How do you create the files are in the Support folder?

faisan

When you're packaging a custom product, how do you create the .dsa and .dsx files (I guess the .jpg file must be created by myself) which are in the My DAZ 3D Library/Runtime/Support route?

Gordig

Save as an asset: File -> Save As -> whatever kind of asset you're making.

faisan

Gordig said:

Save as an asset: File -> Save As -> whatever kind of asset you're making.

Save as ----> Support Asset, right?  And what option must I choose for a group of poses?

NorthOf45

The Support Folder is for metadata, not assets. To make your own metadata (presumably for third-party products without any from Daz), you need to use the Content DB Editor. Much has been written about it elsewhere.

NewGuy

Deleted as it didn't answer the question.  

Richard Haseltine

As NorthOf45 says, those files are the product metadata so you would need to create a product from the files (for a pose set you can essentially do that from a rght-click on the folder that holds the poses, though you iseally want the filte types and compatibility set too)

DollyGirl

The process of creating the product metadata which the .dsa and .dsx file contain is as follows:

Note: Steps 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are performed on the content library tab.

Note: I am using a hypathical example of a set of poses in DAZ format. These steps will work with Poser directory format as well, just a different location in the Content Library Format lists.

Step 1: Categorize all your poses. (You do that by clicking on the DAZ Studio Formats list and chase the directory until you are in the file folder where your poses live.)

Step 2: Click right on the pose and select Create a Product from...

Step 3: Identifiy in the pop up box what the product name will be.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for all you poses. You can select multiple poses and assign them all at once. You can add as many poses as you want.

Step 5: Once you have included all the pose files into the product then click right on one of the files and choose Show Asset in -> Smart Content -> Products.

 

Note: You should now be on the Smart Content tab. You may have to click on the Products tab to get DAZ to show the new product.

 

Step 6: Select the new product and click right. Select Edit Metadata.....

Note: At this point you now have a product created but it only lives in the DSON Cache files. The following steps will commit the information to hard drive by creating the .dsa and .dsx files.

Step 7: The Product tab. Fill out the store, token, description, and Artists. Files and Scene IDs boxes need extra things from the assets tab and will be automaticly filled out.

Step 8: The Assests tab. Top part identifies what you have identifed as being a part of the product. If your list is incomplete then perform steps 1 thru 5 on the missing bits.

    a: Select an item from the top part. Fill out the Type: box. (Midldle of the edit box) (You can do several items at a time by using the shift or control keys or the equivalent Mac keys). The top part of the edit box will start to fill in with X's as you proceed to fill in the lower part of the edit box. Filling in the Type box will have daz create the identifier, the little yellow box on the thumb nails for each of the pose files. 

     b: Go thru the tabs at the bottom, (Tags, Descriptions, Compatibility Bases, Compatibilities, Userwords, User Notes) completing the tabs that you want to use. Filling in all of these tabs will create full function ability of Smart Content. So for your product of poses, when you select the Posing |Shaping tab and you have filled out the compatibility tabs, your scene will have the ability to identify your poses for the selected character in your scene. (Assuming you have Filter By Context checked.) (You don't need to fill in every tab if you don't want to but be aware that you will not have your product included in that functionality (Tags, Descriptions, Compatibility Bases, Compatibilities, Userwords, User Notes)).

     c: Repeat for all your pose files.

Step 9: Select either Export or Accept (with Automatic Export box checked) buttons at the bottom of the Edit form. You should now have your dsa and dsx files.

Step 10: Create the image that represents your pose package. Name it with the same name as the dsx and dsa files are using. Refresh your Smart Content tab. Size of image can be anything. I generate image sizes at 500x647. DAZ seems to like 114x148. Images in jpg or png format can be used.

NorthOf45

A good summary, but I would categorize after creating the Product. You can create a product from an entire folder structure, which will pull in everything in any sub-folders, but it does not have to all be under the same folder, just add another to the Product previously created (i.e., People/Genesis 8 Male/Poses/.., People/Genesis 8 Female/Poses/..). Edit the metadata from the Product view; all assets will be in one place, and you can do it all in one pass. Be sure to use Default categories, any other will create a new, read-only branch in the Categories tree. If you use Custom Categories (considered User Data), assign them after saving the metadata files (considered read-only Vendor Data). You can export User Data later as a back-up.

Richard Haseltine

The DSON Cache does not store the product details, they are metadata in the database http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/tech_articles/metadata/start

Where you launch the Edito metadata dialogue from is a matter of taste - for example, if you have 3Delight and iray (or Filament) materials and want to set their content type it can be easier to launch the dialogue from the specific sub-folder for those materials, then you can just seelct everything and assign it to the right type - otherwise you have to carefully go through the file list in the dialogue making sure you seelct all and only then ones to be given a specific type.