DAZ Studio Pro 4.7.0.12, General Release, Now Available!

DAZ_BrianDAZ_Brian Posts: 345

DAZ 3D is pleased to announce the next General Release version of the DAZ Studio Pro - version 4.7.0.12!

What is new in this version? Do I need to update my copy?

The 4.7.0.12 version resolves several issues and implements many improvements since the 4.6.3.52 General Release. More detail on specific fixes/changes/improvements can be found in the Change Log, which can be viewed online within the Documentation Center portion of our site. All new downloads of the DAZ Studio 4.6 Pro product (SKU: 13176) will be of this version.

Highlights are:

1) Environment Pane - Moved setting of the Backdrop for the scene to a new pane that is poised for future environment related settings. Note: The color of the Backdrop for a scene is now separate from the background color of a viewport; viewport colors can be set in "Window > Style > Customize Colors..."
2) Center Dock Area - The area previously reserved for the viewport(s) is now its own dockable area, which can be used to stack panes that consume more space; i.e. Viewport, Render Library, Shader Mixer, Shader Builder, Script IDE, etc.
3) Viewport Pane - The viewport(s) that previously consumed the remaining space between the left, right, top and bottom dock areas is now its own pane
4) Aux Viewport Pane - A separate, singular, auxiliary viewport in its own pane that can be used as a convenient, independently sized, alternate view of the scene with IPR capabilities (for renderers that provide it)
5) Interactive Progressive Rendering (IPR) - Interactively and progressively preview the final render of your scene as you work on it. IPR allows for realtime camera, light and material modifications.
6) Keyboard Scene Navigation - Navigate your scene the way you would a video game. Using the W, A, S, D, Q, and E keys, you can now navigate left, forward, right, backward, up, and down (in order). You can also look around by using I, J, K, L, U, O, and P (for leveling).
7) Scene Navigator Tool - Video game style 'mouse look' control by clicking and dragging in the viewport to orient the active view/camera/light.
8) Back to Base - Selecting the "Currently Used" filter in parameter based panes now displays properties with a value that differs from the base figure value, instead of the properties that are different than their memorized values. For example, loading the Victoria 6 Character Preset will now show the Victoria 6 shape(s) as "Currently Used" because the morph property has a value that is different than the Genesis 2 Female base. In addition, properties that are driven to a value by another property can now be adjusted to override the driven value.
9) Truly Transparent Backgrounds - When no backdrop or background color is used (optional in the Environment Pane) transparency is shown as a checkerboard pattern, similar to other graphics applications. Also, the issue where anti-aliasing against the background color of a viewport generated a 'halo' of that background color has been fixed.
10) Camera Local Dimension Override - The ability to override the global render dimensions/aspect ratio with camera specific settings has been added.
11) Render Settings Pane - Completely revamped this pane to be consistent with other parameter based panes. Adjustments to render settings are now undo-able as a result.
12) Script IDE Pane - Improvements have been made to areas like syntax highlighting, auto-indent, context menus, find/replace and the debugger. Features have been added; code folding, line numbering, bracket matching and word marking (among others). Configuration preferences have been extended.
13) Extended Texture Format Support - Added support for using .EXR, .HDR, .PSD, and various others directly as textures.
14) Photoshop CC 3D Bridge Support - Added support for Photoshop CC to the 3D Bridge
15) Render Engine Update - Updated the 3Delight render engine to 11.0.105; see change log.
16) City Limits Layout - Updated this layout to incorporate the additions/changes mentioned above (and in the change log).
17) City Limits Lite Layout - Added a new default layout; a slightly modified subset of the City Limits layout
18) Darkside Style Default - The Darkside style has been set as the default for all new installations of DAZ Studio.
19) Scene Builder Redesign - Now uses a 'wizard' style workflow, based on metadata (categories, compatibility), that you can easily extend directly within the user interface (full functionality is dependent on the recent update to the Starter Essentials and Default Lights and Shaders packages).

Has the Content Management Service (CMS) been improved?
If you are already using the PostgreSQL based service, no it hasn't.

If you are still using the Valentina based service, yes it has. The existing Valentina based service is still included and supported, however a new PostgreSQL based service is proving itself to be much more stable and much less prone to the data corruption issues that many have experienced in the past. The new PostgreSQL based service has also proven to be somewhat faster.

