Help on re-importing content
If I want to fix the mess that is my runtime, I could do with some help on how the folder structure is meant to look. I suspect that my stuff hasn't all installed to the right place and it's now a bit of a jumble (meaning nothing works very well and files keep not being found when content is being loaded).
My folders look like this
Daz 3D
> Studio
>>My Library
>>>then a load of directories called stuff like aniblocks, Atrion, Camera presets, Carole, content, Data, DAZ studio tutorials, documentation, environments, hair, light presets, lights, people, presets, props, readme, resources, runtime, scenes, scripts, shaders, shader presets, templates, tutorials, uninstallers
under "runtime" (which I assume is the important one)
>>>runtime
>>>>libraries, geometries, textures, python, readme, support, templates, etc
under libraries (confusingly) I also have folders called hair, camera, props, even those these already appear directly under My Library!
and under My Library > presets I find I have another "lights" and "shaders" directory, even those those appear directly under My Library!
Is there not just meant to be one of each folder? I am confused. Do I need to tidy all this up?
Also, I am not sure what all the different file types do, and if they have to go somewhere special (like .OBJ, .DAZ, .PZ2, .DUF, .DSA, .DSF etc)
Comments
Those are the proper folder structures. Are you talking about an old directory or a new one? Are you using Install manager. If not you may want to try it out and it will install everything you have into its proper place.
The only issue I see is the Content folder - you probably want to take everything out of that and place it in the My Library folder. Content was the old default name, as My Library is now, but many zips include it (including, for better reasons, the new DAZ zips).
A word of warning — "tidying up" is one of the best, quickest and easiest methods of making your installed content unusable. What you're seeing two of, in most cases, are the files for Poser-format and DAZ|Studio-format content. It is possible to tidy things up a bit if you want, when you know what you're doing, but some of these files must be where they are to allow your stuff to work.
Something else to bear in mind, a lot of the files apparently most in need of tidying up are not visible inside D|S anyway — they're vital parts of your content but they're only pointed to by other files you can see which control how the whole item is put together in your scene. If you move them, the program can't find them and stuff breaks.
hmm. Ok. Thanks everyone. I shall exercise caution then. Reassuring to learn it looks about right.
So can you confirm that it's not a good idea to simply merge any folders with the same name? (that was what I thought I'd have to do)
DAZ Studio basically uses files of two different formats. If you go to the Content Library in DAZ Studio, you will see DAZ Studio Formats, and Poser Formats. The Poser Formats content is held in the folder called Runtime inside the My Library folder. Poser content is made up of files with extension of CR2 (Character), PP2 (Prop), PZ2 (Pose), HR2 (Hair) etc etc.
OBJ files are the 'Mesh' files, and they are held in Runtime > Geometries, These files are 'called' by the CR2 files in Libraries, and they should remain where they are, although DS does not show them directly, they are needed by other files, which expect to find them there.
DAZ is the old form of DS Scene files which was used up to (and including) DS4.0 DS4.5 can still open them, but it only saves Scenes as DUF files now.
Allow the installer to put files in the correct places. If you are using the DIM, you don;t need to give it a different path for Poser content, it will automatically put Poser content into the Runtime folder for you, you don't need to add 'Runtime' to the end of the path.
As Richard pointed out, you appear to have a folder called Content inside the My Library folder. Content is the DS3 name, My Library is the DS4+ name, so , they are one and the same thing. You should Merge all ot the stuff inside the folder called content with the My Library folder. In other words, move it all up one level so that it is all inside the My Library folder. If you don't understand that, please post again.
Yes,, if you use windows pc,, it work.
every item are serched by relative path.
so if you set all files in one ds contents folda,, it must work .
(you better to check there is same name files or same product already)
I find one product make "Contents" folda under the "your contents directory"
(IM00008783-01_M4Presets)
you may need to copy "Contents" folda to desk top etc, then change name new your default contents folda name
and merge it (there seems only two or three files,, for Pupettier)
(I thik there are some mistake about DIM zip )
DAZ Studio basically uses files of two different formats. If you go to the Content Library in DAZ Studio, you will see DAZ Studio Formats, and Poser Formats. The Poser Formats content is held in the folder called Runtime inside the My Library folder. Poser content is made up of files with extension of CR2 (Character), PP2 (Prop), PZ2 (Pose), HR2 (Hair) etc etc.
OBJ files are the 'Mesh' files, and they are held in Runtime > Geometries, These files are 'called' by the CR2 files in Libraries, and they should remain where they are, although DS does not show them directly, they are needed by other files, which expect to find them there.
DAZ is the old form of DS Scene files which was used up to (and including) DS4.0 DS4.5 can still open them, but it only saves Scenes as DUF files now.
Allow the installer to put files in the correct places. If you are using the DIM, you don;t need to give it a different path for Poser content, it will automatically put Poser content into the Runtime folder for you, you don't need to add 'Runtime' to the end of the path.
As Richard pointed out, you appear to have a folder called Content inside the My Library folder. Content is the DS3 name, My Library is the DS4+ name, so , they are one and the same thing. You should Merge all ot the stuff inside the folder called content with the My Library folder. In other words, move it all up one level so that it is all inside the My Library folder. If you don't understand that, please post again.
Thanks very much for this. Really appreciate it.