No encrypted for me.
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A lot of people who trawl the pirate sites for free software are probably not even aware that DS is free. exe files are the best way for spreading viruses and trojan's, so you can see why pirate versions of even free software would be out there.
Yea, I get why the pirates would make the software, just not why people would want it. I will say that I didn't even know Daz or Studio existed until I was trialling Poser (which also took me several searches for a posable figure to realise existed) and kept seeing mentions of Victoria in content shops. Maybe Daz has a lot of presence via advertising banners on websites or something but having those turned off Studio isn't something I see much of mentioned around the web in general.
New releases with encrypted only are definitely telling me: Don't buy. But as long as DAz sells old stuff at low prices instead, I'm perfectly happy to fill up my content for M4 and V4. Some of these old things look more realistic than the new releases, at least to me.
Question: If I install 4.9 beta, which I'm still offered in the download tab of DIM, can I use that to get the updates on Iray, or are these updates only given for the non-beta version?
I'm no big fan of Iray, but I woulkd like to play around a bit with it. If the beta version isn't getting these updates, I have nop reason to install the beta at all, as I won't risk loosing my 4.8 version.
Release version and beta version of 4.9 are both showing at patchlevel 4.9.0.63 for me. So the beta should have all the same features as the release version. I have both installed,. and I'm not finding any differences from just a cursory look. So yes, you should be able to test out all the new features using the current public beta build.
Not sure on this but wouldn't installing the beta still screw with your library the same as installing the live version side by side? Unless you use a completely separate library for it, of course. At least it did for me when I used the beta.
That is common practice to make a copy of your library and use it with the beta. Good advice any time you are running a beta or test of any software really.
Thanks, in that case I'll try that just for fun (on my older PC, which I'm not using anymore for serious work), tell it not to phone home of course (and continue to install non encrypted content with 4.8 as long as it is offered). And yes, I know that I will have to install the items I'm playing with on the second PC as well for these scenes to work.
Still saying, no DRM for me, no walled in system. Hope, DAZ will return to an open system (but fearing it might not).
the beta can only be installed through DIM.So you'll need to be connected to the internet long enough to do that part.After that you can unplug the ethernet cables, as you won't need them anymore.
Iray needs a 64bit operating system to run. Other than that, you should be just fine.
Just because I am still purchasing (2 old V4 hair products, on sale, that I can manually intall and use in DS 4.7)...don't think that means I have forgot about this! ;-)
DS 4-Nein!
Downloaded the beta via DIM without installing. Found the zip-file where it should be. But ... it doesn't say beta (in spite of the fact that it said beta in DIM), so this might be the new version which will eliminate 4.8. I_m twice glad I did choose not to install it at once. Now I'll transfer it via USB to the second PC. Transfer workes for all other files, should work for this as well. And if 4,8 dies on the other PC, 4.9 will dy for me. But, Nevertheless, thanks again!
THIS!! Lol, I've been loading my cart up on older stuff as well in preparation for my "getting out of dodge".
Yeah, I was perfectly happy with DS4.7 and M4 but they convinced me to try Genisis, then G2, then DS4.8. I've pretty much avoided buying anything G3 and I'm definately staying away from DS4.9 It's gotten too complicated and of no use to me, and I don't find the Genesis characters better than M4/F4. Finally, bowing out. I like the forum. Many fun people here but no new tech for me.
I get the impression from their description that in the end all content will be stored on their servers and to save me space all I have to do is download the items I need for the current scene. Everything is DAZ Cloud based. I understand that right now I can download and install by DIM, Manual, and even offline Connect, but will it stay that way? Daz has not said. All they have said is Connect is great and future Daz product MAY come with only that option.
BTW, somehow the download (NOT installed!, just the simple download) of the 4.9beta made 4.8 dissappear in the DIM, despite the fact, that it is still installed and working, but that left me without a backup. So, beware!
Installing 4.9 has deleted/written over 4.8 for me too :( (and 4.8 was on a seperate drive). However, I did find 4.6 buried in program files... which I find odd.
