Manual Install of content files
I was forced to reinstall Studio and DIM. I am trying to manually install all my content because DIM doesn't work. I have manually downloaded the content zip files and unzipped them. I read through the help files and this forum but the directory structure is a bit confusing. I am an old time Windows user and the Windows directory structure is not a mystery to me. I have Windows 7 and DAZ is split up into several separate directories.
The first two are in C:/users/public
The first is...
C:/users/public/documents/DAZ 3d/ (which seems to be used by DIM onnly)
the second is...
C:/users/public/documents/My DAZ 3d Library
The others are in my user directory which is C:/users/bill/
The third is ...
C:/users/bill/documents/DAZ/ 3D/Studio/My Daz Connect Library/
I read that I am supposed to put the content files in the content directory but there is no such directory to be found. Can anybody tell me exactly where the content files must go. Should I make a content directory? If so, where should it go?
Also the content zip files have are manifest files for DIM, where should they go?
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Comments
Go to edit > preferences or F2 > Content > Content Directory Manager > Daz Studio Formats. This is directory to install content is located. Or you can create your own directory and create path in DS back to directory.
What is the problem with DIM? Maybe try fixing that problem first.
The "Connect" directory is for the use of Connect install ONLY. It uses a different substructure and can't handle your regular structure.
As for the rest, DS doesn't care, as long as you tell it where the directory is.
The manifests are used for installing the content into the Database of Studio by DIM; youi won't have that if you install manually. The manifests belong in the DIM download folder for content.
If I knew what is wrong with DIM, I would fix it! Yesterday, I completly uninstalled both Studio and DIM. I deleted the DAZ 3D directories from C:/program files and C:/program files (x86) This also includes any references to DAZ in the Windows registry. I downloaded fresh versions of Studio and DIM from the DAZ website. First, I reinstalled Studio and that appeares to work OK. Then I reinstalled DIM. DIM partially restored some of my content but refused to see the rest of my content. There is now a directory named...
/Users/Public/Documents/DAZ 3D/InstallManager/Downloads
where there are some *.zip and *.dsx which probably are the DIM manifest files and the download files. The problem is that only a small part of my content is there.
I went to the orders page of the DAZ website found my content and tried to use DAZ to explicitly execute DIM using the link provided in the webpage. DIM should have download and install each of my content files but nothing happened! DIM did not see any of the rest of my content. Perhaps I missed some DIM configuration files that are not in the registry?
Because of the problems with DIM, I think I will be forced to manually download my content (at least that works). I need to know where to put the content. Should I manually put the downloaded content and content in this DIM directory or should I put it somewhere else? If a fix for DIM not working can be found, I would appreciate it.
Did you take care of the entries in C:\Users\YOUrUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\InstallManager? It contains ini files and such things.
Also, you need to change the "target directory" of DIM to the one where your already had initially installed the content. Did you do that? You'll find that in the top right corner, where the little cogwheel is. Check out the setting for Downloads; it should be a the default location (your new directory) right now, but you can chage it to your original location.
This is something that trips up a lot of people — you already have multiple content directories. They aren't directories named "Content", they're directories containing your content files. The three locations you noted (you can change this in the Content Directory Management dialog) are your content directories.
OK, now I understand that there is not a directory called "content". My original questioned has not been answered. Where does DIM typically put the content?
Also, I might have found why DIM can't see the content that is on the order page of the DAZ website. It seems that the configuration files for DIM might have been corrupted. I'm not sure if they are corrupted or not. The DIM settings are in ...
C:/Users/Bill_2/AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/InstallManager
I am a retired computer programmer and I never saw a directory structure that is so crazy.
Could it be that you have some files hidden? I'm just taking a guess, but since you said DIM was able to get some things, but not all of them that got me wondering if maybe there's a filter in effect, or some stuff is hidden. I use Connect to install most of my stuff, mostly because I'm new and all the newer tutorial I watched said to use connect, I get that a lot of more seasoned people don't like it, but I'm fine with it as well as the smart content pane ( I like the pretty pictures). All of that is beside the point, the reason I mentioned it is that there are some things that I can't use connect for, and that's where DIM helps me out, but I also have everything that I can install with Connect hidden in DIM, maybe somehow things got crossed up on your end and your stuff got hidden somehow. I know, it's a long shot, but might be worth checking out. There's a little check box near the top on the left side that you can use to unhide stuff.
There's a cogwheel icon in the top corner of the DIM window, click that and it takes you to the settings. The one you need to check is for actual content installation (don't confuse this with the content installer downloads location), which should be one of the folder paths in your first post.
Note that DIM and D|S don't talk to each other; if both are left at their default settings, DIM should be installing content in the same place as D|S is looking for installed content. It's always a good idea to check, just to make sure.
