Metadata: Why It's Awesome!

What is Metadata?...

Metadata is information about files. For example, there is no way to know what the file named "Crazyheart.pz2" actually is. Is it pose?... is it a morph?... does it work with Victoria?... does it have something to do with a heart? Your guess is as good as mine! By using the DAZ Studio database to assign information (metadata) about each file, you can know the answers to these questions. After assigning metadata to Crazyheart.pz2 you can know its a material preset for a cartoon style hamster named Fluffy (just what you were looking for, right?).

...and why do I care?

You care because Studio only finds files that have metadata assigned to them. All the products in the DAZ Store will eventually have metadata. If you have products or files from another source that do not provide DAZ Studio metadata, Studio will not find them. You can add your own metadata by using the "ContentDB Editor". Also, if you have bought products from the DAZ Store prior to the release of DAZ Studio 4, DAZ provides an easy way to update metadata for all DAZ products.

Uses of Metadata

1. Finding Content Types - Metadata gives you a way to find all your content of the same type. For example, if you want to add a pair of pants to a character you are creating, you can find every pair of pants that you own, assuming that all your files have been assigned "metadata" with the correct "Content Type".
2. No More Bad Blind Dates - Metadata holds information about the relationships between files. (Kind of like beauticians do for people) For example, let’s say you have just found the perfect pair of pants for your character but you hate the material/texture that comes with the pants. You vaguely remember buying a product with amazing material presets for these pants, but, you buy so much stuff you can’t remember what it was called or where it might be. Metadata to the rescue... after you filtered your search for “Actors & Wardrobe > Wardrobe > Color”, you just have to select the pants in your scene and Studio’s search engine delivers only material presets that work... all because of metadata.