..all 3D asset stores working together in creating one categorisation system for all stores. DAZ3D could provide DAZ Connect as a central SERVICE to all other companies interested in sharing 3D content with their users.

You don't need Connect for this - just standardized format for metadata, but this didn't happen as for now and not likely to be in the future.

DAZ connect is the distribution system with the benefit that it shows both installed and uninstalled products.

Metadata includes just the categories. Products of other stores are currently not uploaded on the DAZ connect server so you will not see uninstalled products from other stores in DAZ Studio "all" or "available" tabs.

Example:

You open up DAZ Studio and browse to the category wardrobe/shirts in the Smart Content Tab.

Currently with DAZ Studio 4.9 you can see all installed and uninstalled products you purchased at DAZ3D.

You can also see those products with metadata from other stores that are installed.

Now imagine in the same spot all products you purchased in other stores that include shirts would show up in the same place no matter if they are installed or not.

Currently you cannot right click uninstalled products of others stores directly in the DAZ Studio Smart content tab and download and install them because the other stores have not uploaded any products to the DAZ Connect Servers.

- - -

Just because something did not happen in the past does not mean that it must stay the same.

Allready in the first metadata products of 2011 there was the option to add a store identifier to the metadata.

And some vendors in other stores  did make an effort of adding categories to their products.

Therefore it could very well be that some 3rd party stores or vendors might actually be interested to upload their products on the DAZ connect server so their customers could download them directly inside DAZ Studio as well.

But probably it is a bit too early in the development cycle now and all the issues have to be sorted out before involving even more people...

Anyway the reason why I brought this up is that I was under the impression that it does not have to be "X VS Y" but they could all find a way to work together if that makes sense for them from a business perspective.

As utoptian as the idea of a unified market sounds, the realistic concern is who would dictate terms for that market. Connect as the de facto platform for the market would be an absolute disaster. Even if Daz didn't force controls on other markets to be allowed onboard, the idea that DAZ could simply cut the others off on a whim would have a seriously negative effect on the other stores. Plus it could hardly be in Daz's interest to promote other stores. I'm not even an economist and I can see that it wouldn't work. Plus trying to manage artists is like herding cats. Trying to manage several herds of cats is just insanity.

In the past there were some kind of .duf files that were not readable with a textfile reader like notepad etc.

There may only have been very few posts that even mentioned this. The average users did not seem to have an issue with that.

Did you not notice because in fact you actually never even bothered trying to fix .duf manually by editing the code?

In all the time I only about three times edited a .duf file manually. In all the other times I wanted to edit a .duf I noticed that the .duf is encrypted, shrugged with the shoulders and moved on...

I didn't mention it because it's the past. Those were .daz files, they were binary and also had encryption option but I usually hacked .cr2 and .pz3 that time :)

And I doubt You want to be merely "average user". :)

I wonder if those files aren't so much encrypted as compressed. And thus can be uncompressed. I do note that I'm not able to use products with .daz files that have been installed through connect. Which given that they're useful products from some notable PAs kinda bothers me, but I put a ticket in on that. Also I should be able to save the assets out in nice unencrypted .dufs I believe. If I can make them open. I think when I poked at them for the sake of being able to add some of my troubleshooting to the ticket, I was able to get them to open by setting the product folder as a base runtime for DAZ Studio content in the content pane. But as this affects several products, that's not an ideal solution. I suppose if I just copied them to my normal library it'd likely find them. It just seems whatever Connect is using to let products find their resources is not working for these particular products with that filetype. 

But the point is compression is not the same thing. While a compressed file can be encrypted, and isn't readable plaintext, an non-encrypted compressed file can be uncompressed and read as normal. Just having a proprietary format isn't the same as having an encryption locked one. For a good example, I'll point to gaming. Most games use files that are specific to that game. But they're not encrypted to a specific user. So tools made to modify game files can be worked on by multiple people, who can puzzle out how to edit the files, and make mods that will work for others. And some games do encrypt their files or use compression methods not commonly available in order to prevent modification. The difference is, games are presented as something we're meant to use in the form the creators intended. Do you really want your 3d artistic content to be like that? People do wonderful creative things with content all the time through a variety of methods, including direct editing of the files. Locking the files to encrypted formats is pretty much demanding that we only color within the lines with the products.

To the original post quoted: Just because you don't edit .duf files often doesn't mean there aren't users who do. And I'm sure if they encountered the compressed/binary ones, they saved them in a non-binary uncompressed form and went to editing. 

And you shouldn't try to claim that all export options are the same when Daz has outright stated that Cararra's normal ability to read .dufs and the DSON plugin for Poser users do not work with encrypted content at this time. That's two options down, and the others are stated as being 'less than' what the product was originally. Which is how they had been, but now with less chance some bright person could write a plugin or converter to handle carrying over more functionality into other software.

