Unintended Consquences
Valkeerie
Posts: 163
I have been a very loyal and enthusiastic DAZ customer. My product library runs to 43 pages.
When G3 came along I didn't complain - I could see it was a business decision and I thought I would wait and see what the content would look like. I have both V7 and M7 but I have never used them, because I have no content to go with them. There are aesthetic decisions I make about the kind of images I am trying to create, and overtly sexualised cheesecake, soft-porn and adolescent fantasy isn't what I have been doing. Again, I didn't complain. It is hard being a content creator, and they are entitled to make content that sells.
What did happen however is that I began to use V4 and M4 and bought content from other places. I had misgivings about trying to use this 'ancient' tech, but there are some excellent third-party Iray shaders for skin and hair, and with a little experience of diving into Iray materials I found I could get excellent results. So I bought more content from other places.
The situation now is that I find myself using V4 and M4 a lot. With only a trivial amount of ingenuity I can move skins to G1 and G2. Likewise with clothing - a lot of it can be re-used and repurposed. I'm happy, but I'm still not buying G3.
With DAZ Sudio 4.9 I now find myself at a watershed. I have no incentive whatsoever to upgrade, and that means the new, locked content becomes inaccessible to me. That won't be an issue if current trends in content creation continue. DAZ is now (literally) forcing me to buy content elsewhere.
These are bizarre consequences. I like DAZ. I want to be a customer. But I'm no longer a customer.
Valkeerie
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Comments
Lending moral support to you. I feel the same way...
My Product Library goes 155 pages, back to 2003.
My studio will not install anything that needs online verify, so we are also sticking with 4.8. If the time comes when everything new is connect only, we will simply no longer buy. That will open up more budget for upgrading hardware I suppose. We plan to just start getting used to repurposing the massive library we already have. Our asset library almost fills a 2tb hard drive server as it is lol. We have a lot of assets, I guess we will make due.
Old time Daz buyer from long ago. Used to shop tons here, stopped when the the DSON push came along. Tried picking up a few pieces recently. This update doesn't seem like a good one. It doesn't offer more tools for creating art, in fact it restricts your content behind encryption. If anything this is like micro transactions in games. No user ever asked for that or is asking for what this update brings.
Then continue to use DIM or zips..
Wow. My product library is 37 pages. That's a LOT of stuff...
New content is not available for DIM or as zips - check out the options on some of today's new content.
How long will we still have DIM? That's my main query, which no one seems to be able to answer.
Actually I too feel waylaid with this new thing, I'm still struggling to master Iray, and along comes this! I don't have 36 hours a day to work and learn, so I guess I'm also going to be lagging behind.
DIM is going to be around for a very long time. Currently Daz Connect can't even install all of the content so DIM is a necessary part of the ecosystem right now and probably will be for some time.
As far as 4.9, I would recommend the upgrade even if you never, ever want to use Daz Connect. New versions of both IRay and 3Delight fix a bunch of bugs, IRay picks up some small (8-10%) performance increases and smart content gets some massive speed improvements and some large usability improvements. 4.9 does not force you to login to your account, you can be entirely offline just like 4.8.
I'm at 172 with two Eva 7 Pro and Arrabella Pro in my cart ;)
(DAZ_Steve, I should have gotten a 3D print and that expensive character Bijou buying all this product!)
Ooo... I might have a problem with this new online version of DAZ 4.9 myself...
I use DIM on a gateway laptop, which I use to download my content ONLY, and then I transfer my files over to a hard drive unto my main frame which, NEVER, NEVER hooks up to the internet whatsoever (and never will) because I refuse to place an antivirus program on it (which will bog down my 3D rendering system).
So, now what?
I've been using DAZ because I don't have to worry about internet connections of anykind. Using serial numbers have worked nicely and I never once complained. Don't get me wrong...
I'm sure the creator took tons of time to make this 4.9 version, but with my entire mainframe rendering computer at stake, I just don't see the need to switch over, personally.
I'm at 146 pages, I've canceled PC and will no longer be a customer. I use Carrara, IClone, ZBrush, Vue and Poser, So I will only purchase items that can be used in all of them.
GOODBYE!
