I decided to re-import the metadata. I have long been telling users to export your User Data to back it up, which I have been doing regularly. Time to put it to the test, myself. If it works properly, I will have only lost about 10 days of categorization (<100 packages installed, or about 0.36% of the total) since the last export, so I'm not really complaining. Just need to remember to do it more often.

If you want to create an independant figure, you can export the mesh as obj, import that into DS then use the weight mapping tools to rig it.

1. As a SOP, use Genesis Base figure to sculpt your custom figure in ZBrush and import the morph back to Ds by using Morph Loader Pro;  - Search 'Zbrush DAZ' on youtube...

2. If it's a standalone character sculpted in ZBrush, try to use Wrap3D/4D to convert it as a Genesis figure. - Search 'Daz Wrap' ...

Most people will be doomed with 'manual rigging', so not suggested...

Wonderland said:

Richard Haseltine said:

Wonderland said:

Richard Haseltine said:

Wonderland said:

Lately I've been having several big problems with DIM.

1. All newly purchased items show up without their thumbnails and I have to select the entire group each time and click to download missing thumbnails.

Thumbnails have never auto-downlaoded as far as I can recall, certainly it has required a uer action for a very long time.

2. It says "Not responding' so long when trying to download or instal (not just start up) and I keep restarting it but only a few things download or sometimes nothing and stays stuck at Not Responding. There's an option to "restore program" which gets it going again but then everything downloads without metadata and I have to uninstall and reinstall several times until it shows the metadata is installed but... (see 3)

DIM or Daz Studio? Downloading has been a bit iffy recently, though it doesn't cause DIM to hang for me. However, "downloading without metadata" doesn't make sense in DIM - unless you mean installing.

3. The majority of my products are greyed out in Smart Content although they were downloaded through DIM. I have to keep uninstalling and reinstalling items. Even when the metadata icon is dark (formerly checked off) most items still show as greyed out when I open DS. Random products from various generations will be in color and usable and others are not. 

This sounds like a pathing issue, and does suggest you are meaning install rather than download.

Thumbnails used to show up and download automatically in DIM. All the little icons next to products are grey symbols now until I ask it to download thumbnails.

No, it has been confirmed that this is the way it has always been.

DIM hangs often in the middle of downloading or installing. When I click the X to close it, it sometimes gives me the option to restore program. Then everything will download and install but without metadata. That little grey thing that looks like a stack of CDs is either dark grey or light grey. It used to be a checkmark. The light grey ones are installing without metadata (usually old Poser products or V4 and earlier.) But often new products will install light grey showing they don't have metadata installed and I have to uninstall them, close DIM and restart, then reinstall them. But even many of the items that look like they have metadata, won't show up in Smart Content and are greyed out. 

I don't recall ever seeing a restore otpion on a hanging application - this does sound as if soem kind of add-on system tool may be present, and thenmay be a factor in what you are seeing. Given the metadata issue it is possible that something, such as security software as frank suggests, is interfering with the communication between DIM and PostgreSQL. Are the products available under Daz Studio Formats (or Poser Formatsfor Poser cotnent) in the Content Library even when the product data is missing?

The restore thing is part of regular Windows 10.  When a program hangs for too long and you click the X to close it, there's an option to restore if possible. For DIM it lets me restore to download the items but then if I install those items, no metadata installs with it so I have to uninstall them and reinstall or just download them then close DIM, restart and install the downloaded items to get the metadata to work.

I wouldn't trust a feature like that, which I still don't recall seeing - just wait or close now. It sounds very much as if it is losing PostgrSQL in whatever it does.

Some items are greyed out thumbnails with product images and others are just grey with a triangle on it. The only way I've been able to fix anything, a little at a time, is to screenshot some of the grey ones, uninstall and reinstall in DIM. Some of the items that worked before like the Christmas Sleigh stuff are now greyed out and I'm uninstalling and reinstalling. It seems that some items randomly get greyed out later and others install already grey. With the many thousands of products I have, it's a real pain having to constantly uninstall and reinstall products. 

