Backing Up DAZ Studio

zombiewhacker

DIM installed all my Studio products to their default paths, and I've never noodled around with metadata or stuff like that, so hopefully that should simplify my backup process.  In case of a PC meltdown, I would simply let DIM reinstall my products, and I should be good as new.

However... I have created a number of character presets (personalized morphs), and this I definitely need to backup on my own..

Aside from  my presets directory, what else do I need to backup from my drive to make sure my character data is never lost?

Richard Haseltine

If the presets used exsting content that should be all you need, if you have saved any of your own assets (morphs for example) using File>Save as>Support Assets then you need to back up the Data folder you used - that will usually be the \Data folder in the content directory to which you saved.

Richard Haseltine

You also probably want to back up the settings folder - on Windows C:\Users\YOU\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio 4, on mac ~/Library/Application Support/DAZ 3D/Studio 4 I think. AppData is a hidden folder by default so you will need to enable the display of hidden files and folders in Folder Options or the file browser ribbon bar, at least on Windows - I think most back-up software will include the whole AppData folder by default.

zombiewhacker

Thank you.  I should clarify, though, what I meant by personalized morphs.  Not morphs created in outside 3D software, but morphs created by spinning dials within Studio (Genesis Evolution, etc.) and by combining various characters (50% Michael 5, 50% Benjamin,that kind of thing.)

When you save a Character asset, does Studio embed all required data into one file, or does the resulting asset file merely contain "pointers" to outside files and runtimes?  In the latter case, if one of those outside files became corrupted or went missing, I'm assuming the asset file wouldn't even load.

Richard Haseltine

Preset would just list the assets used, so yes you woudl get an error if one of the products was missing or damaged (in DS 4.9 it would offer to download from your account if it was a Daz store item, at least for an unisntalled morph).

zombiewhacker

Is there any way I can save a custom character into a single preset that contains all the files I need?  That would make back-ups much simpler. 

Richard Haseltine

No, assets will always be external as far as I know - and textures will certainly not be embedded in the .duf file.

zombiewhacker

A related question, if I may:

Right now I'm creating characters with just morphs and textures, and saving them as Character Presets preserves them nicely.  When I take the next step, which is to add clothing and hair so the characters are ready to be imported into a scene, what preset should I choose then?

Finally, which presets should I use to preserve scenery (rooms, exteriors, etc.)?

Richard Haseltine

A Wearables preset can include character settings for the wearer (in tabs in the option dialogue, you have to set the check-box to include them) so you could use one of those. For environments a Scene Subset would be the obvious chocie, and can also be used for clothed characters.