Hi Kleb,

The "Copy Path" button is very useful with any program that uses Poser content with a "File, Open" or similar  dialogbox (I don't know if this applies to Carrara) Just CopyPath, goto your app, click file, open and type control-v.

We're looking into improved compatibility with other 3d apps, Bryce and Carrarra especially,

Keywords are automatically derived from File and Folder names, so all the Items in one Folder are probably already related by at least one Keyword.

One note: if your folder names have spaces, PzDB won't automatically find Keywords that have spaces in them like "The Girl". But you can manually add the New Keyword "The Girl" and PzDB will then automatically look through all your stuff an Cross Reference all those Items.

So you really don't want to manually add a Keyword to a Folder, you just want make sure the important words (or sets of words) from that Folder's Name are listed as Keywords.PZDB will do the rest.  (Also we will be trying to simplify the interface for adding and removing Groups and Keywords from Items Folders etc.)

As for Groups, the very top of the Browser Window is one big dropdown list.  Just Click on the Group Name. (Is that what you meant?)

And "Otherwise, after one session of playing with the test version, I have to say this is one of the most impressive poser utilities I've ever seen."

Thank you very much, we aim to please.
Ben

Hi everyone,

Ben Margolis here, from Rocketship Software, makers of PzDB.

I’ve been watching this thread because we have had several requests to have PzDB index Pz3 files too. And if we’re going to do that, we’re going to need something very much like this script.

 So Z, I’ve found the bug you found in that If statement. (he forgot to add the file path to the name)

So that line should be:

 if not os.path.exists(myfilepath + cfo):

And as you requested here’s a version that lets you enter any list of files, instead of doing whole directories:

import poser
import os

myq = []
myq.append ("E:PoserFilesCharactersDaveX1File1.pz3")
myq.append ("E:PoserFilesCharactersDaveX1File2.pz3")
myq.append ("E:PoserFilesCharactersDaveNew FolderFile3.pz3")
#add more files here

**
**#and then render them all

mql = len(myq)print "Rendering a possible " + str(mql) + " pz3 files."

process each file in the list

for cf in myq:     

create output name

            cfo = cf[0:-4] + ".png"
            cfd = cf
            if not os.path.exists(cfo):
                        # open the scene file
                        print "Processing File: " + cfd
                        poser.OpenDocument(cfd)
                        # get the scene and set render type , output size
                        scn = poser.Scene()
                        scn.SetCurrentRenderEngine(poser.kRenderEngineCodeFIREFLY)
                        scn.SetOutputRes(300,300)
                        scn.SetFrame(0)
                        # render the scene
                        print "Rendering: "+ cfd
                        prr = scn.Render()
                        print prr          
                        # save the image , same path, as png
                        print "Saving image as: " + cfo
                        scn.SaveImage("png", cfo )
                        # and close the document

                        poser.CloseDocument(1)

print "done"

close Poser down

poser.Quit()

markschum, If you wouldn’t mind I’d like to use this as a starting point for a Script that we include in the next PzdDB.  It’ll need better error handling though, and I’d love a GUI window with a cancel button, any idea about how to do that? 

Ben Margolis
Rocketship Software

Quote - A question and a few requests:

Is there a way to delete a library?

Some of these features have been mentioned before, but I'd like to know which ones you're planning on and a tentative timetable so I can decide whether to buy while the $15 discount is in effect:

1. Option to display filetypes
2. Deleting obsolete entries if items are deleted or folders renamed
3. Importing folders other than Poser libraries (e.g. for D|S content folders)
4. Separate category for DAZ Scripts (.ds/.dsb) and DAZ Scenes (.daz)
5. Implementing the Keyword checkboxes on the search screen (they're there for categories and libraries, but the keyword section is always blank)
6. A mechanism for including readme files

Items 1-3 are particularly important for me.

Pretty much everything you mention 1-4 has already been scheduled to be included our next major build, Version 1.1000. Including deleting libraries. Should be available in a couple of months, will read all your existing data.

Buyers of Version 1 will receive free upgrades to all versions up to 2.0

Number 5 does work, unless you have made custom Groups that do not include any Keywords. Open the Victoria 4 (or any other default) Group, you do see Keywords, right?

