Hi, I have what feels like trillions of directories added to Daz's list of where to look for stuff, but most of the stuff I actually have is very scattered, and most of it just doesn't show up in Daz at all... even stuff that USED to show up just a little while ago. Like I made a gun in wings - exported it as an .obj file and posed the girl with it... yet a few days later when I went to get the .obj file for the gun again - so that the guy could have one too - the gun.obj was suddenly nowhere to be found. I can see it with Explore, but not Daz. So I'm thinking that maybe if I can put object files in just a few places, and get rid of directories that Daz doesn't need to look in, then maybe Daz will be able to see the gun... and other things that I need now and then. But I don't want to put ALL the objects in just ONE folder - they are curently sorted into categories, i.e. "Architectural" for buildings, arches, pipes, corridors and walls etc, "Sci-Fi" for guns, space stations, spacecraft, monorails etc, "Containers" for Ink bottles, Wine glasses, bowls and dishes, "Industrial" for Oil Drums, Bulkhead lights, switches etc "Towers" for Ruins, Hotels, Causeways, Medieval Castles... and so on and so forth. So I really don't want to lump all those together if I can help it - I'd never be able to find anything. But what about all the runtimes etc? PROBLEM 1: I don't know how to STOP Daz from looking at certain folders. PROBLEM 2: I know that Daz only likes some sorts of folder, or that some stuff will only work in Daz if it's in certain folders... like "Runtime". But there is more than 1 "Runtime" folder. (every time you download something it seems to create yet another Runtime folder when it installs - are they ALL necessary?) PROBLEM 3: how do I know which "Runtime" directories are actually necessary, and which ones can be amalgamated into just the one??? SO... is there some sort of tutorial somewhere on how to do this sort of housekeeping for Daz?

This is probably going to sound confusing, but, bear with me for a minute ;) When you get an item, whether for sale or free, that begins with a "Runtime" folder, the folders within are meant to follow their structure. For instance, here is the basic hierarchy. Runtime - Top of the folder tree Inside Runtime - Geometries - Contains the .obj files of items that are in the Figures or Props folders. libraries - Contains the Delta folders (which are not directly utilized, but are used by morph injections, i.e. INJ/REM poses), camera, character, face, hair, hand, light, Pose, and Props folders. textures - contains the textures for use in MAT poses, and/or textures used for props and figures in their default states. The Geometries folder is usually separated by Creator, then by product, if they're organized. For instance the DAZPeople folder contains the .obj files of each of the DAZ figures, V3, M3, etc., in the folder, without being separated. The textures folder is normally separated by creator, but sometimes by the name of the texture. For instance, I have a DAZ folder that is separated by Characters and Props, and then I have a separate folder for the Nyoko Haire (for Aiko 3) within the texture folder. Everything in these folders needs to stay there, because the files in the "libraries" folder will call on them to be in a certain spot. For instance, I want to load V3. If I've moved the geometries folder, DAZ|Studio can no longer locate her .obj, and will either fail to load V3, or crash. If I want to load a MAT file for V3, and I've moved the textures folder, DAZ|Studio will alert me that it cannot find the texture, and ask me to look for it. Now, here's where organization comes in to play ;). DAZ|Studio can read any runtime, anywhere on your computer, regardless of whether or not it's on the same drive as the program ;). I have 12 separate runtimes, one for each figure I have, one for animals, one for props (by far, my largest runtime), one for my projects, and one for projects that I'm working on with friends. What I do is I start by naming the runtime. Let's say you want your runtime to be for Animals. Name the folder Animals. Find the .zip or .exe that contains the runtime of the animal that you want to install to that runtime, and unzip it, making sure that the Runtime folder is at the start. Some creators (usually freebie creators, as no store that I know of at the moment will let content pass with the Runtime folder inside another) will put their runtime inside a folder with either their name on it or the files' name. If you come across one, just unizip the folder, and copy the runtime and paste it into the runtime folder you've set up. When you've set up that runtime folder, go to Edit, and choose Preferences. Then, choose Directories, and choose Poser Content Directories from the dropdown menu. Choose Add, then navigate to the folder you've created. Click ok, and it will now appear in your list. You can also delete content directories from this menu, by highlighting the directory and choosing "Remove". You can also start with a clean slate by choosing "Remove All". You should now see your new runtime in your content palette. You can also do this automatically, however, the best way I've found for DAZ|Studio to find a content directory on its' own is to do this: Inside the directory you've created, create a .txt file and call it Poser. Open the text file, and save it as Poser.exe. You now have a blank .exe that DAZ|Studio can read as the beginning of a runtime directory. This is also helpful in installing DAZ content, if you choose to have its' installers find your "Poser" runtimes itself. (You can also choose to navigate to them yourself, which I find faster.) I have to run for a bit, but I'll be back to explain more about creating content for yourself in DAZ|Studio structures, rather than Poser structures ;) MS

But I don't have poser on this machine, does that matter?

It doesn't matter in the least. ;) that empty .exe is just named that so the installers and program have a poser.exe to find and associate a runtime with ;)

DAZ|Studio won't see inside it unless the folder structure is set up properly. These folders, do they all contain things you've made? What I would recommend, rather than just putting items inside folders and expecting Studio to find them, is save the items as a "scene". You can "turn off" items you don't want saved in a scene by going to your scene palette and clicking on the eye so they're "invisible", and the scene will have only what you want in it. You can organize those as you see fit ;). They don't need to have a file structure set up for them, just save them as a scene file, and place it where you feel it should go ;)

No, just about all the folders except "Wings3D" contain either freebies or bought stuff from Daz....

"Wings3D" is the only place where my own models are stored. But now NONE of those are showing up.

