I did not remove the product by having DIM uninstall it.  Instead, I removed it using the Delete option on the product folder in Content Library/Products.  I suspect that this cleaned the product from the database while leaving the installed files in place so that all I had to do was manually create a new product from the files.  Because the old information in the database no longer existed, the thumbnail in Runtime/Support that was created for the product when it was installed with DIM no longer worked because the product was no longer a DAZ product in the metadata but a LOCAL_USER item in the new metadata.  I deleted the old .dsx and .dsa files for the product in Runtime/Support and changed the thumbnail name to the match that in the Support section of the metadata.

Everything is working great with the content.

2022-07-29 - Wrong Metadata - Skin categorized as Eye - Fixed.

http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/56407/start

Richard Haseltine said:

Bear in mind that, as far as I ama ware, metadata is created in-house as part of the QA and package process, it isn't one person creating it and another person proofing it - that makes it much easier to miss errors /looks shame-faced at own posts/.

Does that roughly traslate to "too many cooks spoil the broth"?

;)

Richard Haseltine said:

Bear in mind that, as far as I ama ware, metadata is created in-house as part of the QA and package process, it isn't one person creating it and another person proofing it - that makes it much easier to miss errors /looks shame-faced at own posts/.

Maybe I'm just an old frat, but it seems to me that the writer of the error should be the first to notice the error, and therefor[inject 'e' here] duty-bound to fix it. That's how it used to be back in the olden days, and since I am an old frat, I know this to be the case.
You young folks are just lazzy.
I joke when I'm serious, btw, it keeps my blood pressure down. 

Cybersox said:

The thing that really bugs me is that some of these are so blatantly obvious, like a g8f product being in a folder labled "Genessis 8 Female" or a character being in a folder labled "character" instead of the proper "characters".  I've even got a Dragon 3 product that shows up in its own folder under "people"  I can understand PAs making these kinds of mistakes, but even the most rudimentary product testing should have caught stuff like that.   

...this is why some like myself have taken the time to set up our own custom library/runtime structures to create a more logical organisation of items.

This was a lot worse when we still just used the old Poser runtime structure as for example, items like shaders ended un in places like the "Poses" instead of "Materials" folder. Often times product folders used the names of the creator instead  of what the item was. (this latter situation still does persist). 

Yeah, there is the database and smart content, but when it breaks it is a pain to deal with, and any products without metadata will not show up (particularly freebies not from here).unless you find a way to make them to.  Sometimes even products from the Daz store don't show up. and end up in the "lost & Found" requiring a refresh of the database.

Bear in mind that, as far as I ama ware, metadata is created in-house as part of the QA and package process, it isn't one person creating it and another person proofing it - that makes it much easier to miss errors /looks shame-faced at own posts/.

@SofaCitizen, what I can't the same results as this one

https://www.daz3d.com/dforce-miki-the-witch-outfit-set-for-genesis-8-females

if you see the pictures, the hairstyle, I have tried unsuccessfully to import to the content creation, if I load it via Daz Central (Open) it will not fit the pose, unless I can try to look into something very similar.

No luck when trying adding the hair in the Smart Content.

No other hair style is closer than that, or I am missing something else.

While Daz Central did all the job installing everything I have, free and paid content, I belive the file size for the application with the installed content at the moment would surpass over 20 GB in size.

The other model not mentioned is "Ronin Warrior Outfit for Genesis 8" the face is almost same as Miki the Witch, in the store there are some more models with the same face as her as well, only the clothing is different.

Thanks for your encouraging words, it's just an experiment, I will look into the settings as Catherine3678ab said.

I think when most people try to do something it takes some time to get accustmed to that and later is like all is coming round and well.

I hope to get there, If I ever gain confidence, I will try to post to the Gallery, don't expect it to be soon because the learning curve is a totally wild journey.

Cheers!

