Daz 4.6 - Slightly terrified to make the switch!
ifourdezign
Posts: 0
I confess, I still haven't succumbed to either DS 4.5/4.6 simply because I am terrified that with just one touch of a button I will obliterate many, long months of hard work spent perfecting my characters. (Well...as good as I want them) Yet, I am aware that if I don't make the upgrade soon, I will eventually start to lose some of the benefits the new product offers.
SO...(It's embarrassing to even have to ask) a few basic Q's
- If I choose to install DS4.6, can I still keep DS4 as a separate programme (be it on main computer or external HD)?
- Do I need to install DS4.5 first to be able to install DS4.6? (If yes would I only then need to upgrade, as opposed to install the full version?)
- Do I need to re-install everything I have ever purchased all over again?
- Will I still be able to use/see all my older DAZ scenes, content, figures etc (I mainly use M4 - slightly worried I will lose original morphs and dials and Gen 4 figures in particular might get corrupted.)
- How does the newer version run on an older Mac OS 10.6.8
- How does it work with the Hexagon? (I use it quite a bit to model .obj pieces.) Always had crashing issues with DS4
I'm sure I have heaps more, but we could well be here all year.
Sorry if they sound a bit dumb and basic, but the upgrade is making me feel nervous, and much like the first day I used Daz! Scared.... I have a feeling I will just chicken out and bolt!
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Comments
1) No. It's a standalone installation. Daz 4.6 will automatically uninstall any Daz Studio 4.x versions and update. It should not affect any Daz Studio 3 or lower installation you have.
2) Everything you installed will continue to work fine with the newer version. If you were using Daz 4.x before, it knows where the content was installed and keeps the smart content database intact.
3) All your old scenes remain compatible.
4) Can't speak for how it runs on a Mac, but I've noticed no detrimental differences on PC and assume it would be similar for Mac.
5) Hexagon compatibility remains unchanged and you can still move things to and from using the Hexagon bridge.
As an addendum, if you're currently using Daz 3 or lower, plugins for earlier versions are by and large incompatible with the newer version of Daz. Some do work, but always ask for details on specific plugins if you need them.
Some more information on Question 2 and 3:
- If you're switching from 4.0 to 4.6, you'll need to install the updated version of Genesis Starter Essentials (unlike with DAZ Studio 4.0, the content is not included in the main installer). You should not need to reinstall your other content, but be aware that depending on when it was installed, many of the products have likely been updated since you installed them. They should work fine, but you might see Duplicate ID error messages (at least, this was true going from 4.0 to 4.5) when you load the files. The error messages won't affect your ability to actually use the products. In addition to fixing this Duplicate ID issue, many of the updates affect where (or whether) the product appears in Smart Content.
- Older scenes: Moving to 4.5, some people reported issues opening previously saved scenes. If you do have issues opening older scenes, simply re-saving and then re-opening the newly saved scene should fix it (at least, that has worked for many people). Haven't heard of this happening for people upgrading from 4.0 to 4.6, but thought I'd mention it just in case. Also, people who upgraded from 4.5 to 4.6 were having a specific problem with certain types of scenes they had saved in DS4.5...that is solveable too, but I won't go into the details here because it doesn't appear relevant to your question.
Also worth noting: some people have recommended that, for best results, you should uninstall the Content Management Service prior to installing DS4.6. However, the official upgrading instructions from DAZ_Spooky are:
Ultimately it's up to you whether to uninstall CMS first (and/or DAZ Studio itself). At least in theory, either way should work.
I always hesitate to say "you won't have any problems" because every system is different and sometimes things act in ways that are hard to predict...however, my expectation is that, with the possible exception of the relatively minor issues mentioned above...you shouldn't have any problems upgrading. :)
Edited to add: I hope nothing I posted adds to your fears. The new features that have been added since DS4.0 are fantastic, and you should also see significant improvements in speed and render times. I do highly recommend upgrading...I just wanted to make sure you had a more complete sense of what to expect.
And just to let you know, you can keep a version of DS4 running, but it has to be on a different drive altogether. I know many content creators who do this, especially when they are in mid-build and can't entirely switch over to the newest iteration of the software. But it does have to be on a separate drive, as DS doesn't like to play with previous iterations of the same generation of itself.
Quick replies...
Yes
Thank you all for your input so far. I will have to work through the various points raised over time.
In response to FeralFey. I did wonder if this might be possible the other way around and you can load DS4.6 to an external. Although I fear it may cause more issues, so perhaps not my most sensible idea.
All feed back on anything else useful is of benefit.