You've been heard. Response re: 4.9 and Encryption
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Hmm, looks like Carrara doesn't support Alembic (.ABC) format, and the DS Alembic Exporter doesn't export cameras or textures... would have been a nice solution for exporting Encrypted DAZ Connect content with animation over to Carrara.
thanks for replying , I have a icky feeling I'll need to do that, I wanted to stay (keep) 4.6 on this machine, while I run with 4.9 on the new machine
No sadly, it does duf though ..... Not much help under the circumstances, you can import obj too for props and the medieval Storage exported from DS quite well as FBX rigged into Carrara but not figures, they mangle no visible mesh.
Unless exported into a third party software first.
People are experiencing problems with their freedom. You don't care about it, me (and many, many people like me, 80% according to a recent CGForum poll) highly care about it.
P.S.: food for thought: Turbosquid has no DRM in place and is the largest 3D e-shop of the internet.
What happens when you do a Save As->Support Asset->Figure and Prop Asset to get an unencrypted version of the dsf, and duf file? Will this then load in Carrara?
No not in the runtime/Library folder I am talking about the main instal folder for the main Studio content Content/People I believe. (If that is wrong I am sorry still trying to get used to the file structure for Studio coming from Poser.
That is an interesting observation. The target customers of Turbosquid are professional users who are willing to pay sums like 500+ $ for rigged human models.
When you are taking on professional contracts any pirated CG model is not useable because all serious contracters WILL ask for the license information especially on the first time working together. Some may even go so far as to double check with the license giver that receipts are not faked.
Simply put: If you only once are caught taking on work without a license for software or content your reputation with that agency is done.
It is a similar case in the area of loops and sample based sound design. There is no point in adding DRM to sound files because without the proper license the files will be useless for any projects you want to share on public channels. Example: Youtube is able to detect any sound files you uploaded and you will be asked to show proof of license in regular intervals. Youtube did ask me to submit proof that I have a license to use 3D models shown in a video as well. If you fail to deliver the receipts your account will be deleted and legal consquences may follow...
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DAZ3D seems to have a totally different target audience. For many customers 3D seems just like a hobby. And there may even be a portion of users who just like to create 3D scenes for the fun of it without any interest in sharing with others...
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This may be a very simplified look at the situation but maybe worth to consider:
More professional users means less need for DRM.
Without a proper license any pirated content is absolutely useless in a professional environment.
no it is not
its about
1. Encryption and DRM.
2. Difficulty or confusion in finding and installing products through Daz Connect.
3. Frustration over missing functionality in the Content Library pane experience.
encryption discussion goes here
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/65560/encryption-discussions-go-here#latest
omg that wasn't my job
sorry
On the topic of DAZ Connect usability, DIM should be updated so that you can filter out content that is already installed through Connect from DIM's Ready to Download tab so people do not accidently double install contnet.
According to the change log it's in the private beta stage.
With the people just using the software privately with no intention of showing their works to others I find myself not understanding the motivation. But the solitary nature of the act is why I don't know if any of the former pirates I've known were also pirating movies or music or anything. There's some weird justifications people tell themselves when they do that sort of thing. I've seen posts in other forums where someone who casually admits to watching a pirate copy of a movie is utterly offended at the idea of pirating a game, as though each category had some separate moralilty.
As to professionals, I'd think pirate content would be worse than useless. Word travels fast, and getting caught using a pirated item could get one virtually blackballed from entire sectors of work. I'd done small commissions in the past where I was asked to pretty much state that I was within my license rights to use all content used in the creation of the image and that if I knowingly or otherwise was not within those rights I could face legal action. This is why I've cleared freestuff from my library where I can't easily find the terms of use. And why items from defunct stores are in a non-commercial area of my library as proving I have licenses is extremely difficult if not impossible now. (PoserPros content I might be able to find out from DAZ as they surely kept records, though how accessable they are is beyond me. But some stores just shut down with no buyout and the people involved may no longer be with the community or are under different psuedonyms if records even survived. Artist don't always make the best business managers.) Then there's a couple items sold only by japanese markets that I'd not use in a commercial project because while I did purchase them, I'm somewhat doubtful of my right to use them in the US as they may be (in a couple cases I'm certain they are) based on copyrighted characters in Japan. Produced under agreements I'm sure, but ones that don't cover use here. So there's plenty of legit content that I wouldn't dare use for a professional project. And that is a consequence of piracy that some pirates may not be aware of given that it doesn't really come up in other content. (Though games are getting there. Only an idiot would try Twitch streaming a pirated game. There are plenty of idiots in the world, but I'm hoping some are getting caught that way.)