I had forgotten to mention that metadata is not purged from the database when you uninstall something. In that case, look at the bottom of the list in the Content Library -  Products view, and there will be a greyed-out generic DAZ Studio folder icon (also in the Smart Content - Available tab). If ever you install manually, any matches to that metadata will be used, that is why you would still see the Content Type flashes on the asset thumbnails, and perhaps some compatibilities in Smart Content. Of course, if it is not good, it will still be not good, so to get rid of it completely, it must be deleted, even if it is not installed. This will allow a fresh start the next time.

Also note that Vendor Data can only be modified using a metadata file. The Content DB Editor allows you to make changes, but they won't persist. The single-pane version from a Content Library folder will only create User Data. However, if you are using the two-pane editor (from a Product view), you can create a new metadata file with Vendor Data for the Product by exporting during the session. Even if you accept the changes but don't export the metadata, anything you tried to remove will return the next time you open that product in the editor. (Unless something has changed recently in DAZ Studio...)

I have noticed people have been having issues with downloading the Studio from DazCentral. It happened to me too and after few times on my pc it started to work so here is how:

(this is just my way of solving it - its your choice if you follow)

1.  Go to your daz3d account on website > MY ACCOUNT
2.  Select Product Library from the menu
3.  Find DAZ Studio 4.x Pro and download the version for your pc (for me it was the DAZStudio_4.20.0.17_Win64.exe)
4.  Download Install manager from the product library (for me it was the Install Manager WIN64)
5.  After the installation open Install manager and log into your account
6.  The install manager should detect DAZ Studio and offer you do download the basic assets (such as genesis 3 and g8 etc.) - select the ones you need
7.  There is download and install tab, make sure to install it too

-------------------------- HOW TO INSTALL ASSETS TO DAZSTUDIO MANUALLY

How to add your own materials and assets to the DAZ Studio 

Because DazCentral was the main bridge to import assets you bought from the web it is no longer available if you do this method right..so you have to do it manually (sucks ik, but its simple)

1. Open your DazStudio and go to Edit > Preferences > Content > Content Directory Manager
2. And you should see Content Sets open Current Directories > DAZ Studio Formats 
3. You will see 3 directories now try to find on your pc all of these  --- some will be empty and some will have content in it (mine was the My DAZ 3D Library at the very bottom)
4. The content should be: data, lightpresets, People, Props, Scenes, Runtime etc. (these ones are the most common when manually transfering assets so make sure this content is in one of the 3 folders)
5. On the website, the product you bought willl have a manual way to install - Download it - it should be a simple folder
6. In the folder you should see another folder "Content" - open it
7. Copy the folders in Content (common folders are: Poeople, Runtime, Data or else) and Paste them into your MY DAZ 3D Library folder
8. Go to your DAZStudio and find your asset under Content Library>My Daz 3D Library >  -your asset-

example: if you bought a G8F character, go to  Content Library>My Daz 3D Library > People > Genesis 8 Female > Characters

I hope this was a bit helpful to those who struggle to download the studio 

Odd, that first part. They could be stuck in the LOCAL USER product. If so, remove the references from there and try again.

TBH, I edited the metadata file myself, so when re-importing, I am assured it will contain what I want.

Thanks for your detailed reply.  Unfortunately, the first step doesn't work for this product.

• First, add the missing parts to the Product. Go to the Products view in Content Library, and navigate to the Valley of the Cliffs product to get the exact name. Copy it and paste it somewhere you can get to later (just a sticky note or notepad). Go to the Content Library folder with the assets to add to the product. Multi-select (or add the whole folder) and right-click -> Create Product from...

I tried that multiple times yesterday, and again just now, and the missing parts (sundials or missing scene x11) don't appear in the Product.  However, the strange thing is if I right- click on the sundial icons or the missing scene x11 icon in their mapped folders and select Show Asset in Product, the Content Library jumps to the Product but the missing items are not there!!