No way around it, DRM encryption cripples the products it's used on in order to lock them down. Maybe you don't need the lost functionality. Maybe most users don't. But there are people who relied on it to do their work with this software, and there's always the possibility of others running into a situation where such access could be useful only to have it denied.

My understanding is that .daz files are mostly used for dynamic clothing products. I believe they are not encrypted, but they do use a completely undocument binary format, and the reason the spec is kept secret is so that people do not make their own dynamic clothing. This should only be done with an app from Optitex, a product, I believe, that costs 10s of thousands of dollars, and just a single DAZ PA has access to. Hence the rather small amount of dynamic clothing available in the store.

Wouldn't know about the dynamic clothing. I'm talking about stuff like Stonemason's Urban Sprawl 2. (A lovely set to be sure, but concrete and stone are rarely dynamic. Though it'd be funny to watch a dynamics simultation where it was turned to cloth and buildings all fell into a pile...)

..all 3D asset stores working together in creating one categorisation system for all stores. DAZ3D could provide DAZ Connect as a central SERVICE to all other companies interested in sharing 3D content with their users.

You don't need Connect for this - just standardized format for metadata, but this didn't happen as for now and not likely to be in the future.

DAZ connect is the distribution system with the benefit that it shows both installed and uninstalled products.

Metadata includes just the categories. Products of other stores are currently not uploaded on the DAZ connect server so you will not see uninstalled products from other stores in DAZ Studio "all" or "available" tabs.

Example:

You open up DAZ Studio and browse to the category wardrobe/shirts in the Smart Content Tab.

Currently with DAZ Studio 4.9 you can see all installed and uninstalled products you purchased at DAZ3D.

You can also see those products with metadata from other stores that are installed.

Now imagine in the same spot all products you purchased in other stores that include shirts would show up in the same place no matter if they are installed or not.

Currently you cannot right click uninstalled products of others stores directly in the DAZ Studio Smart content tab and download and install them because the other stores have not uploaded any products to the DAZ Connect Servers.

- - -

Just because something did not happen in the past does not mean that it must stay the same.

Allready in the first metadata products of 2011 there was the option to add a store identifier to the metadata.

And some vendors in other stores  did make an effort of adding categories to their products.

Therefore it could very well be that some 3rd party stores or vendors might actually be interested to upload their products on the DAZ connect server so their customers could download them directly inside DAZ Studio as well.

But probably it is a bit too early in the development cycle now and all the issues have to be sorted out before involving even more people...

Anyway the reason why I brought this up is that I was under the impression that it does not have to be "X VS Y" but they could all find a way to work together if that makes sense for them from a business perspective.

..all 3D asset stores working together in creating one categorisation system for all stores. DAZ3D could provide DAZ Connect as a central SERVICE to all other companies interested in sharing 3D content with their users.

You don't need Connect for this - just standardized format for metadata, but this didn't happen as for now and not likely to be in the future.

Dear DAZ, :)
are we going to have another blink sale tonight? It's not "every 2 hours", as planned, the first one was up for 3 and a half hours, the next one for 3 hours, and we just changed to the third sale. It's midnight, and I wouldn't want to stay up for another 3-4 hours if this is the last one. :)
Thanks. :)

midnight where ?

Central Europe. But luckily the 3rd blink sales only lasted an hour and a half, so didn't have to stay up TOO long... :)

some more thoughts that came to mind while reading trough this all...

 

As I mentioned earlier though, the more someone spends here, the more this DRM could impact them. And anyone considering a gamedev license should be reconsidering that (and anyone else purchasing 3D content for business purposes). And I would hope the majority of of customers in these categories are paying attention. I really do not get this DRM approach, unless DAZ wants to remain a hobby-only business.

Point 1:

How exactly is encryption in its current form affecting users with a game developers license?

All export options are exactly the same as before.

Am I missing something?

Side Note:

I do own a Commercial Game Developer License for DAZ Originals because I find this is a fair deal for users who want to create holographic or VR scenes and share them with others in the future. Progress in this area was slower than expected.

The whole point in the first phase will be to make some fun VR scenes and share them with friends. That is why I will not be able to use Game Developer licenses with limited use restrictions (1-5 projects) because sharing VR scenes over social networks is going to be the same as posting images in a hopefully not so far away future.

And of course shared VR scene files will also have some kind of encryption.

So far I can not think of any issues how encryption in its current form could affect a workflow to create scenes in the OctaneRender plugin for DAZ Studio and then exporting them to OR standalone to convert them to VR scenes.

Note 2: The current form of VR scenes are mostly 360 degree images you do not need a game license for that.

Nevertheless holographic light fields may distribute the scene in a 3d holographic form. That technology is still under construction. Maybe more news at GTC 2016...

