in the correct places.

The big problem is that certain files have to go into the DAZ3D folder under the user account. (The bigger problem is the different flavours of MAC OS and Windows... ;o)

TIA
Pete

P.S. My last involvement with creating installers was 10-20 years ago so I'm rather rusty...

Comments

  • SiscaSisca Posts: 875
    edited December 1969

    For Windows there is Nullsoft Scriptable Installer (http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page). Not sure if there's something similar for Mac.

  • 3dcheapskate3dcheapskate Posts: 2,689
    edited July 2013

    Thanks for the suggestion Sisca - good starting point, and the list of users inspires some level of confidence!
    Have you used it yourself to create an installer?

    I'm also considering other solutions - batch files, etc. In fact anything that makes the current manual process less error prone! A full installer may be rather over the top.

    BTW here's the actual installation instructions from the readme - the second, corrected version. So you can understand why people are having problems! (And this was the simplest version I could come up with after many edits...) But looking at it a second time it's only point 3 (highlighted in bold below, same text appears twice) that's probably the cause of 99% of the problems...

    The DAZ Studio version of the WorldBall still uses a Poser prop file, so you need to have a mapped Poser runtime (even if you don't use Poser).
    It's quite straightforward to check if you already have a mapped Poser runtime:
    - DAZ Studio 3: Edit > Preferences > Directories > Poser Format (Import)
    - DAZ Studio 4.5: Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager > Content Sets > Poser Formats
    There's often a Poser runtime set up by default at:
    - Windows XP: C:/Documents and Settings//My Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio/My Library/Runtime
    - Windows 7: C:/Users//Documents/DAZ 3D/Studio/My Library
    - MAC: Sorry, you'll have to find it yourself since I don't have access to a MAC.

    If you ONLY use DAZ Studio
    --------------------------
    1) Select a DAZ Studio content directory that has a mapped 'Runtime' folder in it (see above).
    2) Copy the CONTENTS of the 'DS Content' folder (i.e. the 'Runtime' and 'Scripts' folders) from the zip to this DAZ Studio content directory.
    3) Depending on your OS and DAZ Studio version copy the appropriate 'ShaderBuilder Light' folder to the appropriate destination folder
    (N.B. The 'AppData'/'Application Data' is a hidden folder, so you'll need to select the option to view hidden folders):
    -Windows 7 + DAZ Studio 3: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio3 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Users//AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/Studio3/'
    -Windows 7 + DAZ Studio 4: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio4 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Users//AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/Studio4/'
    -Windows XP + DAZ Studio 3: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio3 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Documents and Settings//Application Data/DAZ 3D/Studio3/'
    -Windows XP + DAZ Studio 4: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio4 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Documents and Settings//Application Data/DAZ 3D/Studio4/'
    -MAC: Sorry, you'll have to work out the destination folder for yourself since I don't have access to a MAC.

    If you use DAZ Studio AND Poser, first make sure you have the Simple Poser WorldBall installed, then...
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    1) Copy the 'DS ContentRuntime' folder from the zip to the same Poser runtime where you put the Simple Poser WorldBall.
    2) Copy the 'DS ContentScripts3DCheapskateWorldBallWorldBallData.txt' file from the zip to your desktop.
    Find the WorldBallData.txt file already on your system - it should be under 'RuntimePythonposerScripts3DCheapskateWorldBall' in one of your Poser runtimes
    2a) If you haven't made any manual changes to the 'WorldBallData.txt' datafile, then just overwrite it with the one you just copied to your desktop.
    2b) If you HAVE made any changes to the 'WorldBallData.txt' datafile (e.g. adding extra environment sets) you'll need to manually combine the new file with your changed file.
    - The new file simply adds an extra 'RflLL=' line to each environment set. (The DAZ Studio WorldBall doesn't use the angular map light probe for the IBL, it uses a reflection map)
    - All you need to do is copy these additional lines into the appropriate environment set datablocks.
    (All add-on environment sets should already include this 'RflLL=' line)
    3) Depending on your OS and DAZ Studio version copy the appropriate 'ShaderBuilder Light' folder to the appropriate destination folder
    (N.B. The 'AppData'/'Application Data' is a hidden folder, so you'll need to select the option to view hidden folders):
    -Windows 7 + DAZ Studio 3: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio3 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Users//AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/Studio3/'
    -Windows 7 + DAZ Studio 4: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio4 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Users//AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/Studio4/'
    -Windows XP + DAZ Studio 3: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio3 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Documents and Settings//Application Data/DAZ 3D/Studio3/'
    -Windows XP + DAZ Studio 4: Copy the CONTENTS of the 'Studio4 ShaderBuilder Light' folder to 'C:/Documents and Settings//Application Data/DAZ 3D/Studio4/'
    -MAC: Sorry, you'll have to work out the destination folder for yourself since I don't have access to a MAC    .

    Post edited by 3dcheapskate on
  • SiscaSisca Posts: 875
    edited December 1969

    I used an early version of the Nullsoft installer about 10 years ago on an open source project I was helping with. I didn't find it that complicated but I was used to working with Unix/Linux shell scripts at the time. I have used it recently though I'd imagine it would have only gotten easier to use.

    Those instructions don't look to complicated but I can see people having issues. Especially since for many the application directories you need might be hidden in Windows. I don't even want to think about figuring it out on a Mac.

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