In my ignorance as a Poser newbie, I downloaded items by unzipping directly to the "Poser 6" folder.  I now realize that this has made it harder to me to remove downloaded items because I don't know what went  where to start with and can't distinguish a downloaded  file from a Poser 6 file..

So, I moved all my own scene files  to another directory, uninstalled Poser 6 and reinstalled it fresh (with latest service release). Here on, I will  unzip  to an isolated folder, inventory what goes where and doublecheck that the correct placements are made. 

The reason for this post is that I am using a spreadsheet to inventory the files that are downloaded.   The  spread sheet has three columns:

Download name, Path used, downloaded file.

I intend to use this spreadsheet whenever I need to take a downloaded item out of my libraries.

My question is: is there a piece of software already available that does what I'm trying to do manually with the spreadsheet.  I.e, keep track of what a download puts in so that it can be backed out later?

Not entirely, that I'm aware of.

That said, Hogwarden's PBooost II and CRPro II may be a lot of help to you.

That you for that recommendation.  I can see how they would be very valuable, but I also see they do not do directly address what I was after.  I'll probably get them later when I have learned more about Poser and can understand the issues they address.

I don't know.  Maybe keeping tract of my content manually will be good practice for learning where files go in Poser.

I know his/her pain....I usually know where stuffage goes but some folks have such obscure ways of naming items that it's difficult to figure out just what something is and who it's even for. 

The nearest thing I know of, that may fill your requirements is over at DAZ. Follow the link below:

3D Content Database

Best system is K.I.S.S Keep is simple stupid. (Common phrase)

Imagine thousands of installed items, and the time it would take tracking them. You'll using more time managing then actually using poser.

Use some organized multiple runtime system, by character catagory, or some such, and then just add or remove the runtimes as needed in poser. Possibly also use the new catagory system in P7 to enhance that.

Then remove runtimes, or add them as needed. And the more you use poser, the more you'll know where things are, and how they are used.

HD space is dirt cheap now, and continues to drop.. when you can get a 350 gig hd for less then $100, who cares how much space things take up?

This poor horse pops up and gets beaten every week, and there are plenty of solutions in the forums if you search for them.

Thank you cheers, that looks alot like what I was looking for.  It is geared to DAZ only? Can't tell from the write up. 

Gareee, you point is well taken.  I posted because I couldn't figure out how to phrase a search term that would directly answer my question.  There are a lot of issues with libraries.

Yep.. best thing is, since you just recent;y installed poser, remove everything, and then only install things that HAVE to be in the main runtime into it.. like python scripts.. put everything else is a new runtime names by a catagory, like plants, buildings, Freak, V4 ect. You could even make subcatagory ones like v4 clothing as well.

When you install new items, install them where they should go, or create a new catagory. once you get them pretty big, and how you liek them, you can then backup individual runtimes on dvds, since they are only 15 cents each now.

When I upgrade systems, I try to move the old HD onto the new system as an additional hard drive.. with my last upgrade, I ended up with about 560 gig of space.. and it's only half full with all my poser downloads, all my work files from the last 5 years, and a buttload of mp3s and downloaded references pics, plus all my installed 3d applications.

When hd space was expensive, I used to constantly relocate and organize.. now I just have different partitions, and then folders to organize things, and I spend no time managing anything at all. I just use windows search if I need to find something, and usuall know generally what partition or main folder it's located in.

here is an open source poser database some folks are working on: http://www.codeplex.com/pfd haven't gotten a chance to play with it yet as i don't own a windows machine, but it looks promising.. from the site:

Purpose Poser Files Database is designed to aid in the catalouging of content for Poser, DazStudio, Vue, and other similar 3D tools. It can be used simply as a way to find a particular file or to provide detailed information about all products in one location. Features -Integrated updating of database to current version (regardless of the version that you are using) -Online/Offline mode when click on an entry in the file list if that application is online the products web page (if known) will load in an integrated browser, if offline an associated image will load. -Utility to search for runtimes. -Integrated Database loading utility -Integrated Product page update utility. -Integrated product price, name, requirements, and figure for update utility (currently on for Daz3D products) -Filtering of products list by Provider, Code, Figure, filename, artist, license, file type, and comments. -Provider Maintenance to allow you to add/remove your own providers to the list. -License Maintenace to allow you to add/remove your license information to the list with the actual license text

Quote - Thank you cheers, that looks alot like what I was looking for.  It is geared to DAZ only? Can't tell from the write up. 

Gareee, you point is well taken.  I posted because I couldn't figure out how to phrase a search term that would directly answer my question.  There are a lot of issues with libraries.

I use it for all my 3D content...not only the DAZ stuff.
I must say, follow pooba00's link for the "Poser Files Database"...that looks just as cool and can't argue with the price.

Thanks you Sam, Cheers, Gareee, and Pooba00.  
I've just downloaded Poser Files Database and will report on how it works. 
In a nick of time too.  I just activated the free CP Passport I got with Poser 7 and spent the day cherry picking the freebies and items that Passport discounted to zero dollars.  I must have added about 200 items to my account.  It'll take me a awhile to get all that downloaded.  I'm such a pig! 

Thanks again, people.  Your help is both kind and valuable.

Attached Link: Poser Download Tracker

Thank you JenX, that's another one I will look at.

