Moving the content library - help?

DustRider

Ok, I think I may be brain dead, or there are just too many discussions on this with somewhat conflicting info (or maybe my brain is just conflicted, I've done this before, but it was a long time ago). So first, sorry for starting yet another thread about this.

I need to move my main (default) content library from the C: drive to a larger drive (currently at C:\Users\Public\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library). I'm thinking the best way to do this to keep CMS happy would be to uninstall everything using DIM, them copy the few remaining files (from other locations) to the new location. Then re-install everything using DIM to the "relocated" library on the larger drive using DIM, and make all the appropriate location adjustments In DIM (make the new location the default location) and DS (add the new library location).

In theory this works (and is pretty mindless). I'm just checking to see if theory matches with reality, and that this should still allow the use of old projects without issues. 

SixDs

If you don't use custom categories, you should be fine. If you do have custom categories you might want to find one of the existing threads on the subject to ensure that you don't lose them before proceeding. Better safe that sorry. I don't use custom categories, nor do I use DIM to download content (I'm a hands-on kinda guy), so I can basically move my entire content library anywhere I like, rename it, etc. with impunity, as long as I remember to edit my Content Directory Manager to point to the new DAZ Studio Formats and Poser Formats directories. That will satisfy CMS, which should rebuild the database as required the first time DAZ Studio is fired up..

DustRider

Thanks!

No custom categories, and I seldom use smart content (though Ido use it more now to easily find textures for clothing converted from G3F to G8F). It sounds like just copying the content library might be all I need to do. or will that "kill" smart content?

This was one of the few times that Google was not my friend, I came accross a lot of threads where people had problems moving ther content libraries. With several of them it was hard to "read between the lines" to figure out what the real problem was, and what the cause was.

I should have mentioned in the original post that I don't use connect, so I don't need to move the Connect content folder.

NorthOf45

The metadata is relative to the root library path, so it will be intact if you copy/move the content folders without renaming anything below that.

DustRider

Just wanted to say thanks again. Everything seems to be successfully relocated. Initially I just copied the content library to the new location and set up the appropriate paths, and DS was perfectly happy. But of course DIM still had the everything in the original location (i.e. if I wanted to uninstall something, it was pointing to the original directory). So I just did an uninstall of everything at the old location, then just reinstalled it to the new location while I was doing some other things (of course it was just overwriting what I already put there). I'm sure I read somewhere that there is a way to edit the install location in the manifest directory, but this way was pretty easy, and was done in just a little over 2 hours.

SixDs

Ah, yes, I forgot about the DIM part, mostly because I don't use it. Sorry about that. But alls well that ends well. Glad you have everything sorted..