My experience is similar to twitch99 above.  I saw a new shiny thing on the DAZ store so I downloaded it without much thought.  

Daz Central does not recognize that I have Studio or any content installed, it trashed DIM and blew up smart content in Studio.

After wasting a couple of hours Studio is working again, I can install stuff through DIM but it does not recognise that I have anything installed now, and Central will not recognise that I have anything installed no matter what I set the paths to.  I have read this thread and tried what is suggested.

I am one of those awkward people who does not keep my content on my C Drive, it is a relatively small SSD just for OS and key applications.

If I could persuade either that I have Daz installed, I could uninstall the lot and start again.  My Daz Studio installation folder is:

C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4 

Where should I point Daz Central?  Setting the path to that location in settings did not work.

Once I have it recognising that the application is installed I will work on content.

Now when I purchase a product there's not link to install with Install Manager. There's only Daz Central, which I don't want or need (seems like a waste of big waste development time, to be honest).

Am I missing something?

The completed sales page is missing the link to download via DIM now.

I thought the central whatever one was for "new users", and not a replacement?

If you don't offer the original as an option it's basically replacing it, and means having to manually go open DIM every time. 

If there was a DIM link it would, I suppose, potentially confuse new users. I always open DIM manually anyway, aside from anything else it enables me to spot any product updates.

On the other hand, if they don't give DIM as an alternative how would anyone who was no longer a new user get to know about DIM or advance to using it?

Making it more troublesome to purchase goods if you use DIM doesn't seem to have any obvious benefit to me or anyone else who has no use for central.

They could at least provide text underneath saying "Or download via DIM" with the old link as a compromise between these new brand of confused by everything users and everyone else. 

You could post that to the Daz Central Beta thread, which did have Daz_People reading it, or send it in a support ticket.

Ill post to the thread, support tickets worry me somehow. 

One request!

Instead of completely removing the option to download via DIM from completed sales pages, can we have that as an alternative option?

Something along the lines of some "Or download via DIM" text under the button would be fine.

Right now we have to manually open DIM to download via it, which is slightly irksome!

As Central is intended for new users it makes sense to retain the usability for "advanced" users too.. 

The completed sales page is missing the link to download via DIM now.

I thought the central whatever one was for "new users", and not a replacement?

If you don't offer the original as an option it's basically replacing it, and means having to manually go open DIM every time. 

If there was a DIM link it would, I suppose, potentially confuse new users. I always open DIM manually anyway, aside from anything else it enables me to spot any product updates.

On the other hand, if they don't give DIM as an alternative how would anyone who was no longer a new user get to know about DIM or advance to using it?

Making it more troublesome to purchase goods if you use DIM doesn't seem to have any obvious benefit to me or anyone else who has no use for central.

They could at least provide text underneath saying "Or download via DIM" with the old link as a compromise between these new brand of confused by everything users and everyone else. 

You could post that to the Daz Central Beta thread, which did have Daz_People reading it, or send it in a support ticket.

The completed sales page is missing the link to download via DIM now.

I thought the central whatever one was for "new users", and not a replacement?

If you don't offer the original as an option it's basically replacing it, and means having to manually go open DIM every time. 

If there was a DIM link it would, I suppose, potentially confuse new users. I always open DIM manually anyway, aside from anything else it enables me to spot any product updates.

On the other hand, if they don't give DIM as an alternative how would anyone who was no longer a new user get to know about DIM or advance to using it?

Making it more troublesome to purchase goods if you use DIM doesn't seem to have any obvious benefit to me or anyone else who has no use for central.

They could at least provide text underneath saying "Or download via DIM" with the old link as a compromise between these new brand of confused by everything users and everyone else. 

You could post that to the Daz Central Beta thread, which did have Daz_People reading it, or send it in a support ticket.

The completed sales page is missing the link to download via DIM now.

I thought the central whatever one was for "new users", and not a replacement?

If you don't offer the original as an option it's basically replacing it, and means having to manually go open DIM every time. 

If there was a DIM link it would, I suppose, potentially confuse new users. I always open DIM manually anyway, aside from anything else it enables me to spot any product updates.

On the other hand, if they don't give DIM as an alternative how would anyone who was no longer a new user get to know about DIM or advance to using it?

Making it more troublesome to purchase goods if you use DIM doesn't seem to have any obvious benefit to me or anyone else who has no use for central.

They could at least provide text underneath saying "Or download via DIM" with the old link as a compromise between these new brand of confused by everything users and everyone else. 

The completed sales page is missing the link to download via DIM now.

I thought the central whatever one was for "new users", and not a replacement?