With this new solution, there is no longer a need to start a service that runs in the background. Normally, the PostgreSQL server starts when the application starts and stops when the application stops; unless another application, like Install Manager, is connected to it - in which case it will stop when the last application connected to it closes. Explicit control to start the service is provided via an action [in the Content Library pane option menu] and a button [in the Smart Content pane] without ever needing to leave the application. Explicit control to stop the service is also provided via an action [in the Content Library pane option menu].

To help get you up and running with the new PostgreSQL service, we've added a separate package in Install Manager that will automatically migrate any existing data from your Valentina database; you simply install it after the PostgreSQL server is installed. We've also included an "Import Metadata from Valentina" script with the Built-In content. The amount of time required to migrate the data will vary depending on the amount of data you have and your system specs.

*Note: While the PostgreSQL server is installed, Install Manager will not install any data to the Valentina database.

What is the Application Improvement Program about?
It's about improving the DAZ Studio user experience. Support tickets and bug reports provide important clues as to the needs of you the customer, but they are only hints. This improvement program will allow us to "see" how the features of DAZ Studio are actually performing and where users are getting hung up.

If you choose to participate in the program, the statistics we will collect are anonymous and contain no personally identifiable information. We respect your right to privacy. That said, if you choose not to participate, we respect that too.

We encourage you to participate. In doing so, your use of the application will have a greater influence on where we focus our efforts.

Has the Genesis Starter Essentials, the Genesis 2 Starter Essentials (Male/Female), or the Default Lights and Shaders packages been updated too?

No, the "Genesis Starter Essentials", "Genesis 2 Starter Essentials" and "Default Lights and Shaders" packages provided with the product have NOT been updated beyond the recent update; i.e. since the Public Beta for this version began.

*Note: Install Manager users are notified of product updates when they occur.

How do I get the latest version?

If you have previously added the DAZ Studio 4.6 Pro product to your account, launch Install Manager, log into your account and type "DAZ Studio 4.6" into the filter field to filter out anything else. Then simply download and install as you would normally.

Optionally, you can locate, download and install DAZ Studio Pro from the Product Library [once you are logged into your account] by entering "DAZ Studio 4.6 Pro" into the text field near the top left of the page and clicking the "Filter" button, or by clicking here. Then, simply click the green "download & install" button to launch Install Manager with an appropriate filter or click the blue "download" button to download the standalone installer.

If this is your first time downloading DAZ Studio Pro, simply follow this link, click the "Add to Cart" button on the page and then follow the checkout process.

*Note: This General Release version is available through Install Manager as well as a standalone installer.

Can I have the General Release and the BETA installed at the same time?

Yes! You can have both the General Release and a Public Build (as well as a Private Build, for those involved in that endeavor), of the same major version, installed at the same time. Please be aware that the settings for each of the builds are stored independent of each other. This includes mapped content directories, layout, style and style colors, among many others.

What about the plugins I have?

The DAZ Studio 4.5 SDK has not changed in any way that causes it to be binary incompatible with the current release, which means that any plugins created for a previous version of DAZ Studio 4.5 (i.e. 4.5.0.100+) should continue to load and function in this version. That said, as with any new release, there is always the possibility that a plugin has had bugs fixed or features added, so the latest versions should be downloaded and installed if they are provided.

Some plugins that are currently built/produced by DAZ 3D will provide a separate package that is specifically intended for use with this General Release; these packages will not contain "Public Build" in the package name, as that moniker is used for pre-release builds. 3rd party plugins that DAZ 3D creates install packages for will be updated to allow simultaneous installation into the General Release and the pre-release builds. These packages will display as "Product Updates" within Install Manager once they have been updated.

Is there any documentation?

Yes. Check out the User Guide and QuickStart Guide that we've posted in the DAZ Studio 4.x Documentation section.

Post edited by rbtwhiz on
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Comments

  • KaribouKaribou Posts: 1,325
    edited November 2014

    Forgive the potentially ignorant question, but I did not participate in the beta. Should I uninstall 4.6 before installing 4.7, or will they play nicely together? The above post states that you can have beta and general release together, but this IS general release now, so...?

    Post edited by Karibou on
  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,565
    edited December 1969

    It will replace 4.6, you can only have one 4.x general release

  • KaribouKaribou Posts: 1,325
    edited November 2014

    Should all 4.6 plugins work in 4.7?

    Edit: Duh. Just read this...


    What about the plugins I have?