I had mixed results with DIM. Mostly it worked but sometimes not and I could not find a reason why. It also downloads by default to C: and I did not want to have the stuff on my small SSD (you can transfer it of course but that's additional effort). Every time I changed the default folders for downloads I got problems. So I always use the manual download, it is so easy and you have full control on anything.
That's where most applications will put user-specific settings - you should have a lot of folders named for publishers or applications in the roaming folder.
It's not possible. While using windows, some files are hidden but I dual boot to linux. Using linux, ALL the windows created files are visible because at that time, windows is not running. Note: I only use linux to inspect the files and I NEVER alter them in any way.
Note my note in my post above yours — if you change the settings only in DIM, then D|S won't know where your content is installed. You must check the settings in both DIM and D|S.
And I just noticed you only said "downloads" — DIM should be set up with completely different folders for downloaded content installer files, and unpacked, installed content files. Only the second one is of any interest to D|S, the location of the downloaded installers is irrelevant since D|S doesn't use them.
WS=> I'm not sure if this comment was meant for me or for wolfgangzeiler_9d28beaba3 .
If it was meant for me, (the original poster) perhaps I was not explicit enough. When manually downloading using my browser the content is put in the windows download directory. Once in the windows download directoer, I can extract the content but I dont know where to put the extracted files.
Bill Stanley
PS. To anybody reading this comment string
This is a long comment and some confusion is to be expected. I'm sure that someone will know where to put the manually downloaded content.
You put it anywhere you want, just tell studio where you put it.
Humor me a bit; the images show all.
First, if you use it - dim download shows where to download the install files - in my case, G:/dim-download (this is an external usb drive)
Then, dim install shows I have two installation (AKA 'content') directories -E:/s4stuff/gen5 - my true content directory - and G:/3D-tutorials - not really a content directory as Studio doesn't know about it - I use it for 'general' data, usually tutorials
edit preferences (In Studio- F2 or edit -> preferences shows where to get to the Studio directory management screen
And studio content directories shows the directories Studio knows about - gen5, mydata, and 3rd party; gen5 is where I put content from DAZ; mydata is where I save anything I create, and 3rd party is where I dump anything from other sources.
Finally - zip extracts shows what you want from the DAZ zip files - notice these are all inside the 'content' directory and need to go inside your content directory - gen5 in my case.
SpottedKitty surely answered to my post, correctly of course. But DIM had it's chance and failed due to my laziness and inability.
That time I installed Daz Studio and DIM together new twice or so (change of versions) and it did not work. I'm a buyer maniac, I buy so (too) much stuff but I don't miss DIM for downloads + install.
For manual install, it is very easy. I download the files to a set download folder (on my HD F:), unzip the files, cut the correct folders out and paste them into my Daz Studio content folder (also on F:). The Daz Studio program files are on C:, content folder and program do not have to be on the same HD or in the same folder. You can define in Daz Studio where it looks for the content, I have a Daz content folder and a Poser content folder (for old pre-Genesis stuff and the few Poser objects I use).
The only important thing to consider with manual install is not to transfer the "Content" folder from the downloaded and unzipped product but the sub-folders (mostly 3, "Data", "Runtime" and the actual category folder you find the stuff under in Daz Sudio, can be Props, Clothing, vendor name or what else). Otherwise it does not work.
Well, you miss all the updates when yoiu manually install. So it's worth to at least thing about downloading with DIM, and then manually install. Just a thought. :-)
Updates? What updates? Never thought of it, thank you. Is there a manual way to search for it? Otherwise I have to consider to use DIM again. Terrible perspective, I don't like digital bureaucrazy, aka installing programs.
You could use DIM as a download manager, to get updates, but manually isntall the zips after download.
Updates? What updates? Never thought of it, thank you. Is there a manual way to search for it? Otherwise I have to consider to use DIM again. Terrible perspective, I don't like digital bureaucrazy, aka installing programs.
First image above - tell DIM where you want the downloads to go and check the boxes for the content you want to download - and then do the downloads.
Now I think I understand! Correct me if I am wrong.
The reason why I couldnt get the name of a specific directory is because you can put your content files anywhere as long as Studio knows that it should look in that directory. I assumed that directory location was "hardwired" into Studio. Only one question remains...
There must be a configuration file that Studio uses to tell it to look into said directories. Could someone tell me how to incluude a new directory into Studio's search.
Thanks for the help.
Bill Stanley
Back in my first post - studio content directories; it shows the various types compressed so you need to click on he '+' sign on the left to expand them. Then click on the "DAZ Studio Formats" line to get an 'Add' option. Whatever you add will be at the bottom of the list - so click on it and use the 'Move Up' button to position it where you want it. You will also need to add the same directory to the 'Poser Formats' list, as a great deal of the older content is either in Poser format or contains Poser format entries.