Running out of primary ssd space, can I use an outboard drive for main Studio content?

nowefg

Sorry if this is a tired old topic. Not sure how to phrase the question in a subject line, or search for it:

I've been benefiting from the all the sales and promotions, accumulating so many models, now, that my 118gb ssd is near full.

This is especially problematic when both poser and studio versions need to be installed to work properly. The drive is packed.

I do have an outboard 1tb drive for storage/archive; is there a way to get Studio to load models directly from this non-primary drive?

The alternative, upgrading to a larger ssd, is inevitable, but I'm wanting to save for a new build.

Can I run Studio 4.6 from a non-primary drive? I thought to just install Studio on the outboard, conventional disk, but the ssd really speeded

things up when I first installed it. I'd like to keep that advantage, but be able to specify paths for the content.

Is this possible?

Sylvan

I am using a number of hd's, including an SSD one.
I installed the main software such as DAZ and windows on the SSD and all the content goes on a separate drive.
In DAZ I point to the right map where the runtimes are.
To me, it's a shame to use the fast SSD space for storage, so I only use it get things started fast :)

fixmypcmike

Yes, you can out your content on an external drive.

nowefg

Thank you, fixmypcmike, and Estroyer,

Yes, you can out your content on an external drive.

In DAZ I point to the right map where the runtimes are.

Great news, but I'm not getting what "point to the right map" means. What map?

When I install Studio, it puts the runtime folder on the same drive that the application installs itself, on the ssd, along with all the other folders--scene, environments, etc.

If I move these content folders to a second drive, how do i tell Studio where they are?

frank0314

Add the new location of library through the Content Manager

nowefg

Thanks, Frank0314,

I have a glimmering of where you're pointing, and will give that a try.

frank0314

GO to Edit>Preferences>ContentLibrary Tab> Content Directory Manager at the bottom and add your locations for the DS Format and the Poser format

nowefg

Thanks, Frank0314,

So, moving MY Library over to the outboard drive, and following your instructions. Excellent. Simple.

It's a bizarre thing to see a great new model, or a great older one I hadn't yet seen, like it enough to buy it, and then have to wonder if I can squeeze it onto my machine, even removing some oldies but goodies to make room.

With 600gb free on the second drive, I ought to be able to last long enough to get the new hardware I'm needing.

Studio is always surprising me with all that it can do, that I just don't know it can do. The forums are a great help with that,

and I appreciate all the input, but especially the necessary specifics.

frank0314

I have 2 2TB hard drives in the PC. I also have 1 2TB and 1 1TB external. I won't be running out of room anytime soon

SickleYield

I would never put my DAZ libraries on an SSD! Those things can go boom any second. I keep them on the big SATAs and my Windows partition on the SSD instead.

nowefg

Yikes ...

2 2TB hard drives in the PC. I also have 1 2TB and 1 1TB external

with that much headroom, I'd have trouble setting aside enough cash for i7 wonder machine on the drawing board.

Between last month's PA sale, and this month's promotion, which started slow for me but is ramping up with some wonderful, must have models and other content, I'm way behind my timeframe, as is.

frank0314

I spent a pretty penny building this PC, but I make content for a living so you need a big stable system that you don't have to worry about for a while

SickleYield

Frank0314 said:

I spent a pretty penny building this PC, but I make content for a living so you need a big stable system that you don't have to worry about for a while

+1

nowefg

I spent a pretty penny building this PC, but I make content for a living so you need a big stable system that you don’t have to worry about for a while

For me, it's just fun and art, but I take that quite seriously, and count it worth a significant investment.

What processor did you opt for? I'm looking at i7 3770k, 32gb ram, 850 watt ps, and, clearly, lots more storage.

On the subject of my initial post, thanks for the heads-up about Content Library Manager and switching content drives. It worked, though it took hours to move everything. I was awestruck by the amount of data involved.

The one glitch is in saving a scene or set; the content drew from the outboard drive, (with just a momentary response lag compared the main ssd,) but it saved to the wrong drive.

I didn't have much time to hunt for the cause of that mis-send, but didn't see any glaringly obvious way to determine where the saved set should go. Instead of the outboard library where it got the content, it sent the saved set to the ssd.

Admittedly, I tend to be minimalist about these technicalities, until there's a problem. Mostly, I just want to focus on the images I'm building; after a year of exploring Studio, I can create a respectable image, but trip over simple, starter things like this second content drive question.

Thanks again to all for the input and help. Any tips about the save question?

Sylvan

That made me wondering, how do you people backup your content?
On an external server or on a physical drive?

SickleYield

Estroyer said:

That made me wondering, how do you people backup your content?
On an external server or on a physical drive?

I maintain two content installs (one on this laptop and one on the main). Physical backup via usb is too slow to do regularly given the terabytes of content we're talking about, and ditto external server. You can set up backups to just update with the new things added, but you've still got to get through that big first upload/copy, and that's what has gotten me so far. I have installer/zip files on a different internal drive from my DAZ library as well, for added redundancy.