If you don't offer the original as an option it's basically replacing it, and means having to manually go open DIM every time. 

If there was a DIM link it would, I suppose, potentially confuse new users. I always open DIM manually anyway, aside from anything else it enables me to spot any product updates.

The completed sales page is missing the link to download via DIM now.

I thought the central whatever one was for "new users", and not a replacement?

If you don't offer the original as an option it's basically replacing it, and means having to manually go open DIM every time. 

Daz Central will not remove existing installed content, though people using the beta at least did find it changed some paths so if you are not using the defaults you might need tor eset them to your preferred options. You could use Install manager to download the files anyway - it is possible to use the filter box at top-right to by order number if you want to process single orders, or you could do it by a date range - http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/install_manager/referenceguide/interface/filter_field/advanced_filtering#order

My latest dark and evil experiment with UltraScenery. Inspired by @daventaki and others, I've taken a scene generated from Pond 1 and Woodland 2 and plonked the central part of Faveral's Lake Village into it. 

Cheers,

Alex.

So stupid me downloads DAZ Central and installs it without reading the forums.  It says I need to install DAZ, so I do and for some reason DIM always adds an extra \DAZ3D\ folder in the install path.  So I move the DAZSTUDIO4 folder to the correct spot, then remove the second DAZ 4.5+ install path from DIM.  Now I see that DAZ Central has hundreds of my products from the DAZ store listed as Not Installed.  I start to install many of them and get a message that my D drive, where my DAZ content is stored, is running out of disk space.  It appears that DAZ Central is not seeing any of the products that are already installed via DAZ Connect and is now installing them in the My Library folder even though all the files are already in the My Daz Connect Library folder.  So now my already huge DAZ Library is even bigger.  751 GB in size.

Now I read that DAZ Central is basiclly DIM with a pretty face.  At least DIM has a filter to not download and install DAZ Connect products, is that filter missing from DAZ Central?  Now that my Content Library is nearly double the size it should be, how can I un-install all the DAZ Connect products from My Library without lossing all my non-DAZ store products.

Once again DAZ releases a new feature that is not ready for prime time.

Any help on cleaning our all the duplicate prouct installs would be appreciated.

Screen shots below of the STUDIO Properties in Explorer and showing a product in stalled in both the My Library and DAZ Connect folders.  Added DIM Downloads Selection options.

Richard Haseltine said:

When I used Daz Connect, I found that I couldn't download the files on one PC, and then transfer them later onto my main PC, which meant that I couldn't create a backup of all my products. (I'm on a 2mb line so downloading takes forever,) 

Does DazCentral allow you to simply move your entire library around, backup, restore, move it onto an external hard drive if you start running out of space, move it to another PC, when you upgrade etc like you can with files downloaded through DIM? 

I guess this answers my question. it looks like we have to redownload our entire library. It seems like just another form of DRM to be honest. 

Can I copy products installed using Daz Connect from one computer to another?

The preferred workflow is to log in to each computer and install the desired products using Daz Connect

I like to move files around on disk to organize them differently. Can I still do that?

You cannot move files around for products installed through Daz Connect. You can change the drive and/or path to which products are installed using Daz Connect, but you cannot manually re-organize the files within the product.

The FAQ entries relate to Daz Connect (the Install pane etc. in DS), not Daz Central. (And the Connect files are not encrypted, so you can back them up - but they will not load correctly through CMS-based views if you move them.)

So so clarify then, if you use Daz Central to download files, does it use the connect format or the DIM format for saving files?

DIM

oh wow, okay. That's a pleasant surprise.  

personally I can't see the point of this new 'central' installer

DIM works perfectly well and the DIM screen display is far more compactly displayed

the few 'extra' options provided could just as easily have been added to DIM

I have never ever thought while browsing my DIM list 'oh that's a nice pair of shoes, I must immediatley start up DAZ and do something with them'

I rather suspect DAZ is trying to bring back 'connect' in a different guise

Daz Central is the same underlying system as DIM, not Connect.

I have accidentally purchased 'connect only' items in the past and been too lazy to return them, but I have never used them

They will be available through DIM if you check, they have been there for a fair while now since all the Connect-only, encrypted content was released for DIM/non-encrytpted a year after its release and it has been considerably more than a year since the last such release.

in fact i have more often than not uninstalled them

if this new system is trying to bring back connect (or central as the ONLY method of installation) then DAZ can look forward to losing a customer

far from bringing new flexibility this new central will bring less, as noted in earlier comments

I have many other hobbies which will happily fill my time

The aim of Daz Central is to make things simpler for new users, adding new features to DIM certainly wouldn't achieve that.

Although it's a beta, DazCentral become the official download manager. DIM link is removed now.

