Infinite Insanity - There's ALWAYS Another Sale! (Daily Sale Talk)
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This gift card sale is definitely lame. Last gift card I bought was 14% off and all I had to do was buy ANY new release, which wound up being a Platinum Club item for $2.99. And now to save $24 on a $200 gift card, you have to buy at least $21 worth of stuff that you don't want. No thanks.
A big reason to build your own PC is if you don't want Windows 10 and bloatware. I wanted a Windows 7 Pro machine which is still available by buying a system builder license, and doing it yourself. I also couldn't find a dual 980ti system without paying a premium cost, so building my own actually saved me a lot of money vs paying someone else to do a custom build. So I'd say there's still legitimate reason to build your own although for most people it probably is easier to buy off the shelf, especially if they're ok with WIn 10 and a single GPU.
The key, for me, to self-building PCs has always been about being able to make a machine to my specific requirements. In that sense, it is cheaper than buying off-the-shelf (because what I want just isn't available). But in a wider performance context, self-building is rarely cheaper. At any one time there will be cheaper retail PCs than I could make that could work with Studio, Iray, Carrara, Bryce, etc, just as well. But those machines will be compromised in some way (usually weak power supplies and limited upgrade options) such that in the long term they end up costing more. Especially if they malfunction after warranty.
By selecting components and layout myself, combined with forward planning of upgrades, I have been able to maximise the value of what I've bought. Off-the-shelf stuff tends to get old faster.
You know, timmins.william, in a way it's a matter of perspective. I don't feel intimidated by building computers or finding ways to figure out hardware, but I do feel intimidated by some things like knowing I'd have to change TerraDome3 from 3DL to Iray or working with shaders. You make it look effortless and logical. And I've definitely made some errors with DAZ purchases, lol. :)
I think you nail it here. If you're looking at a high end, DSLI GPU setup - a DIY build is probably going to be your most economical option. If you go with a pre-built box configured like that, they know you're someone serious, either serious gamer or more likely graphics professional - and in either case they're going to gouge you with a hefty premium.
Lenovo, ASUS and ACER have all come out with very competitively priced gaming laptops over the last several years, delivering the kind of performance associated with Alienware, MSI and other top tier gaming rigs at a fraction of the cost - but I've yet to see a major-label graphics workstation that was priced reasonably.
But there is the catch... it won't be CHEAP even if you build it DIY... and MOST graphics professionals are not super techie-nerds... so a lot of people will pay the premium.
I'm fairly new but I see this same type of comment by quite often here. I'm really glad I'm seeing this so much, actually. This will, hopefully, keep me from going to that point where I have a ton of stuff that I've never even used. After seeing so many poeple say that they forget about what they have, can't find what they have, or haven't used what they have purchased, it's changed my purchasing and rendering habbits. What I do is, as soon as I get a new item (even if it's in a bundle and I wasn't planning on using it), is to put it in my custom categories for easy finding and to do a render or two with it right away (and I won't let myself buy anything else until I do). I can set up a scene fairly quickly with several new items in the scene and then do a couple of renders with it. And also placing every new item in my own custom categories (G1 figures, G2 figures, environments, v4 clothes, weapons, poses, etc) helps me to keep everything organized so that I don't have stuff I've bought that I can't find and forget about. This helps me to remember what all I've gotten and will hopefully keep me from forgetting about what I've gotten. This also helps me slow down on my spending as it helps me to realize exactly how much I've accumulated.
I dub this effect 'the closet full of clothes effect', where the closet is so full that you don't know what you already have :)
As someone with about only about 8-10 outfits and two pairs of shoes, this isn't a concept I can easily grasp. lol
I'm newer than you, Divamakeup... pretty sure... because it was your stacking posts that really made me understand how to leverage a DAZ sale and get all the M4/V4/A4 characters for $4 a pop... so, I was thinking of you as a wizened veteran of DAZ Studio when I first started coming to these forums. I remember seeing your posts with screenshots of your stacking discounts during that sale, going and doing it myself and thinking, "That person is a Daz GOD!" Or something to that effect, anyhow.