Point 2:

In the past there were some kind of .duf files that were not readable with a textfile reader like notepad etc.

There may only have been very few posts that even mentioned this. The average users did not seem to have an issue with that.

Did you not notice because in fact you actually never even bothered trying to fix .duf manually by editing the code?

In all the time I only about three times edited a .duf file manually. In all the other times I wanted to edit a .duf I noticed that the .duf is encrypted, shrugged with the shoulders and moved on...

- - -

Point 3:

All 3d software have some proprietary file formats.

If you want to move 3D objects from one software to the other you allways have to use default export options like .obj, .abc etc.

IF DAZ wanted to make the encrypted files loadable in other software they could do that.

It does not matter if a DAZ Studio plugin for Cinema4D, 3DS Max or Houdini reads .duf files or encrypted .dsf

Side Note:

It does not matter what proprietary file format DAZ Studio is using as long as the export options are not messed with.

That is why I suggested to put the export options in the EULA so it is legally binding that those options are not going to be touched ever.

I do not buy 3D products at DAZ3D to just use them in DAZ Studio. But I do not think it necessary to just protest against encryption in general because there is a risk that the encryption is going to be used in order to completly isolate DAZ3D content for use in DAZ Studio only.

With all the doubts I still think they are reasonable enough to understand that the future is to make 3D content more compatible with other software and working together with other companies bringing the content to a lot of different plattforms.

- - -

Point 4:

Yes there are currently issues with activation on other machines, backups of encrypted products. But I trust that DAZ3D will sort trough them one after the other.

Point 5:

A lot of  users are worried how DAZ Connect will affect other stores.

Some users say that the file structure of other stores will keep being traditional in content directory style.

This will make searches and categorisation inefficient because two or three different file sorting solutions are present in DAZ Studio in different runtimes.

My personal solution is indeed to only buy content at DAZ3D exactly because that way I can just use the official category system and do not have to invest any time at all adding tags to 3rd party content. I know how to create products for other stores manually. I did that for 100s of products. But I simply am not anymore in the mood to keep doing that. In the future I will pay for products with metadata set up. Either the other stores can provide that or they cannot...

Nevertheless it does not have to be that way:

Why not invite other stores to distribute their products over DAZ connect with  categories set up and in encrypted form?

DAZ3D could provide this service for free or for a small percentage of the earnings.

The benefit would be that all stores who offer content for DAZ Studio can use the same category and search options.

- If DAZ3D keeps DAZ Connect as exclusive service they could attract new users who prefer a finished category system instead of having to manually moving around files and manually adding tags

- Nevertheless if DAZ3D grants access to the DAZ Connect distribution channel to other companies this could be a start in having all 3D asset stores working together in creating one categorisation system for all stores. DAZ3D could provide DAZ Connect as a central SERVICE to all other companies interested in sharing 3D content with their users.

- - -

Yes, I know that. Wasn't my point. I know the merchant might be liable. I'm thinking about possible end users. Presuming you have a show fan who wants to do free fan-art (not ironclad in court, but most fandoms appear to assume it's OK after the Star Trek franchise owners explicitly said they allowed it), then they'd want the fan-art to be as acurate as possible, and the tattoos here aren't, which is important given their central importance to the whole series and character premiss - far more important in detail than the detail of a tattoo a character happens to have in another series (say whatever Steve McGarrett'ds tattoo is in the rebooted Hawaii Five-0 - which I couldn't even tell you what it is despite us being in season 6, because it's not important). I'd have thought a Blindspot fan wanting to do fan art would want at least some of the more obvious details right, especially the more prominent details that are very obvious: Weller's name, large and readable from quite a distance (the one writing tattoo on her that IS readable at a distance); the tree tattoo on the right forearm that is clearly of sigificance although as yet unexplained (at least here in the UK, where we are some weeks behind the US and have just gone into the mid-season break); the birds on the sides of the neck, which are very noticeable even when 'Jane' is fully clothed. The Rendo product is so very specifically not just that actress but that very unique character I can't see anyone wanting it other than to portray that character for fan-art - but the lack of specific details rather invalidates it for fan-art by real series fans. Hence I am puzzled by the merchant putting in all the effort to create it - too specific for anyone but a show fan, but not sepcific enough for  a show fan.

I don't watch the show, but I'm a big fan of hers, and I would have *never* thought that character was meant to be her until you pointed it out... and even now I just don't see it. 

