Reading the forums I hear a lot of people talking about having multiple runtimes. My question is where do you put them so that Poser can find the files in them correctly? I want Poser to find the obj.'s and texture files without having to teach it first. Is there a tutorial some place?

Thanks, dogor

it locates the obj geom and texture files in each runtime relative to the path in the cr2 file in a given runtime. at least that part is automatic.

That's even harder to change Miss Nancy. I hear people talking about having 40 or more runtimes. How do they get Poser to find the file directories in them when it's named runtime 30 or whatever annnnd where did they put all of them? :)

Having external runtimes just means that the folders are stored outside of the Poser directory.  Ever since Version 5 we've been able to use external runtimes and to link them to Poser using the "Add Runtime" dialog box.  The folder structure is the same as the Runtimes inside Poser.

I have, at last count, 47 external runtimes, none of which is named Runtime.  They have names that tell me what is in them, like Victoria3 Characters, Victoria3 Clothing ... things like that.  I have external runtimes for my Props which are split up into category (buildings, vehicles, vegetation) and then by brokerage (Renderosity, RDNA, PoserPros and DAZ) and then by merchant.  Each of those folders is a nested Runtime.

If you have P5 or better and have the printed manual, there is a tutorial in there on how to create and link/unlink external runtimes.

I use Semidieu's Shaderworks app.  It creates the XML preferences file using the windows folder interface.  You don't need to use the Poser library Add Runtime feature in this case. 

The folder structure is the same. Poser keeps trying to find everything in it's native runtime instead of the new external runtime. I upgraded to Poser 7. I know it can be done, I just never had enough content to need to create additional runtimes until now. Thanks, I can always read the manual huh?

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2678977

 Acadia, I did look at the other post and I think it helped me. I created a file named Victoria 4. Inside of that folder I created a runtime folder with all the directory folders inside it like your supposed to and it worked right. I didn't realize that I had to place a runtime folder inside of the folder that I called "whatever" if you know what I'm saying. I was just renaming my runtime folder and you can't do that. The runtime folder always has to be called runtime, but it can be placed inside of a folder that can be named whatever you want it to be called and it can be put anyplace you want like say in My Documents.  It works properly now anyways. Before P7 couldn't find the proper runtime folder to look in because the CR2 always points to a folder called runtime. Am I right?

yeah, it looks like the cr2 or pz3 file will reference any external drive and any hierarchy of folders to define the path to the texture files, but the cr2 file or pz3 file will only reference "Runtime" in the path to the obj geometry file. at least pre-P7, which I don't have yet.

I have been having external runtimes for a couple of years now in P6 and also since I got P7 a few weeks ago and you can name them what you like so long as it starts with "runtime"  My runtimes are labeled, for instance, "runtime Aiko" and "runtime hair"....I usually never have issues with poser not finding the correct files except for one particular hair model but I attribute it to just another bug in P7
Hope this helps.

I gotta tell you, external runtimes don't have to start with "Runtime".  I have 47 of them out on one of my external hard drives and none of them start with "Runtime".  They're named for the content that goes in them (i.e.: Victoria 3 Characters, Victoria 3 Clothing, Vehicle Props, DAZ Hair), that kind of thing.  I've been doing this since Version 5 and I love being able to set up external runtimes on the fly whenever I get a new character.  I just create a folder named for the Character or Creator (like Sixus 1) and then extract or install to the folder.  The Runtime structure is built for me by the zip file or the installer.  P7 has no problems locating any of my models using this organization system when I load and unload external runtimes.

Well, after putting it off thru P5, P6, and now P7, I'm finally going to try splitting my old P4/PP single (52Gig) runtime up into multiples - Anyone know of a utility that could xfer the geometries and textures into the appropriate runtimes if I split the libraries up?  as much bloat as I have, doing it manually is not an option - Any python scripts or such out there?

Jerry

Victoria_Lee,
I think you'll notice that -(inside)- those folders you named and extracted too is a folder called Runtime. It's needed for the cr2 and pz3 files. You can create a folder anyplace you want and call it whatever you want, but inside you need a folder named Runtime. Look at your downloads folder in Poser. It's called downloads and inside it is a folder named Runtime. I guess you could custom edit your cr2's and pz3's to look for a diffrent name, but most  downloaded content looks for a Runtime folder at some point I think.

Jerry,
I'd look around in the market place, I know there are some runtime utility programs available but I don't know if they would do what you want. 

Thanks to everyone, Later
dogor

dogor, I've been using Poser for over 5 years now and am very familiar with the runtime structure of Poser,  

What I was responding to was the quote by amberlover13 that said

Quote - you can name them what you like so long as it starts with "runtime" 

I merely pointed out that the folders don't have to be named "runtime something", that the runtime was created inside the folders.

Victoria_Lee, five years is long enough I guess! My mistake and I'm sorry.

Later,
dogor 

Hi All,
I am a new user to all this and I have the honor of starting with Poser 7.
I thought the hard part was going to be learning the program but actually the most frustrating thing so far is organizing the content.
That being said, can we just back track a bit for the newbee?

So if I want to make a new runtime folder do I need to start with a copy of the base runtime folder from the program which has a group of empty folders in it (library, pose, material...) or can I just make a new folder and call it Sydney Runtime and start unzipping into it, and yes I understand that I don't have to use the word "runtime" in the name.

And if there are any Poser 7 users in the San Francisco East Bay, I would love to hook up.

