Somewhat Confuzzled...(DAZ Studio Item Preview Images)...MOSTLY SOLVED
LaughingVulcan
Posts: 77
I'm close to curling into the fetal position, as this makes NO sense to me: :P
I know that Studio uses .PNG picture files as the GUI preview images...and that these PNGs usually have the same name as the items in your Library (MAT's, pp2, cr2, hr2, etc...), and are USUALLY in the same folder as the item they share a name with.
My 2 questions:
1. I've been adding various items to my Libraries. Some of these items have NO PNG pics in the folder, but STILL manage to rustle up a preview image somehow...
WHERE is Studio getting the Preview image from? Where are the dears hiding? (I'm Running DAZ Studio 4.6.2.118 Pro on a Mac OS X.)
I'd like to SAVE them if possible, rather than redoing the preview images... :(
2. (This ties into 1) Does anyone get the odd 'not there' duplicate files in the interface? Thier names match an item name, but start with a period & underscore (e.g. '._CherryShoes.cr2').
I can delete them with no negative effects most of the time. (The exception is, if I delete ones for a 'hidden PNG item', I LOSE the Preview image. (See Attached) )
So, short & sweet:
• Where are these 'hidden PNGs' stored, and can I find/resave them into PROPER png images?
• What are the 'Period-underscore' blanks? What do they DO? Can I somehow tell Studio to STOP putting them up in the interface?
As ALWAYS, guys and gals...THANKS!
Be well.
Greg
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Comments
Hello,
the ._ notating in the beginning of files were used by Mac OS when old Mac OS files that used a resource-fork was stored on file systems which didn't handle multiple forks, like FAT32 used by Windows.
So where did you get those files from?
IIRC looong ago the Mac version of some poser files used resource-fork to store the thumbnail for those items rather than using a separate file. There was an utility available to extract the thumbnail, which was probably .rsr rather than .png at the time...
Totte, it varies. :blank:
Most are the packages (in ZIP file format) I've bought here or at Rendo, and are stored on my system (I'm trying to organize my GIANT Library into smaller, parallel, character specific Libraries to make it easier to figure out what stuff works/belongs with what character.), while some are freebies I've poached from around the Web...
and SOME of the '._' show up when I make/mod MAT files or such. (I was creating MATs for A3 Eyes yesterday by picking up a base MAT and changing the pointers to point at the desired eye textures. I'd save and close out, go into the DAZ GUI and hit 'Refresh', and I'd get the new MAT 'button...and the 'period-underscore' blank one. That happens whenever I alter a cr2, pp2, hr2, etc.)
But THAT'S one of the things, Leana...
Most cases, I've gotten RID of the .rsr files when I copy the items into the Library...as my system doesn't seem to use it...but the 'phantom preview' STILL shows up in the interface then...along with the 'period-underscore' blanks...
So, the preview pic ISN'T hiding in the RSR's.
It's either hiding in the cr2 or pp2...or whatever it is (and I don't see any evidence inside the file of that),
or it's lurking in my system...somewhere... :(
Greg
Totte, it varies. :blank:
Most are the packages (in ZIP file format) I've bought here or at Rendo, and are stored on my system (I'm trying to organize my GIANT Library into smaller, parallel, character specific Libraries to make it easier to figure out what stuff works/belongs with what character.), while some are freebies I've poached from around the Web...
and SOME of the '._' show up when I make/mod MAT files or such. (I was creating MATs for A3 Eyes yesterday by picking up a base MAT and changing the pointers to point at the desired eye textures. I'd save and close out, go into the DAZ GUI and hit 'Refresh', and I'd get the new MAT 'button...and the 'period-underscore' blank one. That happens whenever I alter a cr2, pp2, hr2, etc.)
The disk you use how is that formatted? Sounds like you are using an NTFS formatted disk, not HFS+
rsr was the format used by old versions of poser (think P4, maybe P5) for thumbnails, before they started using png files.
Mac users didn't need a separate file, the thumbnail was included in the resource-fork. The separate rsr file was provided for Windows users, since Windows systems can't use resource-fork.
There were utilities to "convert" files between Windows and Mac versions.
I'm using a flash drive for this currently, as it allows me to sort the libraries further when it's dead at work.
That SAID...
I just checked the drive...it's formatted MS-DOS (FAT32)...Maybe THAT could do it?
Maybe try a backup onto my home HD, and then reformat the Flashdrive to a Mac format?
(Seemed to work fine with the Mac when I got it, so I never thought to reformat...) :(
Greg
Okay...got it now. Thank you, Leana. :)
I'm using a flash drive for this currently, as it allows me to sort the libraries further when it's dead at work.
That SAID...
I just checked the drive...it's formatted MS-DOS (FAT32)...Maybe THAT could do it?
Maybe try a backup onto my home HD, and then reformat the Flashdrive to a Mac format?
(Seemed to work fine with the Mac when I got it, so I never thought to reformat...) :(
Greg
Thats's the problem. FAT-32 doesn't support rsrc forks so you will get those ._ files everywhere on the disk but they are only visible in DS:
And, Fat32 is about 100 times slower that HFS+ too....
Totte,
Well, I tried reformatting the flashdrive yesterday (as Mac OS Extended [Journaled]...like my HD's), and reloaded everything...
BINGO!
VERY few ._'s left. :lol:
As far as the 'hidden previews', I've been taking screen shots as I come across them, and I'll recreate them.
(If anyone knows of a 'preview extractor' for Mac OS X, though, kindly let me know...Thanks! :snake: )