As for number 6, Readme’s present their own problems. But they will probably be included by PzDB2.0 which will also index a wide variety of file formats.

Hope that answers your questions.

Ben
Rocketship Software

Quote - The update link on the page seems to be broken.

Try in now. It works.

Not (technically) a broken link, not sure what that was.

Ben
Rocketship Software

Attached Link: http://rocketshipsoftware.com/pzdb/update10011.asp

**
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!
The new version of PzDB has been released!**

Version 1.0011 Imports DAZ STUDIO files! Fixes Icons Better, Works better with Poser 4, 5, and 6, and has lots of other improvements.

Everyone should upgrade!

check out: http://rocketshipsoftware.com/pzdb/update10011.asp for more info

Ben
Rocketship Software

Quote -

And do you have an ETA for the next update?  In particular, recognizing D|S files.

Funny you should ask. That should be out of beta today, I takes us about a day to package up all the files and get them on the web, so look for version 1.0011 tomorrow or the next day.

Ben
Rocketship Software

Hioushi,

Thanks for all your comments, let me address them one by one.

*1. Search box could be more flexible and use special characters like quotation marks for exact search like google does. "Car" should return only items like "Toon Car", "Car and Driver", etc, and not "ToonCar" for example, while entering  car  would return all of them.
*> Someone asked this in another thread, oddly that guy used the example word “car” too. Here’s what I said: 

About Searching; the problem with whole-word searching is that in Poser Libraries, people often don't use spaces, sometimes they use underscores, or dashes, or just run words together in CamelCase. When you search for "car" you really want to find "Sportscar" "PoliceCar" and "Dave'sNewCar5" too. (but not "scarf" or "cartoon") (or ToonCar)

That's what the "But does not contain" field is for!

Put "scarf, cartoon"(or ToonCar) in there and repeat the search, Now those Items are gone. You can continue this process to build a really good Search Pattern, add "auto" but not "automatic"  add "truck" but not "struck" stuff like that.  Then, name it and SAVE it!

Now you'll never have to type any of that stuff again. And you can build and save as many Search Patterns as you like.

Also PzDB only strips leading and trailing spaces if you enter more than one Search term (i.e. with a comma) so a search for “ car” or “car “ or even “ car “ will work, just don’t use quotes.

2. Personally, I'd like hitting ENTER while on the search box to start the search.

You can, just hit it three times. Hitting enter once takes the cursor to the “But does not Contain” field, hitting enter there takes you to search button, hitting enter a third time executes the Search

3. While selecting the categories to include, selecting or deselecting a checkbox activates the search, this behavior could be optional. I was doing this one search that returned a great number of items and I had to wait for the same search when deselecting each category to filter it, that was 4 times the same search.

It IS optional! That’s what the “Auto-Go” checkbox is for. If you uncheck Auto-Go you can then check or uncheck any number of boxes, enter any Search, date filter, even navigate to another Group, and THEN click Search or Go.

4. There's an "All on" button for the categories and libraries, there should be an "All off" button as well.

An “All Off” button immediately (and logically) results in “No Items Found” which users thought was an error. What you really want is an “All-Off-But-One-Thing” button which we’re working on a Right-Click option. Till then, turning off Auto-Go will have to do.

*5. When viewing the items info, there's a "copy path" button, I'd love to see a "go to path" too, even replace the copy one, since the path is listed bellow ( a "right click" there and then copy would work if one wanted to get the path)

The Copy Path button is designed for use with third party Poser utilities like The Tailor, Clothes Converter, and other morph transfer utils, pose editors etc. Hit Copy Path, go to your utility and Click File, Open and then paste. One of the goals of PzDB was for you to no longer to care at all about what folder Library Items are in.

 All the other Items in that folder are right there in PzDB in the Current Folder window. Why would you want to open the folder in Windows Explorer? (btw you could just Copy Path and paste into the address bar of Explorer. You’d have to lose the filename though)

6. Being able to rename items with maybe a warning about the implication of the action (in case there are external morphs or objs).

Again this is contrary to the purpose of PzDB, which, as we say several times, is totally non-destructive and non-invasive.

