She looks pretty nice !

Unfortunately, Nirvana doesn't visit Daz Forum ~~ Thank you my friend !

I'd also suggest that you consider stretching your budget further by looking at free items. There are a lot of free resources available in the freebie forum here (search for Perlk or AllenArt [AKA LaurieA on Renderosity] in particular for jewellery), at Renderosity Most Wanted, at RenderHub, or find it through PoserDazFreebies. There are a lot (utterly vast amount) of very good freebies available, particularly for G8F/M, but there is stuff going back to Victoria 2/3 if that's what you want. Regards, Richard.

14) Build your own Troubleshooting, Tips & Tricks and Tools & Techniques Guides. 

If you have a problem once, you'll probably have it twice. It's a good idea to keep a document that lists your problems and their solutions.

You can even add points that you haven't encountered yet- from the forum.

Black Image Renders: Usually a camera issue. The camera is placed behind a solid object or placed under the virtual ground (Render Settings/Draw Ground = On). Possibly Dome related as older sets used a dome for the backdrop and that doesn't work with Iray. Scene Menu, find Dome and remove.

You open a scene and it's dark. Ctrl+L to turn on ambient light. etc

Ron Knights said:

Again, my approach is simple. Once I'vwe eliminated the PA folders, I have very little work to do.

I use the Content Library pane. Here is what I get. No need for search, metadata etc.

Which is, at least for now, fine for you and your decision. But others need to be aware of the potential issues, and that there are alternatives which don't involve throwing out the whole feature.

Again, my approach is simple. Once I'vwe eliminated the PA folders, I have very little work to do.

I use the Content Library pane. Here is what I get. No need for search, metadata etc.

The final item: Watch the "always another sale" thread here in the forum. Fellow shoppers can help you find the best deals!

RenderNovice said:

Thanks for the reply, Richard: yep, the 4.24 previews were via the I9 Ultra CPU -- and were quicker to render than I would have guessed.  It's a workaround, albeit a clumsy one.  But still nothing so quick as the viewport I had when the 5090 card was doing it in DAZ 2025!

I suppose an incorrect drriver can work fine for a while, and then just suddenly stop working?  ('Cause that's what I observed today -- was working fine this morning)  NVIDIA seems to offer two drivers for their cards: a game-ready driver, and a studio driver.  I've always assumed the Studio driver was the correct one to use for Daz -- advertised for creating content, more testing and stability.  (Most current release in October, 581.57)  Just to test your theory, I tried installing their most-current game-ready driver -- 581.94, released in April 25, and it makes no difference: no Iray preview image in the viewport.  Sorta tough to assess scene lighting (and other things) without it!  There sure seem to be a lot of reports on this forum of View Port problems . . .   (I get it, ALPHA version, but the dropping of support for Windows 10 is forcing us to update our machines and move us to the 50-series!) 

Anything else I can try?

Try a clean reinstall of the driver, or roll back to a slightly older driver and do a clean install of that. If all else fails try DDU to take the driver off and then reinstall from scratch. Windows can do weird things to GPU drivers - I lost the Sleep function after upgrading for the last Iray update (wghile using an older driver that Windows 11 had grabbed when it was installed) and then had a string of crashes, DDU may have helped a bit but I am still having issues with some driver somewhere).

Torquinox said:

takezo_3001 said:

Richard Haseltine said:

The name and location of the content directories are not functionally significant, it's the relative paths within that matter. Zips which include My Library/My Daz 3D Library as a root folder are very annoying.

Indeed, it is, as I have to open the folder within to be able to copy the "people/props/scripts/etc" over to my own content directory, so it's a bit of a pain… 

I'm not going to sugar coat the hassle factor - It's a hassle! I use PeaZip to open all the zips from other sites into their own folders and then I combine and reconfigure the content as needed for installation and storage. Then I copy/paste into my content library. Then, I actually load the product to make sure it works and to see what it does. That last part... There are products in my library I have never loaded! Anyway, I've been doing that for so long that it doesn't bother me at all - It's just what I have do to install the product. As for Daz items installed with DIM, I use Everything (a search program @WendyLuvsCatz recommended) to find the items in my library and then I find them in DS, browse to folder and move/modify whatever needs moving to make me happy with the arrangement.

