NEW! Novica & Invited Guest Contributors Tips & Product Reviews Pt 6
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Hey mori_mann, I've missed you!
Novica, I saw this and thought of you.
Love ya too! How CUTE.
Okay folks, I downloaded 4.9 (why not, new computer, only about a week of customizing content. My experience:
Took about 10 minutes to download. Very slow, must be busy.
It popped up and asked about the downloading, I clicked to go ahead...
And it never asked me where to install it! I was waiting to see where it went, and it was there on my desktop like "Ya lookin' for me?"
So I opened it up...and there's the box we've been told about, to connect to- or work offline. And get this- ALL MY CUSTOM CATEGORIES ARE PERFECT. Thumbs up.
I haven't connected yet, but thought I'd share. I am in the middle of doing something else (not on computer) but thought you'd like to know not to panic if you click to install and it seems nothing is happening, it is. And my studio is still setup exactly as customized.
Here's what it looks like so far, when you first open it. What the heck are the shorts? Why is it there?
As you can see, I can see my custom categories over there in Content Library. All are there. (I'm just getting started, doing Gen2F)
Scared of all that stuff (Connect, DRM, etc.).
Hey everyone, long time no see!
Nice work all around, as always!
I've been around, just quiet. I do that sometimes. The world doesn't always need my inane babble ;)
I suppose I should dust off my thread here. It's gotten dusty and sadly neglected ;)
Hey Scott-L, where ya been? Hanging out with Mori_Mann? You two both pop in the same day, this makes my day
I want to see some more of your fantastic renders. Remember when we were playing with Totally Bazaar and Fabricator?
I'm in 4.9 right now and I have to say, it's kinda cool. To my surprise, all my custom content categories are over in Smart Content and it's cool to have the images pop up so fast. What is ultra fun is when you click on a category, you can sort by latest purchase, alphabetical, etc. (I didn't use Smart Content in 4.8 so don't know if this is new or not.) See screenshot. I clicked on Aileen and it gave me information near the bottom. I covered up the Global whatever as I don't know what that is.
EDIT: Those categories you see there are the beginnings of my custom ones, made over in Smart Content.
I've been away from the forum for a few months, but I'm still poking around the gallery and store, and still rendering almost every day, although don't have a lot of big finished projects to show for it. Mostly creating personal characters. I do have some of those to post, which I'll do soon...
Looking forward to it. You had done some work on your avatar and it looks really nice.
Tjohn- I haven't used Iray in this new studio yet, that's what I'm interested to see how it does with the blue tint instead of the ruddy tones.
I never used the smart content either in 4.8 . I'm new to Daz and the digital art World and the smart content in 4.8 annoyed me so didn't use it. Thought it was a big mess and not "smart" at all.
But the smart content in 4.9 , that's a different story. I love it. It looks good , great info and seems like everything is so much easier to find.
Love your thread here. Lots of useful information in your posts both from you and others that contribute. Downside is..my wishlist is getting way to big and I'm not even done getting through all 75 pages LOL.. And when catching up here, I'll have to dig through all the other threads too.
In the midst of all the hullabaloo about DS 4.9, Ciao Bella finally got the buttons fixed. (I pestered customer service again last week.)
Yep, when you're done here, those five other monster threads loaded with product information means you'll never get through lol. Nice to have you drop in, feel free to contribute anytime! (And yes, I had a ferret years ago. Adorable!)
Hmmm, Pensacola just had a 73 mph wind gust fifteen minutes ago, now it's on our side of town. Had to laugh, the weather app I have on my phone (which was in my hand, I was looking at it) has these clouds lighting up with lightening. Well, perfect timing, right when there was a BOOM outside the window with the thunderstorm, that stupid app (with a fixed display) got to the (new) part which had lightening streaking down the middle of the screen. I literally tossed the phone up in the air a few inches I was so startled!
Gotta go check out, that sale is almost over and I am picking up a few more things. I noticed some of those weapons were made by Merlin, which is always great stuff.
(And yep, sticking with DIM.)
I haven't gotten an email, and there's no blue popup yet, but if you own the Gen3 Female version of Growing Up, the Male is discounted (because the bundle price is almost the same as only the Male.) Put the Male Growing Up in your cart and the discount will show there. (Edit: Zev0 posted the popup image, which I still am not getting 2 hours 20 minutes later. But it's for $5 off.)
