How to share metadata ?
Elor
Posts: 3,421
Hello,
I created the metadata for some products who transfered from other stores and who don't have any metadata and I wanted to know if it was possible to share metadata with others and what was the best way to do it.
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The metadata does not have any proprietary info (other than your own input), so it should be okay to share it. I have seen at least one other discussion about that before. You might want to get a second opinion on that...
You can export the User Data on a per-product basis, either from a Product view or Content Library folder with content (if you created a Product container to hold all the assets). If using a Content Library folder, there must be at least one asset, blank folders with populated sub-folders will not work. Set the destination for the export to a top level library (I use test libraries so I can isolate the files) and a Runtime/Support folder will be created with one or more UserData_[store]_[SKU]_[Product name].dsx files when you export.
A user can place these metadata files in their Runtime/Support folder and selectively Re-Import Metadata from the Content DB Maintenance menu. Make sure to deselect all other files in the list. It will only look for User Data in the first library in your DAZ Studio Formats mapped folders as defined in Content Directory Manager.
What I ever learnt is that you're not allow to share any DSX file coming from IM package you bought from this store... but you're free to share DSX files (even IM packages) that are generated by other tool / script, e.g. Content Wizard... no matter the products come from this store or other 3rd-pary sites.
And for 3rd-party product, you're also free to share DSX file that is exported by using Content DB Editor > Export.
@NorthOf45 > thank you for your answer.
If what I did was editing the metadata using the tools available in Daz Studio and they were saved in the mostly empty (there isn't even the PA name in them…) DSX file included with the IM package, I can't share the resulting DSX file ?
So would it work if I deleted that basic useless DSX file, forcing Daz to save the change in another file created fully on my computer ?
Edit: looking at a couple of products I added metadata to, none of them came with a /Runtime/Support/ folder, so the basic useless dsx file in my /Runtime/Support/ folder seems to have been generated on the fly while DIM installed them.
So, does it mean I could share the DSX files I now have in my /Runtime/Support folders for these products ?
Like with Content DB Editor ? Yeah, as long as the DSX files are not the ones that created by Daz team for the products they sell in here, you're free to share the ones that you modified / saved / exported.
That's right ~ and you certainly can share the DSX files you modified and saved in there.
For products who migrated here, yes, I'm using the Content DB Editor.
The most recent case is the Umbrelli Girls Poses and Props for Genesis 3 and 8 Females by Fabiana, which doesn't have any /Runtime/Support folder, let alone a DSX, DSA and PNG/JPG files in them, but DIM likely created one, which only include the list of the product files.
I added metadata to every file related to this product, the PA name and cropped one of the promo render to create an icon (I'm planning on asking Fabiana if she's ok with me sharing the resulting icon), looking at how Daz has labeled other products, then Content DB Editor saved it into a dsx file (in this case, it's not even the one created by DIM because the name of the product was wrong so I corrected it which changed the name of the dsx/dsa files):
Ah, I have it but I bought it from Rendo years ago and installed it with CW.
Yeah, when the migratees came into this store, Daz gave no metadata in their products. However, since there's a Global ID given in the Manifest.dsx file, DIM will automatically create a product record in cms database as well as a DSX file in runtime\support folder... but with no Content Type and Categories.
So what you did was entirely correct. Pls feel free to share the corrected metadata file. As for the Icon for product thumbnail, you can ask Fabiana as you wish....but I don't think you really have to... You can simply share DSA and DSX files to your friend or someone and tell them to save the product promo image into runtime\support folder with the very same name as DSX file...
I would be inclined to say create a new product entirely, so even the GUID is diferent - not only does that avoid any copyright issues, it won't get overwritten by a product update (though it may need updating itself depending on what has chnaged in the product). Files can be shared between products quite legitimately, so I don't think the overlap would cause major issues - though it would or course leave the original referencs in Lost and Found.
I also prefer to what Richard suggested. For other similar products, I just installed them with Content Wizard and create an IM package for DIM, then install it with DIM again so as to be able to uninstall them when needed.
Using the Content DB Editor produces different classes of metadata depending on whether you are in a Product view or Content Library folder view.
In the Content Library folders, you only create User Data for the immediate folder. Any sub-folders need to be done separately. Good for quick fixes that don't need much more than, say, a category or compatibilty change. Ensure "Sync Product and Local Database" is checked. It will persist in the database until the product is re-installed.
In a Product view, there are two tabs to the DB Editor, Product and Assets. The Product tab allows you to change Artists, Store (you can add other stores with a script), Name (best done in the package's Supplement.dsx, then re-install, and this will also change the exported metadata filenames). Global ID and Token are best left alone unless the product is a complete new creation on your part. The Asset tab is the same as the one in the editor used in a Content Library folder view.
One important point here is that exporting the metadata from the Product view creates VENDOR data, which will be read-only in the Category section (inlcuding any Custom category that you have made for any of the Assets in the Product, and the entire path above it, and cannot be undone (that I can tell)).
Once you have your metadata exported, you can add it to the Product package in a Runtime/Support folder. Personally I use Content Package Assist for that. It will regenerate the internal Manifest.dsx to add the new files to get them installed, and the Supplement.dsx if you want to change product name. Those changes can be done manually, if you prefer.
Uninstall the Product, replace the DIM package, if not working directly on the downloaded copy, then Refresh Package Data to generate a new package manifest (the one next to the package itself). Any change to Product name will now show. Re-install.
Alternatively, if you don't want to mess with the Product package, you can copy the metadata files to the Runtime/Support folder and Re-Import Metadata from Studio or in DIM. Note that the metadata files will be overwritten if you re-install the original Product package, so save a copy of the metadata files somewhere safe.
If making an entirely new package, as Richard suggests, change the GUID before exporting. You can uninstall the original, it won't be needed. Note that DIM will not tolerate any files with the same SKU and part (the -nn part of the package name). One will get deleted, i.e., IM00012345-01_ProductName1.zip vs. IM00012345-01_ProductName2.zip, even if the ProductName is different (not sure which one survives). Change the -01 part to -02, or something unique for that product (some products have more than one part to begin with).
It's complicated...
Thank you all for your answers.
Crosswind > My idea was to share the dsx/dsa and a picture (either one of the promo renders used with permission from the vendor, or a render I created myself) through Daz forums, to let people who have the same products enjoy metadata without the head scratching involved to create them.
Richard > So in a way, the easiest way to create and share metadata about products who transfered from Renderosity would be to create their metadata as if they were products from Renderosity so this way, I don't have any link with the limited metadata created automatically by DIM ?
NorthOf45 > I didn't know that and what I did with with some products was using the Content DB Editor for what was common to the various figures for which a product was made or the elements easy to identify as such, and to create metadata from the Content Library for elements harder to identify from the Content DB Editori tools.
As an example, for the Umbrelli girls products, all metadata related to material presets were done from the Content Library, because this way, I know I only was changing metadata for 3Delight mats/Iray mats.
Then, I opened the Content DB Editor to ask Daz to update the dsx/dsa files. I don't remember if I had the checkbox you spoke about check or not but it seems to have worked so far.
I don't have Content Package Assist. I have a simple Bash script to take care of the freebies I'm creating myself but I would have to upgrade it to be able to take care of metadata done from products for other sources.