ironsoul posted at 1:00PM Mon, 13 April 2020 - #4386121

To find out if there are multiple installs of V4 enter "Victoria 4.2" into the Poser search bar (assuming you have 4.2). If more than one entry is listed right click over the icon and select "Show in Explorer" to find out where each version is installed. I've have a pre Daz manager version from an old archive plus the current Daz installer version so two appear.

Thanks for that info! I did the search and found quite a few hits, most of them were for accessories though -- looks like I only have a single location for the V4/M4 characters and their corresponding M++.

So I'm going to manually copy and insert the files of the M++ Runtimes into their corresponding V4/M4 characters' Runtimes while also preserving these files in the M++ Runtimes -- since these morphs ARE listed and added separately in the Poser Library; I'll see if that works. I did make a backup in case this doesn't work...

an0malaus posted at 12:49PM Mon, 13 April 2020 - #4386111

Both V4 and M4 require a DzCreateExPFiles script to be executed in the Runtime>libraries>!DAZ folder where all of the morph packages for V4 or M4 get installed. The script scans the folder hierarchy and creates the injection templates for all morphs found. If this is not run, your V4/M4 figures will be missing many features.

The screenshots are from macOS, where the scripts have a .app suffix. on Windows that will be .exe.

Every time a new morph package gets added to V4/M4, the scripts need to be run again.

Thanks for the tip! I did not know a partial initialization could occur where some morph features would work and other might not, or that adding new morphs requires re-initialization. I normally run the DzCreateExPFiles script in both the V4/M4 character AND its matching M++. I don't know if it will still work this way once I place the M++ IN the character's Runtime...

hborre said:

"Go to the render tab and set your Max cached renders to something lower than 100."

Thanks for that tip. I have that set now in case I ever want to save render thumbnails -- if or when I restore the cache folder I just removed...

The Render Cache folder was empty or my photo viewer didn't recognize .exr format pics. So I eliminated the folder and the thumbnails are gone! Poser hasn't regenerated the folder or complained about its absence so hopefully the problem is solved.

Thanks again for the help!

Thanks for the location of the thumbnail files. Hopefully, there is or soon will be a fix for this problem...

Hborre -

I didn't see your reply until after my last post. So I WON'T mess with the originally installed program files, then. I'll see what I can do to make V4's Runtime include M++.

With the update to 11.2 I DID select to keep my custom preferences during installation -- but that's not what happened. Took me almost a year to rebuild my library.

Hi - I re-initialized V4/M++ where they currently reside (Documents) but with no improvement noted.

None of the original files remain from the original Poser 11 installation; everything had to be reinstalled from scratch after the 11.2 forced update debacle.

Even with Poser 10 on Windows XP I never had any luck adding V4/M++ manually. Back then, the DAZ Installer was the only way it worked for me and that feature no longer works with my Poser 11.2.

My plan, then, is to make a backup of the current C:/ Smith Micro Program Files (just in case) and then manually install the various V4/M++ Runtime sub-folder contents into their corresponding folders already in place where the Poser content was installed by default. I wonder if I need to create a DAZ People folder in that Runtime first so Poser doesn't get confused?

I don't know if this will help, but I can attest to the fact that starting with V 11.2 there is no longer an option on one of the drop down lists to show genitals. My thought was that so many 3D artists use genitals on their models now that the restriction was removed altogether.

That said, there are some bundled Poser models (mostly male) that have genital options, separately listed in the same library, as an add-on. Not sure about the female models, except I think LaFemme Pro includes genitalia. Sorry I'm not more help but I only use DAZ V4/M4 models in Poser.

So start exploring the various Poser-included people and see what you can find!

BTW - Here's an image of what I see with V4 Body selected... needless to say something is missing... no + to expand Morphs list.

Thanks for the image of how things should be. (I don't have V4 WM but that shouldn't matter for the morphs I am referencing.)

Am running W7 64 Pro. I looked in program files > Smith Micro > Poser 11 > Runtime > Libraries > Character and see only Poser characters there. My recollection was a long time ago when I did the forced upgrade to 11.2, it pooched my system. Had to reinstall everything from scratch. For some reason, manually installing V4 and Morphs++ into the Runtime folder and manually initiating them (the .bat file thing) did not work. (The DAZ Installer used to do this correctly but they removed that feature at some point.) V4/M++ was listed in the Library but did not load.

What finally worked was installing V4/M++ in my C:/ Documents library (where Poser insists my saved projects should go), manually initiating them and using Poser's Add to Library feature to point Poser in the right direction. Everything else works fine -- just not Morphforms. Maybe Poser needs V4/M++ in the C:/ Program Files Runtime folder for Morphforms to work? Any tips on doing so would be appreciated...

Thanks!

Hi - thanks for the quick response!

With V4>Body, Parameters tab selected, there are no Morphs++ options available. I only get those if I select V4>Head, Chest, etc. parts. But no Morphforms option anywhere.

Thanks for your input. The more reliable info that gets posted on this subject, the better. But here's the view from where myself and probably many other loyal Poser users stood when Poser was sold to Bondware:

First it was announced that Renderosity was taking over. Sounded like a great fit to me as Rendo has the assets and desire to keep Poser going. But next thing I remember is Bondware --not Rendo -- are suddenly saying you must update or lose the use of Poser 11, something that I've never encountered with a software company before EVEN AFTER A TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP. Remember: normally the goal of the new owner is to hang on to as many current users as possible and not piss them off. Bad move by Bondware and by extension Renderosity.