:)
I ended up dropping about $250 on that sale... but I got about $1800 worth of merchandise. Which has ruined me for this "sale". I've picked up a bunch of seriously depreciated stuff. K4, Millenium Girls and Teens, G3, M3... just because they're dirt cheap.
And... the good thing about V4/M4 and V3/M3... is that there is no smart content, and most of the content is accessed through the POSER library not the DAZ Library... so you really get to learn how the content libraries work and why things do the things they do in the libraries... how the runtimes and different folders work... Lots of the freebies out there are V4/M4/A4, and related characters too... I've really got a better grasp of how Genesis 1 characters work versus Genersis 2 and 3 because of that.
But... reading about how you categorize and organize your content library makes me realize that I'm WAY behind the curve on THAT aspect of managing my Daz library - and that is frustrating. I've watched a couple of tutorials... but everything seems geared to 4.8 and earlier, and it seems like there was a major content library organization change at 4.9...
I really should be learning more about Cararra, too. But that is a whole 'nother mountain to climb.
I'm not doing it to save money but to get things exactly the way I want, and with parts of a good quality. Another reason is that I can replace any part I want without voiding the warranty of the machine, or having to return it to the dealer and perhaps wait 2-4 weeks to get it back if something breaks down.
Early on I focused on stuff that had broad impact, like shaders and special tools. Then I moved to fill in lots and LOTS of content. It's hard to fake the right clothes.
Now, my 'closet' is pretty darn full of content, and I'm back to focusing more on stuff with broad use and impact (like ultrascatter).
Some hold competitions on who can build a new PC fastest. Some can do it in a few minutes but then they know all the parts and have them all ready on the table I suppose. I usually spend a few hours, but that includes unpacking and reading instruction manuals (things change all the time so you can't rely on what you did last time). If you build two or more identical machines it goes much faster when you have built the first and know the procedure.
I'm not new to the Daz store, but I'm new to DS software because I was using Poser exclusively until March when I saw what Iray could do and forced myself to try to learn DS which has been a challenge LOL, but a fun one. I had moved away from the Daz store to other stores when they introduced Genesis because it was not Poser compatible and they stopped creating new V4 content, so there was a big Daz store break in between and I'm now catching up with older Genesis content. You are actually way ahead of me because I don't know how to do catagories... I hand organize my Poser runtimes, even organizing by style (i.e.: sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, fairy, modern, lingerie, swimsuit) and I have a lot of stuff from other stores too, but I have no idea how to do it in DS without screwing everything up...
How do you create catagories in DS? If things aren't in my smart content, I have to look up what I want in the store and then find it alphabetically in the content directory because search never seems to work correctly or takes a ridiculous amount of time... It would be great to create categories for everything! Can you do subfolders like clothes/female/sci-fi?
BTW, when I first started buying content, I was like you, rendered everything right away and was very frugal. Then buying content became like a drug, spending money I couldn't afford and in my head I imagined what I would create with each item but rarely got a chance to do what I had imagined because I had moved on to other newer content and sometimes just forced myself to randomly kit bash just so I could use things because the content started to get out of control... Just wait a few years. My first purchase from Daz was in 2004! I was 10 years old, haha, no, god, that just makes me feel ancient though. I've never been addicted to any substance or bad habit in my life except this! Not that this is a bad habit LOL, it's actually officially my career now, not just a hobby, so I rationalize that I may need something in the future for a project and it's on super sale now, I better get it now...
LOL That made me laugh until tears came out! I think everyone needs to be called that at least once in their life. HAHAH :)
I do miss the stacking sales. Just about all the 3D content I've purchased over the few months I've been here have been thanks to stacking deals. I definitely miss them. I hear next month, the PC+ sale, is going to be pretty awesome though! I'm really looking forward to that! :D
You need the Smart Content for that, and I have disabled it as I feel it's too heavily integrated into Daz's DRM system; and even if it isn't now, who's to say it wont be in the future. Yes I'm paranoid.