Not a problem ;)  I hope you find one you can use :D

Blacksmith 3D has an uninstaller program.  Poser Library Uninstaller

http://www.blacksmith3d.com/free_poser_stuff.htm

Instructions on how to use

http://www.blacksmith3d.com/pun_help.htm

Attached Link: Tutorial - Organizing Your Poser Freebies

**Thank you Mystic-Nights and Neyjour.  I will look into your recommendations.

**

update on [www.codeplex.com/pfd

](http://www.codeplex.com/pfd)It could must be me, but I think PFD is in the "not quite ready for prime time" category.
It is supposed to read CD's and Runtimes of Poser content and put enteries into a spread-sheet like database that is filterable by various column values selected.  It is suposed to take the file name of an item on a DVD/CD and extract the provider's item number so that a linkage page can then retrieve the providers original product page (i.e. Dazd's V3 page).  This is for the purpose of getting the pricing info. I could not get that feature to work, and the link page kept failing to find the provider web page.  It appears to be poorly documented, and had a readme that said I needed to edit a web config file that goes with the download.  That tells me right there that the only people who may be using it right now are the developers.  Unless you know more than I do, I'd say look into it when their project is further along.

Quote - There's also the Poser Download Tracker.  I use this one to keep track of my stuff, and you can import and export .xls spreadsheets with it :D 

Thanks again, Jenx.  I have downloaded it and it is a good peice of software.  But it requires more data entry work than I'm willing to give it.  But looking at it has given me a better idea of what I'm looking for. 

Quote - Blacksmith 3D has an uninstaller program.  Poser Library Uninstaller

http://www.blacksmith3d.com/free_poser_stuff.htm

Instructions on how to use

http://www.blacksmith3d.com/pun_help.htm

Thank you Mystic-Nights.  Now that I finally 'get' external runtime libraries, I'm starting to think along the lines of creating an external runtime library for each download I use.  (My only problem is that I don't know if their is an upper limit on how many external runtime libraries Poser 6 can have).  If I can use that method, then backing out a download is as simple is removing the external runtime reference in Poser, and then backing up the runtime to a CD before deleting it.

I think I've come around to Gareee's idea that hard drive space it not really the issue.  My real issue is making sure one download's files do not interfere with or overlay  another downloads's files, or the original poser files.  Separate external runtimes for each download would seem to solve that problem. I could add external runtimes to Poser as I need each download, and that could allow me to catch problems with particular download before things got too muddled. 

Hmmm, come to think of it, this would also allow me to use PDT after all. I would do data entery on a download only when I finally allowed Poser to recognize its runtime.

Thanks again, Mystic Nights.

And my apologizes to everyone else if my thought processes seem especially slow, over long, and cumbersome. 

Quote - I have a tutorial in my freebies section here at R'osity that shows how I keep all of my Poser freebies (the zips/downloads) organized.  The same system would, of course, work for all your commercial stuff as well.  You might find it helpful. 

Thank you again,  Neyjour.  I have looked at your tutorial and it does give me additional things to think about.    I see that having separate external runtimes for  EVERY download might be overkill for simple freebies (like those having only one obz file for example).  I suspose I could handle this by having one external runtime for all my simple items.  I've been thinking of downloads in terms of a character with associated props and thematic material.

Another interesting question:  Is there is specific ORDER in which poser goes through the runtime libraries?  I.e. could it matter in which order you added a runtime library to Poser? I'm thinking about an instance in which two runtimes had a file with the same name.  Hmmm.

Thanks again for all your help.  It is much appreciated.

"Maximum number of runtimes handled by Poser 6 ... Order the runtimes are searched."

Both questions answered in the Poser Technical forum (see below).
The practical limit seems to be 60 to 100 runtimes attached at once.
The runtimes are searched in the order in which they have been added. First-in-first-found.
(and that order can have an affect on the render.)

I see my way clear now.  Each download will have its own external runtime. The top folder of the runtime (the folder above the "runtime" folder) will have the name of the download as the provider has given it (which has its product code) but switched around so that the name of the item shows first in the Poser library. (.I.e.  ps_pe036_V3 has folder name V3Base_ps_pe036).
The licensing information is generally included in the top of the runtime structure, so its easy to get at when needed.

At the beginning of a new project, I detach external runtimes I don't need, and attach the ones I want to work with, noting well the order in which they will be searched. 

This should give me a good clean way working with all kinds of stuff and yet have a way of isolating problems and tracing them back to specific downloads.

Thank you every one for helping me come up with my databasing philosophy.  Any further comments are welcome.

www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php

"Each download will have its own external runtime."

Um, yer gonna end up with a few thousand runtimes like that. Instead create catagories.. V4, flowers, trees, buildings, freak, weapons, armor, furniture, ect, and install into those.

For specialty items for specific scenes, install those into a new runtime, use it, and then remove the runtime from poser, and THEN deleted that installed folder.

(If you delete the folder first, the next time you start up poser, it'll error because it can;t find that folder in it's available runtimes.)

I've got about 30 or 40 runtimes  I use, and have no issues finding anything at all.

Some additional runtime naming ideas are Halloween, Horror, Christmas, Toon, fall, spring, summer, winter, space, underwater.

Anything for a specific character I use is always installed into that character's runtime. Freak, Koshini, Aiko3, V4, ect.