I discovered two things earlier this evening:

• The 12 sundial DUF files for three Magix 101 products (Valley of the Cliffs Village -World and Village Builder, Elf Village and World Builder, and Everglades Tavern and World Set) are identical, respectively.  For example, the file MGX Sundial Midday.duf is the same for all three products and internally, all of the sundial files have an asset id that points to the location of the file in the Everglades Tavern sundials folder.
   
• In Valley of the Cliffs Village, if the full scene is loaded, double clicking the sundial icons in the mapped folder in the Content Library work – the sun’s position and lighting change as designed.  The same is true for the missing scene x11 Cliff-Nature; it loads the vegetation of the product, so it’s really a scene subset.

So, I can get all parts of the Valley of the Cliffs Village to work.  For the sun position/lighting, either I have to use the sundial icons in the mapped folder in the Content Library or the corresponding icon in the other two products – either from their mapped folders for sundial lights or from their Smart Content.

I'll play more with the metadata aspect of this product but it's of lesser interest to me now that I know how to get the product to function fully.

The metadata is created and supplied by DAZ, so if it is not there now, it won't be until they correct it. Adding/changing metadata is a bit tedious, but it can be done. There might be some drag-and-drop shortcuts with the Smart Content pane, but I do not trust it, because I do not know exactly what it produces.

(If you know what you are doing, just edit the metadata file and add the missing bits. It can be a bit cryptic unless you understand all the required fields and syntax, but is quick.)

First, add the missing parts to the Product. Go to the Products view in Content Library, and navigate to the Valley of the Cliffs product to get the exact name. Copy it and paste it somewhere you can get to later (just a sticky note or notepad). Go to the Content Library folder with the assets to add to the product. Multi-select (or add the whole folder) and right-click -> Create Product from...

Enter the exact Product name (or it will create a new Product). You will be prompted to add to the existing Product. Accept. Repeat for any missing assets.

Go back to the Product view, Valley of the Cliffs. Edit the metadata. There are two tabs, Product and Assets. You don't need to change anything on the Product tab. Go to the Assets tab. Ensure "Sync Product and Local Database" is checked. Go through each listed asset to see which need more data, which need correcting, etc. You need to set the Content Type. Select one or more assets from the top window, then under Categories, select all files, right-click and "Add Default Categories to Selected File(s)". Here it is a bit of a judgement call for which default category you want to use, but pick something that makes sense to you. You can also copy from another asset if it already has the necessary data.

Do the same for Compatibilities. Instead of adding Compatibility Bases from the list of all available, find an asset that already has the proper base and right-click "Copy Selected Compatibilities to Listed Files". The other tabs are not required in this case, IIRC. Compatibility Base would be required for any asset with an object in the scene (props, figures) but none of the missing assets are of that type. The "x11 Cliff-Houses" is a set and all of the props are already defined.

Before you accept, you will want to Export the metadata file so that you can make the changes permanent. (It would be in UserData, but you would have to re-import ALL UserData, unless you export only this one Product, but why not correct it once and for all, instead of patching it). If Auto-Export is checked, it will create a new, updated metadata file in the same location as the original when you accept the changes, otherwise Click the Export button. (Making one with a new name will go to the first library in your library set). Beware, though, any Custom Categories included here will get saved in the metadata file as Vendor Data, and mark your Custom Category branch as Read-Only. PITA to undo.

So as to not lose your new metadata file, copy it somewhere safe, and replace the one in the package, so that if you need to re-install, your changes will be installed, too. You can re-install now, or re-import metadata for that product (faster from DIM rather than the Content DB Maintenance menu). Refresh the Product view, and your new metadata should magically appear (okay, it could be done earlier, but the reveal is always more satisfying when it is all done). Smart Content should now show what you expect to see, if you got everything.

Have fun...

@Northof45,

Not good news.  Other products in this line by Magix 101 do not suffer the same lack of packaging attention to detail.  I still like the product, though.  Other than logging into the Daz3D server to update metadata (which I think is not there), can one manually add items to the metadata?  The Edit Metadata option does not seem to offer that functionality.