The triangle (in a broken circle) indicates can be installed through DS - it will appear, where the CMS knows you own the product and that it installable through DS, on anything - grey thumbnail (not installed according to the CMS) or coloured. A coloured product icon without the symbol was installed through DS itself. I'm not at all sure how you could get a plain grey thumbnail.

Also, the way it was before, DIM WAS downloading all the icons and thumbnails. Now they show up with no image whatsoever, just grey little circles or something. I never had to download the icons each time, they were somehow automated. 

Both my memory and the developer say this not so, though.

I suspect there may be some crossed wires here - please post some screenshots so we can be sure we are talking about the same things.

Richard Haseltine said:

Wonderland said:

Richard Haseltine said:

Wonderland said:

Lately I've been having several big problems with DIM.

1. All newly purchased items show up without their thumbnails and I have to select the entire group each time and click to download missing thumbnails.

Thumbnails have never auto-downlaoded as far as I can recall, certainly it has required a uer action for a very long time.

2. It says "Not responding' so long when trying to download or instal (not just start up) and I keep restarting it but only a few things download or sometimes nothing and stays stuck at Not Responding. There's an option to "restore program" which gets it going again but then everything downloads without metadata and I have to uninstall and reinstall several times until it shows the metadata is installed but... (see 3)

DIM or Daz Studio? Downloading has been a bit iffy recently, though it doesn't cause DIM to hang for me. However, "downloading without metadata" doesn't make sense in DIM - unless you mean installing.

3. The majority of my products are greyed out in Smart Content although they were downloaded through DIM. I have to keep uninstalling and reinstalling items. Even when the metadata icon is dark (formerly checked off) most items still show as greyed out when I open DS. Random products from various generations will be in color and usable and others are not. 

This sounds like a pathing issue, and does suggest you are meaning install rather than download.

Thumbnails used to show up and download automatically in DIM. All the little icons next to products are grey symbols now until I ask it to download thumbnails.

No, it has been confirmed that this is the way it has always been.

DIM hangs often in the middle of downloading or installing. When I click the X to close it, it sometimes gives me the option to restore program. Then everything will download and install but without metadata. That little grey thing that looks like a stack of CDs is either dark grey or light grey. It used to be a checkmark. The light grey ones are installing without metadata (usually old Poser products or V4 and earlier.) But often new products will install light grey showing they don't have metadata installed and I have to uninstall them, close DIM and restart, then reinstall them. But even many of the items that look like they have metadata, won't show up in Smart Content and are greyed out. 

I don't recall ever seeing a restore otpion on a hanging application - this does sound as if soem kind of add-on system tool may be present, and thenmay be a factor in what you are seeing. Given the metadata issue it is possible that something, such as security software as frank suggests, is interfering with the communication between DIM and PostgreSQL. Are the products available under Daz Studio Formats (or Poser Formatsfor Poser cotnent) in the Content Library even when the product data is missing?

The restore thing is part of regular Windows 10.  When a program hangs for too long and you click the X to close it, there's an option to restore if possible. For DIM it lets me restore to download the items but then if I install those items, no metadata installs with it so I have to uninstall them and reinstall or just download them then close DIM, restart and install the downloaded items to get the metadata to work.

Some items are greyed out thumbnails with product images and others are just grey with a triangle on it. The only way I've been able to fix anything, a little at a time, is to screenshot some of the grey ones, uninstall and reinstall in DIM. Some of the items that worked before like the Christmas Sleigh stuff are now greyed out and I'm uninstalling and reinstalling. It seems that some items randomly get greyed out later and others install already grey. With the many thousands of products I have, it's a real pain having to constantly uninstall and reinstall products. 

Also, the way it was before, DIM WAS downloading all the icons and thumbnails. Now they show up with no image whatsoever, just grey little circles or something. I never had to download the icons each time, they were somehow automated. 

lou_harper said:

The full flight suit has Blender files. I don't know if that helps.