I generally unzip, discarding excess folders, into a testing content directory to make sure it is working and to set up metadata, then I move into the real content directory (or not, as the case may be)

There's no free lunch. Even if one is using Smart Content, the metadata may need modification to suit people, as well - People do rearrange their stuff! Items from other sites may not even have any metadata! Is it quicker and easier to go through Smart Content? I don't know. Maybe? I think it's all in what one gets used to doing. I'm used to rearranging files, so I do that. I might reach a point in the future where I need or want to get Smart Content to work for me, and then I'll see.

Don't forget options like links (.djl files), and of course the Smart Content pane is not the only metadata-using content  view (Categories/Products in the Content Library pane, Presets tabs in most property panes) so it isn't an either/or.

takezo_3001 said:

Richard Haseltine said:

The name and location of the content directories are not functionally significant, it's the relative paths within that matter. Zips which include My Library/My Daz 3D Library as a root folder are very annoying.

Indeed, it is, as I have to open the folder within to be able to copy the "people/props/scripts/etc" over to my own content directory, so it's a bit of a pain… 

I'm not going to sugar coat the hassle factor - It's a hassle! I use PeaZip to open all the zips from other sites into their own folders and then I combine and reconfigure the content as needed for installation and storage. Then I copy/paste into my content library. Then, I actually load the product to make sure it works and to see what it does. That last part... There are products in my library I have never loaded! Anyway, I've been doing that for so long that it doesn't bother me at all - It's just what I have do to install the product. As for Daz items installed with DIM, I use Everything (a search program @WendyLuvsCatz recommended) to find the items in my library and then I find them in DS, browse to folder and move/modify whatever needs moving to make me happy with the arrangement.

There's no free lunch. Even if one is using Smart Content, the metadata may need modification to suit people, as well - People do rearrange their stuff! Items from other sites may not even have any metadata! Is it quicker and easier to go through Smart Content? I don't know. Maybe? I think it's all in what one gets used to doing. I'm used to rearranging files, so I do that. I might reach a point in the future where I need or want to get Smart Content to work for me, and then I'll see.

We have not forgotten you Yellow Pen.  I am happy that your life challenges have been resolved and glad that you are able to visit the Bryce forum again.  I stepped away too, but mermaid convinced me to come back.

LeatherGryphon said:

This message replaces a double post of the previous message.

I tried a new cheese today.  I found it while at the grocery two days ago, looking for some Gruyere or a decent Blue cheese wedge.  Sadly, nothing but cheap blue crumbles(*yawn*) in a tub, or some "Cheddar/Gouda" mix(*blech*) wedges.  HOWEVER, I did see something odd that I'd never seen before, called "Ube Gouda".  It's purple/blue/green and has a mild taste & texture sort of like Gouda but with an interestingly likable vanilla sub-taste, if you can get over eating such oddly colored cheese.

https://www.yoderscountrymarket.com/shop/yancey_s_fancy_ube_gouda_cheese_7_6_oz/p/5607317

Some of the comments around the web are not flattering.  I just found it "interesting" and edible, not terrible.  For me it's easy snacking by itself.  Haven't yet tried it on crackers or saltines.  It's definitely not as "interesting" as a good, soft, tangy, Danish Blue cheese, but it's OK.

 

Oh cool! Gouda has been my favorite ever since I was a little kid. My grandparents lived in Wisconsin, and right next to a cheese factory with its attached store, so whenever we'd go to watch the cheese being made (a highlight for my brother and me!) we'd always come home with all sorts of bits-and-bops. Grandma loved feeding us weird stuff because we'd always try it. Anyway, it meant while most of my friends thought pocket cheese was the height of awesome, I was in love with waxed wheels of gouda. I'll have to give this type a try! Thank you for the bucket list item!

Thanks for the reply, Richard: yep, the 4.24 previews were via the I9 Ultra CPU -- and were quicker to render than I would have guessed.  It's a workaround, albeit a clumsy one.  But still nothing so quick as the viewport I had when the 5090 card was doing it in DAZ 2025!

