Thanks, nemesis10. That's about what I thought. It's too long for me. My iMac's 1GB video card is not good enough for iRay. I've seen the messages in the log files. I've actually accepted the fact that I need to get a PC just so I can easily handle iRay. And I will ignore DAZ Central as long as humanly possible.

I only come back here to see if DAZ finally got over the DAZ Central Identity crisis. Is it still a Beta version? Why does the announcement say DAZ Central is for everyone, when it is not?

You know you don't really want Daz Central... it is really for newbies who don't rearrange their stuff.  I am puzzled by those people who are already using DIM (which is pretty robust when you sit down to use it), DAZ Connect which is more than fine for some of us, or those who install manually.  The image above took a bit longer because it has all the bells and whistles (DOF, a large emmisive surface as the background, figure, geoshells etc...)

Except Stonemason's new Frontier Outpost is ONLY available to download with Daz Central. I have no interest in installing or using Daz Central but now I have to because I bought Frontier Outpost. I hope this isn't a trend.

It was a glitch in the store that is now repaired; you don't need Daz Central...  The overarching mistake that was made was that if you already have a method to install, you don't need Daz Central.  It was meant for new users as "training wheels" but it shares the same databases as DIM and DazConnect so it looks like it can overwrite the database. Since, there is an apparently large contingent that never backs up their database for "reasons"; they found the database damaged without a real backup.  Ron Knights will appreciate that I recently installed a version of Daz Studio that broke my Nvidia support on my iMac so I simply deleted it, retrieved the last working one via Time Machine, got its preference files, added an updated Nvidia web driver and it was up and running in 15 minutes.  So, if you are a new user, remember that it is a beta and choose your poison, and if you have a method for installing, don't shift and continue as you were.

Greetings,

Can't use DAZ Central because I use a Mac, but I want to put in a plea, for when it does come out of beta.

Please, PLEASE be more efficient at handling large libraries?  I have somewhere between 14,000 and 16,000 DAZ products (depending on data source), and the number of install packages is larger than that.  When I want to use DIM, I generally start it up, and go do something else.  When I remember to come back, it's usually finished loading its data set, and I can pull down the latest stuff I've bought.  It gets worse if I'm trying to interact with my NAS, where I store the ~50% of my items that I'm okay taking significantly longer to load.

I get that it's using the DIM back-end, but...are there any improvements you can make?

Although I guess if it's targeted at newer users, then you don't necessarily care if it handles libraries that large.  In which case, consider this a plea to make DIM more efficient with large libraries. :)

--  Morgan

i had similar problem..try importing metadata. it fixed mine. did you try Daz Central?

Thanks, daveso. Yes, I tried importing metadata early on when this first happened, but DS on that computer only puts up a short list of products in the window that pops up. I'm pretty sure that it is nothing but what was installed automatically when I installed DS, so is limited to the items on that computer in the default Daz directories that it scatters all over.

That means DS is ignoring my Main Content Directory, (actually named "3D Active Content MASTER") which is on an external networked drive, even though I have set up that installation of DS to have that Main Content Directory (on the external drive) in the list of content directories:

In a word: Bedlam.

Greetings,

Love y'all.

I'd say, 'Decaf is a thing.' but I'm prolly more caffienated than most.

Haven't had a chance to play with DAZ Central because...I use a Mac, primarily, and a PC only for final renders. :)  So I waited a few hours.

Looking forward to playing with what is apparently a wretched hive of scum and villainy.  Also looking forward to playing with Stonemason's latest.

--  Morgan

i had similar problem..try importing metadata. it fixed mine. did you try Daz Central?

DAZ Central isn't being forced on anyone. This is just a distribution screwup and it will be fixed before the day is out. It will be in your Catalog and available once the issue is fixed. DAZ does care about the customers. 

I just bought Stonemasons Frontier Outpost (and added a free one with the coupon).

The free one appeared in my content, the Frontier Outpost did not.