I've been looking at piracy sites and I haven't seen 4.9 or any of the three Encryption only items that were released last week. Also, members of the piracy sites seem to be very much aware of the encryption/drm thing that Daz has introduced (and even they think it's a bad thing... not for them, for Daz).
Isn't there any way this situation could be settled with a compromise? Nobody has to lose. And surely there's a way to fix things so nobody has to leave or stop using DS or stop buying content here.
An upgrade to DS, update to Iray...new skin shaders. It should be a happy time, not a time for apprehension.
If someone has to blink, I will. I'll blink. I'm not too proud to ask, again, for some sort of compromise.
Its not the download. 4.8 has disappeared for me too and I have done absolutley nothing with 4.9. I have to go look at my zip files and see if I still have it there. I currently have 4.8 installed. so it s not because you downloaded 4.9 it just doesn't seem to be there anymore
What you are seeing in DIM are the changes that reflect 4.8 bring replaced as the release version by 4.9.
4.8 won't be available in DIM, or manual download anymore.This has always been the case with new releases.
@hjake , this has been covered before a few times. Your content is installed on your computer. There is no cloud service.
Some of us wouldn't mind such a service.As was mentioned on another forum (not by me),,,
"if I could get Studio installed on of those 100 core amazon servers and my content on a CDN, I could make 10,000x10,000 iray renders on one of those Nvidia VCA farms in seconds on my phone in an airplane at 30,000 feet."
That doesn't sound so bad to me, but something like that would expensive to say the least, so It's really not even being looked at as an option at the moment.I'm sure costs for something like that will continue to come down, and at some point I'll have my $25 tablet that I can make those kinds of renders on,,,but right now,,,it's just not in the cards.The VCAs alone are $70,000 each.
Hard to see a compromise on DRM. It's either in or out. Right now DAZ is asking us to trust them not to use DRM to screw us, while simultaneously saying through the addition of DRM that they don't trust us. This is not good ground for a compromise.
My idea of a compromise would be to lose the encryption completely and to keep connect but make it optional because for various reasons, not everyone has the desire or the ability to do online authentification.
So in case I loose my 4.8 installation (computer crash sometimes), I will have to return to 4.7 in 32 bit or 4.8beta, which due to an old backup still exist. Can't say this policy of DAz deleting our preferred version without asking is something I love. Makes me even more distrust 4.9 and what follows.
In the end, money will talk the loudest.
I will never sign in to Connect.
Which means I will never buy anything that is exclusive to it.
I mean ... DAZ is great. I love the software, the content, and the high quality. I am heavily invested in money, time and even emotion.
But, frankly, backed into a corner like this ... there are other ways to create art that simply don't involve DAZ at all.
I would rather explore and invest in those than walk down this encrypted path with them.
My biggest complaint against encrypted content is that it's closed source.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I like being able to view source code on any .DUF file in a text editor — after all, it's basically JSON data, it's human readable. An unencrypted text file allows me to make any edit I wish: I can find and replace, compare differences, and better understand how things work at a fundamental level — especially when documentation is scarce. If any file has an offending property or conflicting node that doesn't work the way I want, I can fix it.
Encryption takes this freedom away, it limits the applications we can use to a single application that can read these encrypted files (currently only DAZ Studio 4.9), which only DAZ has the power and authority to make plugins for other applications to be able to read these encrypted files. This is not a good situation for end users.
I'm all for combating piracy; but encryption and/or obfuscation is not the answer.
No its not DIM just renames it to 4.9 when you boot up DIM.....If you look in the directory your 4.8 is still there but it is calling it 4.9 (that is unless you do download the non beta). I noticed that and I didn't download anything at all. What happens is DIM updates the DSX files that DIM uses to figure out what needs to be updated everytime you open it up. When it does that it changes the name (only with in the DIM download menu of the item that need updating. So if you look in the directory where you actually have DIM putting the Files you will see it there.
I hope I caught you in time so you don't think that you did mess things up!
If you download the non Beta then 4.8 will be lost. you should back up your DIM before doing anything and your content directory!!!!