    The DAZ Studio 4.5 SDK has not changed in any way that causes it to be binary incompatible with the current release, which means that any plugins created for a previous version of DAZ Studio 4.5 (i.e. 4.5.0.100+) should continue to load and function in this version. That said, as with any new release, there is always the possibility that a plugin has had bugs fixed or features added, so the latest versions should be downloaded and installed if they are provided.

    Some plugins that are currently built/produced by DAZ 3D will provide a separate package that is specifically intended for use with this General Release; these packages will not contain "Public Build" in the package name, as that moniker is used for pre-release builds. 3rd party plugins that DAZ 3D creates install packages for will be updated to allow simultaneous installation into the General Release and the pre-release builds. These packages will display as "Product Updates" within Install Manager once they have been updated.

    Post edited by Karibou on
  • SupernalPhantasiaSupernalPhantasia Posts: 48
    edited November 2014

    Nevermind, your question was answered in the time it took me to type. xD

    Post edited by SupernalPhantasia on
  • StorypilotStorypilot Posts: 1,659
    edited December 1969

    Neat - excited to try it, I like what I've read about the changes in the beta thread, but hadn't installed the beta myself.

    might be small, but i'm especially happy about #9 and the background anti-aliasing halo fix, since I often render in multiple layers to composite.

  • kreartenitkreartenit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    When I got home from work I installed the updates and products that were in the DIM. The upgrade for DAZ 4.7 pro was one of them. I've been working on a render for the new users contest forum. When I tried to render I lose the hair on my dog. The hair was generated with the LAMH free plugin. I checked the add pane and LAMH is missing. Then I went to check the installed plugins status and LAMH is missing. Please advise on what I need to do to get it working.

  • srieschsriesch Posts: 4,241
    edited November 2014

    When I got home from work I installed the updates and products that were in the DIM. The upgrade for DAZ 4.7 pro was one of them. I've been working on a render for the new users contest forum. When I tried to render I lose the hair on my dog. The hair was generated with the LAMH free plugin. I checked the add pane and LAMH is missing. Then I went to check the installed plugins status and LAMH is missing. Please advise on what I need to do to get it working.

    While I don't know why it would have gone away and you might still want to know that for next time, for now can you simply uninstall/reinstall the LAMH plugin and see if that bypasses the issue?
    Post edited by sriesch on
  • rbtwhizrbtwhiz Posts: 2,171
    edited November 2014

    The version provided through the Public Build channel (i.e. the BETA), and the version provided through the Production Build channel (i.e. the General Release), are both currently at 4.7.0.12. Versions provided through the Public Build channel are only available via DAZ Install Manager (DIM). Versions provided through the Production Build channel are available through Install Manager, and as standalone installers via the Product Library. One version provided through the Production Build channel, and one version provided through the Public Build channel [, and one version provided through the Private Build channel, and one version provided through the Dev Build channel], for each bit architecture (32/64), for each major version (4.x), can be installed at a time.

    Install Manager, as well as the standalone installers, will handle uninstallation according to the description above.

    In some cases, Install Manager will go a step further and actually uninstall a package that would create a conflict if it remained installed. For instance, separate versions of the PostgreSQL CMS are provided through the Production Build channel and the Public Build channel. Only one instance of the PostgreSQL CMS should be installed at a time. So, installing one will uninstall the other if it is installed, and vice versa.

    This is also true of plugins that provide interoperability with other applications, where those applications only support communication with one version [or one version per bit architecture] of DAZ Studio; i.e. 3D Photoshop Bridge and GoZ. In these cases, the last version to be installed "wins."

    There are also cases where conflict would arise if a higher edition of a plugin and the lower edition of the same plugin were allowed to load at the same time; i.e. Dynamic Clothing Basic vs Dynamic Clothing Control. There are others, but in this particular case the Basic edition is provided with DAZ Studio proper. We don't want the installation of a plugin to uninstall the application that the plugin is for, so we use some renaming tricks in the background to cause one of them to not load. This is also a case of the last version to be installed "wins."

    Since we do not maintain 3rd party plugins/shaders (like we do the packages that update each time we release a new build of DAZ Studio), the majority of the Install Manager packages for them are built such that they will install to each compatible application defined within Install Manager, at the time of their install. If a compatible application is installed and defined in Install Manager after the installation of a plugin, it is usually enough to uninstall and then re-install the plugin to make it available in the new application.