I already filed a ticket, but for the last one DAZ took nearly seven weeks to answer ...
And again they are forcing a new buggy software on the users, since the new content only is downloadable through DAZ Central.
But what does DAZ care? they have my money and obviously anyway see no obligation to deliver the content bought or see that it works.

 

Do you know this for certain, have you actually got that from someone who works for Daz or is it speculation?

Daz_Rawb posted that this Daz Central was not a replacement for DM in the original thread, and he has repeated that (and that anything available through Daz Central will be available through DIM since they are the same core) today in one of the discussions about the application or the Frontier Outpost product.

And he just posted that it was fixed (you may need to wait a bit for cloudflare propagation though)

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/5712011/#Comment_5712011

DAZ Central isn't being forced on anyone. This is just a distribution screwup and it will be fixed before the day is out. It will be in your Catalog and available once the issue is fixed. DAZ does care about the customers. 

I just bought Stonemasons Frontier Outpost (and added a free one with the coupon).

The free one appeared in my content, the Frontier Outpost did not.

I already filed a ticket, but for the last one DAZ took nearly seven weeks to answer ...
And again they are forcing a new buggy software on the users, since the new content only is downloadable through DAZ Central.
But what does DAZ care? they have my money and obviously anyway see no obligation to deliver the content bought or see that it works.

 

Do you know this for certain, have you actually got that from someone who works for Daz or is it speculation?

Daz_Rawb posted that this Daz Central was not a replacement for DM in the original thread, and he has repeated that (and that anything available through Daz Central will be available through DIM since they are the same core) today in one of the discussions about the application or the Frontier Outpost product.

Guys, the DIM/DazCentral installer IS the manual download. Daz_Rawb said right here that it is an error and shouldn't have been able to have happened. He also said the Daz Central IS the DIM installer. Three methods-- 1 file. 

The biggest problem with DAZ Central aside from messing with the installation paths and so on is that it does not come with a batch download and install function.
In my opinion, DAZ Central is just an ugly GUI for handling manual downloads and installations.

Geez... one thing is being wary, another is having the torches lit all the time. I'm 83% sure it is a bug, you know, a mistake. Those things we all make. Wait until it's official that it's really only available for Central and then light up the torches, I'll be right there with my own. You know, "until proven guilty" and all that.

We have sent in a query on the apparently Central-only items, as it is certainly my understanding that it uses the same fiels as DIM - in fact I was going to ask iif anyone had purchased and  been able to download at alll, so thanks for reporting on that. I suspect it's as glitch in the way the install type list is generated, and the products have not in fact been uplaoded, but we will see what Daz says.

Thanks! While others are being a little too quick to light up their torches I rather wait for official response, and this already makes me think it's really just a mistake. People seem to forget we all make them and the whole "until proven guilty" thing. Even if I'm wrong and it's indeed an agenda trying to push Central down people's throats, well, not buying anything only for Central after the official response should be enough.

About Central itself, I tried using it on a freshly built rig, installed Daz using Central... and after a few minutes it didn't recognize Daz was installed. It was enough for me to say I don't want to rely on that thing. And to top it off, you can't keep the downloaded install files from products like you do with DIM. I keep those so I don't have to download that much stuff again when I need a fresh install. Even if it's meant to simplify things for new users I feel Daz Central is just complicating stuff on the long run for those new users.

Simple question regarding DAZ Central downloads. When DAZ Connect only was introduced, it was clearly stated that the Connect only would be for one year. Does the same apply to Central only?

DazCentral uses the same internal core as DIM, so anything installable through DazCentral will be installable through DIM as well.

 

Not my question. Connect Only had a specified time limit. Does the same hold for Central Only?

There is no central only content.

That is my reading of

Simple question regarding DAZ Central downloads. When DAZ Connect only was introduced, it was clearly stated that the Connect only would be for one year. Does the same apply to Central only?

