The bad old days of hardcoded paths?
SpottedKitty
Posts: 7,232
Have we returned to the bad old days of hardcoded paths in content files? I just installed ArtCollab's The Bedroom Collection, which is all Poser props with .duf "sidecar" files. I tried to load one of the items, and got a "can't find the file you just clicked on" error. The proper D|S materials were applied, but none of the drawers on the Dresser or the Nightstand are moveable. I looked in the matching .duf files, and saw something I'd not noticed before; there's an "asset info" parameter that gives a hardcoded path pointing back to the matching Poser-format file. I thought the entire idea of relative paths was to avoid this sort of thing — the only files that were supposed to be fixed are D|S /data/ files and Poser geometry, morph and texture files. If this is the way new .duf files are supposed to be set up, a lot of people (me included) are going to be extremely annoyed.
It didn't help that the path in this case was pointing to a content location that only exists on the computer of someone working in DAZ QA... :-/
Anyone else noticed this yet? I think it might be a recent change, I don't think I saw this before I updated to D|S4.8.
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Comments
It shouldn't happen...but, it does. I'm not sure if it's a permissions thing or some other settings, but it does crop up every so often.
Now, this looks like a perfect bug ticket example.
Or I could just take a look at it and see what is up :)
Bug ticketed.
Erm... ticket bugged.
Whatever... ;-P
Seems something during testing with DAZ got resaved and an absolute path (in the very top of the files) got put in there by accident which I'll mention to DAZ.
As for the draws opening, which piece are you speaking of as they seemed to be ok using the installer in DIMM (at least from what I can see)
Well, I don't use DIM to install, and I don't leave Poser content where the installer wants to put it, either. It's furniture, so I put it into a /Furniture/ subfolder in the Poser Library.
The main problem I see is, if this breaks every single item of rearranged content, forcing a move to fixed paths and using the content database (which I also don't use), it's going to severely annoy everyone who doesn't — or can't — use these features.
Edit: Just double-checked, the Dresser and Nightstand props do not have the "Morph" subcategory in the Parameters tab that your screenshot shows.
I may be mistaken, but I seem to recall that the Asset Info is not actually a path that is referenced, it's just created when the file is created, and doesn't have to match the actual path. Otherwise the item wouldn't work for anyone, as it isn't the default DIM path, either. I'm not sure why your copy isn't working, but it isn't because of absolute paths.
Well the absolute path was an accident that happened during testing (which can happen on rare occasion) I all ready let the tester of this set know so it can be removed from all the files.
That said, IDK why the morphs are missing for you. I did use DIMM to install it though so IDK. I installed it new from DIMM though as my computer is dying and I had to completely wipe my computer so at this moment I don't have my original files installed.
Sorry for any inconvenience. I did point this thread to the tester as well so they could see what came up.
FWIW, I re-downloaded the installer just a little while ago and there's no difference.
Edit: success, of a sort — I disabled the "sidecar" .duf files, so that what I load is the plain Poser props that I can apply the D|S MATs to once I have them in the scene. Guess what, I now see the Morphs subcategory in Parameters, and I can use the dials to open the drawers.
...I thought this kind of issue occasionally occurred with only freebie .zips. That's where I usually run into it.
Aaand... there's an actual texture glitch. Load the Dresser, apply the Oak MAT, and turn it round to look at the back. There's a big white patch that apparently exists on the texture itself.
The duf files, props and materials, reside with the Poser content library intentionally. If you notice, the icons for those products have a script icon on the upper left corner. If you use the product in DAZ Studio, launching the prop will load the prop with DAZ Studio materials, applying the materials will load the DAZ Studio materials.
If a Poser user uses the product, the prop will load with Poser materials, applying the materials will load the Poser materials.
I'm sure the rational for this arrangement is to have one installer. I did move the .duf prop and material files to the DAZ Studio formats content library and I didn't have any issues using them that way.
The Asset info you see in the files is only there for CMS integration.
I see it...not sure what happened there since its a straight board that somehow got a chunk taken out of the texture O.o IDK when that happened O.o But Ill get it fixed.
Sadly, ATM my computer is about useless but I'll have hubby fix it and send it in first thing tomorrow when he was on.
