Through 3 or 4 versions of Poser my runtime folders have become quite the mess. And I've been meaning to organize them for a long time now but I realize it's going to be a huge time consuming job. I know there are a few utility programs out there for helping with this, I'm just wondering what some opinions folks have on the best and easiest one to use. OR do I really need one and just organize the folders via Windows Explorer? Thanks for any recommendations!

explorer is absolutely ok for what you want to do. theres better ways to spend your tin.

The only folders you should organize are in the Libraries folders (but not !DAZ and other folders that don't equate to things in the library because the morph injection folders have to be in their default installation). It's really a manual effort and Explorer gets the job done since it's just a matter of creating directory folders for the categories that you want to organize around and moving the content that belongs in each. It's a bear of a task up front, but becomes easier once you've set up your own organization system.

Hi, I use explorer and Poser File Organizer. I got myself Poser File Organizer because my Runtimes were becoming too huge to navigate AND I was spending ages searching for stuff that I knew I had somewhere. I also was not very confident of simply manually moving stuff because there are so many referenced files (e.g. deltas, textures, objs, etc). The biggest help we could have is if ALL product creators used a helpful file and folder naming convention. Since this isn't going to happen, all you can do is bite the bullet and reorganize you own stuff. I have broken my two orginal runtimes (default and Downloads) into (Animals, Buildings & Settings, Effects, Natural, Props & Furniture, Runtime [characters i.e. V3, S3, M3 + All their clothes], Sci Fi, Vehicles and Weapons). Anyway, Poser file organizer has a slightly terse user interface but, once you get used to it, the utility really helps with moving all the related files and references around to other runtimes. One word of warning if you do use one of the poser file utilities - start out small, learning on a pair of test runtimes before you commit to any huge changes on your actual runtimes, because some of the options could leave you with many broken poser items. The PFO option to convert rsr (which you cannot see) to png (which you can preview) will also help when you use explorer to make your new folder structure and for renaming folders so that they are easier to navigate. HTH, Jovial.

I use P3DO Explorer (free from www.senosoft.com) - this has the advantage that you can see the thumbnails in the Explorer window, which is handy when items are named cryptically. I also use Hogsoft's Correct Reference Pro. It's pricey but an absolute lifesaver in sorting out incorrect texture calls, missing geometry files, etc.

Attached Link: http://www.baxbex.com/products.html

I have found Folder Box indispensible in helping organize folders. It adds more folders to the bottom of your Windows Explorer making the process of moving, copying etc from one folder to another very quick. It's also free for personal use. Scroll past the middle of the page to find it.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to do some investigating. I guess this job breaks down into two main tasks. Organizing the actual folder and then making sure all the referenced files can be found. (which was why I asked about something that Windows Explorer cannot do) I realized whenever I work in Poser now, half the time is spent looking for stuff. Thanks again for the advice. This sounds like it's going to be a weekend project! :)

I use CRPro if im going to move anything out of or between diffrent run times. It will take all the reference files with. the process is a bit strange, but once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy. if your just moving stuff in one runtime, use whatever explorer type program your comfortable with. i've not used Poser File Organizer but it looks like it could do the same thing.

I'm also thinking about a re-organisation of my runtimes too. I have grown weary of the way my Poser 6 keeps looking for Geometries and Textures which are not inside those runtimes that I add into my Poser 6 menu. And I certainly don't want to add more tha 4 or 5 runtimes there, because Poser 6 takes ages to launch otherwise. I use: 1) HogSoft's CRPro II, which helps in identifying what's actually missing from withint the same runtime, and 2) P3DO Explorer, which tells me which Geometries and Textures are called by my poser content file. Advance Library with its related utilities (Python Remote Call Procedure and pict2bmp) are extremely helpful to me for creative work without having to re-organise.

Okay, well you guys convinced me, I bought CRPro II. It's probably going to take me a week just to figure it out!:~)

I did it manually. Took an entire day, but well worth the effort. V3 and all her stuff is in its own runtime, so is M3. The other advantage of doing it manually, is that you really get to know your runtime. I rediscovered things I forgot I had. It was like getting new stuff. :D

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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At one time i thought about moving stuff manualy but i was afraid i would miss some texture or obj or something. I guess if i ran correct reference it really wouldnt matter which runtime the texture is in, just so long as it can be found... but im anal about these things so i use CRpro to move everything.

Yeah, I did make a mistake or two, but I just noted the name when the warning came up and moved the misplaced file to its appropriate place. No biggie.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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Whew! I thought I was the only lunatic to contemplate this! I actually did (naively) start moving stuff around on the basis of name, only to discover that some poses are figures, some props are figures, et cetera (sigh). Thanks for the pointers and thoughts. I was tempted to consider setting up individual folders for each major character but I think I like your outline better.