Hello!

A while back I switched from Daz (on a windows PC) to Poser 2014 (on a mac) and remember having some issues when installing M4 and running the DzCreateExPFiles-M4.command file needed for the morphs to work (if I remember correctly, I had no problems with V4 and K4, just M4). After digging around through various forums I finally managed to work things out (although I honestly don't remember how anymore).

I now installed Poser 12 on a new iMac (running Catalina) and I decided to start from scratch with a new runtime. At the moment I haven't installed any content aside from what came with the program, so I just have the runtime with La Femme and L'Homme on my iMac. I plan on installing everything else on an external hard drive and I wanted to start with the Gen 4 characters. A friend using windows mentioned using the Daz install manager/DIM to install the Gen 4 characters and said they do not need initializing if you do it that way. Is it the same on a mac? Or do I still need to use the DzCreateExPFiles-M4.command file?

Good luck with that. Daz removed ALL of the Poser installers from every product that I ever bought from them. Bastards.

ghostship2 posted at 9:15AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412010

Good luck with that. Daz removed ALL of the Poser installers from every product that I ever bought from them. Bastards.

I'm confused, I didn't realize there were separate Poser installers. Or does that just mean that I have to do it manually?

If it may help you, I still have the Michael4Base (from 2016) and all other ZIP files, which contains all the necessary files

Y-Phil posted at 9:37AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412012

If it may help you, I still have the Michael4Base (from 2016) and all other ZIP files, which contains all the necessary files

Thank you for offering but I have all the files, I'm just wondering which is the best way to install them on a mac, if I should do it manually or through DIM

From what I understand, you will not need to run the DzCreateExPFiles if you use DIM for installation. However, you will need to install from the zipped format available at the site. Before installing anything with DIM, make sure that you have set up the application correctly with all the designated pathways to your Poser content runtimes and that the DIM is pointed directly to those folders, otherwise, you will wind up with a mess on your hands. I wouldn't worry about locating the Poser content files, DAZ has created those to facilitate the installation, just be aware that DAZ and Poser files might be identically named in DIM, so you will have to make sure you select the right one.

hborre posted at 9:42AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412016

From what I understand, you will not need to run the DzCreateExPFiles if you use DIM for installation. However, you will need to install from the zipped format available at the site. Before installing anything with DIM, make sure that you have set up the application correctly with all the designated pathways to your Poser content runtimes and that the DIM is pointed directly to those folders, otherwise, you will wind up with a mess on your hands. I wouldn't worry about locating the Poser content files, DAZ has created those to facilitate the installation, just be aware that DAZ and Poser files might be identically named in DIM, so you will have to make sure you select the right one.

Thank you! I actually intend to install through DIM directly to a brand new runtime on an external hard drive. Is that possible or do I have to create a runtime on the external drive first and then point DIM to that?

RubyTuesday70 posted at 9:40AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412015

Y-Phil posted at 9:37AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412012

If it may help you, I still have the Michael4Base (from 2016) and all other ZIP files, which contains all the necessary files

Thank you for offering but I have all the files, I'm just wondering which is the best way to install them on a mac, if I should do it manually or through DIM

I would install with DIM because the site content files might contain updates that you may not have from your archive. Examine your old files first and see if they contain a primary folder entitled Content. If they do then manually installing them will become very tedious; DIM automatically installs all subfolders from the Content folder to their rightful locations.

Create your runtime(s) first then direct DIM to those folders. I have secondary drives on my second computer and I've arranged for DIM to install to those drives when I download content from DAZ. As long as I double-check all the settings before I press OK, I'm good to go.

hborre posted at 9:57AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412022

Create your runtime(s) first then direct DIM to those folders. I have secondary drives on my second computer and I've arranged for DIM to install to those drives when I download content from DAZ. As long as I double-check all the settings before I press OK, I'm good to go.

Awesome, thank you!

If you're hesitant or unsure about your particular set-up, just ask. Better to be comfortable with the app than to find out later that one little feature has completely thrown you off.

hborre posted at 10:08AM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412024

If you're hesitant or unsure about your particular set-up, just ask. Better to be comfortable with the app than to find out later that one little feature has completely thrown you off.

Thank you! Will definitely contact you if I'm unsure about something. :)

ghostship2 posted at 1:12PM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412010

Good luck with that. Daz removed ALL of the Poser installers from every product that I ever bought from them. Bastards.

I don't think that's true. They just messed up all the labels on the older files so everything says it is for Daz Studio. If you read the filenames, you can still figure out which .zip file has the necessary content for Poser. It's annoying and I wouldn't recommend shopping there, but if you bought products from them it's still possible to get the correct installation files for everything I've looked at.

They have been hard at work hiding Poser compatibility, but it is still there (even for newer props & such). Always look at the What's Included and Features - if you see a .cr2 or .pp2, they have a Poser installer.

Be warned, however, many things are NOT in the correct subfolder. I have over 1,000 pkgs, NOT A SINGLE ONE has everything in the correct folder. Not one.

Always unzip to a temp folder, so you can correct what DAZ QA missed. It will save you time in the long run.

ChromeStar posted at 9:40PM Sat, 06 February 2021 - #4412044

ghostship2 posted at 1:12PM Fri, 05 February 2021 - #4412010

Good luck with that. Daz removed ALL of the Poser installers from every product that I ever bought from them. Bastards.

I don't think that's true. They just messed up all the labels on the older files so everything says it is for Daz Studio. If you read the filenames, you can still figure out which .zip file has the necessary content for Poser. It's annoying and I wouldn't recommend shopping there, but if you bought products from them it's still possible to get the correct installation files for everything I've looked at.

That is good to know!

I don't think they screwed up the labels. I think they just have so few Poser customers these days they aren't bothering to label them as for Poser.

They have an extra layer in the zip - a Content folder, which contains the runtime folder. This is apparently a headache for Mac users, but is just an extra click for Windows users. Mac users can still install them, they have have to move the runtime afterwards.

I would also avoid DAZ Central, which they have been pushing users to instead of DIM. DC completely hosed by DAZ runtime content and tried to access an external hard drive with a backup. Now I cant’t use DIM to install anything I bought after that and have to manually download and install. I use an iMac.

I haven't played with DAZ Central and I am not inclined to so anytime soon. It throws another monkey wrench into DS by creating a different content folder elsewhere on the hard drive.

I don't think I've ever allowed a .zip file of Poser content from any source to install the way it wants. Way too much content in my libraries to allow every vendor to decide how it should be organized, that would be a nightmare.

I agree. I always check the compressed files first before subjecting myself to eternal kicking myself in the rear.