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http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/25-free-3d-modelling-applications-you-should-not-miss/
Staying with 4.8 Even it is overkill for what I do with it. I get no advantage with Iray, no interest in G3 people, don't like and don't use DIM, won't use Connect, believe encryption is pissing into the wind, have long suspected that DAZ has sold out to foreign investors intent on milking it. I have the advantage of already having a huge library of DAZ character versions, props and textures enough to keep me busy till I join the choir eternal.
I installed the beta a few weeks ago and haven't use 4.8 since so upgrading to 4.9 was a natural choice. I don't know about custom categories—I don't recall creating any so it's not a concern for me. I liked the improvements to Smart Content; they make the system more flexible and less restrictive and I find I'm using it more than before. However, I do still use the Content Library and I haven't see any changes to that—other than the fact that everything is now a "Product" with the creation of the Local User product. This is ignorable if you don't use Smart Content, but I found it to be a positive (and presumably necessary) change.
I like DAZ Connect. It's a convenient and faster method of installing DAZ-purchased content. I think it's also fun to use. It does have the restriction of not being able to move Content Library entries around (if I understand this correctly). However, I no longer do this: it was necessary with the dog's breakfast of Poser style libraries, but having got used to the DAZ method of organization I do longer feel the need. In combination with Smart Content and searchability of the Content Library I can find what I want. Reorganizing folders is tedious and takes time away from actually using the content. In any case, you can drag and drop Smart Content shortcuts for Connect assets into Content Library if you so choose.
Finally, and I seem to be in the minority here, I cannot make myself get upset, as a matter of principle, about the use of encryption. If it were to restrict my ability to use content then I wouldn't be happy about it at all, but I don't see that it does.
In 4.9, I do really like the Products list in Content Library with the little pictures showing what the products are, which show everything and not only what you have installed.
I don't use Smart Content, custom content is so easy and everything is exactly where I can find it fast. Smart Content isn't that easy to use IMO.
I use 4.8 as I am customizing content and 4.9 butchered it, after I had used it for days. I had opened and closed 4.9 about 20 times and it was fine, then suddenly all of it was gone or scrambled. I will only use 4.9 for stuff I get for "free" (what a laugh) but I haven't seen any difference (maybe five to ten seconds, but usually not even that) in rendering speed for Iray between 4.8 and 4.9
Won't ever buy encrypted to use 4.9 with it.
4.6
When I buy a new computer, I'll download whatever is the latest version of Daz Studio.
4.9 I started with the beta and it handles SSS so much better in Iray that it wouldv'e had to break everythin else to make me want to go back.
I don't really use smart content, so the changes to how that works dont effect me.
I'm not big on the whole encription thing (not the actual encription but how the file locations are set up, as they make it a bit harder to search for stuff manually through windows explorer), but all that means is I just mostly don't need to log in and it works exactly the same, except there are slightly faster renders and the sss is better
I tried upgrading to 4.9 when it was released last week; it did not go well. (It boogered up my content libraries something fierce!) I spent the weekend recovering from the experience.
Getting rid of 4.9 proved to be the biggest hassle; let's just say that the uninstaller..., didn't. I ended up having to physically delete files, re-install several plug-ins, and re-map my content directories.
Consequently, I am understandably reluctant to disturb that particular hornets' nest again anytime soon. Perhaps after the second maintenance release, I might be inclined to give it another go....
For now, though, I am perfectly content to stick with 4.8 "for the foreseeable future". And my Poser 11 Pro installation is likely to get a lot more use than it has of late....
Using 4.9, but not in the way DAZ want me too, I refuse to have DIM on this system, and wont touch the CMS (PoS) with a 10 foot pole, the installer for 4.9 installed the CMS without my consent (wags finger at devs, not nice guys) so the second DS was finished installing the CMS got booted from my system.
As a result 4.9 works the same for me as previous version did, my content is where I left it, even the last folder I had open was where 4.9 started, so for me 4.9 is just some bug fixes, the rest of you however will have to put up with Big Brother
I moved to 4.9 (though I still have the 4.8 installer if necessary) because there are significant improvements to render times.
I don't use DIM because it doesn't work properly (it downloads every single .dsx file every time I connect, which is a huge waste of bandwidth and my ISP keeps flirting with data caps) and it's clumsy as he--. I refuse to use DAZ Connect on my Production machine. It screws up my organization and workflow. I have my stuff organized the way I want it and I do NOT want to have everything stuffed in one random location because DAZ says so. As soon as I installed 4.9 I ripped out the CMS DB (again) and I went into my firewall settings and blocked every connection listed as DAZ. I'm hoping that keeps the Big Brother at bay.
4.8 for now. I am not willing to take the chance of having to redo all of my custom categories. I lost them all once when I hit a wrong button and it took days to recreate. And I have twice the content now. And I am just not a fan of DRM. Never have been and never will be and I definitely vote with my wallet. For instance, GOG gets all of my gaming money. I will not pay to rent Photoshop no matter how much I might like some of the tools that elements doesn't have.
I had 4.8 and I have just gone to product library to download some stuff and now god knows how I have 4.9
although it all seems fine before I got this new version I was having problems with rendering...Every time in 4.8 and now with 4.9 I go to render and it all shuts down and if I manage to render something when I go to save everything freezes and I have to close the program down any idea what could cause this as it is driving me nuts :(
Currently have 4.8 general release and 4.9 beta, once I've finished going through all my bug reports from the 4.9 beta and confirmed that they're all fixed I'll upgrade the general release.
Sticking with 4.8 on my main machine. I may install 4.9 on my laptop just to see what it does. My laptop is still running 4.6, however, it was never intended to render in the first place. It is drastically under-powered for rendering with 3dl and it dosent even have the capacity to run iray. So it wont bother me if I experiment with 4.9 a little bit on the old laptop. But I will still wait until the bugs are fixed.
