So What's the deal with this 'DAZ Connect Offline Authorization'?
Ken OBanion
Posts: 1,455
in The Commons
As the subject line says, what's the deal with this??
Am I the first to encounter this (I downloaded recent purchases this morning, and none carried this link)?
Would a moderator care to explain?
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Is this what you're talking about? I've spent the last month downloading new copies of every last item I've ever purchased from DAZ (and I'm still only about halfway through) -- I encountered this for the first time today, for an item I purchased back in 2013, which is odd, 'cause I've purchased several brand new items in the last couple of days, and none of them had this.
What it is is DAZ following through on their threat to implement DAZ Connect (and the DRM, which is WHY I'm downloading new copies of every last item I've ever purchased: just trying to get the most recently updated files of my content before everything DAZ goes to hell). Read the thread on content encyption if you want to know more.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I encountered.
Although, below that, there was the familiar blue 'Manual Download' link. And since I am a practicing paranoid ('practicing', hell!; I have it down to a freakin' science!), I always choose that link, because I archive my content.
But when everything goes exclusively 'DAZ Connect', that won't be an option anymore; I will be expected to rely on 'the Cloud', or some such fiction.
I guess it's time to lock down everything I currently have, and not get too attached to anything I might acquire in the future, because there is no guarantee that I can recover any of it if one of my drives decides to go 'T-U' on me.
That's EXACTLY what I'm doing: replacing every last DAZ file in my content library with the most recently-updated version available (along with a PDF of every receipt to prove that I actually purchased them). These get saved on two external drives that are duplicates of each other: one slave (that resides in a fire/water-proof strongbox and only comes out once a week or so to receive new content updates) and one master (that sits on my desk for day-to-day activities).
You're right: I cropped the picture somewhat, and the link for a manual download is still available below the DAZ Connect options. DAZ has stated repeatedly that the older pre-DAZ Connect content will not be encrypted and will always be available for manual download, but I agree with you: I think that -- despite what DAZ says now -- the time is coming (and probably sooner than we think) when the ONLY way to download content will be through DAZ Connect or a similar service.
It's begun. Grab your files while you still can, folks.
Those files are to allow those who wish to use Daz Connect on a machine which isn't online.
I'm more concerned about the meaning of "downlaodeed"... But I suppose this was inevitable.
What about those of us who still use older versions of DAZ Studio and don't have DAZ connect? Will we still be able to use the new items?
With the 4.9 release going live soon it means that Daz Connect is also going out to everyone and not just the people using the beta, so that is why this new download option is available to everyone.
One of the promises I made was that all of you would have a way to download and install content while your system was offline in Daz Connect and this is that system. The offline package (.sep) is a file that contains all of the files that Daz Connect would normally download from our download servers where the authorization file (.sea) contains your decryption key to decrypt the .sep file so it can install it. These files can be backed up and kept around and installed an unlimited number of times on whatever machines you own. The installed contents are identical as far as Daz Studio is concerned as having installed them through Daz Connect in online mode, this means that if you install through the offline packages and then later connect you would still be able to pull updates through Daz Connect on a individual file basis instead of having to redownload the whole package because a single texture was updated.
In order to use these offline packages you must connect via Daz Connect at least once. The first time you connect through Daz Connect it authorizes that system for your account. You can have an unlimited number of machines activated on Daz Connect and your activation on that machine never expires.
Looks like I will be using 4,8 for the foreseeable future now and probably limiting my spending also, oh well.
Oh, and one more thing because this always seems to come up:
Everything you already own will always continue to be available through plain old zips in your product library.
For all of your existing products just consider this a fourth option (zip / DIM / Daz Connect / Daz Connect Offline) that is more closely integrated into Daz Studio and the Daz Connect system.
"For the forseeable future", of course.
Will be advised when products become a connect only download.??
S.K.
