How do I make a clean install of a daz figure?
JQP
Posts: 511
I installed a clean version of G8F manually in its own folder. I installed DS BETA and pointed it to the new content folder. I started up DS BETA and loaded a scene and now all the morphs from my previous G8F install have contaminated and slinked and slithered and wormed their way into my clean G8F install. Apparently because I included my main content folder in DS BETA'S mapping so I could load clothing etc.
How do I do a clean install of a daz figure without it being corrupted and ruined and destroyed and messed up and trashed by a previous daz figure install?
Comments
Studio searches through every Content Directory you have looking for assets for the figure you are loading, so if you have G8F installed in two (or more) directories then Studio is going to be loading everything from both installs.
Only way to get a "clean install" is to remove the other Directories from the Content Library, or to uninstall everything.
You can install Starter Essentials to a specified "minimal" Daz Library firstly, then set up a minimal Content Set in Content Directory Manager. Then swith to different Content Set as needed.
The method i prefer, using separate Data folders for anything that contains morph data for a base figure. Characters, morph packs, expressions, clothes, etc.
Then i map the particular product in CDM(Content Directory Manager) as I need them.
Tedious and time consuming to setup, since you have to do this manually, but once it's done you have a lot of versatility(as you can setup multiple content sets in CDM), shorter load times(generally), and fewer conflicts/errors(mostly).
The draw back is if you want to add something as you go along, you'll need to save the figure(I use scene subset), add the directory to CDM, then load the saved figure and then apply what ever you added.
One additional step i take is to make a backup of my CDM file(ContentDirectoryManager.dsx; c:\users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio 4) for each project and then reset it to my base/default/startup version.
Another option would be Turbo Loader.
It works by changing the extension of the Data files(DSX) when they aren't selected/active for a particular project.
When i tested it out, i found it to be far too laborious to use on a daily basis, compared to the setup and use of separate directories.
Your mileage may vary.
Another option, install/uninstall products on an as needed basis.
Not a particularly great option, but some people use this in their workflow.
Side note: regardless of method used, you will see a slight to significant increase in initial load time, compared to subsequent load times, as the Cache file has to be updated each time something is added or removed.
Also, turbo loader and the install/uninstall method increases writes to SSDs, so you may wear out your drive faster.