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I broke DAZ again, help!

ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
in Technical Help (nuts n bolts)

RE: My DAZ is broke again.

MY SYSTEM: DS 4.15 Pro, WIN 10 X64 21H1

PROBLEM(s): DIM WORKS FINE, BUT

1. DAZ CAN’T SEE OR USE MY SMART CONTENT (see image), AND

2. DAZ CENTRAL FAILS TO RECOGNIZE EVERYTHING IS INSTALLED.

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INTRO TO THE ISSUE: (Probably a Content cluster or CMS path issue)

I've had to move content around several times since I started using DAZ a year and a half ago (BECAUSE I RUN OUT OF SPACE). I began with DAZ defaults (C: Drive) on a 1Tb SSD (Disk-0), RAN OUT OF SPACE FAST, and I realized I needed to backup windows (without the huge DAZ content directories on the system drive) as well. So I MOVED DAZ AND DIM to some other internal HDD's (Disk 1 & 2 spanning as Dynamic RAID-0, volume F).

Then my content collection expanded again, and ...

=>I'm maxed out again, I now have 3 gigantic duplicate components: DIM DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE ARCHIVE, MY DAZ 3D LIBRARY, CLOUD CONTENT

(Lots of DAZ content + tutorials + Rendo + Cube Brush + HDRI content and other low quality freebies)

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FIRST FAILED ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE SPACE ISSUE: Folder/directory compression

=>Result: Accomplished nothing (no significant gains).

 

SECOND ATTEMPT: Moving Templates and Tutorials elsewhere

=>Result: This only freed up ~16GB space.

 

THIRD FAILED ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE SPACE ISSUE: I initially moved the DIM archive to an external HDD.

=>Result: I found that adding new content would cause the problem that I would also need to download all the previously installed content because I [sometimes] could not figure out what was my new and what was my old (content) so I had to bring the DIM archive back to volume F.

 

FORTH (CURRENT) ATTEMPT:

I bought more internal HDD storage (volume G) and made the decision to split up the 3 Giant Duplicate DAZ components (above) as follow:

1. HDD VOLUME F (Disk1&2 RAID-0): Daz Studio Installation+MY DAZ 3D LIBRARY+ CLOUD (CONNECT DATA) CONTENT.

2. NEW STORAGE HDD VOLUME G (Disk3): Installed DIM there, +moved my content cluster (database), DIM Downloads (Archive zip files), Manifests, Thumbnails, and my personal data (“My Library,” scene, subscene, presets, renders, project folders).

 

ABOUT MY CURRENT DAZ STUDIO ISSUE:

=>The Content Library tab sees/has all INSTALLED content.

=>I changed the content cluster and other necessary information in DAZ to the G drive (see the attached image from DAZ CONTENT DIRECTORY MANAGER), but DAZ will not find my SMART content.

=>So I reinstalled DAZ using DIM, (hoping DAZ would migrate to and take up my new DIM settings)... that did not fix DAZ smart content.

=>So I re-imported Metadata results in DAZ, and DAZ acknowledged most of my Smart Content (Icons only) and the number of DIM packages is almost correct, but when you click on a content package icon, there is no smart content files (e.g. duf’s, images, or material files etc).

=>I’ve tried connecting DAZ cms SETTINGS to both the CMS database and the Content Cluster, but neither results in Smart Content availability.

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ABOUT MY DAZ DATABASES:

=>I’ve identified 3 DIFFERENT DATABASES???

C: ROAMING/… cms directory

F: CLOUD/meta directory

G: DIM/ … CONTENT DATABASE/ContentCluster directory

(see attached images)

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QUESTIONS:

1. How do I fix the (no smart content issue) and the DAZ central issue?

2. What databases do I connect to what PROGRAM (DAZ, DIM, Central) after moving my DIM downloads, manifests, thumbnails and ContentCluster to the G drive?

3. What is the function of the ROAMING CMS database vs the ContentCluster, and is it mandatory to add the directory links anywhere else (what resource location box gets what link)?

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Can anyone identify the problem (e.g. is it content cluster, multiple HDD locations, something else needs to be reset?

 

 

DIM Advanced settings tab.png
791 x 636 - 50K
Roaming CMS database.png
757 x 142 - 11K
MY DAZ CONTENT DIRECTORIES.png
712 x 351 - 43K
DAZ CMS.png
402 x 143 - 11K
ContentCluster.png
608 x 120 - 8K
Cloud Meta.png
822 x 112 - 8K
No Smart Content.png
981 x 586 - 54K

Comments

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,739

    If you have duplicates in the My Daz 3D Library folder and the /data/cloud/ folder that almost certainly means that the system has not seen the foles in My Daz 3D Library and was working online or has been alowed to go online and has downloaded the Connect version. Or it may be that you saw the availabale to install icon in DS and read it as must install, which isn't what it means - it just means you could install through Connect, as long as the thumbnail is in colour the product is installed.

    You have multiply nested content directories in the Daz Studio Formats list - ../daz 3d/, ../daz3d/studio/, ../daz3d/studio/My Daz Connect Library/Applications/daz 3d/my daz 3d library/, ../daz3d/studio/My Daz Connect Library/data/ - which is going to hopelessly confuse the system. Connect and the main Daz Studio/Poser Formats folders all point to the root content directory, not the data folder (Connect takes care of the sub folders), and you should never have one content directory inside another. Where is you actual content located - the /data/, /runtime/, and various user-facing folders such as People? That can be split across more than one folder, but it must always be in the root of the content directory not a sub-folder.