We realize this is a new idea to Poser users who are accustomed to Library utilities that swing chainsaws around in their Runtime folders, but we don’t do that and we advise that you don’t either. Anything we have to “warn about the implications of…” is just something we don’t want to do.

Thanks again for your comments,
let me know if I can be of further help 

Ben
Rocketship Software

Quote - shdocvw.dll is a Windows system file. Every Windows installation has it. The installer should never try to replace it, instead, it should hook up the application to the existing shdocvw.dll

Yes, We know that, our (Microsoft brand) installer program included that file by default. As I've said before I believe that it has removed from all of our current builds. And we apologize for any inconvenience.

Nevertheless should you encounter that message, you can just click OK, PzDB will work just fine.

Ben
Rocketship Software

Quote - I would like it if it would display more then 2 columns on my system. Using Vista 64bit.

(We had one other person mention something like this, we asked them several questions and they never replied, so  I assume one them was the solution,)The browser should automatically adjust the number of columns to the width of the window (2 is the minimum for default).  

Have you tried changing the width of the PzDB window?

Maximizing the PzDB window? 

Are you using more than one monitor?

Is PzDB on the non-primary display?

Are you using any sort of Window manager or 3rd party desktop program?

Let me know
Ben
Rocketship Software

(We had one other person mention something like this, we asked them several questions and they never replied, so  I assume one them was the solution,)The browser should automatically adjust the number of columns to the width of the window (2 is the minimum for default).  

Have you tried changing the width of the PzDB window?

Maximizing the PzDB window? 

Are you using more than one monitor?

Is PzDB on the non-primary display?

Are you using any sort of Window manager or 3rd party desktop program?

Let me know
Ben
Rocketship Software
 

I love that you're loving it!

Please, suggest away.

Ben
Rocketship Software

Quote -  My computer, is probably it. 

I repeatedly get this:
"Error 1931.  Setup cannot update file C:windowssystem32shdocvw.dll because it is protected by Windows.  You may need to update your operating system for this program to work properly."

I am using Windows XP Professional SP3 with regular update automated.

Oh, that!

That’s not an error, that’s not even wonky!

You don’t get that “repeatedly” just once every time you install, right?

That’s just a warning message because your security settings are a higher than most peoples’. That’s not in our software, it’s just in the installer, (Microsoft's installer btw) and I think that message doesn’t even appear in the current build. But I’ve put in a note to go check.

You can go right ahead with that install, it’s perfectly safe, and PZDB will run just fine. Although I would recommend you double check to make sure you’re using the latest version.

hth
Ben
Rocketship Software

I’ve been a computer programmer for almost 20 years, what exactly  “seems wonky?”

Our software? Or your computer?

I think anyone who has contacted us about PzDB will agree that our Tech Support has been second-to-none on this. As we approach 500 users worldwide, there is not a single tech problem we haven’t addressed (and fixed). Not one. And there have been no problems (zero) reported with the installer.

If you’d like to report one, please visit www.rocketshipsoftware.com/pzdb/support.

PzDB is a very useful program. And I believe you’ll think so, too. So please, give it another try, (or just give it the first try) and if you actually have any problems (any at all) please contact our Tech Support team so we can find them, and fix them.

Thanks for your comments,

Ben
Rocketship Software
(makers of PzDB)

Simple.
The next build of PzDB will index those  .DS and .DSB files too.

Hows that?
Ben
Rocketship Software

Thanks for your comment about DAZ Scripts.
We'll look into that.

And the questions:

1) Is the Downloads runtime mandatory? 
No, feel free to delete or change it.

  And can the order of runtimes be changed?
Each Item gets a Library Number. so you can't change those. But if its important we could create the ability to sort how they appear on the screen.

1. I haven't tested it yet, but I assume if you delete an item from your runtimes PzDB will remove it when you update that runtime?
   (Why do you people keep deleteing things from your Libraries?)
   That'll be in version 1.1

1. Can there be an option to display the file extension on filenames?
   There could be, but why would you want one?
   Whether the hair is CR2 or an HR2  or a PPZ is really moot in PzDB. (finally) That was sorta the idea. The important part is that its Hair and it fits your character.

Ben
Rocketship Software