Category View (Files)

2016-07-07T17:32:46+00:00

Category View (Files)

The Category View on the Files Page is populated according to the categories that are assigned to assets. The relationships between assets and categories are known as Metadata and are dependent on an active connection to a local content database using the cms. The assets that determine which categories to display in the view are returned as a result of performing a query (i.e., a request for information) on the database, which is reliant on the parameters (i.e., a specific subset) supplied to that query.

The Category View serves as one of several forms of filtering for the adjacent Results View. Selecting a category causes any assets that are assigned to that category, or any of its sub-categories, to be displayed. Each category can contain sub-categories that further refine the results into more specific groupings. For instance, the default Poses category provides sub-categories named By Function, By Region, and Other. These categories may contain even more specific sub-categories. For example, By Function might contain sub-categories named Expression, Grasp, Jumping, Running, Sitting, etc. Selecting a sub-category in the Category View filters the list of assets, such that only a subset of the assets within the parent category are displayed.

Right-clicking within the Category View, and selecting “Refresh” from the context menu can be used to update the view so that it reflects the current state of the data in the database.

Compatibility Selector

The Compatibility Selector provides a means for selecting a Compatibility Base. This can be used to filter out any results that are not specifically designed for a certain character. The options presented in the selector are populated based on which node in the scene is selected.

For example, if the Victoria 7 character exists in the scene, and that figure becomes selected, “Female” will be displayed on the Compatibility Selector, and any results that indicate they have a compatibility with Genesis 3 will be used to populate the Category and Results Views. This is due to the fact that the Victoria 7 character is based on the Genesis 3 figure, and the Compatibility Base for the Genesis 3 figure is defined as “/Genesis 3/Female.” Clicking on the Compatibility Selector provides a list of Compatibility Base filters that are defined by the products that are installed. In this particular case, the Victoria 7 character is installed and selected in the scene, so “Victoria 7” will be among the available options. Selecting the “Victoria 7” option filters the results so that only those assets/products that are specifically compatible with the Victoria 7 character are displayed.

The "All Files" Filter

Selecting the All Files Filter, near the top of the Category View, causes an uncategorized list of results to show. What is displayed when “All Files” is selected is dependent on several things, including the checked state of the “Filter By Context” option, the Compatibility Base chosen from the Compatibility Selector, the node selection within the scene, and the Content Type assigned to user-facing assets.

Categories

Categories provide a means of hierarchically organizing various things. In the case of the Files Page, these “things” are assets. The hierarchical structure of categories can be thought of like a “tree,” where there is a “trunk” with “branches,” which ultimately lead to “twigs” and “leaves.”

Default Categories

By default, assets are organized into categories. These Default Categories are typically assigned and maintained by the vendor (i.e., the creator or the store) and are usually installed with the product that provides the asset. The default categories may include high-level classifications, such as Figures, Wardrobe, Props, Hair, etc. These classifications are also generally further refined into subcategories. For instance, the Figures category may contain subcategories for assets that fit more specifically within an Animals, Creatures, or People classification.

Selecting a category will cause assets that are specifically assigned to that category to be displayed in the Results View; e.g., selecting the Lights category might display products containing Light Presets that can be loaded into a scene.

It is important to remember that default categories are maintained by the vendor and, as such, are subject to change.

User Categories

The default categories provided by a creator or vendor may not match every user's idea of how the assets they use should be organized. User Categories provide the ability to customize how assets are organized so that they better fit the way a particular user navigates content. For example, while the default categories may assign a “Scarf” asset to the “Accessories” category, a user may prefer that the scarf be assigned to the “Wardrobe” category and/or a custom “Things” category.

Categories are assigned at the asset level. Creating a new user category, or assigning a product to a user category, must be performed from an Asset View (General), which is found in the Files page, Product Contents Views, Add-On Assets Views, and Target Assets Views.

If all categories reside within the hierarchy of the “Default” category (branches of a single tree), the “Default” category will not be displayed at the top level. Instead the immediate subcategories (the branches) will be displayed. If a user category is created as a sibling to the “Default” category (as a new tree), the Category View will display both the “Default” category tree as well as the sibling user category tree at the top level.

Special Categories

Daz Studio also has special categories that appear when in a specific state, such as:

Lost and Found - user-facing assets with metadata provided by Daz Connect that are not assigned to a category in the provided metadata
Saved Files - initial placement of locally created user-facing assets
Scan Results - local user-facing assets discovered during a content scan

Managing Categories

Assets are assigned to categories by default. If an asset is in a different default category than a user may like, the asset can be assigned to a different category. These user categories can be created to customize and and Manage Categories to make locating assets and products more personal.

Filter By Context

By default the Category View is populated by performing a query on the content database where one of the parameters for said query is defined as “only retrieve the assets that are compatible with the selected object in the scene”—much like the Category View on the Products Page. This is the intended behavior while the Filter By Context option is checked.

When the “Filter By Context” option is unchecked, the Category View is populated by performing a query on the content database wherein one of the parameters for the query is defined as “all installed assets, regardless of compatibility.” This means that the categories displayed represent the subset of all categories that have user-facing assets assigned to them.

Products that lack user-facing files, e.g., morph packs, will not be displayed in the Results View when a category is selected.

Documentation Center public:software:dazstudio:4:referenceguide:interface:panes:smart_content:files_page:category_view

Category View (Files)

Category View (Files)

Compatibility Selector

The "All Files" Filter

Categories

Default Categories

User Categories

Special Categories

Managing Categories

Filter By Context