Daz Central is the default for new users, but a search for Install manager still brings up https://www.daz3d.com/install-manager-info with a link for downloading.

Richard Haseltine said:

When I used Daz Connect, I found that I couldn't download the files on one PC, and then transfer them later onto my main PC, which meant that I couldn't create a backup of all my products. (I'm on a 2mb line so downloading takes forever,) 

Does DazCentral allow you to simply move your entire library around, backup, restore, move it onto an external hard drive if you start running out of space, move it to another PC, when you upgrade etc like you can with files downloaded through DIM? 

I guess this answers my question. it looks like we have to redownload our entire library. It seems like just another form of DRM to be honest. 

Can I copy products installed using Daz Connect from one computer to another?

The preferred workflow is to log in to each computer and install the desired products using Daz Connect

I like to move files around on disk to organize them differently. Can I still do that?

You cannot move files around for products installed through Daz Connect. You can change the drive and/or path to which products are installed using Daz Connect, but you cannot manually re-organize the files within the product.

The FAQ entries relate to Daz Connect (the Install pane etc. in DS), not Daz Central. (And the Connect files are not encrypted, so you can back them up - but they will not load correctly through CMS-based views if you move them.)

So so clarify then, if you use Daz Central to download files, does it use the connect format or the DIM format for saving files?

DIM

Richard Haseltine said:

When I used Daz Connect, I found that I couldn't download the files on one PC, and then transfer them later onto my main PC, which meant that I couldn't create a backup of all my products. (I'm on a 2mb line so downloading takes forever,) 

Does DazCentral allow you to simply move your entire library around, backup, restore, move it onto an external hard drive if you start running out of space, move it to another PC, when you upgrade etc like you can with files downloaded through DIM? 

I guess this answers my question. it looks like we have to redownload our entire library. It seems like just another form of DRM to be honest. 

Can I copy products installed using Daz Connect from one computer to another?

The preferred workflow is to log in to each computer and install the desired products using Daz Connect

I like to move files around on disk to organize them differently. Can I still do that?

You cannot move files around for products installed through Daz Connect. You can change the drive and/or path to which products are installed using Daz Connect, but you cannot manually re-organize the files within the product.

The FAQ entries relate to Daz Connect (the Install pane etc. in DS), not Daz Central. (And the Connect files are not encrypted, so you can back them up - but they will not load correctly through CMS-based views if you move them.)

So so clarify then, if you use Daz Central to download files, does it use the connect format or the DIM format for saving files?

personally I can't see the point of this new 'central' installer

DIM works perfectly well and the DIM screen display is far more compactly displayed

the few 'extra' options provided could just as easily have been added to DIM

I have never ever thought while browsing my DIM list 'oh that's a nice pair of shoes, I must immediatley start up DAZ and do something with them'

I rather suspect DAZ is trying to bring back 'connect' in a different guise

I have accidentally purchased 'connect only' items in the past and been too lazy to return them, but I have never used them

in fact i have more often than not uninstalled them

if this new system is trying to bring back connect (or central as the ONLY method of installation) then DAZ can look forward to losing a customer

far from bringing new flexibility this new central will bring less, as noted in earlier comments

I have many other hobbies which will happily fill my time

I really love DAZ Central, especially after struggling for many years with too many separate files after creating renders in DAZ Studio. I am willing to pay for a commercial plugin to DAZ Central that would enable me to have the ability for my renders to show up sorted showing round thumbnails, file name, figure, date, and file size exactly as how "My Assets" and "Plugins" presently function. Such a plugin (to me) would be worth paying up to $35 to have.

When I used Daz Connect, I found that I couldn't download the files on one PC, and then transfer them later onto my main PC, which meant that I couldn't create a backup of all my products. (I'm on a 2mb line so downloading takes forever,) 

Does DazCentral allow you to simply move your entire library around, backup, restore, move it onto an external hard drive if you start running out of space, move it to another PC, when you upgrade etc like you can with files downloaded through DIM? 

I guess this answers my question. it looks like we have to redownload our entire library. It seems like just another form of DRM to be honest. 

Can I copy products installed using Daz Connect from one computer to another?

The preferred workflow is to log in to each computer and install the desired products using Daz Connect

I like to move files around on disk to organize them differently. Can I still do that?

You cannot move files around for products installed through Daz Connect. You can change the drive and/or path to which products are installed using Daz Connect, but you cannot manually re-organize the files within the product.

The FAQ entries relate to Daz Connect (the Install pane etc. in DS), not Daz Central. (And the Connect files are not encrypted, so you can back them up - but they will not load correctly through CMS-based views if you move them.)