Yes, I know that. Wasn't my point. I know the merchant might be liable. I'm thinking about possible end users. Presuming you have a show fan who wants to do free fan-art (not ironclad in court, but most fandoms appear to assume it's OK after the Star Trek franchise owners explicitly said they allowed it), then they'd want the fan-art to be as acurate as possible, and the tattoos here aren't, which is important given their central importance to the whole series and character premiss - far more important in detail than the detail of a tattoo a character happens to have in another series (say whatever Steve McGarrett'ds tattoo is in the rebooted Hawaii Five-0 - which I couldn't even tell you what it is despite us being in season 6, because it's not important). I'd have thought a Blindspot fan wanting to do fan art would want at least some of the more obvious details right, especially the more prominent details that are very obvious: Weller's name, large and readable from quite a distance (the one writing tattoo on her that IS readable at a distance); the tree tattoo on the right forearm that is clearly of sigificance although as yet unexplained (at least here in the UK, where we are some weeks behind the US and have just gone into the mid-season break); the birds on the sides of the neck, which are very noticeable even when 'Jane' is fully clothed. The Rendo product is so very specifically not just that actress but that very unique character I can't see anyone wanting it other than to portray that character for fan-art - but the lack of specific details rather invalidates it for fan-art by real series fans. Hence I am puzzled by the merchant putting in all the effort to create it - too specific for anyone but a show fan, but not sepcific enough for  a show fan.

 thinking cap on.  Maybe find some way to combine (1) a central vertex sphere, and (2) a second sphere that is soft body attached to the first sphere at a tangent {but have the soft body settings very rigid so it keeps it shape}, and (3) spin the central sphere, and (4) make the spinning central sphere invisible (uncheck visibility or use an alpha shader).  OK, I think so far, the second sphere will appear to be rotating in a circular orbit.  How to make the orbit shape expand and contract in time for an ellipse?  Maybe (5) for the first sphere go to the modifiers tab and choose formula.  Make the axis upon which the softbody attach has been placed augmented by the parameter P1.  Then (6) make P1 a function of time synchronized to the time it takes the central sphere to complete a rotation. 

 Sort of depends upon how the softbody interacts with distortions caused by a modifier on another object.  But it might work.

is there a way to morph a normal round orbit into elliptical orbit 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptic_orbit
was thinking like an electon orbiting nucleus animation

ironically, i failed geometry twice in high school

Generally, expect to retexture in Studio...

The obj format is very picky about textures and where they image files are located...it doesn't handle complex directory structures very well and doesn't like things like spaces in names.  FBX and Collada are somewhat better...but they have other import problems in Studio (like rigging is difficult to impossible to import and tend to be very picky about scaling and transforms).

Also, the obj format is limited on what it can attach as a base texture...basically a diffuse color/image map, bump and opacity/transparency.  So if you aren't doing an image based diffuse, then there's even less to import to begin with.

So the easiest thing to do is collect your maps in a central location (usually a folder just for that item) that can be dropped into the Studio texture folder and reassign them once every thing is imported into Studio.  That way, when you save it out as a prop or figure, the files will already be in the correct location.

sorry if i ask im still new to 3d. u said about putting my maps in central locations. do you mean texture maps or baked maps? Do i have to bake the maps into normal maps, ambient occlusion maps and so on in my 3d modeller after texturing before importing to daz? or can i just texture the model,  uv map it and then export as fbx or obj files?

 

 

 

- - -

Can someone from official DAZ Staff clear this up?

Is there a way to use backups from /cloud folders on a different pc?

And if so how does the activation happen?

 

There is good news and bad news on this one.

The bad news is that an easy way to share cloud installed files between multiple machines was on the TODO for 4.9, but didn't make it TODONE for 4.9. It's not the encryption that is holding anything back, it was all built with the intention of being able to be shared between multiple machines that you owned. Because the database is such a central part of the new Daz Connect system if it doesn't believe the file is there then the rest of the system believes it. I had built a system earlier in the 4.9 pre-beta days but it made syncing slower than a snail in a Manitoba winter while having as many corner cases as a six dimensional dodecahedron, so it was wisely pulled out.

The good news is that the workaround is just telling Daz Studio to reinstall the things that it previously had installed. Hardly any bandwidth will be used (just transferring some checksum files) and it will scan the files on your drive to make sure they are the latest version according to the server and then will mark them in the database as existing, fetching anything that is out of date. Even the metadata is cached to prevent having to redownload. I have heard that this would be pretty easy to script, but I have not yet heard of anyone giving it a try.

Thank you for clearing that up. This sounds like  a promising solution.

Maybe just one issue that could happen  with the workaround:

If you do not know which files are included in the backup and install a different selection on the new computer you may end up with remaining product folders that are just lying there in /cloud without being detected but still using hd space.

Suggestion:

Installation Profile

Currently users can export database files with their user created metadata.

Why not add the ability to DAZ Studio to export an "Installation Profile" that gathers the following information:

- All products installed

- Custom Layout and UI style settings

- Maybe even default library installation paths

- etc

When starting up DAZ Studio for the first time the "Installation Profile" is read and then DAZ Studio is set up exactly as it was before on the other computer.

