Richard Haseltine said:

crosswind said:

I suppose each time CPA generates GUID when it packs the file as IM package... so DIM could install the packages for times. But some issues can result in the failure of writing metadata to cms.. for intance, when installing first 3 packages, DIM lost cms connection. You can check the line items in DIM - Installed tab, if the database icons on the first 3 items are light grey, it means no metadata have been written to cms...

The GUID is genrated by the store and should not be changed without good reason (e.g. if it wasn't U(nique) but was double-assigned).

AFAIK, GUID can be generated (uniquely) by users with Content DB Editor. I use Content Wizard to install 3rd-party products. Content Wizard can also generate it.

tsroemi said:

3-D Arena said:

I hadn't thought about this.  In the coming weeks (not this one as I'm swamped and going out of town this weekend) I will do smart content for my migrated stuff and put it on my website for free download.  I can't promise to do ALL of it and some already has it as I did it for a few of them at Rendo, but I will work on that.

That's such a sweet thing to offer, thanks for chiming in here with this idea! But really, it's DAZ's job, they do the metadata (or are supposed to do it) for all their PAs here. Why shouldn't they do it for you as well?
 Maybe if the new PAs that came from Rendo just told DAZ that they're uncomfortable with the metadata situation and people here complaining and stopping to buy, and then asked them to fix it asap - maybe this could work? Personally, I don't mind if it takes some time, I'd just like some sort of assurance that it will get done eventually.

With about of 3000 new products, and counting, in the last three weeks, imagine the time it would take to produce the metadata and test them all. If it takes an additional 1/4 hour each, end-to-end, that's 750 hours of work. Three people working full-time on that alone would take more than 6 weeks.

2 years to late but in Modern Unreal 5.3 when importing from Daz if you have virtual texture streaming enabled this will happen to your models.

a quick fix is to go to project settings and look up your "Auto Virtual Texturing Size".. Set it to something like 8k Import your model and textures and all should work. Alternatively you can go into the textures folder for the model and open each texture and deselect the Use virtual texturing option.

You will get full quality for the model. I am ansure how to make virtual texturing not destroy my textures other than this method. Virtual texturing is great for landscapes etc but I want my primary character model to be crisp at all times.

NorthOf45 said:

The problem is with the metadata. It is concerning that you actually have the same product installed three different times. The system (either DIM or Studio) doesn't usually allow that if the Product (or package) GUID is the same. You also can't have more than one version of the zip file, with the same name and part number.

After each reformat/computer upgrade, I have to put it through CPA again, which means it would be the same product but "different", since CPA will randomly generate all the numbers or whatever every time I have to remake everything.  Note also it technically I guess does not put everything on the computer again (maybe) because the 3rd party stuff always goes back to the same folder.  So all 3 Pumpkina SMart COntents I had to make on previous incarnations of my computer and the now 4th and working on for this incarnation, all have the same file paths, so I think it's just all there, only Smart Content can only see it when CPA first makes it, and then forgets when I migrate the files to a new computer/reformatted one.

crosswind said:

I suppose each time CPA generates GUID when it packs the file as IM package... so DIM could install the packages for times. But some issues can result in the failure of writing metadata to cms.. for intance, when installing first 3 packages, DIM lost cms connection. You can check the line items in DIM - Installed tab, if the database icons on the first 3 items are light grey, it means no metadata have been written to cms...

I do not exactly follow this, but it always works the first time, and if I use annoying content library, all the files are there.  But in Smart Content (when I first use CPA for an item bfore one day having to reformat a computer), I can use the 3rd party stuff easily as heck.  It's wonderful.  If I could recreate that without constantly having to waste days to weeks of my time remaking ALL all the 3rd party Daz files into CPA again for the rest of my life, that is what I am aiming for someone to figure out.

Richard Haseltine said:

The GUID is genrated by the store and should not be changed without good reason (e.g. if it wasn't U(nique) but was double-assigned).

I don't know what a GUID but I think it's one of those things CPA just randomly comes up with.

3-D Arena said:

I hadn't thought about this.  In the coming weeks (not this one as I'm swamped and going out of town this weekend) I will do smart content for my migrated stuff and put it on my website for free download.  I can't promise to do ALL of it and some already has it as I did it for a few of them at Rendo, but I will work on that.

