As the thread title states, I need some feedback from you guys about packaging of Poser/D|S products because I don't know if the way I currently do things is making things worse or better for the end user.

Poser products that I make are supplied with both .mc6 and .pz2 application files for popping the textures onto the clothing in question. 
Do you like having the choice or would you prefer just one or the other?

I also place the files in the following hierarchy:
Pose/Character/Product Name
Is that extra folder a pain or does it help people with mixed Runtimes zone in a little bit quicker?

If I am doing textures for an item that fits many different characters, eg. A3 and V4 then I will duplicate the application file structure so there is one for each character name.  I feel this makes it a little easier for the multiple Runtime brigade.
Does it or is it more of a pain to have the extra folders to delete?

When making D|S application files up I place them in:
Content/People/Character Name/Product Name
Is this okay or is there an alternate place you would prefer?

I have been using Poser to generate most of my bump maps as this reduces the overall file size of my zips.  However, this means that my D|S pose files need to have the bumps packaged with them.
Would you prefer larger installations for everyone because they include the bump images and smaller downloads just for the D|S application files?

Hope I explained myself okay here, I am just about to start work on a few V4 clothing textures and am having another look at my current way of doing things and figure the best people for input are the inhabitees of the Poserverse.

Thanks for your time!

Midge (Valerian70)

 

 

For me if there is a .pz2 file available to use, I use that. So a .mc6 file would be just redundant to me.  Also, you need to take into account that not everyone knows how to use the material room, or even wants to use that room at all.

I like continuity of naming between folder directories.  For example it drives me crazy to see a package unzip with a folder named "Red Dress" in the character folder and a folder called "J Jones MAT" in the pose folder. IMHO the folders that unzip should contain not only the creators name, but also the outfit name too and it should be congruent throughout the library. IE:  "J Jones - Red Dress"  or something similar in all library folders. 

I prefer the geometries and texture folders to be named for the creator with a separate folder inside for the outfit. This means that if I have 10 outfits by "J Jones", I can look in the geometries/textures folders for  "J Jones" and find all 10 outfits in separate files inside.

I like the readme file to be named something other than "readme" and I like it at the same level as the Runtime folder, not inside it or placed in the props, textures, geometries etc folders.

If a package is being made for more than one figure, I like it very much when the creator places the files in the Pose library in separate folders for each figure, this way not only do I not have to  dig through a long list of files and delete the ones I don't want, but it makes it easier for me as someone with dyslexia.

If a package is meant to work for more than one version of Poser, I appreciate it very much if the files for each version of separated for the same reasons I listed above for the  multiple figures.

Hope that helps :)

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

Thanks Acadia,  appreciate the feedback!

I'll disregard the geoms folder because the chances of me making a mesh are the same as the sky becoming sky blue pink with yellow dots and little piggly wigglies flying in it.

At present my Read Me's are in a seperate folder outside the Runtime and are nested:
Documentation/VLF/Product Name/Readme_productname for productbase.txt

The textures all follow the following format:
Character Name/VLF/Base Product Name/

I only started putting the .mc6 files in because I make them in that format first and then convert to a .pz2 and soemtime ago people were saying they wished people would leave the .mc6 files in alongside the .pz2 files.  I'm just wondering now if that isn't needless bloat because I always use the .pz2 files once they are created.

 

 

Re your folder structure, follow the submissions guidelines for commercial products and you won't go wrong.

Coppula eam se non posit acceptera jocularum.

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I'm just trying to refine it SamTherapy, my current format causes no hang ups with the store but I'm wondering if I'm making it overcomplicated for consumers - I'm good at that roll

 

 

Ditto Acadia on PZ2 versus MC6.  I'll always prefer a good old-fashioned PZ2 MATpose,
because you don't have to get into the material room to use it.  The files are
nearly identical anyway.

My python page
My ShareCG freebies

I'm the other side of the coin.. I like having both pz2 and mc6 available if I want them. the file size is fairly small, and I don't see a good reason not to include them.

I'm working more and more with materials, like many other advanced users, and for me it's a pain to have to go hunting down a pose file, especially since I'll apply a materail, and then head to the material room to see if things are hooked up properly to my tastes, and if not, fix them.

and 9 times out of 10, there something I'll need to adjust to suit my tastes.

Way too many people take way too many things way too seriously.

Thnaks for the feedback folks...........much appreciated!