If the user made a backup of the /cloud drive this might help as well to prevent undetected product files in the /cloud directory because the database now knows exactly which files to check if they are around.

If a local backup is found in /cloud -> activate and -> check next product

If no local backup is found -> DAZ Connect just redownloads the product -> check next product

Repeat until  the list of products collected in the Installation Profile is reinstalled.

 

I don't know if this is a concern, but I am worried that we won't be able to back up our libraries, or transfer files to other computers. Bandwidth is quite expensive where I come from, and not all of my computers are connected to the internet, so I tend to download on one pc and then work on another. 

You can back up for the current system, and you can use the data on a different system after connecting DS 4.9 to the store once.

Currently there is conflicting information on this specific topic on the forum:

- Some people say you can just move the /cloud folder to another machine and then log in once.

But then in the DAZ Connect FAQ you can read:

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. If this is not a workable solution, please contact Customer Support for potential alternatives.

Products downloaded and installed through Daz Install Manager or directly from the online store will continue to function as they currently do.

- - -

Source: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/941599/#Comment_941599

The FAQ does not explicitely say that just copying folders over is not possible. It more or less translates to IF you want to do that contact DAZ3D and then they may provide you with instructions.

I only tested this on a very limited scope:

- I copied one product folder from /cloud to a USB device

- I then copied the product folder from the USB device to the cloud directory on my laptop.

After launching DAZ Studio and loging in the product was not displayed under the "installed" tab on my laptop.

Maybe I would have needed to perform some other steps but just loging in once was not enough to unlock the product for use.

- - -

Can someone from official DAZ Staff clear this up?

Is there a way to use backups from /cloud folders on a different pc?

And if so how does the activation happen?

 

There is good news and bad news on this one.

The bad news is that an easy way to share cloud installed files between multiple machines was on the TODO for 4.9, but didn't make it TODONE for 4.9. It's not the encryption that is holding anything back, it was all built with the intention of being able to be shared between multiple machines that you owned. Because the database is such a central part of the new Daz Connect system if it doesn't believe the file is there then the rest of the system believes it. I had built a system earlier in the 4.9 pre-beta days but it made syncing slower than a snail in a Manitoba winter while having as many corner cases as a six dimensional dodecahedron, so it was wisely pulled out.

The good news is that the workaround is just telling Daz Studio to reinstall the things that it previously had installed. Hardly any bandwidth will be used (just transferring some checksum files) and it will scan the files on your drive to make sure they are the latest version according to the server and then will mark them in the database as existing, fetching anything that is out of date. Even the metadata is cached to prevent having to redownload. I have heard that this would be pretty easy to script, but I have not yet heard of anyone giving it a try.

Generally, expect to retexture in Studio...

The obj format is very picky about textures and where they image files are located...it doesn't handle complex directory structures very well and doesn't like things like spaces in names.  FBX and Collada are somewhat better...but they have other import problems in Studio (like rigging is difficult to impossible to import and tend to be very picky about scaling and transforms).

Also, the obj format is limited on what it can attach as a base texture...basically a diffuse color/image map, bump and opacity/transparency.  So if you aren't doing an image based diffuse, then there's even less to import to begin with.

So the easiest thing to do is collect your maps in a central location (usually a folder just for that item) that can be dropped into the Studio texture folder and reassign them once every thing is imported into Studio.  That way, when you save it out as a prop or figure, the files will already be in the correct location.

If you've got the modeling programs that will allow you to do it, go for it. 

Has a bridge module replacement on a Galaxy class ever been depicted?  The procedure was described in the Tech Manual but I was wondering if there were any visuals out there.

The closest you'll get is the bridge from Generations, which added two side stations to the original design.

I meant the actual removal of the whole bridge module, not just the updated stations. Basically, they can disengage a few locks and remove the entire thing in drydock, bridge, observation lounge, the undepicted lounge below the bridge and observation ports, then lift it away and put a whole new module in it's place.
I imagine it'd work something like Worf, Picard and Hawk disengaging the deflector in Star Trek Frist Contact only it'd be a LOT more involved and require a lot more prep time as well as some workbees to cart the old bridge away.
I'm mainly looking for references for the connecing parts on the underside of both the module and how it hooked into the actual ship and hull.I may just have to wing it and cheat so you can't actually see much in the shots I have planned. It's going to be in a drydock... hmmm

For something like that you can pretty much do your own thing.  There never was any depiction of a bridge module being swapped out, not even in fan blueprints - that I know of anyway. 

Found a really good MSD of the Galaxy that did up the bridge module in kind of the shape I'd imagined it would be. I'm thinking a series of locks around the edges like they mention in the technical manual and a kind of control column that ties into all the bridge stations to control the ship like the central column on the deflector dish in First Contact. No big cables though. I'm thinking giant isolinear optical connections like a huge USB stick. Should be fun when I get around to it. Probably putting way too much thought into this, but oh well. 