First render in version 4.9! (general release not the beta. I didn't like the beta.)
If you're doing custom categories, watch out for Day At The Mall and Cozy Fashion, Day calls the pants "pants" but Cozy Fashion refers to them as leggings. I had to go back and see why I didn't have the materials for the pants from Cozy Fashion. I did, but it was "leggings." And of course, the product page for Day doesn't have Cozy as one of the recommendations but has three other bogus items. (Belle Arum Hair, Ying Hua Hair, etc)
Kendra is wearing Day At The Mall and has Estal Hair. Thought while I was categorizing I might as well render. The Day At The Mall top didn't have a smoothing modifier, and the breasts were really clingy and when I tried reducing the breasts, the shirt got lumpy. Since there's so many new people surfing, thought I would review how to add a Smoothing Modifier if one does not exist in Paramters>Actor. (You must have the item selected in Scene.) So select your item in Scene, go above the word "Scene" (the Scene tab) and click on that little menu. It will drop down, and you can see from the images below what to select. Try Smoothing 3 to start with, as smoothing adds more render time and you want to stay at a low amount that gets the effect. This took an 8, but you can see how beautifully the chest rendered.
First Render Expression: Happy .20 Shock 1.0 Surprise .23 (Great for someone who just saw something and is a bit surprised)
Second Image: Sexy Pout .35 Smile Open Full Face .15 (Good portrait expression)
She poses extremely easily in the face. You'll like her!
I have quite a few Genesis 2 Females loaded, any one in particular you'd like to see, let me know. I'm going to be working on categorizing my clothes for them off and on today. Only takes a few minutes to render them. I'm running some errands in a few minutes but I'll be on the thread off and on today, so now's your chance for any Genesis 2 Females you want to see. (Iray only.)
I have a rainbow in front of my house right now, really neat! Temperatures are dropping, that storm has blown through and it's 30mph wind but sunny, when the black clouds were rolling through with spritsy rain, the sun was out, so rainbow!
Kendra, Dazzle, Bob Hair: Rachel. That dress is more like a top than a dress, you can put pants with it and it would be a cute family friendly outfit. I did not apply Iray materials to the hair, I did darken the diffuse. Edit: Added a bracelet closeup, it's a dragon.
Oh, well...thanks for the help! Kinda cool. Version 4.9 has the popup telling me what's missing, but also gives me the install button to make it easy (if I want to use Connect. I don't, I use DIM.)
BTW, Design Anvil provided some info that I didn't know- Encrypted content and Connect content aren't necessarily the same. (That link will take you to the post and the links to the pages of products with examples of each.) There's two different symbols too. All Encrypted content uses Connect, but not all Connect content is encrypted. The latter is like using DIM. I personally am not mixing DIM and Connect, however, and I always do DIM and uncheck the "install" so I can send it to an external hard drive for a backup copy. I need to go ask about what happens if you do DIM and do Connect.
Daz_Rawb pointed out something worth knowing (if you have limited bandwidth) If you install using Connect, for updates, it only sends you what the update is. If you use DIM, the entire file is replaced.
Not trying to start a discussion on 4.9 but thought I would share the key points that I'm learning from folks who know. We're not debating encryption (I'm not using any of it) but just wanted to tell you what might impact you as a general user of 4.9
Hmm, kinda neat. When you download a product (uninstalled is grayed out) then it starts changing to colors, with the green bar sliding down the image and as it goes, the image goes from b&w to color.
I tested a product to see if I installed it via Connect, if it would show up as installed in DIM, and the answer is no. So if you use DIM to keep track of what's installed, using Connect will not work for you. The other thing- it was a clothing item and in Smart Content, only the outfit and NOT the textures showed up in Wardrobe to give me the option of installing it. I had to go to Materials to get it. I like that in DIM, no problem, they are each on a line and by each other, so it's easy to see when an outfit has textures.
But the biggest thing? After I installed using Connect from Smart Library, I refreshed over in Content Library (all over the place, I did Daz Studio, I did People, I did Genesis 2, Clothing- and the outfit didn't show up over there at all. So I installed the outfit and textures via of course- DIM- and refreshed, and voila, Old Faithful Content Library had it where it should be, easily found under Genesis 2 Female>Clothes.