Thanks

Morrey

Just set up the folder structer the same way that the Poser 7 runtime is set up. 

Create a new folder and name it "Runtime"

Then inside there create the following:

Geometries
Textures
Libraries

Inside the Libraries folder create the following:

Camera
Face
Hand
Character
Props
Poses

Then put your newly created runtime folder inside another folder and name that folder whatever you like. I have runtimes with the following names:

V3 Character Addons (includes the base figure and morphs)
V3 Clothing
M3 Character Addons (includes the base figure and morphs)
M3 Clothing
Aiko
Plants and Flowers
Backgrounds and Environments
SP3 Character Addons (includes the base figure and morphs)
SP3 Clothing
Animals
Vehicles
Lights
Poses
Props
Angels and Faeries
Mermaids
etc. etc. etc. etc.  I have over 40 separate runtimes.

Inside each of those folders is:

• Runtime
• A text file that I have renamed to poser.exe so that when I install stuff Poser can find the runtimes.
• Readme
• Templates
• Scenes

After you have installed your content, help Poser out by looking into your "Libraries" folders and making a copy of the !DAZ folder and pasting it to the Poser 7 Libraries folder.  This will helps speed Poser's search for morphs because it looks first to the default Poser folder before moving on.

Oh; I would say "and two last things", but I would be lying.

Do you put all the runtimes in the original Poser 7 download folder, the Poser 7 folder or just anywhere?

And do you use the Content Tab's "Install From Zip Archive" button to distribute the Zipped content?

Thanks again.

Morrey

You can put them wherever you like.  Some put them on an external drive.  I have mine sitting in a folder called "External Runtimes" inside "My Documents" as well as my spare D Drive.

As for installing / unzipping files, I never do that directly to the runtime folders. I always direct the .exe file or the .zip file to deposit the files into a folder of my choosing on my desktop. That way I can go in and look and move things around if needed.  Not all files are packaged into proper runtime structure and not all people package their files up with congruent names.  What they name a folder inside the poses folder, may not be the same as the folder that is deposited into the props or hand or camera folders.  So I go in and rename all newly deposited folders so that they have the same name and I know that they belong together as a package.  Then when I look for something I can look in all of the folders in the library and if I see a folder with the same name in the character, poses and props, I know that those files all make up a package and I look into them to see if there is anything in there that I may want to add to the scene. It makes life so much easier to find things when common folders are named the same.

The only thing you need to create inside your new runtime is the folder named "runtime" itself. Poser will create all other directories it needs itself. And I would not recommend to place runtimes anywhere inside another runtime as Poser will write completely nonsense paths when you save something to those runtimes then... (That's even true for Poser's Download runtime...)

Dizzi,
Does your Advanced Library work with poser 7?
Morrey

It works well, the only problem is the PRPcD, it blockes other Python scripts when running. So, when you need an other Python script, you have to shut down PRPcD.

I got Poser 7 a little while ago, having previously used Poser 4 and 6 (I missed 5 entirely). So, I've got just 3 Runtime folders, one from each version of Poser. Personally, I find it a real pain loading, say V3 from one runtime, then a pair of shoes for V3 from another, then an outfit from another etc. Especially as Poser isn't fast on my machine. So I was considering just moving everything into my Poser 7 Runtime, tedious a task as it may be. However, some of the other organisational methods proposed here seem to be good ideas. I'll have to think about this. All I'm really concerned with is speeding up my workflow and making it easier. I have heard that overloading Poser's Runtime with models slows it down; what does everyone think?

This will probably seem elementry to most of you but, to move a folder, do I need to drag and drop it to keep the cr2 file working or can I just cut and paste to the new runtimes?

Morrey

If you are on a PC you can just drag and drop.  Or you can "cut and paste" or you can "copy and paste" and then delete the original.  I tend to do the last one usually just in case my computer crashes. I'm paranoid of losing stuff,  lol

So, does Poser load faster when all the content is contained in external runtimes, rather than inside the Poser runtime? Does it make a difference at all? In or out, that's the choice... external runtimes or internal sub-folders?

Yes, Poser loads real fast and you'll have more room in memory for rendering.

Ok I got a question, I'm Poser 4/Pro Pack. I've got almost 10 GB of content, running Pbooost 1.4. I spent nearly a week installing all kinds of files for Victoria 1, 2, 3..., Mike 1, 2, 3..., Aiko....etc. 

So obviously, because I don't have a DVD Burner, I am left to ponder backing up all my stuff. I wondered about going into windows explorer and doing my back up in there, but it amounts to the same thing....too many files to fit on one regular CD. 

Anyways, say I *were *needing to reinstall everything having to do with Victoria 3 from scratch....logic dictates that I could install everything to a runtime folder, copy that runtime to another location....(CD if the runtime were small enough) and just copy that runtime to the Poser directory when I needed it...

Of course, I would rename the original runtime to something else.....

Would this work?

Oh yeah, when I reinstall Poser/Runtime I am saying without using Pboost....

Yes, it would work.  I have done this many times.  I use an external hard drive to back up all my stuff because, as you said, CD's aren't big enough.  If you have a local used computer store around you, you can buy an old hard drive with some size to it, that works, for cheap and get an external USB drive adapter and easily backup your runtimes to it and just copy them back when you need to.

Alright! Thanks Larry! I do have a small hard drive somewhere, though it's only 6 GB...I did see the usb adapter on ebay...guess I will look for a drive on there also...