Large library, now with duplicates
chbautist_449450d875
Posts: 24
I have a huge library. (13k products last I checked) I make a lot of images with very different contexts and environments.
Since my reinstall, I can't see the end of updating and downloading the products. Doesn't help that Daz seems to default back to placing everything on C:\ and I want it on a larger drive. But I digress.
Since content Manager can't see the end of it, I hoped that DIM voud do it better/faster. But it turns out, it's duplicating everything! How can it be this bad?
I build software for a living and I'm stumped because the dev-team controls both content installers AND the CMS. You'd think that there would be a unique ID preventing duplication and that they'd use it...
anybody has a workaround?
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Comments
Ideally you should only ever use DIM or DazConnect - never both. However, that gets tricky if you are Daz Premier and want to use the exclusive content which only works via Daz Connect - or you need certain plugins which do not work when installed via Connect and so you have to use DIM.
I would advise that you pick which ever you find easiest or more appropriate with and use that in every possible instance. Then, only use the other option when you have no choice and ensure that you only use it for those specific things. Make sure you specifically uninstall any duplicates that you have ended up with since if you have two copies then one is redundant and you might find that the other is broken - a reinstall after uninstalling both should fix that.
That was my previous approach but then *Premium* happenned and the filter options with either are just horrible when you try to cherry pick what ton install or not.
So I'm still downloading everything and then I'll query the Post-gre SQL for duplicate names, delete the associated bloat files and delete the DB rows.
After that maybe I'll build my own content manager and only use the studio only for posing. Sometimes, I wish I could just go to the dev team and give them a hand... Maybe AI will save them.
If you install using DS then you need to edit the Daz Connect data directory in Content Directory Manager (Edit>Preferences>Content tab).
I would suggest backing up the ContentCluster folder 9also set in Content Directory Manager or Edit>Prefernces>CMS Settings) when DS and DIM are closed. If you restore that then you should see content installed through DS again without having to do a reinstall.
Been there, didn't work this time, T-shirt is in the wash.
But yes, great advice if anyone reads this: it works most of the time.
changed the content folders in the preferences but there is one that you can never really move you know... "Public documents" almost 15 years of hate for that one. So I make a junction on the file system and move it like a ninja. But then DIM has it's own messy folders... Anyway... I pointed them at the folders and made Studio search the folders came back with nothing. reinstalled the default beta version instead of the new and enhanced beta version that I will need to render on my 5090. Now even the content DB can't read itself.
So maybe my question should be, since I'm downloading the duplicates anyway on DIM after the studio's other content installer continues to fail at its only duty...
Does anyone have a better idea on how to deal with duplicate products?
Nothing should be forced to Public Documents (except the files for GoZ, but that is the way it works). Just set a new path for the my Daz 3D Library in DIM and DS (or set it in one and use https://docs.daz3d.com/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/api_reference/samples/start#directory_mapping to update the other).
I am a bit tired so appologies if I have misread what you posted but your approach does not sound like a good idea. DIM and DazConnect install products in very different ways that are not compatible and so if you just delete the references in the CMS directly then you have not resolved the problem of having your content installed twice on your hard drive. In fact that would make it more difficult to figure out what you have installed twice or not :(
To answer the original question, my approach is just to avoid DazConnect like the plague - I never log-in to my account within Daz Studio and so it does not have the chance to affect anything. All my Daz Store content is installed via DIM. That does mean I am not able to utilise any Premier stuff but I would rather that than have to clean up after DazConnect as I have had to a few times when I first started.
I manually install almost everthing.
In DIM
For DIM, the zip files are in it's downloads folder. I don't know where Daz Connent puts them (I never use that).
Then I open it up from there with 7-zip, drill down to the 'content' folder, and copy that to a destination folder of my choice.
However, the meta data doesn't get updated in CMS. I need to 'refresh' it after I manually copy things.
Do you have the original .zip files from DIM and DazConnect ?
You should NOT apologize for trying to be helpful. I should apologize for not really making my expectations clear. To be honest, I was ranting as much as asking.
I think the real issue is the size of my library.
That should tell the devs what works and what doesn't. better content management would be a major QoL improvement, one that is not only worth time and money to the user when installing but during everyday use.
people just bypass the installer, that's a big fail on the CMS.
I've wrestled with the issue of organizing and finding content for 25+ years.
I started installing everything from scratch. Then I modified the idea a bit.
Finally, now I have the simplest approach that suits me.
I have one installation, made by DIM. Then I use Categories to setup an organization that works for me.
None of the original install files are moved. I just drag "shortcuts" to my desired places.
Now life is so much simpler.
I do take my "creations," and move or copy them to their own "installation folder" (Ron's World).
That way I could conceivably lose the DIM installation, but still have my hard work saved.
I have all my DAZ Content on external hard drives. I've done this for over a decade. It makes things easier if a computer dies, or I get a new computer.
And I have backed up my DIM installation to a second hard drive. I have two 8TB hard drives for DAZ Studio.