That's such a sweet thing to offer, thanks for chiming in here with this idea! But really, it's DAZ's job, they do the metadata (or are supposed to do it) for all their PAs here. Why shouldn't they do it for you as well?
 Maybe if the new PAs that came from Rendo just told DAZ that they're uncomfortable with the metadata situation and people here complaining and stopping to buy, and then asked them to fix it asap - maybe this could work? Personally, I don't mind if it takes some time, I'd just like some sort of assurance that it will get done eventually.

FSMCDesigns said:

dennisgray41 said:

I'm lost to. And this is the reasonI never buy from rendo or any otjer third party.

 

I see posts like this often and this is why I will never use or rely on anything called "smart" content. I use the content library to find my products. I know the file structures, where they are located and can install anything outside of the DAZ ecosystem.

Although Smart Content relies on metadata, metadata is not used solely for the Smart Content pane

crosswind said:

I suppose each time CPA generates GUID when it packs the file as IM package... so DIM could install the packages for times. But some issues can result in the failure of writing metadata to cms.. for intance, when installing first 3 packages, DIM lost cms connection. You can check the line items in DIM - Installed tab, if the database icons on the first 3 items are light grey, it means no metadata have been written to cms...

The GUID is genrated by the store and should not be changed without good reason (e.g. if it wasn't U(nique) but was double-assigned).

FSMCDesigns said:

dennisgray41 said:

I'm lost to. And this is the reasonI never buy from rendo or any otjer third party.

 

I see posts like this often and this is why I will never use or rely on anything called "smart" content. I use the content library to find my products. I know the file structures, where they are located and can install anything outside of the DAZ ecosystem.

I load a lot of things via the Content Library too, it's certainly a good option; but I have clothes, hair and characters in smart content because I neither feel like hunting through all the various 'figure' folders nor do I want to create a completely new system.  So this is really very annoying. Even more so because I just found that some of the new vendor items do come with metadata! 
I think it would help a lot if everyone who uses metadata sent in a ticket as well.Otherwise, I fear things might just go like @memcneil70 said they went with RDNA, and we'll never get the new stuff properly sorted (maybe THAT'S what we need - a sorting hat ... ).

I suppose each time CPA generates GUID when it packs the file as IM package... so DIM could install the packages for times. But some issues can result in the failure of writing metadata to cms.. for intance, when installing first 3 packages, DIM lost cms connection. You can check the line items in DIM - Installed tab, if the database icons on the first 3 items are light grey, it means no metadata have been written to cms...

The problem is with the metadata. It is concerning that you actually have the same product installed three different times. The system (either DIM or Studio) doesn't usually allow that if the Product (or package) GUID is the same. You also can't have more than one version of the zip file, with the same name and part number.

I also bought the lully shop and was very surprised there was no metadata surely this wuld be exected to be added to the products by daz and as part of the testing before lauching a product...

From what I understand all the new vendors coming over from Rendo are bringing their products over "as-is". So if there is no Metadata in the product when it was at Rendo there will not be any here either. This also goes for Metadata that does not match what is done here at Daz3D, promos as well unless the Vendor's have taken the time to create new ones for all their products to match the Daz Standard sizing/proportions etc. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a massive amount of products coming in at once as memcneil70 mentioned above like when RuntimeDNA was added to the store. These products are not just submitted one or a few at a time like the veteran PA's here at Daz do. 

I do agree that it would be nice to have a flag on products PRIOR to installing about if they have Metadata or not. There is a column for that on the Installed Pane in DIM but not on the Ready to Download one 

Speaking of adding metadata, does someone have a link to a good tutorial (ideally a free one) on how to do add them ?

@tsroemi, when DAZ acquired the RuntimeDNA inventory after it closed, none of those products came with metadata either. That is what drove me to learning how to load metadata. And like you it is frustrating now. Because the products today are much more complex that the ones created around Generation 4 period on back. It has been taking me up to two hours on some of the products alone to set them up.

I am also in the process of installing my HiveWire and Rendo purchases into a new computer with Content Wizard, but still have to fix a lot of misunderstandings due to weird naming of items. But when I buy something from a non-Daz source, I accept this.

I have Content Package, but could never get it to work for me. So I have pretty much stopped buying the 'new' products from the 'Welcome' artists for now. 

And of course, there is also correcting the metadata on new DAZ products, like leggings/footwear assigned to Accessories that should be in Wardrobe for the dForce Pellae Outfit for G9.

Like the title says, all my custom actions/toolbars etc are missing. When I go to workspace customise, over on the left, Custom is empty, on the right under favorites the folder structure is still there, but my commands have been replaced with some gibberish.