For some people it is entertaining to "dress up" characters and then make pictures of them in various poses or watch animations of the characters without any intent to share the results.
Example:
Dead or Alive is originally a 3D fighting game. With each version adding cute outfits became more and more important.
There are special exhibition modes where you can make two opponents fight each other. The passive user is just observing the match an can freeze the action at any time to take pictures.
Some users pay 100+ $ for DLC with additional custumes and animations with different poses.
Because taking pictures of 3D models is so popular with some users there are even spin offs called Dead or Alive Paradise or Dead or Alive Xtreme in which the main focus is playing some minigames in a beach scenario to unlock new types of bikinis which you can then "gift" the girls...
compare:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_or_Alive_Xtreme_3
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I suspect some of the DAZ Studio users are doing a similar thing: Playing Dress up and take pictures.
It may be exactly those kind of users that the DRM is targeting. If they have "easy" access to content on sharing sites they will prefer the cheaper solution. Those users may still pay a fee to access those sharing sites.
Without DRM the small fee for the illegal sites may seem the cheaper option.
With DRM some of those users might be willing to actually pay DAZ3D to continue their hobby because easy access and not having to deal with cracks and complicated installations was just the little bit of incentive that was needed
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This is a very simplified look at the situation that tries to put users into different categories with different motivations and different reactions to DRM.
But maybe this clears up why companies with different target audiences have a different stance on DRM.
Thank you, petercat, for the best laugh I've had in months. I remember when I first got Studio. No idea how to use it, didn't even know forums existed. I found free items in the store and immediately went searching for more through Google. My first scene I envisioned 2 men, casually chatting. One was seated on a rock, the other standing. In a wooded area with a bear approaching behind them. No instructions, no manual. First I loaded M4 and proceeded to dress him. I picked out pants, shirt, then underwear. Shocker--the underwear appeared on top of his pants and his shirt wasn't tucked in. No idea how to fix it, so I just let it go. Loaded another M4 and did the same thing. I managed to use a photo a friend hade sent me for the background, added a bear and a big rock. All set. Now to position the bear. Okay, now for the M4s. I worked for several hours before giving up. They just wouldn't go where I wanted them and I knew nothing about possing or positioning. Saved and called my daughter to see my masterpiece. She took one look and when she quit laughing, she demanded I remove it from my computer. She has 2 sons and said it was an extremely pornographic picture the way I had the men positioned and she did not want her sons seeing it. I couldn't have put it in the Gallery because I didn't even know there was one.
Maybe DAZ should adopt your idea. It could be a special area of the Gallery, Comedy of Errors.
Okay guys, thread is over. It isn't going to get any better than this post. :)
I can't believe that I am agreeing with DAZ_Jon, but this is the first time I have smiled when reading this forum in days. ;)
I suppose that if one is used to things like video game character creators and such, it can seem like 3d content is extremely expensive compared to the seemingly high quality outfits available in a 1.99 dlc. If one isn't familiar with the industry they might not realize that the 3d content is usually far more versatile and of higher underlying quality as it isn't reliant on the many tricks game engines use to get imagery in real time. (Such as not having to build a mesh capable of deforming because the game only has one body type or two if you can play as a female. Also gamers are much more forgiving of clipping issues with outfits. Not entirely, but moreso than most 3d artists. And then there's the texture and lighting tricks that look nice enough in play, but scream 'game screenshot') Easy to forget how many different ways someone could come across this field.
On the first renders... gah, I started with Poser 5 and the included content... the results were... well Luthbel's Cthulhu set has less eldritch sanity destroying horror. (in reference to the Mythos, not a slight on the quality of that set. It's frankly the best 3d Cthulhu on the market and I've seen quite a few others.)
