Hello;
I would like to find out how to create a runtime.
I normally morph my characters, re-texture clothing ect. I'd like to be able to build a library of my characters to use as I need them. These would include my character, their clothing and any props that would complete my "actor", that I could save on disk as a individual runtime. I have no interest in making these projects for access by anyone but myself. I just hate to have to re-build my characters each time I need them. I know I can save them in the "Scenes" library but I'd like to have a runtime of the complete character I can back-up on disk.
Thanks for any and all help.
Clell

Create an empty runtime folder with all of the relevant subfolders (Geometries, Libraries, Textures, etc.). Put this runtime folder into a named folder, 'My Characters' for instance. In Poser go to the top of the library, click the add library icon, choose your custom runtime. Start loading it up with your things. When you save your custom characters to the figures catagory and want to include conformed clothing/hair choose 'whole group' at the prompt. Parented props save as smart props.

If you're only going to be saving characters it's assumed the file paths will be referencing the runtime of origin so there's really no need for Textures and Geometries subfolders in your custom runtime. If however you are creating custom textures or original figures/props it's a good habit to not have your file paths all over the place, but rather get in the habit of organizing/saving this custom content to a centralized relevant runtime.
Also a good practice to save your custom materials as material collections in a relevant location for easy iterations and reference.

To make it less of a PITA you can just take a copy of a product runtime, get rid of the product/merchant named folders and the content files and use this as a blank runtime. Also if you're just saving dialed characters that are using bought textures your custom runtime will only really need the following folder hierarchy:
Libraries:
Camera
Character
Light
Materials
Pose
Props
This should cover that kind of usage.

External Runtimes can be used to manage figure clothing sets too. I have a folder on a different drive letter marked Poser Runtimes. In that I have some sub runtimes. In it are folders like, Aiko 3, Victoria 2, Victoria 3 (and many others). In each of those named folder is a Runtime folder set where I install the items that correspond to that character. This can make organizing a bit easier, as well as finding things a bit easier. For Victoria 4 I have several folders for the different sets of clothing, such as specific types V4 Clothing (then in that) Club Wear, Office Wear, Swim Wear, Foot Wear, Sleep Wear, Jewelry, Winter Wear (etc). These runtimes can be created directly from Poser. They can also be created by having an empty Runtime copy (of the folder tree) and putting a copy in a new folder (so you see Aiko 3 then inside a Runtime). When back in Poser you can add that runtime to your library. So to add click the button in the far upper right hand corner if you use the method of having a blank runtime in a bunch of sub named folder. Note I've got a library for Sixus (mainly filled with their monsters) and one for Sea Creatures (fish and sea monsters).

After you press the Add Library button you'll get a window asking where the folder you want to add is located. It looks like this

You then click on the folder you've set up to add it (folder must have a sub runtime folder inside). Combined poses is a way of managing pose sets of two characters posed in a scene. Not very well labeled, but it works :).

Here is the file structure of an empty runtime. The Folder Name can be changed to anything but Poser has to be pointed to wherever you install this external runtime. I went ahead and posted this for you and any other people new to poser who might have the same question. Hope this helps you and them :)

Edited to correct a typo on wherever. I mean the word wherever :)

I like to create and keep an empty runtime for quick (it's actually not that quick) creation of multiple external runtimes. So I drag a copy of the empty Runtime to a folder Aiko 3, another to Aiko 4 (etc). One caveat, this file structure is Poser specific. Creating runtimes for Daz Dson imported content is slightly different. That would be covered in another thread if you post the question.

Oh one additional note, a Scene folder would be created inside of Libraries before adding the runtime to Poser. So say you created a character named Ralph. You created clothes, morphs, and poses for him. You create a folder named Ralph and copy the empty runtime folder with the file structure in that folder. Afterword you could save all content for that character there.

Thank you all so much! I'll see what I can do with the info you've provided.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Clell

Thanks! Glad to be of help. :) Sorry I didn't show an image with Scenes in the LIbraries hierarchy tree. My fault there.

Thanks again!
Later;
Clell

What is all this about preparing an empty Runtime, keeping them prepared, etc? Poser will make all those subfolders that it needs for you. If there's a folder it doesn't make then it doesn't need it.

Just make a folder called Runtime, located in a folder with a name you will like above it. Everything beneath Runtime is populated for you as soon as you add the parent folder to Poser.

That's a lot of wasted time written up there.

It's just an optional way. I showed the runtime hierarchy mainly to give an idea of the folder structure for new poser users.

Edited to add the following

For hand installing created content, or making your own content.

Guess I'll keep my ways to myself... (goes off to practice ancient fire making techniques) :)

Actually, the reason I made the suggestion was there used to be a script over at RDNA that would allow the install of multiple libraries with one click. If you buy a bundle of items (and are a new poser user) and want to create different folders for that content, using Windows Explorer to drag copies of folders is faster than going through poser, especially when using that script.

Another quick cheat: in the main Poser runtime there is a folder labeled Downloads. CL added it when they added the content room in P5. It is the folder that if you bought and downloaded from the content room from CP, the content would install to. It has all the folders set up in standard Poser runtime format. By default the folders are empty. You can make a copy of the Downloads folder and paste it wherever you want or wherever your other external runtimes live. Change the Downloads label to whatever name you want. You have a standard runtime folder set up without having to make one.

"That's a lot of wasted time written up there."
Hey good tip BB. Wasn't aware of that. I'll give it a shot if I ever need to add another to my 23 that already exist filled with categorized debris collected over the past 15 years or so. Lol.
But yeah, you're right... I wonder more often than not why I waste my time. :)

There also was a script for one click alphabetizing the runtimes (which if you have a lot on external drives can be a blessing). *goes back to cave, trying to make fire with two sticks.