"Gazebo" I think I can delete since that was a free model from Sams3D but it doesn't work in Daz at all. But everything else has stuff that works... or used to...

Message edited on: 12/21/2005 12:01

Ok, when you install something, whether it's a freebie or purchased, are you installing it to a dummy runtime, and then just moving it over, or installing it right into Studio?

The folder icons with lines on them are DAZ|Studio content directories - if you put Poser files (like the SMS3D Gazebo) in there you won't see the files (the plain icons are Poser content directories - if you put D|S native files in them you won't see anything either).

MorriganShadow, The installer just says "I'm gonna install this in Daz, okay?" So I just click "ok". The installers have put stuff wherever THEY felt like it. RHaseltine, Lines? What lines?

Look at the folder icons in the screen shot you posted - some are plain (for Poser content) and some have lines (for D|S files actually, peering close I think it may be a DAZ|Studio 'S' - I've never seen it as that before)

The problem seems to be that you have poser and daz studio installs mixed together. As richard said, the 'lined' folders indicate daz stduio content, unlined = poser. Separating the two sets of folders will make life easier. For example, you can apply either DS or poser poses, but you can't save pose presets in DS to a poser folder, so you need to know which type of content you're working with. Here's how my DS folders are set up. daz studio/content/all my daz studio folders daz studio/content/Runtime/libraries/all my poser folders In other words, Runtime is a sub-folder of Content and all my poser stuff goes in there. The DS stuff goes in Content. mac

Sorry RHaseltine, It took me a long time to finally realise what you were talking about with those "lines" - in the end I had to open the image in PSP and zoom right in before I could see anything at all. I don't think those Daz Studio "S" things have any actual meaning... Since that Gazebo folder has that on it, and it's a poser thing... which is why it doesn't work in Daz - it's not even VISIBLE in Daz. maclean, "Separating the two sets of folders will make life easier." How? That's what I need to know. "For example, you can apply either DS or poser poses, but you can't save pose presets in DS to a poser folder, so you need to know which type of content you're working with." Um.... I can see how - logically - that might be the case but in practical terms it means absolutely nothing to me. "daz studio/content/all my daz studio folders daz studio/content/Runtime/libraries/all my poser folders" So actually you have 2 daz studios and two content folders too... does that mean you have to install Daz twice? All this is totally confusing to me.

Sorry, fran. Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I only have one install of daz studio. In it are my DS folders, plus a poser Runtime. When I install either a DS or poser product, I point the installer there, and it all goes in the right folders. So, I have this, daz studio/content/DS folders + Runtime/libraries The Runtime is a sub-folder of Content, and it's liad out just like a normal poser Runtime with the libraries (Figures, Poses, etc), textures, etc. Re the poses - Both Poser and DS poses will work in DS. That is, you can apply them to a figure in DS. But if you're using DS, you can't save a pose as a Poser pose (if you know what I mean). It can only be saved as DS file in a DS folder. If you have a poser folder open, the Save As menu will be grayed out. mac

"I don't think those Daz Studio "S" things have any actual meaning... Since that Gazebo folder has that on it, and it's a poser thing... which is why it doesn't work in Daz - it's not even VISIBLE in Daz." It's a DAZ|Studio content folder because you told D|S to make it one (you probably forgot to click the button at the top of the Directories tab to select Poser content folders instead) and that's why the files aren't showing up - D|S won't show Poser content in D|S content folders or vice versa. If you move the gazebo files to a Poser content directory, or select the Gazebo folder (assuming it holds the Runtime folder) as a Poser Content folder then you will be able to load the SAMS3D gazebo, I know it does work because I've loaded it myself.

RHaseltine, "then you will be able to load the SAMS3D gazebo, I know it does work because I've loaded it myself." It does??? Oh... Only when I had problems with it I asked SAMS3D and they SAID it wouldn't work in Daz, and they made it... (shrug) Go figure! "(you probably forgot to click the button at the top of the Directories tab to select Poser content folders instead) " Er... no, I wouldn't put it like that... It's more like I didn't realise there WAS a button.

Here is a link to tutorial that helped me understand Poser file folder structure. http://www.morphography.uk.vu/fileguide_1.html

jestmart, Unfortunately that doesn't look like being much help to me as it's on organising Poser... and I don't have poser.

I see, so I just click on those two do I? I'll try it now... Oh my gawd!!!! I tried it but hastily cancelled it. That action seemed to be adding about another million directories and Daz Studio has already screamed at me that it has more than 10 and won't be able to cope. So I cancelled it in case it melted Daz completely instead of it just being crippled..... (has a think) Mind you, Daz being crippled isn't allowing me to do anything with it anyway, so shall I just let it add another massive load of directories anyway? I won't actually do anything unless you say I should - just in case.

Make a note of the folder containing the Runtime you want to add (eg, if you wanted to add the Gazebo, and you'd unzipped it so your had C:GazeboRuntimeGeometries, C:GazeboRuntimelibraries and C:GazeboRuntimeTextures it would be the gazebo folder you'd make a note of). Make sure you're showing the Poser content directories panel, click Add and click the +s until you reach and select, in this example, Gazebo. OK out and the folder should be added, and you'd be able to select the figure by going to +Gazebo+Figures+Sams3d. Having said that, you don't want a separate entry for every item - you're better off creating a few Runtimes (for types of thing, or makers, or periods - whatever seems a sensible way of spliting stuff down) and unzipping/installing all things that go under each heading to the same place. You'll end up with one Runtime folder in each location, and each Runtime will contain Geometries, libraries and textures folders, which will hold files from several different products (or in the case of the libraries folder will hold a set of library category folders with folders hodling files for different products).