A prominently-displayed blurb on a given product's store page saying something like "BE ADVISED: This item is only available through DAZ Connect" WOULD be the common sense and decent thing to do -- which is exactly why it probably won't be done. Shop carefully in the future.
There will be clear markings on the product pages to indicate if this item can be downloaded with Daz Connect and a different indication if the product can only be downloaded through Daz Connect.
On the product pages is a new field (will be showing up when the store kicks over at midnight for everything when caches clear) which shows install types for products. So, if a product is available in the old manual install, the less old Install Manager way, or the new Daz Connect way, it shows right under the Compatible Software field. If it is Daz Connect only and encrypted, it will say "Encrypted Daz Connect" with a different icon to differentiate it so it is clear to tell from product to product.
Excellent, Thankyou.
S.K.
I assume you mean here on the product's store page -- BEFORE purchasing -- where it says "Compatible Software", and not AFTER purchasing it on the item's page in the Product Library. Finding out after you buy something that it's DAZ Connect only is a guaranteed way to alienate your customers and to generate lots of return requests.
I'm uninitiated into this issue, but I'm someone who uses a plugin to import a lot of DAZ items into Poser (even those without specific DSON support). Does this DAZ Connect thing mean that there may be products I won't be able to do this with in the future?
How likely do you think it is that DAZ will one day release a DIM update that removes all my installed files and replaces them with DAZ Connect information?
If you are curious how it looks I dug a little ways through the back catalog to find a product page that wasn't already cached and had the new version of the page:
http://www.daz3d.com/men-s-shirt-for-genesis-3-female-s
This change will pop up on the rest of the pages tonight when the server's page cache is flushed. Some products may stick with their old page for a bit depending on what CDN node you connect to but they will all flush out eventually.
Exporting Daz Connect products (even those marked as encrypted only) is completely unrestricted, so depending on how you are getting things over to Poser it will likely leave you unaffected.
0%. We really don't like messing with people's currently installed files which is why if you install a product in Daz Connect that you previously had installed through DIM it will leave the DIM version alone, some people may call this a bug but we don't remove content unless you are requesting an uninstall.
And here it is. Under "Compatible Software", we have a new category called "Install Types", showing DAZ Connect, DIM, and manual install. I have to admit I'm surprised by this: simple, effective, upfront, and very timely -- that's so unlike you, DAZ. It's possible this won't be quite the slow-motion train wreck I've been dreading, but then again, it's still early yet.
Much appreciated! Thank you for the clarifications!
Just out of curiosity, what will happen if I try to download a connect file but have opted to not use connect or, am still using 4.8?
In 4.8 they won't do anything, they simply won't work. In 4.9, if you logged in once to Daz Connect and never connect again, they will work when you place them in the right place (there is an article in the doc center that is going to be linked soon if it hasn't already been). If you never logged in, so Daz Studio doesn't know your personal key to unlock them, it won't be able to install the offline package.
The offline packages and authorization files you will be able to download but 4.8 won't be able to do anything with them. If you are using 4.9 and you never allow Daz Connect to authenticate your installation then it will not be able to decrypt the offline files and won't be able to install them. It could be a valid strategy if you know you want to use 4.9 in the future but want to stick with 4.8 until you finish a project.
One thing that I think will not work on DAZ Connect only content is Dimension3D's python script that allows Poser users to easily read in DSON files even when there are no companion files. I am fairly sure it reads the duf file(s) to do this, so I assume that will not be possible where the duf is encrypted.
One question:
What shall all this?
So do the vendors get to choose if they participate in this Connect thing?
BTW, love the setup, very easy to spot, well done! So maybe I missed it, but if a person does the Connect thing one time, does it automatically want to do it the second time and I have to manually tell it "Oh no you don't!" to use DIM?
What shall all this what? Think you forgot to finish the question.
They probably highlighted something to change/delete a word and didn't notice it took out more than they wanted of the sentence. Don't cha hate when that happens?!
If you install one product with Daz Connect you can still install other products with DIM or manually, you aren't locked into one way or the other.