DazCentral uses the same internal core as DIM, so anything installable through DazCentral will be installable through DIM as well.

The issue with Frontier Outpost is that ti doesn't currently have any installers, I suspect it lists Daz central because it has some kind of pointer that would tell Daz Central to downbload the (DIMable) zip if it was present, so the install option is incorrectly listed as available.

Simple question regarding DAZ Central downloads. When DAZ Connect only was introduced, it was clearly stated that the Connect only would be for one year. Does the same apply to Central only?

DazCentral uses the same internal core as DIM, so anything installable through DazCentral will be installable through DIM as well.

 

Not my question. Connect Only had a specified time limit. Does the same hold for Central Only?

There is no central only content.

Simple question regarding DAZ Central downloads. When DAZ Connect only was introduced, it was clearly stated that the Connect only would be for one year. Does the same apply to Central only?

DazCentral uses the same internal core as DIM, so anything installable through DazCentral will be installable through DIM as well.

Simple question regarding DAZ Central downloads. When DAZ Connect only was introduced, it was clearly stated that the Connect only would be for one year. Does the same apply to Central only?

DazCentral uses the same internal core as DIM, so anything installable through DazCentral will be installable through DIM as well.

Ugh....wth   first I'm not a dude...dude    StoneMason didn't specify what he was getting fixed. If it was the fact that it wasn't downloading through DazCentral or for the other options being available.  

DAZ made in the past a very clear statement that DIM will stay and DAZ Central is only an option for new users.

So you can expect that's only a bug that Frontier Outpost is not working via DIM.

 

Um, no, you can't:

 

Unless you know of some really groovy workplace-permitted drug that can make that happen, it is willful and intentional.

It is rat-in-a-maze time for us "consumers." Maybe we could look for a blessing in it, such as being thankful that they didn't decide to use actual electric cattle prods on us.

B. F. Skinner would be so, so proud.

Yes we can. I purchased Frontier Outpost. There are no download links in the product library page. I even installed Daz Central and the Frontier Outpost does not show up in my Daz Studio Assets. It is a bug. 

Well I manually install all of my content and if they force daz central on us like they did daz connect they won't see another dime from me.

Ugh....wth   first I'm not a dude...dude    StoneMason didn't specify what he was getting fixed. If it was the fact that it wasn't downloading through DazCentral or for the other options being available.  

DAZ made in the past a very clear statement that DIM will stay and DAZ Central is only an option for new users.

So you can expect that's only a bug that Frontier Outpost is not working via DIM.

Have a little patience bugs happens.

But in the meantime, DIM functionality is being removed, and DazCentral, even in its broken and incomplete form, is being pushed on us.   Daz has not acknowledged or apologized for the many problems it has cause its customers with Daz Central and rather than scrapping it going back to the drawing board to produce a properly functioning client, continue to cause us and themselves unnecessary frustration.

Sounds like daz is taking a page from Diviant Arts playbook and doing their version of an eclipse run on everyone.

Ugh....wth   first I'm not a dude...dude    StoneMason didn't specify what he was getting fixed. If it was the fact that it wasn't downloading through DazCentral or for the other options being available.  

DAZ made in the past a very clear statement that DIM will stay and DAZ Central is only an option for new users.

So you can expect that's only a bug that Frontier Outpost is not working via DIM.

Um, no, you can't:

Unless you know of some really groovy workplace-permitted drug that can make that happen, it is willful and intentional.

It is rat-in-a-maze time for us "consumers." Maybe we could look for a blessing in it, such as being thankful that they didn't decide to use actual electric cattle prods on us.

B. F. Skinner would be so, so proud.

I (foolishly perhaps) tried the Central beta when it came out. It ended up messing up my DIM paths, and breaking the CMS to the point that I had to go into the registry to rip out stuff before being able to reinstall Studio and have everything work. I can wait for this to resolve... And if it turns out that Central only is correct (which would surprise me), well, I'll be saving some store credit.