I make a new file, change render settings to redshift then import into cinema 4d R26 (maybe thats the issue) and click the inport genesis characters. The character comes in my renderer has changed back to standard from redshift and when I click on convert materials with redshift selected in the dropdown menu a bunch of nothing happens. Should I not even bother with redshift with DAZ models? it seems like half of my poses arent even supported by DAZ to cinema 4d bridge anyways.

What is the exact error message you are getting? Did you delete or block PostgreSQL from your computer? Daz Studio needs PostgreSQL for Smart Content. You should be able to install it from DIM if it is missing from your computer. See attached screenshot.

If the PostgreSQL problem is solved, try reimporting metadata from the Content Library pane's context menu. See attached screenshots. Metadat is what populates Smart Content.

Padone said:

@surody Tried a couple hair, here works fine with toulouse but doesn't work with dforce soft curls. Reported.

https://bitbucket.org/Diffeomorphic/import_daz/issues/1092/hair-sparsity-doesnt-work-for-line-hair

edit. Thomas did it now it's fixed.

Yep I tried it and it works, thank you.
I'm currently confused at the different material import options. SSS node tree seems to be exactly the same as Cycles only (including the DAZ volume node) and when I import the model with "Extended Principled" the hair mesh gets duplicated for some reason.

arstropica said:

RiverSoftArt said:

arstropica said:

Not sure if this has already been addressed in a previous post, but is there a way to completely remove products installed through CW? 

I've tried copying the zip file to the DIM directory and install/uninstall from there, but the files and metadata are unaffected.

Thanks

No, there is not.  You need to uninstall the product (using DS Smart Content) and then delete files (which can be tricky and very manual unfortunately)

I can see the product in the smart content tab, but there is no uninstall option.  I've even tried installing and then uninstalling the generated zip through DIM, but the product metadata still remains.  I feel there must be a solution to this as it is just a scripting issue with the smart metadata.  BTW Content Wizard is such an awesome product, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Sorry, I slightly miswrote.  I start in Smart Content so I can find the product to then delete.  From the manual:

Unfortunately, it does not seem possible to delete a product from Daz Studio’s Smart Content using the scripting interface. If you find you want to delete a product from Smart Content, you need to do it manually. To delete a product: 1. Find the product in Smart Content. 2. Right-Click on the Product and Select “Show Product in Content Library”. After a few moments, Daz Studio will show the product in the Products list of the Content Library. 3. Right-Click on the title of the product and Select “Delete…”. Click Ok when the confirmation dialog appears. The Smart Content for the product has been deleted. Note that this procedure does not delete the content files from Daz Studio.

(I am so glad you like CW.  I am very proud of it )

3dQuill said:

Ok, so about a year ago I gave up on using Daz3d characters in Blender because I couldn't remap mocap to the rigs in Blender.  I was using Rigimap, well trying to.  The creator was working with me and kept saying that he was able to map FBX animation to the rigify rigs that Diffeomorphic was creating on import.  I wasn't able to get good results.  Did they link up, yes.  Was it an abomination to all things?  Yes!  I still see that character trying to walk in my dreams.  Does anyone have any experience in using Rigimap/Blender plug-in with a Daz imported character for mocap?  Thanks. 

@3dQuill

Never heard of Rigimap However

Diffeo animation imports with rigified characters

Diffeo animation retargeting without conversion to rigify

Both methods use MIXAMO motions

Be sure to “Make all bones posable” in the diffeo options panel

When Smart Content is not quite right, the first suspect should be the metadata, not the installation. In this case the sundials are not included at all, a couple of cameras are deliberately categorized as Lost and Found, none of the props (MGX Objects) have any compatibilities set, and one of the Cliff house sets (x11) is completely omitted.

So, yeah, exactly as provided.

I like to import a morph with Morph Loader Pro.

The files should go into a test content directory I made with Content Directory Manager.

E.g.:

I have:

DAZ\Content   for normal use

DAZ\Test   for only the morph

How do I tell DS to put the morph files into DAZ\Test but not DAZ\Content ?