So Connect will be okay if I want to download something fast, but I'd have to use it from the Smart Library and frankly, I could have found it in DIM and whoosh, been done and it would show up over in Content Library.
This is just my experience, yours may vary. (I think)There is an indication as to the type of file it is on the image, the dotted circle with the down arrow told me it was just Connect, (and not encrypted I assume. I can't find the encrypted products in Smart Content, they are not under people/figures/props, etc. SO FRUSTRATING.) . So I answered my own question that I had. I tested all this myself because the 4.9 threads were repetitive about encryption and pirating and questions about how the version functioned were getting ignored.
In summary: (from what just happened to me)
1. If you install with Connect, it does not show that it is installed in DIM
2. (I THINK) The emblem on the image will show you if it's Connect, or Encrypted. Look for the round dotted circle with the black arrowhead pointing down if you don't want encrypted. EDIT: NO IT DOESN'T. Go down several posts and look at the screenshot of the Products with Lynsey listed. It's the same emblem for downloading, the dotted circle with the black arrowhead pointing down.
3. The product did not show up in Content Library, even after refreshing several places. I then DIMmed it, refreshed, and it showed up right away.
4. The search in Smart Content did not show the product with Filter By Content checked. For the encrypted ones, I couldn't find them. Where are they?
Hope this helps. Remember, you don't have to worry about encryption to use this version- you can download products that aren't. if you need something quickly, but double check to see they are in Content Library if you need them later. Example: You load character A, the popup says Whoa, you need Character B for her- so you click the Install and use Connect. It's HANDY. Later, however, you should check to see if Character B is in your Content Library, if that's what you usually use. (That's all I use!)
Thanks for your help with my Question :)
Do not install the same product with both Daz Connect and the DIM. Your content will be duplicated (stored in two separate places on your hard drive).
Daz Connect content will show up in the Content Library Products section and Categories sections. It will NOT show up under the Daz Studio Formats or Poser Formats sections. That was a deliberate decision that Daz made. I don't know why. If you want to see where it is actually installed on your computer, right click on it and select Browse to File Location. You will find it in My Daz Connect Library>data>cloud>[SKU Name]>,,,
To use filter by context, you have to select the "context" item in the scene tab. Then the Smart Content will show only items with metadata that says they are compatible with that item. That is how Smart Content always worked in 4.8 and earlier. Now you have the option to uncheck Filter by Context and see all items, whether they are compatible with your selected item or not. For example. Select Genesis 3 Female in your scene tab. The in Smart Content, check Filter by Context and Select Wardrobe along the left side. You will see only clothing compatible with Genesis 3 Female (just like it worked in 4.8). Uncheck Filter by Context and you will see clothing for all characters, so you can select one from another generation and autofit it. This is the number one reason I was eager to try 4.9.
The reason you only see the clothing when you select Wardrobe in Smart Content is that only the actual clothing item is Wardrobe. Materials are not wardrobe items. How many times have new users made the mistake of clicking on an Material file and complaining that it won't load on their character. If you want to see all the materials for a wardrobe item before you've loaded that item into your scene, just right click on it and select Explore Product. You will see it nicely organized into Wardrobe, Materials, Poses, etc. If you want to see the whole product icon list all one after another with no organization, right click on the wardrobe item and select Show in Content Library->Products.
I wasn't much help, but tried to be logical anyway. And btw, I also had trouble with the 4.8 initially when it was in beta, it lost my custom content qute a few times. When I later switched to the regular version, it did okay. I export user data frequently, that's for sure!
Barbult, I'm reading what you wrote.
Okay, here we go:
Do not install the same product with both Daz Connect and the DIM. Your content will be duplicated (stored in two separate places on your hard drive).
Good to know. I'm sticking with DIM.
Daz Connect content will show up in the Content Library Products section and Categories sections. It will NOT show up under the Daz Studio Formats or Poser Formats sections. That was a deliberate decision that Daz made. I don't know why.
When customizing my categories, that makes it ridiculous. If I am working on clothing, it needs to be in those sections so I can click on Genesis 2 Females>Clothing. Not go look them up alphabetically in Products. YUCK! Thanks for telling me, that's the deciding factor against Connect downloads for me.
