Text-Based Way of Changing Textures

Write Idea

Extremely odd question, but is there a text based way to change out textures? I find it so tedious to go into the surface panel and manually changing all the texture files, rummaging through the folders, etc.

I have a very uniformed way of naming all of my textures, and it'd be SO much simplier changing via typing it out rather than manually clicking everything.

felis

You can make a script.

But how do you imagine it should happen?

WendyLuvsCatz

my biggest gripe is that diffuse/albedo, roughness and normal are not next to each other in the surface list and the texture arrow not big enough to easily drag and drop them in from an open explorer window

( I do this anyway but the user interface is so tiny and twiddly)

I guess one could create a shader preset with everything else hidden

 

there are things like fabricator (in my wishlist) that are supposed to ssomewhat address this

(if you only have a base texture)

https://www.daz3d.com/the-fabricator sadly pre iray

Write Idea

WendyLuvsCatz said:

that is what presets and Smart Content if you are lucky enough that it works, is supposed to do

Example: I want to make two characters. One named Bob and the other named John. I manually do all the work needed to set up a preset for Bob. Bob's files are titled like BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG, BOB_HEAD_SSS.PNG, BOB_HEAD_SATURATION.PNG, etc. All the files are located in the Bob folder (C:\DAZ3D\Textures\Bob\). I save the preset. Bob's all good to go.

Now I need to make a preset for John. They are identical settings, except different texture names. In order to make a preset for John, I have to go into the surface panel and rummage around to find all of John's textures. Very time consuming. 

All of my files are named in a similar pattern. If there was a text based way of changing the location of the files, it'd make it some much simpler. Because I need to swap out over twenty-something files over multiple character. If I replace the BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG for the JOHN_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG, all I'd have to do is search, copy, then paste.

Base Color Location: C:\DAZ3D\Textures\Bob\BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG
...to...
Base Color Location: C:\DAZ3D\Textures\John\JOHN_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG

Hopefully this makes it a bit clearer?

WendyLuvsCatz

Write Idea said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

that is what presets and Smart Content if you are lucky enough that it works, is supposed to do

Example: I want to make two characters. One named Bob and the other named John. I manually do all the work needed to set up a preset for Bob. Bob's files are titled like BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG, BOB_HEAD_SSS.PNG, BOB_HEAD_SATURATION.PNG, etc. All the files are located in the Bob folder (C:\DAZ3D\Textures\Bob\). I save the preset. Bob's all good to go.

Now I need to make a preset for John. They are identical settings, except different texture names. In order to make a preset for John, I have to go into the surface panel and rummage around to find all of John's textures. Very time consuming. 

All of my files are named in a similar pattern. If there was a text based way of changing the location of the files, it'd make it some much simpler. Because I need to swap out over twenty-something files over multiple character. If I replace the BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG for the JOHN_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG, all I'd have to do is search, copy, then paste.

Base Color Location: C:\DAZ3D\Textures\Bob\BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG
...to...
Base Color Location: C:\DAZ3D\Textures\John\JOHN_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG

Hopefully this makes it a bit clearer?

 LOL, I edited my comment and we crossposted

Smart content DOESN'T work for me, Microsux deletes PostGreSql on this PC no matter how much I delve into my security, firewall settings (Googled search everything to no avail)

so I absolutely cannot help you there or test how it's supposed to work

hence I deleted that bit 

MelanieL

Write Idea said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

that is what presets and Smart Content if you are lucky enough that it works, is supposed to do

Example: I want to make two characters. One named Bob and the other named John. I manually do all the work needed to set up a preset for Bob. Bob's files are titled like BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG, BOB_HEAD_SSS.PNG, BOB_HEAD_SATURATION.PNG, etc. All the files are located in the Bob folder (C:\DAZ3D\Textures\Bob\). I save the preset. Bob's all good to go.

Now I need to make a preset for John. They are identical settings, except different texture names. In order to make a preset for John, I have to go into the surface panel and rummage around to find all of John's textures. Very time consuming. 

All of my files are named in a similar pattern. If there was a text based way of changing the location of the files, it'd make it some much simpler. Because I need to swap out over twenty-something files over multiple character. If I replace the BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG for the JOHN_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG, all I'd have to do is search, copy, then paste.

Base Color Location: C:\DAZ3D\Textures\Bob\BOB_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG
...to...
Base Color Location: C:\DAZ3D\Textures\John\JOHN_HEAD_DIFFUSE.PNG

Hopefully this makes it a bit clearer?

I'm no good at scripting, so personally I'd do it in a text editor.

1) Setup "Bob" as required and save as a materials preset

2) Duplicate that material preset file and rename it "John".

 3) Use Notepad++ (or similar text editor) and replace instances of "Bob" with "John"  then save

4)  Load the "John" materials preset, check he looks right then save him as a Character preset or a Scene subset or whatever you would normally do. 

Write Idea

WendyLuvsCatz said:

 LOL, I edited my comment and we crossposted

 Lol, two ships in the night!

 

MelanieL said:

I'm no good at scripting, so personally I'd do it in a text editor.

1) Setup "Bob" as required and save as a materials preset

2) Duplicate that material preset file and rename it "John".

