Also, if you don't have "Show center axes" unticked, the axes might not appear anyway depending on which tool you have selected. You may have mainly been using a certain tool for quite some time, then switched to a different one—intentionally or accidently—and that's when the axes appeared.

Depending on which tool you select, different axes displays will appear for whatever item you have selected in the scene. For example, create a cube, and select it in the Scene tab. Then with the cube selected, click on the various tool icons across the top (or wherever you have your tools):

• Scene Navigation: No axes
• Node Selection: No axes
• Universal Tool: XYZ translate axes will appear for the object, along with rotation rings (when hovered over), and small "cubes" on the axes for scaling
• Rotation Tool: Only the three rotation rings will appear
• Translate Tool: Only the XYZ translate axes
• Scale Tool: Only the scaling "cubes" will be visible on XYZ, plus a central one to scale all

For a long time I only used the Universal Tool. Then one day I must have hit a key combination or something, or inadvertently selected one of the other tools, and I had no idea why my axes disappeard and I couldn't get them back. I was lost without the axes! I said words my mama wouldn't want me saying until I figured out why they had disappeared.

Does this mean Mac users and everyone who won't use Daz Central are doomed?  When you click 'Manual Download' it takes you to your product library... where there's no download link for Frontier Outpost at all.

If this is a way to 'encourage' people to use Daz Central, it's pretty poor.  Especially if they're deliberately excluding a chunk of their market by failing to have the option available at all.

*ETA: Central, not Connect. Tho Frontier Outpost isn't available in Connect either.

DIM links completely removed from order page. The Daz Studio download page forcing Central to download. This isn't good.

I'm sorry to sound like I'm complaining, but this is shady. If Central is going to be replacing DIM, I'd appreciate being told the truth now rather than later. And if not, why have so many recent updates of the Daz website make it seem that way? Surely Central and DIM should have equal representation, but it seems like the very best effort is being made to sweep DIM under the proverbial rug.

And that there is no option that I can see in Daz Central for custom folder locations, it is a very big turn off for me.. My guess is they are expecting everyone to have multi gigabyte/terabyte system drives to cram everything on..

I just noticed the new Frontier Outpost from Stonemason only says "Central" in the "Install Types" category. And it's the only item I have seen like that so far.

I'm hoping it's a mistake but I'm not buying that until I'm sure. Will wait until this is clarified before saying more but if it's indeed the case.... oooh boy....

This is really a comment. I have been delayed in producing more work of my own by issues about how I can distribute my own work and protect from unauthorised copying etc[ as well as by other isseus]. Likewise I wish to protect the intellectual property rights of DAZ creators. 

Taking this into account I believe that DAZ needs to set more prescriptions on how we set up our devices. But also they need to take into account the fact that some people are just doing renders on a laptop and may want roaming capabilities whereas other people are trying to do some serious renders and animation and want a good set up at home with a main machine one or more render boxes and a separate disk station or indeed home network server.

DAZ probably needs a render node available [perhaps it already is available] as many fancy doody expensive programs already do? Also we need to be able to use home network storage devices not just hard drives on one machine. I orginally set up a disk station on my home machine to make maintaining my DAZ content easier. It has proved to make it harder. I aslo wanted to use that same content from my render box machine. My understanding is that does not cotravene the EULA because the content can be used on more than one machine but by the same person.

I note that I do not have a separate server and simply use software on my main machine to download and install on the diskstation. Perhaps I should be doing it differently? Also I could use the same user name to log onto the two different machines and use the same name to specify the shared folder on my diskstation. Many people are doing the same thing but perhaps are more au fait with the process and don't have as many problems as me. Every time there is a new update to DIM there seems to be a problem. I actually got the diskstation after purchasing a  DAZ tutotiral on how to set up your content. The diskstation sounded like a good idea so that you can easily maintain your DAZ data and access as required. It also means that if you had set up RAID you could easily fix hardware problems.

It seems that it should be fairly simple to write a new installer program [given the complexity of what DAZ does such as iRay algorithms etc]. But it is important that we are told specifically what is allowed and what is not allowed. If I must go back to simply installing on one machine on one of my internal hard drives I will do so to enable to use the content I already have purchased. 

I actually wanted to check I could reinstall DAZ easily using the new DAZ Central. It certainly doesn't work currently at least to the folder you specifiy. I can actually use DAZ from the folder it is currently residing in and point to the right content database without any problems. However because I now can't install Postgre SQL CMS it can't read my installed content on the diskstation. But DAZ Central doesn't work and nor does DIM work any longer as well. So this seems like a good time to raise this issue. Perhaps these problems wouldn't occur if the EULA and or set up prescription issues are solved?