    -Rob

    Post edited by rbtwhiz on
  • kreartenitkreartenit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    kreartenit - 18 November 2014 07:32 PM
    When I got home from work I installed the updates and products that were in the DIM. The upgrade for DAZ 4.7 pro was one of them. I’ve been working on a render for the new users contest forum. When I tried to render I lose the hair on my dog. The hair was generated with the LAMH free plugin. I checked the add pane and LAMH is missing. Then I went to check the installed plugins status and LAMH is missing. Please advise on what I need to do to get it working.

    While I don’t know why it would have gone away and you might still want to know that for next time, for now can you simply uninstall/reinstall the LAMH plugin and see if that bypasses the issue?

    Sean I tried your fix and everything seems to be working.

  • kreartenitkreartenit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    1) Environment Pane - Moved setting of the Backdrop for the scene to a new pane that is poised for future environment related settings. Note: The color of the Backdrop for a scene is now separate from the background color of a viewport; viewport colors can be set in “Window > Style > Customize Colors…”

    I read the release notes and have been trying things out.
    I am able to change my background colors through the environement pane. But I am unable to access some of the background art that I purchased from Ron's backgrounds. I used to be able to access Ron's backgrounds through the Backdrop for the scene.
    How do I access those backgrounds now?

  • srieschsriesch Posts: 4,241
    edited December 1969

    . I used to be able to access Ron's backgrounds through the Backdrop for the scene.
    How do I access those backgrounds now?

    Instead of Edit > Backdrop > Image > Browse that you used to use, it is now
    Environment pane:
    Set "Active Type" dropdown to Backdrop, then click the little triangle for the Background parameter, then select Browse.
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Loving the transparent background and IPR very nice update DAZ3D.

  • martinez.zora77@gmail.com[email protected] Posts: 1,343
    edited December 1969

    Ohhhhh!!! I am close on a religious experience!

    I couldn't test shader builder appropriatly with the beta. Just now I try it carefully.
    With trans hair time to render was prohibitive; only rendering hair was discouraging to test each small changes in shader's dials. Now in few seconds I can change several dials and get immediate output.

    IPR.png
    1768 x 797 - 659K
  • NoermanNoerman Posts: 19
    edited December 1969

    Congrats on the new release, last time I try on the public version, the photoshop 3d bridge working as should be. Thanks.

  • SnowSultanSnowSultan Posts: 3,495
    edited December 1969

    Anyone happen to know why the Smart Content icons would disappear from the Ready to Download tab on DIM? That just happened after I reset the database in Studio. No products are showing that they have metadata until they're installed.

    Thanks in advance.

  • barbultbarbult Posts: 23,049
    edited December 1969

    Anyone happen to know why the Smart Content icons would disappear from the Ready to Download tab on DIM? That just happened after I reset the database in Studio. No products are showing that they have metadata until they're installed.

    Thanks in advance.


    I have never seen the Smart Content (metadata) icons on any tab other than "Installed" in DIM.
  • SnowSultanSnowSultan Posts: 3,495
    edited December 1969

    Huh, I could have sworn I was seeing it until tonight...sorry, guess I'm just confused from trying to figure out why on earth DAZ decided on such an overly complex organization system for content. Do we really need separate folders for the materials of a prop? Couldn't just have nested folders like (outfit -> props -> MATs) instead of them spread all over friggin' creation? Ah well, I gave it a shot, now back to organizing them manually.

    Love this update though, like I said before, the true transparency and IPR are game-changers. :D

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,203
    edited December 1969

    Most items do have the materials in a subfolder of the main item's folder - unless they are more general purpose, as with some of the Supersuit shaders.

  • ThatGuyThatGuy Posts: 794
    edited December 1969

    Quick stupid question...where do I install (path) PostgreSQL? I've seen it in my DIM but at the time was not really sure what it was.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    Anyone happen to know why the Smart Content icons would disappear from the Ready to Download tab on DIM? That just happened after I reset the database in Studio. No products are showing that they have metadata until they're installed.

    Thanks in advance.

    When you reset the database you, effectively, remove it. Install Manager uses the database to determine if a piece of content is smart or not. Reimporting your Metadata should straighten that out for you. Note this can be done from Install Manager or DAZ Studio.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    ThatGuy said:
    Quick stupid question...where do I install (path) PostgreSQL? I've seen it in my DIM but at the time was not really sure what it was.