 3) Use Notepad++ (or similar text editor) and replace instances of "Bob" with "John"  then save

4)  Load the "John" materials preset, check he looks right then save him as a Character preset or a Scene subset or whatever you would normally do. 

Sadly when I open a DUF file in a text based editor, it just comes up garbled. Nothing is readable. I just get random symbols. And I saved the DUF file both compressed and not compressed.

I don't have Notepad++, so I can't be for certain.

MelanieL

That's odd for a preset you saved yourself (and saved uncompressed). Try "unzipping" it - I use 7-Zip - and see if it's legible then (it should be). Alternatively I think Daz Studio has a script utility inbuilt that can uncompress and put into clear text - I can't remember eactly where, I guess it's in Window-Tabs menu?

Notepad++ is free to download and (IMHO) indispensible. It maintains the line breaks and formatting which something like ordinary Notepad does not. It's all too easy to corrupt a .duf file using basic Notepad.

Write Idea

MelanieL said:

That's odd for a preset you saved yourself (and saved uncompressed). Try "unzipping" it - I use 7-Zip - and see if it's legible then (it should be). Alternatively I think Daz Studio has a script utility inbuilt that can uncompress and put into clear text - I can't remember eactly where, I guess it's in Window-Tabs menu?

Notepad++ is free to download and (IMHO) indispensible. It maintains the line breaks and formatting which something like ordinary Notepad does not. It's all too easy to corrupt a .duf file using basic Notepad.

Notepad++ worked like a charm!

Readable and editable!

Thank you, @MelanieL!

Taoz

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Smart content DOESN'T work for me, Microsux deletes PostGreSql on this PC no matter how much I delve into my security, firewall settings (Googled search everything to no avail)

Defender? Does Exclusion not work?

WendyLuvsCatz

Taoz said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Smart content DOESN'T work for me, Microsux deletes PostGreSql on this PC no matter how much I delve into my security, firewall settings (Googled search everything to no avail)

Defender? Does Exclusion not work?

I have read every thread here on the topic

Win10

it does work on my Win7 machine but I barely use that, certainly not for DAZ studio as no graphics card

it started after my C drive failed and had to be replaced

I have no idea why it removes it but it does or what removes it, Windows Antivirus shouldn't be as whitelisted it 

I don't have any third party AV

I don't want to derail this thread but posted many times on this forum about it over the past couple of years, at this point just saving for a decent Win11 machine with a better GPU instead, hoopefully next year

this one not worth updating to Win 11, no TPM and is not a great PC 

intend to just keep it for Carrara Octane as will not be able to run it on newer tech without a subscription

 

MelanieL

Write Idea said:

MelanieL said:

That's odd for a preset you saved yourself (and saved uncompressed). Try "unzipping" it - I use 7-Zip - and see if it's legible then (it should be). Alternatively I think Daz Studio has a script utility inbuilt that can uncompress and put into clear text - I can't remember eactly where, I guess it's in Window-Tabs menu?

Notepad++ is free to download and (IMHO) indispensible. It maintains the line breaks and formatting which something like ordinary Notepad does not. It's all too easy to corrupt a .duf file using basic Notepad.

Notepad++ worked like a charm!

Readable and editable!

Thank you, @MelanieL!

 Glad it worked. 

Taoz

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Taoz said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Smart content DOESN'T work for me, Microsux deletes PostGreSql on this PC no matter how much I delve into my security, firewall settings (Googled search everything to no avail)

Defender? Does Exclusion not work?

I have read every thread here on the topic

Win10

it does work on my Win7 machine but I barely use that, certainly not for DAZ studio as no graphics card

it started after my C drive failed and had to be replaced

I have no idea why it removes it but it does or what removes it, Windows Antivirus shouldn't be as whitelisted it 

I don't have any third party AV

I don't want to derail this thread but posted many times on this forum about it over the past couple of years, at this point just saving for a decent Win11 machine with a better GPU instead, hoopefully next year

this one not worth updating to Win 11, no TPM and is not a great PC 

intend to just keep it for Carrara Octane as will not be able to run it on newer tech without a subscription

OK, strange.  If you reinstalled Windows on the new disk (instead of restoring the old system from image/backup) my guess would be Defender didn't install correctly, so exclude/whitelist doesn't work.  I've seen such glitches happen a few times where certain things don't work as they should on a new install.  Running a Windows repair may work in some cases, but I imagine you have tried that.

But otherwise I have no ideas.

WendyLuvsCatz

Taoz said:

 

OK, strange.  If you reinstalled Windows on the new disk (instead of restoring the old system from image/backup) my guess would be Defender didn't install correctly, so exclude/whitelist doesn't work.  I've seen such glitches happen a few times where certain things don't work as they should on a new install.  Running a Windows repair may work in some cases, but I imagine you have tried that.

But otherwise I have no ideas.

I had a shop do it, they DID clone my old drive, have a SSD now, but I had to reinstall all my programs, many random things no longer work though

including the DAZ to Unreal exporter, I cannot be bothered quite frankly not reinstalled many things 

I manage OK generally, loads much quicker without smart content