If Starting From Scratch- DIM and Studio, How To Customize Categories

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    Headed out for an hour or so. Need to know if I installed the DIM to the correct destination and the other questions from the last posts. :)
    Appreciate your help very much- all of you! :)

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    BTW, in case you didn't know it, putting ! in front of a folder name will keep it at the top of the listings. This is what I put for the download folder, and the ! keeps it at the top of D.

    Questions about the DIM-

    Under Installation, for 64 bit and 32 bit, do I leave those alone at C>Program Files and C>Program Files (x86)?

    For Path for installation, is that going to be D>DAZ>Content? It gives me a popup that says it contains files not installed by DIM (Has Runtime and Scripts) and suggests I use another folder by DIM or an empty one.

    And MJC1016 already answered that for Application (plugins,etc) that would be D>DAZ>DS4.6 and the DIM did it automatically.

    It only matters if you install software with DIM, but you might want to change them to a location on your D: drive if you end up installing some of Dimension3D's utilities, for example.

    And since all you have installed to C:\DAZ\Content is what was installed with DS, you can ignore the warning.

    I don't think you'll have a problem with DIM installed in its own AppData folder, but I'm not certain.

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited March 2014

    Um.. Dim is a program and Not Data. If not in AppData/Roaming should work but the default install of DIM is to C:/Program Files (x86)/DAZ 3D/DAZ3DIM1 for the executable file, Appdata is for the Data files it generates...

    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    Okay, I'll uninstall and do it to the default install. That file name didn't look right, I thought I must've renamed something wonky and it was still recognizing it. :)

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited March 2014

    And for those not computer saavy, aka, like me, if you mess up the installation of the DIM, just go to the bottom left to your Start options, click, and select All Programs, then under DAZ you'll see the option "Uninstall Daz Install Manager" and a popup will ask you if you want to delete it and all its modules. Done in about two seconds.

    EDIT: Here's what you should see, the correct destination folder that Jaderail mentioned. See image.

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    Okay, so here's my question. Why, when I just launched the DIM, does it still have my products that were previously installed? They were installed to C>Users>Public>Documents>My DAZ3d Library, which no longer exists. Yet all my products are still showing as installed in this new DIM. How do I delete all of them- there's a lot of them!

    And under C>Users>Public>Documents>DAZ3d there is >Install Manager (with subfolders InvalidProducts, Manifest Files, and Settings) and I don't do anything with those/ think they have anything to do with it.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    In my quest to drive you all nuts, more questions. (Still doing DIM)

    On the Installation page, as mentioned by Fixmypcmike, I can go ahead and do D>DAZ>Content for the path. Here's what this looks like (to help others visualize it.)

    The question: What is the difference in Install to Respective Install Paths vs the Install To Select Path? I changed it to the Selected Path because I only want one installation place- but...
    1. can DIM install content to two different programs at once? Is that what the first option is for?
    2. would it make a difference if I only had one path, to leave the first option (the plural, paths) selected?

    (for people learning to do this, you go to the bottom and select + to add your directory/folder.)

    The second image shows you that DIM automatically selected where the studio was located for Applications.

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  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    If you have DIM set to install content to many folders for different Software. Not needed just for DS4.5+

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Okay, so here's my question. Why, when I just launched the DIM, does it still have my products that were previously installed? They were installed to C>Users>Public>Documents>My DAZ3d Library, which no longer exists. Yet all my products are still showing as installed in this new DIM. How do I delete all of them- there's a lot of them!

    And under C>Users>Public>Documents>DAZ3d there is >Install Manager (with subfolders InvalidProducts, Manifest Files, and Settings) and I don't do anything with those/ think they have anything to do with it.

    That Install Manager folder in documents is where Install Manager records what it has installed -- they are in the Manifestfiles subfolder. Delete the .dsx files in there and Install Manager will consider them uninstalled (you could also select them all in the Installed tab and have DIM uninstall them -- there aren't any files to uninstall, but it will then treat them as uninstalled).

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Install to "Respective Install Paths" and "Selected Path" are for installing updates. The first option (the default) will install updates to the same folder as the package was previously installed; the second will install to the content location you currently have selecgted, even if previously it was installed in a different location. If you only use one install location it makes no difference. In my case, I install DS4, DS3, DS2, and Poser versions in different locations, so if a product has separate packages for different version of DS/Poser, they get installed to different locations. If that product is updated and all the different versions are updated, I can use the "Respective Install Paths" option and each update gets installed to the correct location, instead of having to change it manually for each one.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    BLESS YOU. :)

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    A couple hundred views- does anyone else have questions for Jaderail and fixmypcmike so far as what has happened so far, or for your installs? You're not hijacking the thread- feel free to ask if you have questions regarding your situation. I'm going to get DIM squared away then see if I have any questions about the studio setup. I am assuming for the Edit>Preferences I would still just send it to my D>Daz>Content folder. I will (in the interest of a semi tutorial) post a screenshot when I do that. Back in awhile.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited March 2014

    Here I go again. In DIM- the Downloads tab, where I select the files, what is General? Install Manager?

    I selected Daz Studio 4.%+, Install Manager, Lightwave, Photoshop, Software, Plugin, Windows 64 Bit.

    Post edited by Novica on
  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    Novica said:
    Here I go again. In DIM- the Downloads tab, where I select the files, what is General? Install Manager?

    I selected Daz Studio 4.%+, Install Manager, Lightwave, Photoshop, Software, Plugin, Windows 64 Bit.