To use filter by context, you have to select the "context" item in the scene tab. Then the Smart Content will show only items with metadata that says they are compatible with that item. That is how Smart Content always worked in 4.8 and earlier.
Yep, I figured it out as it said select item in scene. It brought back the memories of when I used to use it. And I played with it and indeed saw all the other content when it was unchecked.
The reason you only see the clothing when you select Wardrobe in Smart Content is that only the actual clothing item is Wardrobe. Materials are not wardrobe items.
Right. I was just saying it is so much easier in the DIM because if it is Shirt A and Shirt A Textures, they are right next to each other, only down a line. But really good to know about exploring the product- thanks so much!
Are you liking 4.9 Barbult?
I think I will like 4.9 very much once a few more bugs are fixed. I've written about 6 help requests/bug reports since yesterday. Worst was after 4.9 was working fine for a couple hours, it lost ALL CATEGORIES, not just my custom ones, but ALL. Smart Content was empty. Customer Service told me to reset my database and reload metadata. I decided to reset and try Daz Connect instead. It is a learning experience. I'm not one for sticking with the old. I want to move forward to the new. Imagine if you never tried the DIM and said "I'll just install all my stuff manually like I used to." What a shame that would have been! DIM is wonderful. I imagine Daz Connect will be wonderful too, once the bugs are worked out and we learn it. IMHO, YMMV, etc.
If you want to categorize all Genesis 2 Female clothing, an easy way (assuming products have correct metadata!) is to load Genesis 2 Female in your scene and select her so she is the "context". Go to Smart Content select the Files tab (not Products tab). Click Wardrobe along the left side with Filter by Context CHECKED. You will see all clothing that has metadata saying it is compatible with Genesis 2 Female. Select it al (Control A in the pane with all the icons). Right click. Select Categorize and assign your category. If you have installed non-Daz content without metadata, you will still find that over in the old Daz Studio Formats or Poser Formats section and can categorize it there.
Edited for spelling.
Barbult, you're always so up to date on everything and helpful! If you discover anything else, feel free to share.
Since I got the new computer, I decided to do the installation and downloads in a very deliberate way, aka, I went through my DIM and Product Library to identify what I want to install, and am breaking down each product further (aka, accessories- does it have a necklace, a bracelet?) So quite a bit of scrutiny going into it before I ever download it. TIme consuming but worth it.
Folks, I'm going to be off the computer the rest of the evening, so if you post anything, please know I am not ignoring you. East Coast- stay off the roads and be safe!
Earlier I wrote "Do not install the same product with both Daz Connect and the DIM. Your content will be duplicated (stored in two separate places on your hard drive).", based on what Doctorjellybean said in another thread. Later Richard Haseltine sort of downplayed that and said that if you don't mind wasting the hard drive space, it probably works OK to have both. I think I'll stick to just one installation per product, at least for now!
Yeah, hard drive space should be used wisely.
A couple comments on today's products, and being honest about disappointment in one. Let's start with that. Lulu Outfit has pants which look like they are not quite right at the waistline. I think they lack depth, seem a bit painted on. Yes, they are tight on the legs, but there are a few wrinkles at the bottom and at the backside of the knee area (you can see better in the grayed out one.) But I can't get past that waist, and I think I figured out why. It's because the stitched area isn't at the top (from what I can tell.) Look down at your jeans, and you'll see the stitching at the top, with a slight amount of material which CURVES toward you. This outfit appears to have a thin strip of material above where that stitching is, and flat, which may contribute to the painted on appearance.
Below, jeans in real life, the first image is the one from here with the strip of material. The rest are real jeans.
You may love the outfit and this may not be an issue for you, and it may look much better when you render it in a different light (which can really change how things look.) I'm looking at a Google page with hundreds of jeans and you'll see the stitching at the top, and the belt loops come to the stitching and as close to the top as possible. I think those are okay. However, I'm also not liking the zipper area, it also seems flat to me.
On the other hand, bring the WOW factor with Lakeside Folly!!!!! Even the rooftop is usable. Something to note (and I know this only because I saw it yesterday during the sale) is the Cotton Candy Carnival Table would be useable with that chair. So would the bench, with perhaps a bit of touch up (fill in some of the spaces with cream/white so it's not quite so stressed) and used with depth of field. You could have the bench outside, against the wall.