Indeed.
Yeah, I keep telling that to everyone.
Under "Categories" you can right click it and tell it to "Create a Sub-Category". There I created a "Favorites" category (with sub categories under that) because when I first started organizing into categories I was only going to do my favorite items/content. But then I started categorizing everything and let me tell you, it's been a MASSIVE help. Don't get me wrong, that takes a lot of time to get your stuff organized that way, but it really pays off in helping you know EXACTLY what you have and helping you set up scenes way faster. Here are my categories:
Under those categories are additional categories to farther organize. Like under clothes I have sub categories for "G1 Clothes", "G2F Clothes", "G2M Clothes", "V4 Clothes", etc. Under Actors I have sub categories for "G1 Actors", "G2 Actors", "G3 Actors", "V4 Actors", "Non-Daz Characters", etc. You can organize however is most helpful to you. Like under "Backgrounds and Props" you could do "Interior Environments", "Exterior Environments" - or organize it by genre like "Fantasy Environments", "Modern Environments", "Fantasy Furniture and Props", "Modern Furniture and Props". However you find is most helpful for you to find what you need for your art.
After creating your categories comes the FUN PART - going through your "My Library" and "Poser Formats" and all your folders and seeing what all you have and organizing it into your categories. :) To organize single items you can right click the item's icon and choose "Categorize" and put a check mark by the folder or sub-folder that you want to put it in. To categorize an entire folder's content just right click the folder and choose "Create a Category from >> Selected Folder & Sub-Folders".
Getting everything into your own categories can be quite time consuming (took me like two months lol) but it also gives you a chance to see everything you have and in the future saves you a TON of time when setting up your scenes and knowing exactly what you have to work with. :) I think you might actually find it fun as you will undoubtedly find things you forgot you had! :)
I don't think you do, just right click under Categories and create your own categories there. :) I don't think Smart Content is needed, I believe.
Now I know who to blame if it sucks. lol JK :P
That looks great thanks! It's somewhat how I have my old Poser runtime set up, but now I have two Poser runtimes. My original one that has a combination of several stores' content and a Daz only one. It would be great to categorize and combine all of them, but that would take forever... I just wish smart content worked better, it's so messed up. I have a G3 character Brooke which is completely separate from all the other characters and a whole bunch of stuff in lost and found, and things in utilities that aren't utilities and half the time shaders disappear completely until you click on something else, I have to almost trick it to stay visible. If they fixed smart content and updated it to get all older products and RDNA stuff in, that would be great. And I'm thinking there must be a way to make un-smart content smart myself, but I have no idea how to do it...
Also, I'm wondering what people have against connect? This seems to be a touchy subject but I'm not sure what the real problem is... I sign in each time to refresh my smart content hoping that it will magically be fixed... Unfortunately not yet.
You know how the regular disclaimers go... "Past Performance Is Not an Indication of Future Results."
I removed SQL, so it wont work. :)
I have various runtime folders to catagorise things, and have plans to add more. All I do to keep a reminder of new purchases is leave DIM open and have it sorted by newest purchases - to the top.
Anyway, we need the better GC sale due NLT next catch up. ><
There's another thread about it, but in a nutshell; Daz incorporated DRM into the Connect system. I don't like DRM, sooner or later there are issues (if previous experience of DRM systems is an indication).
I'd happily give Connect a go if there was no DRM; others feel the same. And yet there are folks using it without issue.
I started using Categories in DS2, and I love it. I categorize EVERYTHING, and use my own system, whether it comes with metadata or not. I don't use Smart Content and don't bother making older content smart -- I know where to look in my categories for it.