I'm confused. Why does it matter where you buy the product? Inside the app, or inside your browser? Your browser isn't any safer a tool to make purchases. Matter of factly, its probably easier to hijack your browser than it is the connection between Dazstudio and their servers.
The goal is to eliminate piracy. I can't see why this should upset *anyone* other than a pirate.
Why? There is no restriction to your current runtime libraries and the export (cr2, FBX, obj and GoZ ) are still in DS 4.9. Its only new content that is licensed exclusivly for DS. I suspect that will be all Gen4 figures too when that happens.
4.9 has a lot of bugfixes over 4.8, so even if your machine never connects to the internet it will still get all of those bugfixes and improvements made in 4.9 and can still use all of the content that 4.8 can use.
I will be saying good bye as well as it does not support us Carrara users. new content that is locked is useless to us.
Just FYI, even the Daz Connect Encrypted products still maintain the full import and export capability of 4.8 (I believe some bugs were fixed in the exporter as well) so anything you export to another piece of software (or use a bridge) will still work just fine.
+1 no internet on my workhorse. it's not just virus and malware, safe from sneaky updates that break things.
Wouldn't you use DIM to download and transfer the files or using DAZ Connect's offline feature? Did you read the faq?
Sheesh, there seems to be a lot of over-reacting going on. If you are totally against DRM, use 4.9, don't use connect. If a product is connect only, don't buy it if you don't like encrypted content. Anything that can be downloaded through DIM will not be encrypted. If DAZ notices Connect is hurting sales in any measurable fashion over time, there probably will not be many connnect only items. If it doesn't hurt sales there will.
Don't have a cow.
I agree. I keep mentioning the faq, because it seems people haven't read a thing from it as they are repeating the same things that are shown to be incorrect multiple times over multiple threads.
Thing is not all of the user base are studio users. For example Carrara which is a DAZ product For us that means we now either don't have access to this content or we have to download a peice of software we are not going to use connect it and then maintain it just to have access to the encrypted files. This is totally useless to us.
43 Product Pages going back to 2008... Not interested in any gizmos that control my library or connect remotely... Manual/Offline only.
I have the three new free products in my Product library... No download links of any kind for Lynsey for Genesis 3 Female(s), Medieval Storage Room & Dragon Queen for Genesis 3 Female(s) both have the SEP/SED files - definitely holding off on 4.9 or buying anything that requires SEP/SED hoop jumping.
I've liked the DAZ products, store, quality, etc. but once it becomes inconvenient & alters my own preferences than I'll make due with all the content I've accumulated - or start making my own - this could be the kick in the rear I've been needing!
Or use the DIM or download the zip.....
In the description they said that those were DAZ Connect products. You can install them offline noted from the faq:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/990392/#Comment_990392 ;
(you would need to connect to DAZ Connect once to authenticate your computer)
Only as long as they last but for Encrypted only files which they have indicated will occur in a different thread then i can't use it.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, it clearly states that in the promotion... the confusion is that there are no active links of any kind for "Lynsey for Genesis 3 Female(s)" in my Product Library. It does not have the SEP/SEA links that the other two DAZ connect products have... Is it a mixed bag on the manual download? That's why I mentioned it. DAZ may be going down a path I'm not interested in going down...
Hey Rawb, so if I do *not* tell DS 4.9 to copy files into the new file structure how does that affect Smart Content?
True, but this is an issue that really began with the introduction of Genesis 3, not something that is new with DS 4.9. As it stands, none of the 3D programs are really a perfect fit across the board, and the issue is only compounded by DAZ's excessive zeal over IRay. It feels like putting all of one's eggs in a single basket to me, but as DAZ managed to survive the botched launch of Genesis, I imagine that they'll survive this as well.
Yes, DAZ Connect files would not be in your product library because you would download it directly from 4.9. You can tell what downloads are available from the product page under "Install Types". It tells you right there that it was encrypted content.
DAZ_Rawb
The Email says
"The new releases above are Encrypted Daz Connect - they ONLY work in DAZ Studio 4.9. Download or upgrade to the always FREE Daz Studio to use all of the features in Daz Studio 4.9."
SO ONLY WORKS in DS4.9, I'm take that it only works in DS4.9