Nah I wouldn't say that at all. That is one of the cool things about Cannon, someone comes up with an idea and it takes off, the next thing you know its ina book or a movie ... Instant Cannon. Take the Mirror Universe badge I had done for my brother Pauls comices. I offered it as a freebie and it turns up in a Star trek comic produced by one of the major comic brands and approved by Paramount ... Instant Cannon!! Now that badge is Cannon for the Mirror Universe, kind of mind blowing when you think about it. 

Good point.
I did some quick mock-ups, mainly because I had to work the EARLY shift for a friend and got caught up real fast. This is REALLY quick and dirty for what I'm thinking about concept wise for the 'innards' below the bridge module. I was thinking about your idea with the docking clamps from the star drive section mdbruffy and I might still go that route, but I wanted to see how something a little different and closer to what they talk about in the technical manual would work.
I was thinking a partial model would do a bit better than carving up the Galaxy mesh I'm using, but now that I'm thinking about it, why not go all out? It's not like I'm breaking the real model. :P

 

The modeling part will be the easier part I think. Getting it to convert and import will be the harder part. I use Truespace which doesn't save natively in any kind of format that anything else will import so I have to use a 3rd party to convert the files to OBJ files for import. I should probably finally sit down and work with Lightwave enough to learn it, but Truespace has been way too comfortable for too long. 
I find both Lightwave and Blender to be very much NOT user friendly. 

If you've got the modeling programs that will allow you to do it, go for it. 

Has a bridge module replacement on a Galaxy class ever been depicted?  The procedure was described in the Tech Manual but I was wondering if there were any visuals out there.

The closest you'll get is the bridge from Generations, which added two side stations to the original design.

I meant the actual removal of the whole bridge module, not just the updated stations. Basically, they can disengage a few locks and remove the entire thing in drydock, bridge, observation lounge, the undepicted lounge below the bridge and observation ports, then lift it away and put a whole new module in it's place.
I imagine it'd work something like Worf, Picard and Hawk disengaging the deflector in Star Trek Frist Contact only it'd be a LOT more involved and require a lot more prep time as well as some workbees to cart the old bridge away.
I'm mainly looking for references for the connecing parts on the underside of both the module and how it hooked into the actual ship and hull.I may just have to wing it and cheat so you can't actually see much in the shots I have planned. It's going to be in a drydock... hmmm

For something like that you can pretty much do your own thing.  There never was any depiction of a bridge module being swapped out, not even in fan blueprints - that I know of anyway. 

Found a really good MSD of the Galaxy that did up the bridge module in kind of the shape I'd imagined it would be. I'm thinking a series of locks around the edges like they mention in the technical manual and a kind of control column that ties into all the bridge stations to control the ship like the central column on the deflector dish in First Contact. No big cables though. I'm thinking giant isolinear optical connections like a huge USB stick. Should be fun when I get around to it. Probably putting way too much thought into this, but oh well. 

Nah I wouldn't say that at all. That is one of the cool things about Cannon, someone comes up with an idea and it takes off, the next thing you know its ina book or a movie ... Instant Cannon. Take the Mirror Universe badge I had done for my brother Pauls comices. I offered it as a freebie and it turns up in a Star trek comic produced by one of the major comic brands and approved by Paramount ... Instant Cannon!! Now that badge is Cannon for the Mirror Universe, kind of mind blowing when you think about it. 

Good point.
I did some quick mock-ups, mainly because I had to work the EARLY shift for a friend and got caught up real fast. This is REALLY quick and dirty for what I'm thinking about concept wise for the 'innards' below the bridge module. I was thinking about your idea with the docking clamps from the star drive section mdbruffy and I might still go that route, but I wanted to see how something a little different and closer to what they talk about in the technical manual would work.
I was thinking a partial model would do a bit better than carving up the Galaxy mesh I'm using, but now that I'm thinking about it, why not go all out? It's not like I'm breaking the real model. :P

Has a bridge module replacement on a Galaxy class ever been depicted?  The procedure was described in the Tech Manual but I was wondering if there were any visuals out there.

The closest you'll get is the bridge from Generations, which added two side stations to the original design.

I meant the actual removal of the whole bridge module, not just the updated stations. Basically, they can disengage a few locks and remove the entire thing in drydock, bridge, observation lounge, the undepicted lounge below the bridge and observation ports, then lift it away and put a whole new module in it's place.
I imagine it'd work something like Worf, Picard and Hawk disengaging the deflector in Star Trek Frist Contact only it'd be a LOT more involved and require a lot more prep time as well as some workbees to cart the old bridge away.
I'm mainly looking for references for the connecing parts on the underside of both the module and how it hooked into the actual ship and hull.I may just have to wing it and cheat so you can't actually see much in the shots I have planned. It's going to be in a drydock... hmmm

For something like that you can pretty much do your own thing.  There never was any depiction of a bridge module being swapped out, not even in fan blueprints - that I know of anyway. 