Installiing also adds the information about the filles to the local database - another system will not get that unless the database (Ediit>Preferences>CMS Settings>Content Cluster directory) is also shared.

Do note that Daz does not create or code Iray, nVidia supplies it as a osed box and Daz integrates it into DS using the APIs - this is also true from 3Del;ight, from DNA Research rather than nVidia, and from Optiiex the older dynamic clothing system from before dForce..

Thanks for the reply Richard,

I see what you mean about details of programming however, I still would have thought that the writing and debugging the code for file downloader would have been more Commercial Programming 101 rather than all the feeatures in DAZ itself including using the nVidia and other Applications Programming Interfaces. [I had to look that acronymn up again but I had remembered the concept okay].

I had forgotten to wake up my diskstation it keeps defaulting to automatic sleep after a period when it upgrades. When I do that before I open DAZ the postgre connection is established okay and I can access my content. So my old copy of DAZ is working okay.

Even with Central uninstalled DIM is still not reading the files okay on installed drive even if I have a good connection to drive. I probably should say it is not listing files okay because I think that is the Windows permission? Reading I suppose means accessing the contents of a file. It starts off with all my content ready to download. Then it starts to install basic free content. It installs them successfully except for DAZ studio 4.12 program and the PostgreSQL CMS connection. It also seems to be altering the paths I have set for my content database.. It tacks on the "Applications/Data/DAZ 3D/My DAZ 3D Library onto my path specified z:users/public/documents/MyDAZ 3D Library

The programs paths get changed to /Applications/ 64-bit and 32-bit respectively. Perhaps I should change my DAZ password and see if that helps?

DIM links completely removed from order page. The Daz Studio download page forcing Central to download. This isn't good.

I'm sorry to sound like I'm complaining, but this is shady. If Central is going to be replacing DIM, I'd appreciate being told the truth now rather than later. And if not, why have so many recent updates of the Daz website make it seem that way? Surely Central and DIM should have equal representation, but it seems like the very best effort is being made to sweep DIM under the proverbial rug.

Oh Daz Central...wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. ;)

Laurie

I concur and would like to your Studio 'Content Directory Manager' Settings when they are fully opened up.

After I tried out Daz Central, and then uninstalled it, I found all my settings with new entries for the C: instead of F: It was a nightmare fixing my system.

That's a great idea too. 

Anyone who doesn't know how to do that: Open up Daz Studio, right-click on the Content Library tab, choose "Content Directory Manager", when the window pops up hit the little "+" next to each of the categories and take a screen capture. 

Make sure you are saving your screen captures where you can find them again when you need them and name them something you won't accidentally delete. Mine all are named something like "Do Not Delete - Daz Content Pathing 1", etc.

Doing this screen capturing takes only a minute or two but it can literally save you hours of work later on.

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...)

can we also please have an open discussion of what DAZ central means for your customers who don't just use DAZ studio.

As a Carrara user I have recieved no answers and am not willing to break the use of snart content and content in general in Carrara to beta test it

I concur and would like to your Studio 'Content Directory Manager' Settings when they are fully opened up.

After I tried out Daz Central, and then uninstalled it, I found all my settings with new entries for the C: instead of F: It was a nightmare fixing my system.

In DIM is there a check mark next to all the installed items? The checkmark means they are in smart content. A lot of times my content fails to make it to smart content and I have to uninstall and reinstall but if it's EVERYTHING, there may be a better way. I have several items (new G8 & G3) that for some reason refuse to install in smart content through DIM. 

yes., a check mark. Most of the products are in smart content but none of them are installed. the icons are black and white with that install circle thing on it. I did a couple of them, but when you need 4000 items to be installed like that, its going to take some time. 
I'm of a notion to uninstall everything. All the directories folder, etc ..the program, and even flush the registry to make sure nopthing is left over. 
Then do a custom install again, using my data drive, and the programs on my C:drive, which is SSD. THat's the wa I had it but that new DAZ Central thing changed everything, added new directories, and there must be some hidden ones I'm not finding., 
Either way i do it, its going to be a long haul. 

Don't forget, Smart Content is all about metadata. No metadata, no Smart Content. Bad metadata, bad Smart Content. The Content Library will show everything that is physically installed in the library folders that you have specified in DIM and Studio, regardless of the state of the metadata. Does the content in the Content Library show the usual content-type flashes in the upper right-hand corner? (i.e., Wardrobe, Accessory, Prop, Material(s)). If not, the metadata is absent, so it needs to be re-imported using Content DB Maintenance. Not 100% sure this will cure the installed-or-not situation, but the metadata does define the Product for the database (shown in the Product view alphabetical list). Usually, once the library reference is restored, all that info is also restored, since databases don't usually let go of information unless told to.

daveso's troubles came after trying the new DAZ Central. That's a known problem for many people. DIM & Smart Content are good ideas. But the excecution failed. DAZ created utilities/features that require data programming skills to cope with them. Maybe DAZ forgot that many of us just want to make art?!

daveso, I wish you the best of luck.