Lakeside Folly hits a home run, as do the Open Toe Pumps 3. What a cool design! The Katharina Hair looks soft and touchable.
Aw, so neat! Florida utility crews, all the way up from Tampa, have already arrived and helping to restore power to you folks up on the East Coast. I think it's so neat to see the states pitch in and help each other, we appreciate it when your linemen come here after hurricanes. I bet there were a lot of states involved in pitching in after the massive flooding the past few weeks. I wonder if DAZ has ever taken into consideration extending a sale when 50 million people are being affected with blizzards and power outtages?
Oh wow, I don't care if you use Connect or not, you want version 4.9 if you use Content Library! (UPDATE: Don't recommend 4.9- it erased/jumbled my Content Library custom Categories after working fine for three days! Lost almost all of the setup!)
Content Library ROCKS in 4.9!!!!! Each item in Products has a little image now!!! WOOOOOT! (EDIT, SEE IMAGE) And everything is listed, not just what you have installed. It's grayed out so you can tell you haven't installed it! And for those who get the Connect freebies (not talking encrypted, non-encrypted- the freebies aren't necessarily encrypted) you can EASILY find them in Products. (Thanks again Barbult, for letting us know the Connect stuff is listed there too. I spent 15 MORE minutes trying to find them in Smart Content and gave up. I tried Files, Products, Content Filter off/on, search item listed and not listed, etc. FORGET IT.)
Content Library has really changed, and in all the talk about pirating sites and DRM, the neat features of 4.9 are not being talked about. I totally get people who don't want to use Connect for encrypted products, I'm not buying any either, but I hope they explore 4.9. I'm seeing comments stating they aren't using 4.9 because of Connect, and they can just check the box that says Work Offline, or just never get encrypted products. (I do, however, completely support those people who are leery of using 4.9 and are afraid of losing their customized content or the version messing up their installed paths, if they've changed those.) Whatever concerns people have, I hope they weigh them and see if they can try 4.9 for the upgrades, without having to do anything they're not comfortable with. Regardless of whether we agree with each other's logic, everyone has the right to feel the way they do.
I like 4.9 because:
1. it kept my Categories that I created (apparently not everyone has had this experience)
2. the images by every product in the Product list in Content Library are AWESOME
3. I love that when I am trying to load something in the scene, an IMAGE, not a file path, pops up and says "Hey dummy, you need this for the product to work!" (Well, okay, I paraphrased that one a bit.)
4. I am impressed that when that image pops up, I can install it RIGHT THEN AND THERE! A big WOW factor. Yes, I will go install it by DIM too, so my Dim stays straight regarding what I've loaded, I personally need to keep that straight as I am categorizing everything and want to use DIM as my list of what I've done. As Barbult and I discussed, it will place it two places on the hard drive, so I will double install sparingly. But the fact you can do it from Studio is awesome!
5. Smart Content has more images for you, grayed out products so you'll know what you haven't installed. (I don't use Smart Content, so that's all I'm saying about it.)
EDIT: LOL Lyoness, can you tell I like your gals?
I did an edit from a post further up the page, and THIS IS IMPORTANT:
2. (I THINK) The emblem on the image will show you if it's Connect, or Encrypted. Look for the round dotted circle with the black arrowhead pointing down if you don't want encrypted. EDIT: NO IT DOESN'T. Look at the screenshot of the Products with Lynsey listed. It's the same emblem for downloading, the dotted circle with the black arrowhead pointing down.
So we have no way of telling what is Encrypted if you get those, or get the freebies. Make a list if you want to avoid those!
EDIT: I could not find Medieval Storage Room (encrypted) in Products in Content Library. Hmmm. Here's where I found it in Smart Content:
In Smart Content: Products at the top (not files) Environments then I had Filter Content CHECKED. I had clicked an open area out in the viewport.
Shown: Smart Content on left, Products (missing the Medieval Storage in the Product list) on the right.
EDIT AGAIN: Oh no no no. It shows up in Products AFTER installation though! That is a bug. Lynsey was there BEFORE I installed, grayed out, like the rest of them. Medieval should have been there BEFORE too. Interesting, look at the little blue square showing it's installed so you can see it better!