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How do I get rid of empty categories?

Freddy352Freddy352 Posts: 0
edited December 1969 in New Users

I've been using DS for years and been resisting changing to 4.X. Tonight I bit the bullet...and may spit it out. The UI seems worse than the old one. Much. But I know some of my griping is from unfamiliarity. I have 2 specific questions:

1) How do I hide empty categories in the content library? In 3.X, you could right-click in the library and that came up as an option in a dialog. Do I have to go scan each and every category for content and then manually delete it? Is there an option I can't find? Is there a config file I can open with a text editor to get rid of some of that superfluous trash? Seriously, I do not need a category for Left-Handed Science Fiction Characters with Fur.

2) Is there any way to reduce the size of the sliders in the panes, e.g. the Parameters pane? The default ones seem like they are either the kindergarten-sized jumbo ones or the large-print versions--I can't figure out which demographic they were designed for. They take up about 4 times the screen real estate that the old ones did. I would like to shrink them.

Comments

  • Freddy352Freddy352 Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Oh, and 3) How do I get rid of the annoying "What do I do?" panes?

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,583
    edited December 1969

    1) Easiest way I know of is Content DB Maintenance > Export User Data (this backs up your custom categories), then Content DB Maintenance > Reset Database (to empty it out, then Content DB Maintenance > Re-Import Metadata (to reimport User Data) -- that will clear out all the empty categories.

    2) Use the Darkside style, much more compact

    3) There's a thread explaining how to replace them, I don't have the link handy I'm afraid.

  • Freddy352Freddy352 Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Mike,

    Thanks, that was helpful.

    1) That got rid of the empty categories. Much better. I can see my custom structure, now. DAZ and I have different mental models of how the content database should be structured. Seems to me DS tends to structure around files and objects, but I like to structure around tasks.

    2) Darkside is much better (but I can see me spending lots of time fixing the colors). I'm still annoyed about all the panes coming in and out. Can that be customized? In DS3 I have a single control pane open with Content/Surfaces/Scene tabs in the top half and Parameters in the bottom half. It occupies about 20% of my screen, leaving the rest for viewports. I can also have 3 different tabs open at once, should I choose. In DS4, seems like to have the same controls available that ratio is reversed: 20% for viewports. Sure, I can open and close and work around, but customizing would be better. Again, different mental models: I like to go back and forth between different sorts of controls, not open one set, do everything in there, close it; open another, do everything in there, etc.

    Some of that may be because of my setup. I use a portrait-orientation display, and DS4 may be set up assuming a landscape orientation.

    3) Those tip panels have *got* to go. Seems like someone would have thought that there would be a need to turn them off. Unless they though nobody but noobs would ever use the software, and when you got expert enough to do without them you'd use something else. (Oops, a snark leaked out.)

    4) Hey, free software, one can't expect everything to be perfect! And I'm a professional at UI development so this stuff probably bugs me more than it should.

    Anyway, thanks for your guidance.

  • SiscaSisca Posts: 875
    edited December 1969

    I use a combination of Darkside to get the more compact text/UI elements and City Limits layout to have things accessible while still being out of my way.

    By the "Tips" pane are you referring to the the window with Tips/Info/Tag that are at the bottom of the Content tab?

    If so you can reduce it by clicking on any of the tabs (well clicking twice if it's not the active tab once to activate it and twice to had the content) this will leave just the tab titles showing. If you want to hide even that you can click on the little divider bar just above them and it will hide the whole thing. Clicking it again will bring it back.

    The same thing works on the tips panel on the parameters tab.

    I've personally closed the AniMate and Timeline tabs at the bottom of the screen since I don't use Daz for animation right now.

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,583
    edited December 1969

    1) Yeah, I have my own categories set up in the way that makes sense for me.

    2) You can rearrange/close/open panes as in DS3 -- I have a layout very similar to what I used in DS3, with about the same viewport size. I wonder if you would do better with all the panes on the bottom?

  • Freddy352Freddy352 Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Sisca said:
    I use a combination of Darkside to get the more compact text/UI elements and City Limits layout to have things accessible while still being out of my way.

    By the "Tips" pane are you referring to the the window with Tips/Info/Tag that are at the bottom of the Content tab?

    No, I mean the great big big window within the pane that contains really important information; for example, when I click on the "Parameters" tab, it uses up more than half the pane's screen area to tell me this:

    What do I do?
    _________
    1. Select something in your scene.
    2. Select a property group from the list on the left and then adjust the property controls that will show up here
    _________
    Video: Parameters

    WTF.jpg
    250 x 394 - 11K
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