    Theer can be premission issues with the content database, I don't know if that would account for DIM and DS showing different locations. Exactly which version of Daz Studio are you using (Help>About Daz Studio)?

    The /data/cloud/meta/ folder isn't a database of installed content - it is a list of the metadata for all your purchases from Daz, created and updated when Daz studio is allowed to connect.

    The zips are not needed, and ready To Download should not show items thata re installed (which is tracked through the manifests folder, not the database, as DIM need to the exact location of the files while the database cares only about their relative location within the content directory). If you leave the .dsx file in the downloads folder DIM should still know it has the folde, even if the zip itself is shunted off to an external drive.

    ----------------------------

    The first two things you need to do are work out where the actuakl content is, so you can consolidate those folder references, and decide whether you want to use Connect (Daz Studio itself) or Install Manager for isntalling content (soem things, such as many scripts, will have to install through DIM anyway).

  • ATLPRATLPR Posts: 147
    edited November 2021

    Richard Haseltine said:  [...]

     

    Hi Sir, thank you for the reply,

    Yes, I have the problems you described.

    I'm using DAZ 4.15.0.30, (I know nothing about DAZ permissions).

    OK, understood, don't use meta (it is not a directory containing a database).

    OK, understood, I can remove DIM zips to external HDD, but leave the manifests and DSX files.

    -

    Yes there are a few nested folders (e.g. /daz3d/studio/My Daz Connect Library/Applications/daz 3d/my daz 3d library/)… the problem started several months ago, I noticed that DAZ was writing new redundant directories ...in an attempt to resolve the issue, I moved all the content from my users/public directory to my main user directory (ADMIN). I did this because DAZ was writing duplicate information to both my Public and my ADMIN user accounts.

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    Yes I read the marked icons as “MUST INSTALL”:

    Since Day#1 I’ve downloaded with DIM, and also had to then install the content inside DAZ studio (thought I had to)… little did I know that the content was building up in a “cloud connect” folder.

    =>My DIM content DOWNLOAD folder contains ~468GB of (DAZ only) ZIP files from my online account product library.

    =>My DAZ “CLOUD” folder CONTAINS ~466GB of content (that came from DAZ Connect). I’ve been compressing this folder to decrease the size.

    (I never deleted the cloud content because I was not sure which content can only be installed from connect and which content is only available via DIM e.g. scripts)

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    YOU SAID: “Connect and the main Daz Studio/Poser Formats folders all point to the root content directory, not the data folder (Connect takes care of the sub folders), and you should never have one content directory inside another. Where is you actual content located - the /data/, /runtime/, and various user-facing folders such as People? That can be split across more than one folder, but it must always be in the root of the content directory not a sub-folder.”

    =>Answer-1: The inner workings of DAZ are a mystery to me (Runtime, data, meshes, textures, the databases).

    =>Answer-2: I can move "My DAZ 3D Library" folder elsewhere.

    =>Answer-3: The directories for Cloud and DIM were combined when I removed the DIM installation folder FROM Users/public TO Users/ADMIN (hoping to later determine the redundancies [using redundancy checker software called "Content Folder Twins"]).  https://www.daz3d.com/content-folder-twins

     

    DIM installs my content here (now): (Contains the Runtime and data folders)

    F:\Users\ADMIN\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Daz Connect Library\Applications\Data\DAZ 3D\My DAZ 3D Library

     

    DAZ connect installs my content here:

    F:\Users\ADMIN\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Daz Connect Library\data

    (See the attached screen captures)

    -

    I will begin to move things around, tomorrow after work. Please advise further if you think of anything else (especially permissions) and about connecting to my content database, and storage. 

    NOTE: DIM IS WORKING FINE ON MY SEPARATE G: VOLUME

    Thank you

    My Daz 3D Library.png
    1322 x 736 - 74K
    My DAZ connect Library.png
    721 x 180 - 13K
    Post edited by ATLPR on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,739

    That still shows issues - you have a Content folder in the content directory in the first image, and a data folder inside the data folder in the second. If they contain anything you probably want to cut it and paste it into the parent folder in the screen shot.

    I would suggest removing all the Connect installs - select everything in the Products tab of Smart Content, with Filter By Context unchecked at bottom left, then right-click on one of the selected items and click uninstall. twel daz Studio to Work offline (from the Connect menu) and, if it is set to log in automatically, go online again and unceck the option to always log in (then go off line again). You can now safely remove any /data/cloud/ folders. I'm not saying Connect is bad, I use it myself, but it does seem to be introducing an element of confusion here.

    I do think your paths are rather long - Windows does have a limitation on path length and by the time it's added the location of the file within F:\Users\ADMIN\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Daz Connect Library\Applications\Data\DAZ 3D\My DAZ 3D Library you may well be hitting it. I would move everything down to soemthing like F:\Users\ADMIN\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Library\ and point both DIM and Daz Studio to that (and use the same folder for the Daz Connect directory in case you do have occasion to use it in future).

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