Found a really good MSD of the Galaxy that did up the bridge module in kind of the shape I'd imagined it would be. I'm thinking a series of locks around the edges like they mention in the technical manual and a kind of control column that ties into all the bridge stations to control the ship like the central column on the deflector dish in First Contact. No big cables though. I'm thinking giant isolinear optical connections like a huge USB stick. Should be fun when I get around to it. Probably putting way too much thought into this, but oh well. 

Nah I wouldn't say that at all. That is one of the cool things about Cannon, someone comes up with an idea and it takes off, the next thing you know its ina book or a movie ... Instant Cannon. Take the Mirror Universe badge I had done for my brother Pauls comices. I offered it as a freebie and it turns up in a Star trek comic produced by one of the major comic brands and approved by Paramount ... Instant Cannon!! Now that badge is Cannon for the Mirror Universe, kind of mind blowing when you think about it. 

Good point.
I did some quick mock-ups, mainly because I had to work the EARLY shift for a friend and got caught up real fast. This is REALLY quick and dirty for what I'm thinking about concept wise for the 'innards' below the bridge module. I was thinking about your idea with the docking clamps from the star drive section mdbruffy and I might still go that route, but I wanted to see how something a little different and closer to what they talk about in the technical manual would work.
I was thinking a partial model would do a bit better than carving up the Galaxy mesh I'm using, but now that I'm thinking about it, why not go all out? It's not like I'm breaking the real model. :P

Has a bridge module replacement on a Galaxy class ever been depicted?  The procedure was described in the Tech Manual but I was wondering if there were any visuals out there.

The closest you'll get is the bridge from Generations, which added two side stations to the original design.

I meant the actual removal of the whole bridge module, not just the updated stations. Basically, they can disengage a few locks and remove the entire thing in drydock, bridge, observation lounge, the undepicted lounge below the bridge and observation ports, then lift it away and put a whole new module in it's place.
I imagine it'd work something like Worf, Picard and Hawk disengaging the deflector in Star Trek Frist Contact only it'd be a LOT more involved and require a lot more prep time as well as some workbees to cart the old bridge away.
I'm mainly looking for references for the connecing parts on the underside of both the module and how it hooked into the actual ship and hull.I may just have to wing it and cheat so you can't actually see much in the shots I have planned. It's going to be in a drydock... hmmm

For something like that you can pretty much do your own thing.  There never was any depiction of a bridge module being swapped out, not even in fan blueprints - that I know of anyway. 

Found a really good MSD of the Galaxy that did up the bridge module in kind of the shape I'd imagined it would be. I'm thinking a series of locks around the edges like they mention in the technical manual and a kind of control column that ties into all the bridge stations to control the ship like the central column on the deflector dish in First Contact. No big cables though. I'm thinking giant isolinear optical connections like a huge USB stick. Should be fun when I get around to it. Probably putting way too much thought into this, but oh well. 

Nah I wouldn't say that at all. That is one of the cool things about Cannon, someone comes up with an idea and it takes off, the next thing you know its ina book or a movie ... Instant Cannon. Take the Mirror Universe badge I had done for my brother Pauls comices. I offered it as a freebie and it turns up in a Star trek comic produced by one of the major comic brands and approved by Paramount ... Instant Cannon!! Now that badge is Cannon for the Mirror Universe, kind of mind blowing when you think about it. 

Has a bridge module replacement on a Galaxy class ever been depicted?  The procedure was described in the Tech Manual but I was wondering if there were any visuals out there.

The closest you'll get is the bridge from Generations, which added two side stations to the original design.

I meant the actual removal of the whole bridge module, not just the updated stations. Basically, they can disengage a few locks and remove the entire thing in drydock, bridge, observation lounge, the undepicted lounge below the bridge and observation ports, then lift it away and put a whole new module in it's place.
I imagine it'd work something like Worf, Picard and Hawk disengaging the deflector in Star Trek Frist Contact only it'd be a LOT more involved and require a lot more prep time as well as some workbees to cart the old bridge away.
I'm mainly looking for references for the connecing parts on the underside of both the module and how it hooked into the actual ship and hull.I may just have to wing it and cheat so you can't actually see much in the shots I have planned. It's going to be in a drydock... hmmm

For something like that you can pretty much do your own thing.  There never was any depiction of a bridge module being swapped out, not even in fan blueprints - that I know of anyway. 