I even double checked this again...(when I open up DIM and don't log on (work offline) it says I have 4.8 installed and when I am online is says I have 4.9 installed. Almost reminds me of that little Update to windows 10 thing I had to get rid of...lol
lol oh and hey sorry for looking into the directories I like to know whats going on..
I can't offer an opinion on the encryption. I have no experience with DRM, that I know of. I read a lot about it this morning, and I see the need for copyright protection. I also though, in 4 of 5 articles, ran across explicit mention of pirates who gleefully rub their hands together, when a new DRM product emerges. I read that cracking the codes are a challenge, and the reward is just being able to crack the code and earn high-fives from pirate peers. So it seems like a 50-50 proposition at best.
As for 4.9, I just installed it. I had to see for myself. It's no huge deal, either way. The installation went smoothly (I do have a backup of 4.8 though, just in case). 350 mgb of metadata were installed, so not too bad there. I had almost 1100 products.
The connect feature connected on first try. DS opened, closed, opened again -- runs offline and on. I did two renders and don't see much difference, other than Arabella may look a bit paler. I also re-installed Arabella, just to see how the connect feature worked. She was a little slow to install, but she installed in a new library called "My DAZ Connect Library." That's the only problem I see. I'm going to have two main libraries, side by side.
All my other runtimes/libraries that I used in 4.8 -- Poser and DS -- were in the Content Management pane when I checked. No problem there.
I do like being able to see what products I have because I've forgotten a lot of them.
So unless future problems with 4.9 arise, the only concern I have now is with the encryption. Online articles, in general, state the need for copyright protection, but most say DRM is a sure-fire way to anger paying customers. And that paying customers are ultimately the ones inconvenienced, and not the pirates. Still, Steam is DRM and although I don't use that, I know it's popular.
Again, I hope the standoff situation is resolved. Surely there has to be a solution.
Yeah, I'm in the 'sure, I'll use 4.9 and Connect, no, I won't use encryption' camp.
I'm really liking 4.9. A number of subtle things seem better (mainly related to SSS and volumetrics, plus a few annoying Iray bugs)
I am in the same boat Mr. Timmins, I did get 4.9, but will not buy or use any encrypted content. I have really not noticed any improvements in 4.9 as of yet, some people said there was render speed improvement. Those people might just have better graphics cards than my meager gtx 960 though. The 960 did improve my gaming experience, but not really my renders, other than the double vram, that did imrpove how many people I can render at once.
I'm going against my better judgement...because I swore off most of these threads...
But...
What, other than Studio can actually read ALL Duf files (to some degree Carrara, but it has been slow to...and it has been said in the myriad of threads, somewhere that support in Carrara will be expanded)?
Basically NOTHING ELSE!
So what has changed...Studio and to some degree Carrara can read Daz native content.
NO EXPORT formats have been dropped, changed, prevented from working! So all the regular ways of getting content into other programs still work.
And for all who are moaning about encryption...how many add-ons/scripts do you own that you bought from the store? They have been encrypted forever.
As to the suggestions...it is local. At least part of the Connect database is everything...whether you own it or not. And for 'old hands'...those who know what they are doing/want...hide the damn thing and move on. It is obviously mostly intended for new users If that still isn't enough create a firewall rule to prevent Connect from going anywhere (yeah, basically doubling down on OFFLINE mode).
Undecided about the encrypted stuff. Not exactly sure how it'd change things, since I render all things "DAZ for DAZ Studio" in DAZ Studio anyhow, thanks to the addition of IRay. I feel that I should object to it on principle, since so many others obviously hate it. And are threatening to leave because of it. I don't think they're just griping for the heck of it, since many are longtime customers. Still hoping for a semi-satisfactory solution for all.
Well, now it looks like nothing will ever be allowed to.
For now. But the way DAZ is acting all shifty about it gives me the feeling that won't be the case in the future. I don't like the idea of putting my trust in a company that tells me I can't be trusted. And I really disagree with closing up the format when so much development came from the fact that it was open. Like I mentioned before, do you really think any of this would be here if Poser had gone with encrypted closed formats for their content? Would we have had innovations like injected morphs, and easypose had .cr2 files been locked and only open to pre-approved developers?