I would think people who didn't pay before are not going to pay even when faced with no other choice, I have heard this argument, however if it is true then encryption inconveniences the loyal user, not the pirate. Will account hacking be safeguarded? if not how hard is it to guess a password and run amok in someones account and bypass all of this encryption? I think if Daz dropped prices they would be more than compensated by the average user who dislikes piracy but has no means of obtaining it with the limits of their financial situation, they would more than make up for it in sales and the return on investment would have the added benefit of a much larger loyal user base.
Yeah, I don't see this increasing sales in any way. As has been covered this is a niche market, there are alternatives, and people willing to pirate usually won't or can't purchase legally anyhow. (And there are more barriers than simply not having money such as not having a usuable credit card for one reason or another, or having an exchange rate that makes purchasing from a US site absurdly expensive. Not excuses for piracy, but for reasons why someone might not be able to buy here.)
It might reduce the fraudulent charges at least for a while. Can't really look at the beta period as 'they haven't broken the encryption in all this time'. Figure the clock started on that when the first encrypted products went live (without being misreleased on DIM first.) That'll be a more accurate gauge of how effective it is. (though hoping for something to be effective by hoping it's beneath notice seems to me to be one heck of a gamble, I guess I hope it works out for you and proves to be worth what it cost in terms of customer relations. I have no love for DRM having suffered losses due to it in the past, but I have no love for piracy either. I don't wish DAZ ill, as I've said I just wish you'd found another way that didn't involve a DRM system.)
I always thought of it like ostrich syndrom, wait long enough and they will go away
+1
Wendy (fool) tried that, and IIRC it borked the UV's. (or the mesh, or both????)
Well, for me personally, I'm no fan of DRM or encryption, not so much for the anti-piracy try, but for the limiting use of products in other software. I use DS, Poser and Vue. So far, most DS genesis and genesis2 items I can get to work in poser using DSON / D3D's dson loader script. For what I understand, if an item is encrypted, importing in poser with DSON will not function or function properly. Alternatives like exporting as an .obj limits functionality. I haven't been able to try this out with the few encrypted items I do have, as I have not yet been able to install those items on my offline render system with the latest 4.9beta (I'm waiting with replacing 4.8 with 4.9 until I figured out what the effects of the Iray updates are on my existing scenes and character set-ups).
Saving that way should not bork the uv since that is how products get saved out. Hrmm.. unless your saving it at the wrong subdivision perhaps.
Name-calling criminals may make us feel better; it does, however, have a negative impact. It makes underestimating them more likely. Many criminals, like us all, are human beings and some will be clever, gifted even, and various mixes of brave and cowardly.
I don't name call them (except when angry at something they have just done). Because I am not going to underestimate them, or their capacity to take advantage of any vulnerability or opportunity they see.
Oh and when I do name call them, it is as way of expressing my anger.
I have experience of DRM; not personally from my own purchases, but from helping others who have had problems.
I don't trust DRM.
My Daz password is 29 characters long, and is typical of all my passwords - none of which are duplicated. Oh and I use lower and upper case, numbers and none alpha-numeric characters if the sites allow.
I would like to congratulate Daz on allowing such strong password creation and of such length and with all types of characters.
Well obj exports work and they actually add subdivision if selected, a duf does not
a support asset created from an obj reimport fitted with the transfer utility worked both base and high, I tested both
it is not creating an obj just saving as a support asset duf that results in the UV issue
it does work in DAZ studio, the UV mapping is like the uncollapsed G3F exceeding the bounds
this happened with the Medieval storage room too
so not just the converted to G2F G3F dragonqueen armour outfit
an obj I collapsed the UV tiles in export
I am rather puzzled too and only had two free products to test it on
maybe someone else can explain what actually is happening
I will not personally buy any DRM product. I am also part of an artists community of ~100 members, who have also said the same. I need access to the file that will be encrypted, so it's no good for me. Also will never use connect, as I am a dinosaur that likes to manually organize my content :D
I do a lot of kitbashing, so I need to know where everything is, and I have created a system for that.
You can still organize your content manually using Connect. There have been a number of posts explaining how to do it by dragging-and-dropping shortcuts into the Content Library and arranging them there. I'm reinstalling all of my content using Connect and I'm able to put shortcuts and custom folders wherever I want.