DAZ Studio: how I resolved some stupid database related problem

I spent most of my time yesterday to make Daz Studio 3.1.2.24 working on my Windows 7 (running MacMini), and finally everything is working as I expected.  Before I move on, I better write down what I learned so that I won't repeat the same mistake again and again.

The problem started when I switched to my Windows 7 on My MacMini, and found that I couldn't search any content in the database, and then when I tried to refresh the database by scanning the content, the scanning process always died prematurely, either just finished without anything done, or brought down the whole application all together.

So here's the tricks I learned:

• The best way to rebuild the database is actually DELETING the database and start from scratch.  All the attempt to rebuild a messed up database is waste of time at the time.  To delete the database, simple go to C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio3 and delete the file "Content".  There's also another "Content-journal".  I removed that away too, and did seemed to harm anything.  The next time you start searching new content, a new database will be built.
• If, after create the database, and the scanning process still die prematurely, try MOVE everything else out of the content directory (in C:\Users\{user name}\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio3\content) and left "Runtime" folder there.  Try scan content again.  In my case it always work out.  And then you put bacl the rest of the other content and scan again.  That resolved my problem.
• If you want all the machine running DazStudio to be able to open any of the files you created on any of the machine, then make sure that the content directory structure used by Daz Studio on all machines are the same.  I struggled about why one machine failed to open the file created by another machine, and eventually found out (by reading the log file) that the daz file expecting some materials that were in different folders.  So I realign all the content structures on all machines, and files were then opened properly.
• Log file is important when there's something wrong.  You can find the log file at "C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio3", and the file is log.txt.

So this is how to get the same Daz Studio file show up properly on both Mac and Windows

I was using the network "Ultimate Poser Vault" resource approach for a while, and didn't realize the major pitfall of using such a scheme, and that is, the file you create on the Windows CANNOT BE read properly on the Mac, and vice verse.  That is because of the way how Mac and Windows store the network path on the daz file.

So starting from now I am using a different approach.  I copy the whole "Ultimate Poser Vault" content to the "content" folder of the corresponding Daz installation folder on both Mac and PC.  The result is that the file I created on my Windows Daz Studio shows up properly on my Mac Daz Studio.  Yeah!

32 failing, so stay with 24 for a while

I was trying to install the DAZStudio 3.1.2.32 for Mac, and kept getting stupid (application) "Abort Unexpectedly error".  So I will stay with 3.1.2.24 for a while, and the Windows version (on the M6500 machine) will also stay at 3.1.2.24  so that there's no compatibility problem.

Once again, fustrated by DazStudio

I was trying to spend this weekend to learn about how to use lighting effectively on Daz Studio, but at the end I found out other headache that I wasn't expected to deal with.

It started when I found out that, on my Mac, not all old files could be opened.  I have to set the [Preference][Directories] setting so that all 3 types (DAz Studio Formats native, Poser Formats (import), Other Supported Format (import)) point to the same "Volumes/Ultimate Poser Vault" folder, and even that, there still some files couldn't be open.  That's the moment when I realized that the daz files has some directory dependent information in it, much is bad.

I also found out that Daz files that create on my Mac doesn't open properly on my M6400 PC, and so is the vice verse case.  I think the network reference are not the same.  That's why the problem.

Interestingly, older files are working ok on both the Mac and the PC.  I think they were created in the era where those resource are still natively installed on the Application local folder, instead of the network drive.

it's not totally hopeless, though, because by seraching the name in the Scene, I can find the "missing" item, and then I can drag and drop them back to the scene.  So the materials are indeed still available.  Just the reference got messed up.

So what should I do.  Well, I think from now on I should:

• Use the Dell M6400 to create scenes, since the performance seemed way better than on my Mac Mini.
• Do documentation to write down clearly:
• Which platform I create the scene with, Windows or Mac
• What is the path of the the 3 reference paths.
• set only the Poser content path to point to  "Ultimate Poser Vault".  I am worry that the more reference, the messier it gets.

Hopefully that will make reopening the file in the future less painful.

BTW, I did "serarch content" on the Windows DazStudio and the app crashed. so I have to reinstall ... but still crash.  So I am now downloading a newer version 3.1.2.32.  Sigh, this DazStudio continue to be the bitter sweet.