DSON Importer for Poser BETA (1.1.3.29), Now Available!

DAZ_Brian

DAZ 3D is pleased to announce the public version of DSON Importer for Poser BETA, version 1.1.3.29!

What is a BETA?

Despite our best efforts, DAZ 3D cannot possibly test the software under all possible conditions. So, we are providing a version of the application to the general public in order to uncover problems that were not discovered during internal/private testing. We expect that there will still be problems and we hope that when users encounter any problems, they will report them to the Bug Tracker so that they can be validated, prioritized and fixed.

As with any software classified as being in the BETA phase of development, you should expect to encounter bugs. Any bugs you do encounter while using BETA software can vary in terms of severity, from minor features that do not work correctly to problems that cause your computer to crash. Before choosing to use BETA software for production purposes, you should decide whether the benefit of new features and bug fixes provided by the BETA version outweighs the risk of instability you may encounter.

Public Build, BETA, what is the difference?

Public Build is a release channel. BETA is a phase of development.

DSON Importer for Poser is distributed through four separate channels; Production, Public Build, Private Build and Dev. The Production channel is where the General Release build is distributed and is open to the general public. The Public Build channel is where the builds that are not considered stable yet are provided for testing by the general public; this channel typically provides a build that is in the BETA phase of development, but technically can provide a build in the ALPHA phase. The Private Build channel is similar to the Public Build channel, except it is limited to a select group of individuals that serve as the "front line" or the "canary in a coal mine" for a time before the build is promoted to a less restricted channel; this channel is more likely to see an ALPHA build than the Public Build channel is. The Dev channel is for a much smaller group of individuals; this channel provides "bleeding edge" ALPHA builds; sometimes referred to as "nightly", although the builds are not limited to one per night nor to strictly occurring at night.

Will this Public Build replace the General Release?

While builds in the Public Build channel do eventually replace the build in the Production channel, the existence of a public build does not preclude builds that are currently in the Private Build channel from replacing the General Release before one in the Public Build channel does. One of the reasons we provide a Public Build channel is to gain broader coverage of the various fixes/additions. Sometimes fixes/additions in the Public Build channel are validated more quickly than others and can be integrated into the Production channel while the remaining, more risky, changes are allowed to "bake" a while longer.

What is new in this version? Do I need to update my copy?

The 1.1.3.29 version is a maintenance release and resolves some key issues discovered since the 1.1.2.117 General Release. All new downloads of the DSON Importer for Poser BETA product (SKU: 16190) will be of this version. A Change Log with additional information can be viewed online within the Documentation Center portion of our site.

Highlights are:

- Fixed bulge support
- Fixed an issue with ancestors affecting child bones correctly
- Optimized ancestors affecting children bones
- Fixed subdivision UVs

DSON Importer for Poser shares code with the DAZ Studio core, and so it is built every time DAZ Studio is built. Sometimes that means a build doesn’t have anything that should directly affect how the importer operates (i.e. additions, tweaks, fixes that don’t affect reading, writing, geometry, etc) but is part of the shared core, while other times it means something in the shared portion of code does affect it, or something specific to the importer in an unshared portion of code. Regardless, it gets built so that we can keep them synchronized, as that helps us (and you) keep track of which versions of the importer are intended to support content made in a particular version of DAZ Studio; assuming a given feature is supported.

The last two numbers in the version (i.e. 1.1.x.x) of DSON Importer for Poser will generally be the same as the current version of DAZ Studio. There can be exceptions, but they will typically stay in sync. If Install Manager tells you that there is an update, the version it provides is the current one, and thus the one you should be using to ensure the best compatibility with content in the DSON format.

Has the Genesis Starter Essentials or the Genesis 2 Starter Essentials (Male/Female) packages been updated too?

No, the Genesis Starter Essentials and Genesis 2 Starter Essentials packages provided with the product have NOT been updated beyond what is currently available with the General Release.

*Note: Install Manager users are notified of product updates when they occur.

How do I get the latest version?

If you have previously added the DSON Importer for Poser product to your account, you can locate the BETA within the Product Library [once you are logged into your account] by entering "DSON Importer for Poser" into the text field near the top left of the page and clicking the "Filter" button, or by clicking here. Then, simply click the "Download" button next to the file(s) you wish to download and install.

If you have NOT previously added the DSON Importer for Poser product to your account, simply follow this link, click the "Add to Cart" button on the page and then follow the checkout process.

Can I have the General Release and the BETA installed at the same time?

The simple answer is... You should only have one version of the DSON Importer for Poser installed at a time.

The more complicated answer is yes, but you can only have one version of DSON Importer for Poser installed per installation of Poser 9/Pro 2012, 10/2014. Poser 9 and 10 are only 32 bit, while Poser Pro 2012 and 2014 offer the ability to install both a 32 bit version and a 64 bit version.

Is there any documentation?

Yes, documentation is located here. Within the User Guide section, you will find information relating to:

- Installation and Requirements
- Using the DSON Importer for Poser
- Converting Content for use with the DSON Importer for Poser