Found a really good MSD of the Galaxy that did up the bridge module in kind of the shape I'd imagined it would be. I'm thinking a series of locks around the edges like they mention in the technical manual and a kind of control column that ties into all the bridge stations to control the ship like the central column on the deflector dish in First Contact. No big cables though. I'm thinking giant isolinear optical connections like a huge USB stick. Should be fun when I get around to it. Probably putting way too much thought into this, but oh well. 

...

...and I so love French Baroque organ music.

 

 

 

 

 

looks amazing :)

...17th and 18th century organ building in France was perfect combination of both tonal and physical design.  Unlike Germany and Holland which designed instruments around a central "chorus" or "ensemble" fo pipes, French organ builders deigned their instruments around a palette of colourful solo stops. The most notable characteristic are the reed voices which are very bright and powerful to to oe point of being imitative of trumpets and other wind instruments. Instead of building a chorus primarily of what are termed flue pipes (the pipes you see in the case facade) a French Baroque organ's chorus is built around on progressive sets of reeds that have a trumpet like tone.

It is thought the is an influence from Spanish organ builders who also based the instruments' main chorus on large ensembles of trumpet reeds as well as colourful solo voices. Spanish organs are most characteristic for having a number of ranks of trumpet pipes from the 2' Clarina to the 16' Trompeta Magna projecting horizontally from the organ's case.  French organ builders also used this type of placement but usually for only a single 8' rank of solo trumpet pipes.

 

Yes it is astounding !

...and I so love French Baroque organ music.

 

 

 

 

 

looks amazing :)

...17th and 18th century organ building in France was perfect combination of both tonal and physical design.  Unlike Germany and Holland which designed instruments around a central "chorus" or "ensemble" fo pipes, French organ builders deigned their instruments around a palette of colourful solo stops. The most notable characteristic are the reed voices which are very bright and powerful to to oe point of being imitative of trumpets and other wind instruments. Instead of building a chorus primarily of what are termed flue pipes (the pipes you see in the case facade) a French Baroque organ's chorus is built around on progressive sets of reeds that have a trumpet like tone.

It is thought the is an influence from Spanish organ builders who also based the instruments' main chorus on large ensembles of trumpet reeds as well as colourful solo voices. Spanish organs are most characteristic for having a number of ranks of trumpet pipes from the 2' Clarina to the 16' Trompeta Magna projecting horizontally from the organ's case.  French organ builders also used this type of placement but usually for only a single 8' rank of solo trumpet pipes.

Hi Peeps,

Im hoping to get an answer from an expert(ish) renderer in here about a burning question ive been struggling with: How can I get the best performance out of my hardware?

Obviously, what im after most of all is some timewise improvement to the standard performance of my rig. Especially since I got into DAZ about a month ago and I'm going through the proces of relentlessly producing failed and aborted renders which turned out too light, too dark, completely black or completely white, awefully grainy or hidiously pixelated renders. And when I set the scene to my "best guess settings" for yet another try, I do a last check by running a low resolution version resulting in a tiny tiny image which might conceal a small but annoying flaw in the render before I start an overnight operation for the real thing. Unfortunately most of the times, it's only to find my +5hr waiting time was in vain when I discover that some prop or piece of clothing turns out to be intersecting another or something like that. I think the amount of discarded renders outnumbers the succesful ones by about 100 to 1 but hey, thats all part of becoming "experienced" right?

I have always been a desktop system kinda guy but i've been forced to revert to a laptop these days.. So here's my rig:

Intel Core i7-4700MQ CPU @2.40GHz - 8 GB RAM (will be doubled a.s.a.p.) - 256 GB SSD (holds Windows 10 OS and used for DS + content files) - 1 TB HDD (for additional warez) - Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M (768 pipes @ 850 MHz, 2GB GDDR5, 128 Bit @ 4000 MHz)

So, from what I read in threads about hardware performance, I've come to believe that the RAM will help me speed things up... Is that a correct interpretation?

Secondly, I've assumed that my graphics card shoud to all the work on the renders. My best guess is that this is what I would like to optimize if possible....I've heard about CUDA cores (of which I know nothing at all) so I searched the specs to my GPU and found this info on http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-765M.92907.0.html

"The GK106 Kepler core offers five shader blocks, called SMX, that are clocked at the same speed as the central core. In the GTX 765M, four blocks are active for a total of 768 CUDA cores."

Aside from making sure I have the latest drivers, and sniffing around in what i could find on the Nvidia setup menu on my system (with little useful result), I have virtually no idea what I should be doing/changing/looking for. So I guess the best way to formulate my question is:

Is my hardware at all sufficient to be used effectively with DS? And if so, can anyone that knows of any useful tricks and tips have a look at my gear and hopefully provide some advise on what to do to crank up the output in terms of render quality/ proces time/ general performance?

I would be very grateful for any and all of your attempts to help me out!

Many thanks in advance,

Cheers peeps,

Thomas