Okay, I'll bite, where is this alphabetizing script? And I assume it may not work in PP2014.

bagginsbill posted at 10:00AM Thu, 27 August 2015 - #4224177

What is all this about preparing an empty Runtime, keeping them prepared, etc? Poser will make all those subfolders that it needs for you. If there's a folder it doesn't make then it doesn't need it.

Just make a folder called Runtime, located in a folder with a name you will like above it. Everything beneath Runtime is populated for you as soon as you add the parent folder to Poser.

That's a lot of wasted time written up there.

Thanks!
I had no idea that Poser would do that automatically. This doesn't appear to be covered in the manual (although I may have not used the right search terms).

It was one of Shaderworks scripts that would alphabetize external runtimes. If you had many external runtimes, (especially if you were moving runtimes around from drive to drive) you could run it to have your runtimes to be in order. So say you have 30 or 40 external runtimes, you'd have Aiko, then Aiko 4, Apollo, then whatever letter was next and so on and so on.... all done with one click. You actually could add 30 or 40 runtimes also with the same script. Sadly it's no longer around. I want to say it worked on poser 6, and 7, before they changed how poser uses certain scripts.

Thanks for the info. Too bad it doesn't exist any more.

It was incredibly handy :)

The shaderworks thingy for installing multiple runtimes in one click still exists.. It's part of advanced library manager which is sold at runtimedna.
I use that library manager extensively. I especially like the way I can take part of a pose instead of a whole pose. It also makes finding my content really quick. I use 1000s of external runtimes. And I can just search the word car and it immediately shows me all the runtimes with the word car in the title. then I can group them all into one virtual temporary runtime if I want or just select one of the runtimes eg car_volvo or something.
I can't recommend this software highly enough.
The advantage of having multiple runtimes is I never need to install anything. I just buy a product, put the runtime into a folder with a name that makes sense eg aerolplanes by so and so, and then add the runtime to poser.
Love esther

estherau posted at 8:35AM Tue, 01 September 2015 - #4225779

The shaderworks thingy for installing multiple runtimes in one click still exists.. It's part of advanced library manager which is sold at runtimedna.
I use that library manager extensively. I especially like the way I can take part of a pose instead of a whole pose. It also makes finding my content really quick. I use 1000s of external runtimes. And I can just search the word car and it immediately shows me all the runtimes with the word car in the title. then I can group them all into one virtual temporary runtime if I want or just select one of the runtimes eg car_volvo or something.
I can't recommend this software highly enough.
The advantage of having multiple runtimes is I never need to install anything. I just buy a product, put the runtime into a folder with a name that makes sense eg aerolplanes by so and so, and then add the runtime to poser.
Love esther

Thank you Esther. I remember it was fantastic. Especially for reorganizing. If you have a bunch of zips (say dinosaurs) and want to create a library for them, as well as say sea creatures, birds, other animal types, it's great. I'd make a folder for each, unzip each set of zips to the folders, then use the python script to add the bunch. It was easier to check zip errors that put errant readmes or other files in the Runtime.

I just got this poser 11, ummmm wheres the runtime folder? nothing in there not in programs86/smithmicro or programs/smithmicro I also checked the documents folder nothing in there either, are the files hidden?

looks like the figures and materials installed but hmmm having an issue finding the runtime.

Tucan-Tiki posted at 9:36AM Fri, 19 July 2019 - #4357448

I just got this poser 11, ummmm wheres the runtime folder? nothing in there not in programs86/smithmicro or programs/smithmicro I also checked the documents folder nothing in there either, are the files hidden?

looks like the figures and materials installed but hmmm having an issue finding the runtime.

It normally asks you were to put the main runtime when you install Poser. A quick way to check is going into Poser, finding any library item, right-clicking it and going "Show in Explorer".

Usually, the default installation will be a shared document location, folder name Poser 11 Content. Afrodite-Ohki's suggestion will open the containing folder and you can see which path takes you to your location.

Tucan-Tiki posted at 9:56AM Fri, 19 July 2019 - #4357448

I just got this poser 11, ummmm wheres the runtime folder? nothing in there not in programs86/smithmicro or programs/smithmicro I also checked the documents folder nothing in there either, are the files hidden?

looks like the figures and materials installed but hmmm having an issue finding the runtime.

Why do you want to find the runtime?

If you're a Windows user you can right click over any item or folder and get an Open In Explorer... option. This opens File Explorer in which you can see an address bar and folder tree. Currently the only way to delete an unwanted folder.

Why would I want to find the runtime?, maybe I want to edit a texture, or make a prop from a body part or any number of reasons...Poser.Monkey is shocked......anyway I figured it out youtube is your friend.

MONKEY IMAGE

My hard drive crashed last June and I'm now rebuild my poser library. I had many figures and textures that I had created, lost in the crash. Is there a way to build a backup library on a separate hard drive. How is this done?

My network drive and external hard drive both came with backup software which allows you specify which folders are duplicated as backups, so its really a matter of either using software that comes with the drive or getting other backup software. Poser itself doesn't have this facility built in.

can i add a library from another computer through my network

D

You should be able to, however, that might lead to problems if, for some reason, your network drops or your networked computer(s) disconnect unexpectedly.  Also, consider data transfer rate between machines, which can impact how fast Poser will refresh its library.

thanks for the input.  I just think that would be really simple.  I guess i should just try it.  i have different versions of poser on all my machines and they are all networked and all of them have ssd's except for one.

Ah memories