    Install Manager will put it in the correct place and hook it up for you. Note that you will need to either install the conversion app or reimport metadata after installing it. If the conversion app takes less that a few seconds to "install" then it probably did not work and you will probably have to reimport metadata.

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    ThatGuy said:
    Quick stupid question...where do I install (path) PostgreSQL? I've seen it in my DIM but at the time was not really sure what it was.

    Install Manager will put it in the correct place and hook it up for you. Note that you will need to either install the conversion app or reimport metadata after installing it. If the conversion app takes less that a few seconds to "install" then it probably did not work and you will probably have to reimport metadata.

    And if it doesn't work make sure you really have the newest version of DIM.
    I had to download the installer for DIM from my product library to get the newest version - and then it installed PostgreSQL without hiccups.

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    ThatGuy said:
    Quick stupid question...where do I install (path) PostgreSQL? I've seen it in my DIM but at the time was not really sure what it was.

    Install Manager will put it in the correct place and hook it up for you. Note that you will need to either install the conversion app or reimport metadata after installing it. If the conversion app takes less that a few seconds to "install" then it probably did not work and you will probably have to reimport metadata.

    And if it doesn't work make sure you really have the newest version of DIM.
    I had to download the installer for DIM from my product library to get the newest version - and then it installed PostgreSQL without hiccups. If you don't have the latest version you can also hold the ctrl/cmd key and click the refresh Button in the top right corner.

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    ThatGuy said:
    Quick stupid question...where do I install (path) PostgreSQL? I've seen it in my DIM but at the time was not really sure what it was.

    Install Manager will put it in the correct place and hook it up for you. Note that you will need to either install the conversion app or reimport metadata after installing it. If the conversion app takes less that a few seconds to "install" then it probably did not work and you will probably have to reimport metadata.

    And if it doesn't work make sure you really have the newest version of DIM.
    I had to download the installer for DIM from my product library to get the newest version - and then it installed PostgreSQL without hiccups.

    If you don't have the latest version you can also hold the ctrl/cmd key and click the refresh Button in the top right corner.

    Usually ... we are talking about computers. ;)
    It didn't work for me - the auto-update failed, but DIM continued to work (which it usually does not if there is a new version of DIM).

  • JPiatJPiat Posts: 68
    edited December 1969

    The default shader has new options :
    Sheen color.
    Scatter Color.
    Thickness.

    What is it for ?

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    jpiat said:
    The default shader has new options :
    Sheen color.
    Scatter Color.
    Thickness.

    What is it for ?

    Skin.
  • Guardian Angel 671Guardian Angel 671 Posts: 213
    edited December 1969

    Is there a way to back up the current copy of 4.6 in case it's needed for a project? I use the DIM to install & it is set to delete zips as I know I can re-download if needed.If we want to re-download 4.6 to put on a different system so a person can have 4.7 & 4.6 still on 2 diff comps-is that still possible?

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited December 1969

    Is there a way to back up the current copy of 4.6 in case it's needed for a project? I use the DIM to install & it is set to delete zips as I know I can re-download if needed.If we want to re-download 4.6 to put on a different system so a person can have 4.7 & 4.6 still on 2 diff comps-is that still possible?
    Once the product is updated, the previous version is no longer available.

    We don't recommend running an old version of DAZ Studio, after all the newest version, aside from new features, also has bug fixes for the older versions. Further unless you are using a new feature, the DSON format has not changed so content created in the newest version of DS does load in 4.6, or even 4.5 for that matter. If you want to do it anyway, you can, just don't install two versions on the same computer, unless one is Release and one is the Public Beta.

  • launoklaunok Posts: 774
    edited December 1969

    Hi there,

    I have just downloaded the latest 4.7.0.12 version but have no serial number for this version. Only serial number appearing under "my serial numbers" are 4.6 versions. Will this new version work with the last serial number for 4.6?

  • DAZ_SpookyDAZ_Spooky Posts: 3,100
    edited November 2014

    launok said:
    Hi there,

    I have just downloaded the latest 4.7.0.12 version but have no serial number for this version. Only serial number appearing under "my serial numbers" are 4.6 versions. Will this new version work with the last serial number for 4.6?

    Same serial number applies from 4.0 to current and with an update you shouldn't have to enter it again.
    Post edited by DAZ_Spooky on
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