I've had some experiences with budget-priced software licenses expiring 4-plus years after purchase with a poorly disclosed sunset clause buried deep (or sometimes not even existing) in the EULA, but not with an app like Poser which normally retails close to half a grand and usually involves another grand or more invested in models, morphs and accessories. Owners of high priced software need to treat users with much greater care and respect! To blame SM for the license debacle seems ridiculous to me! It wasn't a hostile takeover! Bondware must have a crappy legal team to NOT NEGOTIATE a license transfer that resulted in the original license continuing to be valid for years after the sale. (And in fact the license DID transfer for awhile after the sale -- the forced update didn't occur until later.)

In the decades I've been buying and using computer software, I have never had the license expire after a change of ownership or been forced to update in order to continue using the app -- especially an app that represents an investment of many hundreds of dollars! Updates and upgrades should be optional -- not mandatory! It is up to the user to decide whether an update/upgrade is desirable to them -- NOT the software company!

The final insult is when in my case the FORCED UPDATE totally wipes out my library of hundreds of DAZ items (without harming Poser items of course) EVEN THOUGH I CHECKED THE OPTION TO PRESERVE MY CURRENT LIBRARY!!! And then when trying to rebuild my DAZ library I find the DIM installer no longer works, Poser won't let me organize this content like I used to and I have to MANUALLY delete the content folder in each DAZ asset if I want the asset's name to appear in the library. No one is going to convince me the FORCED UPDATE wasn't all about forcing users to adopt La Femme and make installing DAZ assets more difficult.

Bondwares' antics will cause harm to Rendo's reputation if they keep pulling this crap. If BW pulls ONE MORE move like this, I will be forced to abandon Poser and will never trust Rendo again. I don't think I am the only Poser 11 customer who feels this way...

Sorry to hear that.

I think it is quite likely that DAZ are trying to end support of legacy DAZ models (V4/M4, DSON-compatible newer models, and using DIM to install these) in Poser while Bondware are also making it more difficult to use these legacy DAZ products in Poser 11.2 and beyond.

It angers me that Bondware FORCED Poser users to upgrade to 11.2 or lose the licensing to use it anymore. Seems like an illegal move to me. If they pull one more move like that they will lose me as a customer and it is Renderosity who will suffer through lost future sales. It is sad that the best, supposedly photo-realistic, natively-supported Poser model Bondware can muster is La Femme Pro, while a 15 year old DAZ V4/M4 model look more realistic in every way. While La Femme has easier to manipulate facial expressions compared with V4, her neck, shoulders, hips, hands, feet -- and skin textures -- lack realism. She is best for modeling clothing that hide these shortcomings.

Thanks to each of you for responding to my post!

When I installed 11.2 I DID select the option to retain my preferences. That is why I was so upset when ALL my library content was removed. Glad to hear this didn't happen to everybody.

I am still puzzled why the DIM no longer works for me. (I'm running W7 Pro 64 on an AMD X6 CPU system; maybe that's too old now but I really hate the idea of running W10 with all it's built-in spyware and app-breaking forced updates.) The DIM goes through all the normal stages of installing content from my DAZ account and reporting when each item is installed. But nothing shows up in the Poser library. Don't really need it anymore, though, to make the key DAZ characters work (V4, M4, Morphs++, etc.). As long as they are manually installed in C: Public Documents and I point Poser's Add-to-Library to them they work. All my other content is kept on another HDD and also backed-up on a third HDD to preserve them if one of the HDDs should fail.

Good info on the history of DAZ item folder structure. When the DIM worked correctly for me it ignored the Content folder during installation and the names showed up in the Library. Now that it doesn't work for me, at least I have the workaround now (eliminating the Content folder for each item) and eventually will get everything manually re-listed in the Poser Library. I certainly hope that Bondware doesn't force any more updates under the threat of Poser not working until the update is installed and then eliminating user preferences in the process.

Thanks again for your replies!

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I really do appreciate that.

The main focus of my original and followup rants was to warn others and let Bondware -- if they even listen or care -- that the forced update is very irritating, very capable of screwing up a previously functional installation, and if their goal is to build on customer relations for future sales they are doing a crappy job.

To address other posts/suggestions: The update wiped out my Library, not the content itself. I did choose for the update to use my existing preferences, which I thought meant it wouldn't delete my Library. I also elected for it to make a backup folder, although it never stated where that folder was or how to use it.

Regarding using a non-word processor text editor for editing my Library, I don't have such an editor or the knowledge how to use one. I'm in my mid 60s and not at the leading edge of computer technology.

When I buy software I expect it to function in a fairly logical, practical and intuitive fashion. Poser Debut, 10 and 11 Pro, as delivered by SM when I bought each over the past 8 years or so, worked as advertised and was easy enough for even an old fart like me to install, load content and use. But now Bondware comes in, violates the terms of the original license, forces an update for anyone who wants to continue using Poser 11, and then overwrites the Library! If they continue doing business this way they will lose many loyal Poser users.

Rant mode is OFF now.