When I go to export the action/menu/toolbar state. It defaults to "C:\Users\*****\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio4\user layouts" which is where I've been exporting them to for forever.

But if I select import, it defaults to C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio416\resources\layouts.

I tried copying my files over to the other directory, and then import them, but it still doesn't work.

I'm guessing my layout files have become corrupted somehow. Yes/no/maybe?

anaximanes_2000 said:

crosswind said:

I think "re-import metadata" wrote no required Category data into "Categories" table, so of course there were no "linked data" in the table of "Category_Content" ... That was why you saw Lost and Found.

Not sure if you have tried re-installing IM package that was generated by CPA via DIM... Normally you should keep those IM package files of 3rd party product, just in case...

To your first point, I am totally ok with having it show up as "Lost and Found" inside of the thing.  The thing I am not understanding, to use Pumpkina as an example is why these 3rd party things work (which were installed after being packaged by CPA) and then don't work on the new computer.  That's literally all I need to know so I can fix the issue.  Like installing Pumpkina a 4th time, she now works.  Her little Runtime thing is the same, everything is the same.  So why does she work again now, but the 3 previous installs from 3 previous incarnations of Windows show up in Smart Content as empty.  If I can figure out why something works the first time, then maybe one of you that understands all this, can give me a way to make sure it ALWAYS works so I don't have to bust my @(# every time I move computers or reformat.  There must be a way to do it, without ever having to literally go by a TB hard drive just to keep every single "CPA" created Zip file so I can reinstall everything every time (and thus keep getting multiple dupilcates of it in Smart Content, i.e. 4 copies of Pumpkina in Smart Content now.)  To your second point, tthis is exactly what I want to avoid! lol

The only way to re-produce the issue so as to find out the culprit is to have CPA and simulate your process... but unfortunately I don't have it. Just wait and see if the author can give you some clue...

crosswind said:

I think "re-import metadata" wrote no required Category data into "Categories" table, so of course there were no "linked data" in the table of "Category_Content" ... That was why you saw Lost and Found.

Not sure if you have tried re-installing IM package that was generated by CPA via DIM... Normally you should keep those IM package files of 3rd party product, just in case...

To your first point, I am totally ok with having it show up as "Lost and Found" inside of the thing.  The thing I am not understanding, to use Pumpkina as an example is why these 3rd party things work (which were installed after being packaged by CPA) and then don't work on the new computer.  That's literally all I need to know so I can fix the issue.  Like installing Pumpkina a 4th time, she now works.  Her little Runtime thing is the same, everything is the same.  So why does she work again now, but the 3 previous installs from 3 previous incarnations of Windows show up in Smart Content as empty.  If I can figure out why something works the first time, then maybe one of you that understands all this, can give me a way to make sure it ALWAYS works so I don't have to bust my @(# every time I move computers or reformat.  There must be a way to do it, without ever having to literally go by a TB hard drive just to keep every single "CPA" created Zip file so I can reinstall everything every time (and thus keep getting multiple dupilcates of it in Smart Content, i.e. 4 copies of Pumpkina in Smart Content now.)  To your second point, tthis is exactly what I want to avoid! lol

You can @DoctorJellybean who's the author of CPA, or PM him. He can explain how CPA works.

Just for your info. - : There're 4 related key tables in cms database that essentially make Smart Content work: Product, Categories, Content and Category_Content.
- "Product" table is the parent which stores primary product data.
- "Categories" table stores all categories (parent + children categories...).
- "Content" table stores all line items of each asset file of a product.
- "Category_Content" table links assigned category in Categories table to each item in Content table.

I show you an example for your better understanding, as attached screenshots.

So, the prerequisites to show items in Smart Content with correctly-assigned categories is that all metadata are imported into the above tables with no failure. In your case, as per my exp., I think "re-import metadata" wrote no required Category data into "Categories" table, so of course there were no "linked data" in the table of "Category_Content" ... That was why you saw Lost and Found.

Not sure if you have tried re-installing IM package that was generated by CPA via DIM... Normally you should keep those IM package files of 3rd party product, just in case...

Anyway, all culprits of "missing and/or wrong metadata" can be found out as long as you know the "structure of metadata" and have a proper tool...

NorthOf45 said:

Why the older ones with decent metadata do not is still an unknown...

NOoooooo.... Well hopefully someone can help me.  Thanks again for having tried!  But yeah I have her in here three times, because I have had to remake her in CPA 3 times, one for every previous reformat and now will have to be a fourth unless someone can explain this CPA installed stuff and how to fix it.