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For the reason cited above—it needs to download as a single bundle if it's coming from the Mac App Store, but once it's down and running it can run its own installer and move files out of the bundle and to other approved locations within the system.
And in those cases where the user may need to point the program somewhere with the open file dialog, it absolutely should.
Additionally, you have your own CMS. You're not using the Mac App Store to distribute Carrara. You probably ought to follow more of their guidelines for the whole user experience thing, but Carrara would be much more comfortable with those libraries in the folder with the app.
At times like this, I like to point to Reason. Wildly successful, doesn't distribute through the Mac App store, uses an application bundle, and still stores the user accessible data in a folder with the application (outside the bundle). Also, it has a pretty darned vibrant "Rack Extension" architecture (essentially plug-ins which add devices to the virtual rack) introduced officially in Reason 6.5... and those are all stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/Rack Extensions.
It's a different branch of the creative arts, but you could learn a few things studying that program. Oh, and the demo is a free download. Does everything except save.Based on Apple Published guidelines it can go either way. Based on the APP Store QA, they belong in the .app folder.
In either case we can't just move things around and have them work, it is going to take significant dev time to do it and while it is on the list, it has never had the priority of anything else, nor does it significantly, negatively, impact use of Carrara to have it in the App folder.
I beg your pardon? Seriously?
On a new install of Carrara 8.5 Pro on Mac with Mimic installed straight from the DIM, try the following steps:
1. Open a blank scene. (30' Medium resolution will work.)
2. Drag Michael 5 into the scene. (Note that he has to be dragged from the Smart Content tab rather than the Content tab, otherwise Carrara crashes; this has been reported.)
3. In the scene hierarchy, select Michael 5 > Genesis.
4. In the properties window, select the Mimic tab, and then select the "Load DMC File" window.
5. A file dialog pops up, asking you to "Select a configuration file to open..."
If yours is a standard install of Carrara and Mimic, then the file you need to select is at /Applications/Daz 3D/Carrara8.5 64-bit/Carrara/Contents/MacOS/Mimic Content/Configuration Files/Genesis.dmc.
Also, if yours is a standard install of Mac OS, then you can't get to that file with the file dialog without one of two seriously skeezy workarounds.
So without those workarounds, Mimic is inherently broken.
You might as well just save your work. By the way, the User Scenes folder is located at /Applications/Daz 3D/Carrara 8.5 64-bit/Scenes/UserScenes. That is, until a future correction tucks that folder away within the bundle too. Then you can't reach that folder with the file save dialog either.
Both of the workarounds for Mimic involve using the "Show Package Contents" contextual menu action on the Carrara bundle in Finder. If your app's workflow requires that even once, it's got some serious issues. And Carrara Mac users have been advised to do that how many times so far? There's the Native Content install, there's Mimic, eventually that'll become necessary for the User Scenes folder...
Still undecided about the 8.5 update. Those of you who made the plunge, how is stability compared to the previous release?
Also I was thinking that it would be useful to compile a list of the known issues in one post, perhaps the first one in this thread. However it would obviously need to be maintained by someone. I can volunteer for such a task if you think this might be worthwhile, but then I'd need to start a new thread.
I am not up for keeping a list, but I would contribute to the thread. I can edit the title of this thread as well, so as not to confuse others...if you do that.
I would make it "Known Issues", and not "bugs"...as stuff we consider issues (i.e. see the C9 Feature request thread) are not really bugs in most cases, but things that don't work the way that it may be expected to work, but is working as designed.
Eventually the official "bug" list will be viewable per Daz_spooky, but even then, it is different than an issues list.
EDIT: ...and by the way, the only problems I ran into that caused crashing had workarounds. One a confirmed bug, one an issue with the new Fast Mip Map and a plugin conflicting. Otherwise, rock-solid.
I did the math and found myself a whopping 50 european cents short of being able to afford the update, and won't be getting paid for at least a couple of weeks. I guess that made the decision for me :D
I crumbled -- as expected -- and 8.5 Pro is downloading as I type this. *sigh*
Well given that DAZ seems to be moving fairly slowly with the website improvements I think maintaining the list here is worth it.
I'll make another thread here titled "Carrara 8.5 Known Issues" shortly.
Edited to add, the new thread is here: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/28858/
Glad to hear it! :) I will be in Europe next week, if we run into each other, I will give you 50 cents European ;-)
(btw, I changed the title of this thread, so it does not confuse people with your new thread)