I want 4.9, I would love to get the bug fixes and improvements. I wont use smart content or connect. I have so many custom directories that I wont risk them getting messed up. I wont buy encrypted product at all.
If I had a second desktop I think I would be more open to trying out 4.9. Since I only have the one though, Im going to stay with 4.8.
4.9 - I was using the 4.9 beta, so no big changes here. I wanted the Iray fixes.
4.8 still thinking about 4.9. There is no manual or instructions, and I have no clue what it does. Its borks things up.. not sure what. Can't even get an answer.
The prescribed behavour around here is watch the forums like a hawk for months in order to know how things work.
I am sticking with 4.8 I have seen to many people loosing their custom folders and I have completely customized my studio runtime to suit my workflow. I also have Studio installed on one drive and my content on another, so I jsut don't see 4.9 working for me with all that I have seen and read about the new file structures.
I installed 4.9 for render engine upgrades, but have not signed into Connect - so no tangible change for me for the moment... My gut feeling still hasn't settled over Connect yet, but I'll use it if/when that changes - it will very much depend on what the future brings.
I moved to 4.9 the first day that the beta was released and have used it pretty much exclusivly since then. The only time I opened up 4.8 was when I was doing some mentoring and I wanted to be sure we were on the same version.
I have 4.8 and 4.9 installed in parallel, using the same content mapping. After installing 4.9 all of my categories were there, all the setting transfered nicely, so I'm thinking of making a total switch.
What does bother me is the connect-only products. It basically forces you to use Smart Content, or to create an extra category for them in Content Library. I mean, all the new products are already nicely organised in the DAZ Studio content folder. But you won't find your Gen2Male troubadour in Gen2Male folder. Because it's connect only, so it's installed in some weird folder, that's not mapped. Let alone that the script for converting Gen2 to Gen3 poses won't work. They simply don't recognize those files as poses. And I keep loosing the troubadour textures. They will only show up if you select a cloth item in scene. Not when you search for them in the Smart Content tab.
Also, why can't this Connect thing figure out I have lots of stuff installed by DIM? It shows greyd out items in the "Available" tab, so I can install them. But I already installed them, before 4.9 even existed. Why doesn't it see that?
I'm sticking with 4.8 until some of the new install buzz shakes out and I can get a better idea of what's better, what's worse, and what'll do to my content libraries.
4.9 doesn't affect your folder structures (other than to add Connect folders). What people are complaining about being lost are custom Categories. This is Smart Content stuff (Content Data/Metadata) handled by the CMS database.
I've not read anyone saying their physical folders have been altered or lost, mine certainly weren't. No doubt I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.
4.8 or 4.9? I shall admit I haven't read anywhere near even half the threads or posts on 4.9 and what I have read seem to sometimes conflict with opinions. But isn't that the usual way of things. I know that I will be making the change eventually. I do like to keep up with the new products and I like to be able to play with new toys. I do know that I will not be making the change on my main computer until I have a chance to back up all of the DAZ directories and products I have installed. I am considering installing it on my laptop, which isn't the fastest renderer out there, and see how well I like it that way. But that means remembering to acually set it up while at home one of these days. I even "purchased" the free with purchase 4.9 only items this past weekend and want to see how well the system works with that.
I am interested in the improved rendering for both systems. I am not a fan of encrypting products, but I understand the need to protect against piracy even tho I do not contribute to that in any form. I don't really care for downloading products while within Studio, but I can see the occasional benefit when I have forgotten to download and install an item I need, but since not everything that I look for in my library can be found in Smart Content, I am not sure how "accurate" that information may be.
I don't see that I will ever be purchasing from Daz from within Studio, but then again, I never thought that I would ever pay for any "additional purchases" from any of my phone or tablet apps. Time will tell.
Still on 4.7 here
I only use Daz studio
for applying IClone created motion to Genesis 2
and exporting them to render animations in Maxon C4D Via obj/MDD.
I also use DS for the occasional PBR still render
exported to the Hardware friendly Blender 2.7 Via the free mcjteleblend.
Iray not relevant(dont have the hardware anyways)
G3 nice!! very nice !! but a step BACKWARD for us character animators
with no plans for game dev
Her/his rigging breaks/hinders most of the motion retargeting options we have for G1-G2
(Just ask Skamotion)
I have enough content fo G1-G2 to make sci fi&comic book genre animation/Illustration
to the year 2020.
life is good.
I have a question. I am well versed in DIM, I love how I can easily go to the "i" and click it, going straight to the ReadMe and seeing where a product is located in the studio. The DIM also has three sections, and I love the one showing me what's installed.
Do Connect installs have a list like that? Looking in the studio at what is grayed out and what isn't, is not going to work as a systematic approach to telling me in list form what is installed.
Pretty much yes to all. You have different tabs in Connect that can show "available", "updated", "installed" content (manually installed items will of course not show up there as "installed"). If you right-click on any of the items, it will give you the option to directly get "more information", and it can open the readme directly in DS.
TD
Using 4.9 - ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO USE CONNECT OR PURCHASE CONNECT CONTENT.
Have 4.8 backed up.
Sorry for the caps.
I'm using 4.9 for the Iray updates. I'll be sticking with DIM, though. I have a lot of time invested in creating packages for 3rd party content, and I don't care for the DRM.
I sure hope you're not referring to that mess in Smart Content. I clicked on All and it came up. I clicked on installed- took a bit to come up (close to two minutes) on a high speed computer. OMGod, that goodness for DIM with its easy list. There's no easy to surf LIST with Connect installs?
EDIT: And several images are white out with a faded emblem on them, like a U inside the outline of a house (like what kids draw.)
http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/smart_content/products_page/start