I suppose an incorrect drriver can work fine for a while, and then just suddenly stop working?  ('Cause that's what I observed today -- was working fine this morning)  NVIDIA seems to offer two drivers for their cards: a game-ready driver, and a studio driver.  I've always assumed the Studio driver was the correct one to use for Daz -- advertised for creating content, more testing and stability.  (Most current release in October, 581.57)  Just to test your theory, I tried installing their most-current game-ready driver -- 581.94, released in April 25, and it makes no difference: no Iray preview image in the viewport.  Sorta tough to assess scene lighting (and other things) without it!  There sure seem to be a lot of reports on this forum of View Port problems . . .   (I get it, ALPHA version, but the dropping of support for Windows 10 is forcing us to update our machines and move us to the 50-series!) 

Anything else I can try?

This message replaces a double post of the previous message.

I tried a new cheese today.  I found it while at the grocery two days ago, looking for some Gruyere or a decent Blue cheese wedge.  Sadly, nothing but cheap blue crumbles(*yawn*) in a tub, or some "Cheddar/Gouda" mix(*blech*) wedges.  HOWEVER, I did see something odd that I'd never seen before, called "Ube Gouda".  It's purple/blue/green and has a mild taste & texture sort of like Gouda but with an interestingly likable vanilla sub-taste, if you can get over eating such oddly colored cheese.

https://www.yoderscountrymarket.com/shop/yancey_s_fancy_ube_gouda_cheese_7_6_oz/p/5607317

Some of the comments around the web are not flattering.  I just found it "interesting" and edible, not terrible.  For me it's easy snacking by itself.  Haven't yet tried it on crackers or saltines.  It's definitely not as "interesting" as a good, soft, tangy, Danish Blue cheese, but it's OK.

It was the Monty Python Cheese Shop skit that turned me on to all the varieties of cheese, sixty years ago.  Still haven't tried even a half of them mentioned.  But I did find a few that I won't try again.

 

I don't copy the embed just the URL under share and change the forum box to source and paste it

Blank_Canvas said:

avmorgan said:

I kept digging through my runtime and managed to track it down myself! It comes with Studio, as I expected. I just did not recognize it among my render presets. For anyone else wanting to know, the product you can find the full HDRE is:

Iray HDR Outdoor Environments

It should be noted that the file in that product is named "DTHDR-RuinsB.hdr" and not "DTHDR-RuinsB-500.hdr" that the OT was looking for. While you can surmise they are the same, it is not with certainty.

Thanks! I should have copied in my "search stack":

---

DAZ Studio Iray HDR Outdoor Environments

Content :

/Light Presets/Iray HDR Outdoor Environments/Backgrounds/DTHDR-RuinsB-Background.duf
/Light Presets/Iray HDR Outdoor Environments/Backgrounds/DTHDR-RuinsB-Background.png
/Light Presets/Iray HDR Outdoor Environments/Backgrounds/DTHDR-RuinsB-Background.tip.png

For the HDR: "/Runtime/Textures/DimensionTheory/IrayHDRs/DTHDR-RuinsB.hdr"

 

Matt_Castle said:

takezo_3001 said:

it is hard to find what you're looking for if the name is unpronounceable, like schuntrozinar as they're much harder to remember which and what product are they using… 

We occasionally get some of the PAs on our (unofficial) Discord server asking for suggestions for the name of a WIP product of theirs, and my advice has always been not to get fancy with their naming.

The search function in both Studio and the store are very limited, as I've often found simply on the basis of being British rather than American - often I've been unable to find certain props in a search because the US calls whatever that thing is by a different name to the UK. 

So I've told these PAs that that if they're making a robot, call it a robot. It's unimaginative, but there's a much better chance of a possible buyer finding it with a store search a year down the line.

This is a wise solution, as simplicity will always win out over the complicated, it's why I can always find what I'm looking for when the PA uses a simple image along with their name as we're highly visual, being artists after all, so you can easily associate a product with an image!