For posing in blender, but not DS. It's not any different from any rigged FBX game character that gets ripped from a game. None will import into DS with rigging intact (I have tried so many times)

follow up:

in less than 10 minutes, added some new verts and exported as obj.  Imported to Daz and used transfer utility with just one bigger morph active.  Changed a few transfer util settings (worked first time and not sure how necessary).   Wow!  New higher vert node has old morph.

Then tried with lots of morphs.  Custom weights for new bones there too. All worked.

And using bridge to Hex for geograft and then OBJ export/import resulted in scale difference as well.  Quick change to 1000 for obj import and all was fine again.

Glad i stopped in here. Thanks again Stitlown. 

That is odd - there should be far more ioptions than that with the Default Resources installed, and you wouldn't be gettign far if it wasn't. try unchecking the Filter By Context box at lower-left, in case it's an issue with the metadata derfining compatibility.

I have never used the bridge, but is you import and export manually,  exporting anything from DS at 100% imports into Hexagon at the same 100% size, and then exporting from hexagon at 100% will import back into DS at 100%.  They have the exact same scale.

Poser on the otherhand,   is a whole different story.

UncannyValet said:

I made some notes about using Strand Based Hair Editor here

Daz3d PAs do not need to make hairs in SBH Editor as they can import curves, apparently.

Thanks for that. It's been a few beta updates since I messes with making SBH and your notes look helpful. The hair in those renders looks great.

daveso said:

UncannyValet said:

I made some notes about using Strand Based Hair Editor here

Daz3d PAs do not need to make hairs in SBH Editor as they can import curves, apparently.

probably an entire different game then. No fair, 

It is unfair (being able to import curves being the least of it). But that doesn't necessarily mean the SBH Editor cannot be used, especially for basic hairstyles, and even more especially for short hairstyles.

If your hairs are looking bad or becoming difficult to style, it could be because:

• Style curve segment lenght is too high 
• Interpolation segment length is too high
• Haircap vertex count is too high (sometimes this is good, sometimes it is bad. It is good if you want to have fine control over hairflow, but bad if your hair style becomes too complicated to style due to too many style curves) 
• Using too high values in Tweak tab (e.g., random root angle, frizz, scraggle). Unless you are making an afro these should usually be used with moderation.

I mention these concepts in that document i linked. 

Frinkky said:

Select a surface, say 'Arms', in the Surfaces tab, hover the mouse over the the Base Color image thumbnail and it'll show a larger thumbnail and underneath some metadata including the path to the file. This path usually includes the creator's name and character's name (assuming the creator set things up like that). That should give you some clue.

If you just want to load the skin material onto another character then just save the material from the donor character as a Material(s) Preset.

Worked like a charm! Thank you! 

Select a surface, say 'Arms', in the Surfaces tab, hover the mouse over the the Base Color image thumbnail and it'll show a larger thumbnail and underneath some metadata including the path to the file. This path usually includes the creator's name and character's name (assuming the creator set things up like that). That should give you some clue.

If you just want to load the skin material onto another character then just save the material from the donor character as a Material(s) Preset.

UncannyValet said:

I made some notes about using Strand Based Hair Editor here

Daz3d PAs do not need to make hairs in SBH Editor as they can import curves, apparently.

probably an entire different game then. No fair, 

I made some notes about using Strand Based Hair Editor here

Daz3d PAs do not need to make hairs in SBH Editor as they can import curves, apparently.

yeah, I would love to have this for DS https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/military/military-character/fighter-pilot-pack

I am tempted to get it since it is on sale and see if I can rig it.