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?

 

Also don't appreciate that the download pages for entire orders now seem to have only one choice to download the entire order - using DAZ Central.  I no longer have the option to download the entire order using DIM.  Another suck.  Please DAZ, at least give me back the option to use DIM again and don't force me to use DAZ Central until it works for everyone.  It makes me not want to buy anymore bundles if I'm gonna have to download each package one by one.  How ridiculous this is.

Just select "Order Date: Recent First" on the Ready to Download tab in DIM, then it will list your latest purchases on top of the list.  I find that just as easy as using the link.

An alternative simplified and visual interface for DIM would have solved any issues that Central is supose to "fix". As in Basic/Advance interface user choice, but same core.  

Adding yet another tool that messes with stuff of other tools is a recipe for disaster.

DIM is being obfuscated, and even more to new users. I'm relative new, and fortunatelly was offered DIM so i can easily install stuff i buy whenever i choose to open it and make a bulk install. If i had been offered central, my experience would not have been good at all, because it requres it do one item at a time. Also you are only presented easy access to new stuff if you only purchased in the last day or so.

I wish I could say something good about Daz Central but it won't even detect that I have Daz Studio installed, no matter what I do.  Now, DIM won't download an entire order and instead, I have to sort it by newest purchases first and select each and every package by clicking on their own boxes - and I've never had a problem with DIM in the past downloading an entire order.  I just think it's ridiculous to have gone thru all this trouble to try to use what looked like a good thing, only to end up trying to fix what wasn't broken to begin with.  Normally I like everything DAZ but this whole thing has been a real stinkbomb.  Maybe if you're a brand new user and didn't have anything else installed yet, then, this *may be a good thing but not for someone whose had DAZ installed for years apparently.  I wouldn't have written any of this if it weren't for the time lost in trying to recover what used to be working and it's only out of disgust for the time lost that I felt the need to unleash my true opinion.  What a bummer and disappointment this has been. 

Also don't appreciate that the download pages for entire orders now seem to have only one choice to download the entire order - using DAZ Central.  I no longer have the option to download the entire order using DIM.  Another suck.  Please DAZ, at least give me back the option to use DIM again and don't force me to use DAZ Central until it works for everyone.  It makes me not want to buy anymore bundles if I'm gonna have to download each package one by one.  How ridiculous this is.

DIM disappears, so do I.

I trust DIM to do what it says. I have al sorts of reservations about Smart Content, and now DazCentral.

DIM, as an acronym works; it's meaning is succinct - and it does manage my installs.

Daz Central sounds (and behaves) like big brother.

Studio 4.9 felt like Daz was trying to force something down my throat; this feels the same.

Daz Central is DIM with a simplified interface and option tree, for the benefit of new users.

None of that explains the removal of options for DIM users.

I would think it is because, if the idea is to avoid confusing new users, giving a choice of two ways to download would be counter-productive.

But there are still three ways for them to download, if we don't count DIM. There's one built right into Daz Studio, and they can manually download the files. Plus the new method. Same as before, with DIM.

I thought we were talking about the order page? As far as I can see DIM is still available elsewhere

DIM disappears, so do I.

I trust DIM to do what it says. I have al sorts of reservations about Smart Content, and now DazCentral.

DIM, as an acronym works; it's meaning is succinct - and it does manage my installs.

Daz Central sounds (and behaves) like big brother.

Studio 4.9 felt like Daz was trying to force something down my throat; this feels the same.

Daz Central is DIM with a simplified interface and option tree, for the benefit of new users.

None of that explains the removal of options for DIM users.

I would think it is because, if the idea is to avoid confusing new users, giving a choice of two ways to download would be counter-productive.

But there are still three ways for them to download, if we don't count DIM. There's one built right into Daz Studio, and they can manually download the files. Plus the new method. Same as before, with DIM.

DIM disappears, so do I.

I trust DIM to do what it says. I have al sorts of reservations about Smart Content, and now DazCentral.

DIM, as an acronym works; it's meaning is succinct - and it does manage my installs.

Daz Central sounds (and behaves) like big brother.

Studio 4.9 felt like Daz was trying to force something down my throat; this feels the same.

Daz Central is DIM with a simplified interface and option tree, for the benefit of new users.

None of that explains the removal of options for DIM users.

I would think it is because, if the idea is to avoid confusing new users, giving a choice of two ways to download would be counter-productive.

And so what am I?