    General is for things like tutorial PDF's that don't show up inside DS and can go anywhere.

    Install Manager is for things like the default filters that come with Install Manager (filter by date, tags, etc.).

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    Okay, in Studio- to sync up your DIM with the Studio, you just go to EDIT>Preferences, and select Content Library in the top tab. At the bottom, select Content Directory Manager and you'll see the second popup. The sidebar will tell you what to do, if the wrong path is there, just click on it and Remove. To add a new one, you would select either the Daz Studio Format or the Poser Format and then Directory-Add and select your path.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited March 2014

    Here's what those manifest files look like that fixmypcmike was talking about- the ones that I can delete to make the DIM understand that those products are no longer installed. If you don't delete these, (the products you deleted from files, like I did- I took everything off by erasing entire folders, but not using DIM) then they will still show up as being installed.

    EDIT: FYI- for 1,937 products, it was 35.3MB and only took 6 seconds to delete. Yippeee, off I go to customize the categories in the studio.

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    I know customizing content has a lot of tutorials and explanations, but since it is the next logical step, if anyone would like to see it in action I'll show you a product that has no ReadMe help and is a tad harder to find. Just happened to be the first ones I installed, lol. Are there any newbies who don't know how to make your own category in Content Library, how to get it in the Product list if it isn't there, and how to put it in Products over in the Smart Content tab? Unless someone speaks up/ are interested, I'm not making screenshots.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited March 2014

    I'm doing it anyway, I can't stand to leave anyone hanging and I'm not coming back to it once I get going. (It's also 2am and I am signing off soon and a busy day tomorrow.) So let me show you a quick example.

    Customizing your Content Library:

    100 Expressions for M4 and 100 Expressions for V4 were installed. You'd have to remember to find them in Poser Formats under Expressions (see image) BUT you can easily find them in Products. Right away I noticed they were not easily found in Categories-they were not in Poses, even By Region or By Function. Nor under the head.

    If you want to separate your Expressions from your Poses, here's how to make that category. We'll put those products in there, and also separate the ones for each figure (M4, V4, etc) But first, just a screenshot of where I found them so newbies can more easily follow along.

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    Okay, click on Categories>Default.
    Right click and select Create A SubCategory.
    Popup appears. Name it Expressions. Click OK.
    Now you have Expressions as a menu option. Easy! :)

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited March 2014

    Now let's put sub categories (M4, V4 etc) under Expressions.
    Select Expressions and right click.
    Click on Create A Sub-Category.
    The popup comes up and name it Michael 4
    Click Okay and you have a Michael 4 sub-folder under Expressions.

    Next we'll get the product into it.

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    Go back to the product location (Poser Format.DAZ-Exprressions) and select the 100 Emotions for M4. Right click.

    Select Create A Category From

    Because this product has quite a few options in the next sub-folder (hidden from view, look closely. It's options like anger, sorrow, etc) you choose the "This Folder And Sub Folders" so everything gets brought along.

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    A popup will appear that says Categories.
    Click it to get the dropdown. Default will be next.
    Click that and there's your list, with Expressions in the list.

    Select Expressions, and M4 will appear as a sub-menu under it. select it and Accept and there you go, your 100 Expressions for Michael 4 can be easily found in Categories by going to Expressions>Michael 4. :)

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  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited March 2014

    Here's the final screenshot. (showing Categories, it's too wide to get in the scrolling area.) Just repeat these steps and make a sub-folder "Victoria 4" under Expressions by right clicking and selecting "Create a Sub-Category" then repeat what we just did. You can also go under Poses and make sub-folders for all your figures too. Fast and easy to surf in to what you want.

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    Post edited by Novica on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869
    edited December 1969

    You'll also notice if you right click the product name, you have the option to Create A Product. That means it will appear in Content Library (where we currently are) under Products, in alphabetical order. Don't do this until AFTER you have checked to see if it is already there. Both of these products were, remember?

    And if you right click on the image, you will get the option to "Show In" Smart Content, either the File or Product view. I've not had that option when clicking the text, it is always the image. With multiple facial expressions, you have to hold down Shift to select them all.

  • MatCreatorMatCreator Posts: 215

    Hoping you guys can help me with similar request. I just got a new system, 2 hard drives, one solid state and one sata. Im fine with all the programs being on the solid state, but i want ALL my eons of acquisitions put on my sata drive. Ive only had this new system for less than a week, and after installing everything the solid state is already almost out of space. The plan is to wipe everything clean and start from scratch.

    What would i need to do to have the dim install all the content to the sata drive? I imagine id download/install the dim first, but only after all the software is installed should i begin installing the content.

    screencaps with brief, laymens terms work best for me, any help, advice or suggestions would be immensley appreciated, thanks in advance.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,869

    @matcreator   I think if you go back to page one and look at the images posted there, that will be a good start for you. Jaderails shows where in the DIM you need to set whatever folder you want the installed files to go to. Aka, if you want it to go to an external drive, you'd put that file path in the DIM. To get to that section, you click the cog in the upper right of the DIM, and then you'll see an installation (and a download) tab. Set your information in there first. How are you progressing?

  • MatCreatorMatCreator Posts: 215

    I nailed it, thanks =)

    It is a lot easier than we make it out to be, I suppose the apprehension of screwing this up and anxiety over "will my computer explode" can be overwhelming.

    I had to marinate on it a little, but it was simple using the dim.

    I actually had more problems getting my bryce and carrara content in than the daz studio stuff =/

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