It's really to bad DS doesn't import FBX files properly. Would be great to have this one also since it is rigged https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/military/military-character/flight-suit-fighter-pilot-rigged

if you need just a helmet, here is a detailed F35 one https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/military/armor/fighter-pilot-flight-helmet

or this one https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/military/armor/high-quality-hgu-33-fighter-pilot-helmet-with-mbu-12-oxygen-mask

Not an igloo style, but a cooler https://www.renderosity.com/marketplace/products/116215/at-the-beach-accessories

od you can get one at the normal 3D stores. They won't be rigged and the prices vary, but you can import them as an OBJ and adjust the materials and they work fine

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/interior/house-interior/plastic-cooler-clean

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/household/other/cooler-22917408-0c4a-4965-8e2e-8250743607e8

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/household/other/pbr-watercooler

https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Index.cfm?keyword=cooler&media_typeid=2

Rock23 said:

crosswind said:

Oh, my dear, more than a platitude~ it's not possible now in DS to 'spot render multi frames'. However you must've known there're quite a few workaround, why don't you try some of them?

Another direction is go to blender, use Daz Importer to send your scene from DS to Blender in which there're functionalities of 'render region for frames' and some good add-ons...

Oh, I did try them. That's what I meant by saying I am not looking for those. Maybe I should have made that more clear in my post.
The thing is I am wondering if it is possible with a plug-in or any other way, as technically it shouldn't be too hard.
But I was unable to find any working solutions.
Also going to Blender isn't really a solution. As importing Daz scenes into Blender works far from flawlessly (in my experience at least).
But if that is incorrect or outdated, I very much would like to know too.
 

Strongly recommend using diffeomorphic Daz Import to bring your work to blender for animation, you never know how strong the latest version of the add-on is unless you jump into it...

wsterdan said:

Sven Dullah said:

wsterdan said:

Sven Dullah said:

Yes my own morphs, by default there are not really any options to change the shape. Now in the process of making some wereables...

Looking forward to sseing what you come up with. What are you using for the modeling, if you don't mind my asking.

-- Walt Sterdan 

I was just about to add that I have Hexagon, and I opened it last maybe 10 years ago:) Nah I converted her to triax weightmapping, used the old dFormers to spawn a wider hip, thinner torso, left- middle- and right ..eh..breasts.  Will be interesting to find a nice top to work with:))

If you have any type of working modeler, you can just create a geoshell (extend it a bit from the body), export the geoshell as an .obj, open the .obj file and delete any polygons that don't fit the type of garment you're creating, then import the .obj and transfer the rigging and morphs from the main figure and you'll have a reasonably quick and cheap piece of wardrobe. If the quickie explanation isn't enough, I can write up a more detailed set of instructions with  proper names and stuff.

-- Walt Sterdan

Tks Walt, your tip is much appreciated! I already used the geoshell-trick to create a body suit- type wearable. And successfully converted some gen4 stuff to conforming (Cephalinoid) clothing, so I'm good for now:) Hm, in the process of creating that alien band I've been dreaming of for a long time, with the intention of making a 3 min video with music I made with a friend. For now, I'm doing it in 720p/30fps, about 2700 frames done;) Will probably post some stills here, in a bit..

With five figures and a "club-type" environment I can render the lot in an hour using OGL, but for the final version I'll use 3DL REYES with MB, a volumetric fog cam and AoA/UE2 lighting, at 1 - 2 min/frame...if I don't come up with a better (re)solution. Having loads of fun, in any event!

Sven Dullah said:

wsterdan said:

Sven Dullah said:

Yes my own morphs, by default there are not really any options to change the shape. Now in the process of making some wereables...

Looking forward to sseing what you come up with. What are you using for the modeling, if you don't mind my asking.

-- Walt Sterdan 

I was just about to add that I have Hexagon, and I opened it last maybe 10 years ago:) Nah I converted her to triax weightmapping, used the old dFormers to spawn a wider hip, thinner torso, left- middle- and right ..eh..breasts.  Will be interesting to find a nice top to work with:))

If you have any type of working modeler, you can just create a geoshell (extend it a bit from the body), export the geoshell as an .obj, open the .obj file and delete any polygons that don't fit the type of garment you're creating, then import the .obj and transfer the rigging and morphs from the main figure and you'll have a reasonably quick and cheap piece of wardrobe. If the quickie explanation isn't enough, I can write up a more detailed set of instructions with  proper names and stuff.

-- Walt Sterdan