How do I Organize Content Simply

Keiku

Let me preface this by saying, I am a complete and utter NOOB when it comes to DAZ and all 3D graphics software. Assume, I know nothing about a fore mentioned applications.

Now then, on with the question.

It seems to me that the content library is a royal mess. I can't find anything easily. Sometimes materials are in poses, sometimes in materials. Who knows what will work with which character, and so on. I hesitate to install anymore content until I organize what I already have.

So how do I do that?

Most files I install are a runtime folder which itself contains numerous folders. I just copy and paste that file into: C:\Users\UserName\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library

What I would like to do is to separate content by character (Victoria, Genesis, etc) and also by the type of content (pose, prop, hair, scene, etc) and more specifically, (shoes, pants, skirts, bras, swords, etc).

I don't know what would be the most logical hierarchy to use. More importantly I don't know how to actually move the files about to get the desired result. I don't want to break anything, and of course, I don't know what each file and folder is for either.

So. What do I do?

SixDs

You don't necessarily have to move your content on your hard drive around to do what you are describing. In DAZ Studio, in the content pane (not Smart Content), you have the option of displaying your content by Categories. It will require a little work to organize it this way, but it is better than moving things around on the drive. The latter can mean that DAZ Studio ends up unable to locate some files for some content since they are no longer where they are expected to be. I don't use categories myself, so others may come along eventually who can offer better advice on how to go about doing what you want.

JimmyC_2009

jr said:

Let me preface this by saying, I am a complete and utter NOOB when it comes to DAZ and all 3D graphics software. Assume, I know nothing about a fore mentioned applications.

Now then, on with the question.

It seems to me that the content library is a royal mess. I can't find anything easily. Sometimes materials are in poses, sometimes in materials. Who knows what will work with which character, and so on. I hesitate to install anymore content until I organize what I already have.

So how do I do that?

Most files I install are a runtime folder which itself contains numerous folders. I just copy and paste that file into: C:\Users\UserName\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library

What I would like to do is to separate content by character (Victoria, Genesis, etc) and also by the type of content (pose, prop, hair, scene, etc) and more specifically, (shoes, pants, skirts, bras, swords, etc).

I don't know what would be the most logical hierarchy to use. More importantly I don't know how to actually move the files about to get the desired result. I don't want to break anything, and of course, I don't know what each file and folder is for either.

So. What do I do?

It can take a long time to understand all of the different types of content. There is a search function at the top of the Content Library pane which I find very useful, and I use it a lot. There is also 'Products' which lists your content by name (alphabetically) which is also very useful, but If you want to have the content displayed in a way which makes sense to you, then you really should create your own Categories. It is not a good idea to move things on your drive as SixDs says, that can lead to worse problems.

Have a look at this :
Creating new Categories by AdamR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_nnPf8nCcc4

You don't need to do it all in one session, you can figure out how you want it to work, then start, character by character, making sure to 'Export User Data' from the Content DB Maintenance option in the Content Library drop-down menu. Saving, will ensure that you work is not lost, and can be recovered again if anything happens to the database.