Matt_Castle said:

takezo_3001 said:

it is hard to find what you're looking for if the name is unpronounceable, like schuntrozinar as they're much harder to remember which and what product are they using… 

We occasionally get some of the PAs on our (unofficial) Discord server asking for suggestions for the name of a WIP product of theirs, and my advice has always been not to get fancy with their naming.

The search function in both Studio and the store are very limited, as I've often found simply on the basis of being British rather than American - often I've been unable to find certain props in a search because the US calls whatever that thing is by a different name to the UK. 

So I've told these PAs that that if they're making a robot, call it a robot. It's unimaginative, but there's a much better chance of a possible buyer finding it with a store search a year down the line.

Filtering does support a lot of options:

http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/content_library/advanced_filtering/start
http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/interface/panes/smart_content/advanced_filtering/start

but those do depend on how the PA and Daz have tagged etc. the files.

takezo_3001 said:

it is hard to find what you're looking for if the name is unpronounceable, like schuntrozinar as they're much harder to remember which and what product are they using… 

We occasionally get some of the PAs on our (unofficial) Discord server asking for suggestions for the name of a WIP product of theirs, and my advice has always been not to get fancy with their naming.

The search function in both Studio and the store are very limited, as I've often found simply on the basis of being British rather than American - often I've been unable to find certain props in a search because the US calls whatever that thing is by a different name to the UK. 

So I've told these PAs that that if they're making a robot, call it a robot. It's unimaginative, but there's a much better chance of a possible buyer finding it with a store search a year down the line.

SilverGirl said:

I think last year a GC purchase of $1 would trigger the "bought something" qualification, yes?

In the years prior to the last year, yes. Last year, I think, Daz did away with that rule. I remember someone in the sales discussion thread purchasing the $1 GC to test, and it didn't count. I think I purchased one too, for the same reason. So I would assume it probably won't count this year either and look at $1.99 QG/OS items as the cheapest options instead.

And also, I seem to remember that the day the calendar went into effect, it was already calculating from the previous couple days. So people who want to plan/participate might want to make some sort of presumably qualifying purchase on Sunday of next weekend.

Ah, yes! Forgot to mention about it. Not sure if it was the calendar, but definitely for the punch tickets!

richardandtracy said:

I confess I'm not ready for Christmas in any way, whether it's a DAZ wishlist or off-line. This year has gone so fast it's ridiculous, and I feel as if I'm just about ready for June to arrive. Regards, Richard

I know what you mean by the year going by quickly. There was March, then May and June, the September. I'm not sure if I even noticed October, and November's almost gone.

Thankfully for me, I don't have any real Christmas preparations. It's just my husband and I, and we don't care for decorations, pick gift for each other together, and we make fun experiments in the kitchen food for Christmas meals. When we feel like it. His family is half the States away, and my family is half the world away, so no family obligations either. Even his company's Christmas Party probably won't be a thing, because we'd have to drive 5h one day to get there.

cosmosm said:

joanna said:

you don't have to inform anyone how this thread is unhIelpful

Is the opposite response okay?   I may or may not wind up with this changing my options,  but even if not, it's an interesting and potentally useful look into things and if not now that knowelge will probably be useful later.   Thank you!

You're welcome! The disclaimer was mostly to keep the discussion fun and limit any "I don't do things this way, so tailor the advice to work for me!" comments that sometimes seep into this otherwise wonderful forum.

I definitely need to go through my WL and both make sure I have enough stuff and make sure I won't have a Charlie Brown "...I got a rock..." moment if that's what I'm offered. 

For fluffing out a sparse WL, of course everyone's definition of usefulness varies, but I like to go for shaders. Even if I only use them one time three years from now, it'd still be more useful than a skimpwear texture.

Shaders, in my book, are an excellent choice. And there's never enough of them. Just a few days ago, I was going through 4 or 5 different leather sets I own to find one shader that would work perfectly for what I had already, making the piece of a kitbashed outfit look like it was a part of it. Same for stone or wood shaders. There's no "already have wood/stone shaders" for me.

Better use your regular browser and add "Daz3D.com" in your search terms. The "Search Forums" function is inefficient.