Anyway all our fault and our mistakes, sorry for any inconvenience in the wait..I'll get it taken care of. Thanks for your patience :)
Termites...digital termites.
Sounds better that way.
Termites...digital termites.
Sounds better that way.
LOL Given how my computer has been acting lately, that may totally be it! :) You have just explained everything! :)
Probably related to this piece of computer history...? ;-)
But, of course... :cheese:
I just fixed the texture issue. I'll submit it to DAZ for an update.
I just emailed you the fixed texture so you don't have to wait for DAZ to do the update
Thanks, but check my e-mail reply, there was a glitch. Also, the same cutout exists in the light wood texture bump map.
I resent the files
Got them, thanks, it renders perfectly now. In Iray, too; here's a quick test I just ran. Default environment light, simple conversion of the wood textures, the only real change I made was to put the Aged Brass material from the Metals and Gemstones set onto the drawer knobs.
Morning All!
For the .DUF sidecar files the top pathing line isn't really used, that's just an internal line saying this file is located here.
If you are moving the folder with the user facing product files in it that will cause the error your are getting because the .DUF sidecar files are coded to look for the needed CR2/PP2 files in the default install location. For the Dresser if you look at line 9805 (a txt search for CR2 or PP2 works too) in the .DUF sidecar it tells you exactly where the PP2 for the Dresser needs to be for it to load properly ;-)
If you want to keep your furnishings in the "Furniture" subfolder you'll need to delete the current .DUF sidecar and create a new one for each piece. This is super easy to do!
1. Delete the current .DUF files in the props folder
2. Load the Poser versions and apply the DS Mats
3. Save each piece out as a scene subset
"Save As/Scene Subset" the select the item you want to save from the pop up window and hit accept.
The texture map will definitely need an installer update though.
Hope this helps!
Elli
????
Is this new? Are you telling me that a DAZ script file cannot query the location it is running from? because that's the location where the DUF/CR2/PP2 file would be found (even if you moved the entire folder elsewhere). And as I understand it, that's how it worked before.
Hiya Spit!
While the Sidecar DUF pathing appears to be set up as a relative path and not and absolute path the DUFs are saved out as "Scene Subsets" instead of full "Support Asset/Figure Prop Assets" which means that the folder structure inside the actual Runtime/Library needs to remain the same as the default install location for the Sidecar's to work properly. If they are moved then the pathing inside the Scene Subset file can't find the CR2/PP2 that contains the base figure information for loading.
I know we used to be able to move the files around but when we changed over the file types it looks like that is not the case with the Scene Subset files which DAZ uses for the DUF Sidecar files.
Elli
It's really a different method -the old way to do it was to manually hack a script preset to load the Poser file with the same name, so since it got its name from the current location it was portable. The scene subset isn't doing any computation, though, it just uses the stored relative location so it (or rather the source file) is not portable.
So DAZ has effectively abandoned the old method, that worked, of "load Poser file, automatically apply D|S materials"? Very not a good idea — a lot of people who don't bother with the CMS are going to be tripped up by this.
I suppose a return to the old method isn't going to be feasible at this point? IMHO it's a bad precedent to set — content files that appear in the Content Library tab always were and (until now) always have been 100% moveable, only the referenced mesh, morph and texture files were fixed.
I've never needed or wanted to use the CMS and content database, it's just unnecessary clutter. Is DAZ trying to force us to change?
It sounds more like forcing proper asset saves. In my mind, a scene subset was always something like all the furniture in a room, set up to load in that room. Something that loaded parts of a full scene (collections of props set up as part of a whole scene), not a way of saving props, themselves.
What does this have to do with the CMS? It's completely unrelated.
From my viewpoint, the whole system of having to keep content files unmoveable because the CMS database points to them and will be expecting to find them in that one location is related. It's something we never needed to worry about before the original (somewhat fragile and buggy) Categories system was introduced in, I think, D|S2. If this is going to be the new way forward, I'll have to get into the habit of converting all my new Poser-with-D|S-materials content into native D|S files as I install them. An added nuisance, but I suppose I'll get used to it.
..so have the general DIM installer files been updated?