Some of the advantages of categories over moving files and folders on disk (which I used to do, in fact kept doing in parallel with categories for a long time):
1 - you can't break anything by moving a file to the wrong place
2 - you can categorize an item in multiple places without having to duplicate files -- if an outfit comes with props I can categorize them under the outfit as well as under weapons, and I don't have to worry about tracking down multiple copies if there's an update
3 - updating and uninstalling are much easier if the files are left in their original locations
4 - any time I come up with a better way of organizing things I can easily modify my categories
5 - since they introduced "Export User Data" it's really easy to back up your categories
By the way, I still have the general release 4.8 and the beta 4.9, because there are a few obscure bugs in 4.9 I'm still waiting on fixes for, and my categories are too essential to my workflow to allow any imperfections.
Well, this is somewhat subjective. DIY build components have always been kind of sketchy in my experience... unless you're paying a BIG premium for top end motherboards branded by Intel, MSI, or a handful of other vendors. Even then... you have to really understand the difference between their different target markets and where they are positioning the components you are buying. I mean... it all comes down to a certain extent of "you get what you pay for..."
While at the same time, you don't want to end up buying the PC Component equivilant to Monster Cables or Beats Headphones... "Premium prices for average quality."
Same thing can happen when buying off-the-shelf too, though. "I thought Lenovo was a GREAT brand, so how come my $200 Lenovo tower is so awful?!?"
As far as a 10 year old girl being able to ASSEMBLE a PC...
Just give her the money, and send her to the store, or to Tiger Direct, or where ever - and let her pick out the right motherboard, case, CPU, CPU cooling, video card, memory, PSU without any help from an adult. Did she match everything up? Figuring out the right components to buy to all go together is probably the bigger challenge... especially if you're trying to optimize for a graphics rendering workstation. Does she know the difference between the AMD line and Intel line and understand that number of cores and clock speed doesn't really mean that much when trying to determine which machine is going to be FASTEST? Does she understand how criticial it is that memory clocks and CPU clocks and motherboard clocks are all synchronized, and that without it, you end up with a slow-ship in your fleet that the rest of the machine is waiting on when doing calculations? A lot of times, if you buy one of those expensive, prebuilt workstations - that is part of the premium... all that has been worked out for you by THEIR engineers, and you can be assured the machine is as blazing fast as every component allows. If you just go into Frys and ask the guy behind the counter and start throwing things in a basket - you might be able to assemble everything without much trouble... but the machine you thought was going to be awesome may be underwhelming.
And... did she get the thermal paste on right between the CPU and the cooler? Or did you just give her a bundle with a CPU and cooler already mounted in a motherboard? Because there are a bunch of little gotchas like that when you're assembling your own PC that can turn into hundred dollar mistakes.
I'm not saying DIY doesn't have advantages... but there are a lot of hidden pitfalls, too... especially for someone who has never built before and doesn't know someone who builds all the time who can guide them.
This seems like it really belongs in its own thread outside of the Infinite Sale discussion at this point.
This is tempting...
"Just wait a few years. My first purchase from Daz was in 2004! I was 10 years old, haha, no, god, that just makes me feel ancient though."
Heh. If being 10 in 2004 is cause for making one feel ancient... suddenly I feel like an immortal. :D
Diva - I've tried to organize my content like that... I'm just overwhelmed - from how to organize the folders and what to put into it to the sheer amount of work involved. You should make a Youtube video tutorial. You *should* come over and organize mine for me! It would really help to be a very organized person to begin with, I think. In the real world, my filing and indexing is always a mess, too.
No, I was kidding. I wasn't really 10, but thinking about how long ago that was made me feel ancient, so I joked I was 10 LOL... But I do have an annual 22nd birthday party and decided to stop counting the years then, so in my mind I'm perpetually 22 :) And immortal!
They couldn't tempt me with that promo... I already own all but two items, and I don't like/want either one. (One is a texture for the other! lol)
hahah I don't have the know how or programs to do youtube videos, but I'll post some screen shots of my categories if you want - if that can help?
And yeah, it is a lot of work, but I see it as fun too. Getting to see everything you have and getting it in the right spots to easily find later - that to me is pretty fun! :D If you forget you had something and find it again, it's like getting something new! lol