Note by Tormie: I moved this tutorial here from the knowledge base in order to have all the tutorial in one place easy to find

Article Name: Navigating Your Runtimes (or How to find those lost download files)
Description: For beginers and new users, by Melamkish
If you download a lot of content, you will eventually want to start organizing your Runtime folder. If this is all new to you, some of the files you unzip will end up in places you don't want and you won't be sure where to look for them. So with that in mind, lets start at the begining and see what type of files you might be downloading.

Whether you use Daz Studio or Poser, there are file formats that are used by both programs. To know what you can and cannot move, you must be familiar with the file extensions at the end of the file name. Below is a reference listing of most of these extensions, what the file is, and which folder it would be in within the Runtime folder.

OBJ (figure geometry): Geometries(figure name)
RSR (small file, Windows-only thumbnail graphic): librariescharacter(category)(character name)
RSR (large file, both Mac and Windows  Binary OBJ): Same location as associated geometry file
PZ3 (Poser scene): any (user-selected location)
CM2 (Camera): librariescameraCamera Sets
CR2 (Character): librariescharacter(category)(character name)
FC2 (Face): librariesfaces(category)
HR2 (Hair): librarieshair(category)
HD2 (Hand): librarieshand(category)
LT2 (Light): librarieslightLight Sets
PZ2 (Pose): librariespose(category)
PP2 (Prop): librariesprops(category)
MT5 (Shader): librariesmaterial(category)
TIF, BMP, BUM, JPG (textures, bump maps, etc.): textures (category)(subcategory).
You may store additional images in any folder you wish.
PZS (Web links): Web links(category)
MC6/MCZ (Material Collections): librariesmaterial(category)
PMD (Morph Targets): These files are created next to a CR2 (when a figure is added to the Library), next to a PP2 (when a prop is added), or next to a PZ3 (when a scene file with morph targets was created in an earlier version of Poser, or when the morph set of figures and/or props has been changed since they were added to the scene).

Now before we go digging around our runtimes, let me say this:

WARNING: Do not rename, or try to group any folders that are automatically installed in your Geometries or Texutres folders!!! Doing so will cause D/S and Poser to not be able to find these files and you will be forever searching for them. It is best to leave these folders as they are.

What you may do in your Geometries and Textures folders is move stuff there and create new folders for items that don't come with a folder. The first time you try to use this item, you will have to tell D/S or Poser where the item is, but then the program will remember after that.

Once you are familiar with the various formats and what you can and should not do, the rest becomes an exercise in moving files to the correct locations. All character files should be in the character folder under libraries, poses in pose, faces in faces, etc.

Now we'll get a bit more specific.

Keep in mind a couple of things. First, Daz Studio keeps it's runtime folder in the content folder. Some products, free or otherwise, will go into the Studio folder, which generally are files that only work with D/S, such as a scene file. You will put most of your downloads in the contentruntime folder. Second, there is a lot of old content on the web without any folders at all. These have to be manually placed. And last, although today, there is a generally accepted folder format to use for zipping and unziping, you will run across files with folders that start with "MetacreationsPoser..."etc. I've even seen some that wanted to unzip to "My Documents".

Windows Explorer and Winzip (or your favorite archive program) are all you need. There is a free program that is very useful for getting files into the right places, called Poser Porter. If a zip has a runtime in it, Poser Porter will put it in the right place, even if the zip file has a long and unusual folder path. We will talk about it a little later, because it does have a few quirks.

In my opinion, the best way to learn how and where all these files get unzipped is to create a holding (or temporary folder) and organize there. Then move the folders to the correct location. I created a folder called "Download Runtime" as my holding folder. After you get familiar with the directory structure you will soon know what can be unzipped directly to your main runtime, and what needs to go to a temporary location.

Since I don't know what specific files you are unzipping, open explorer and navigate to the folder that has your downloaded zip files. In the left pane of explorer click on one of the files, and you should see it's contents in the right side. If you see a Runtime folder, it is in the newer format. Unzip that one to your temporary location. These can also be safely unzipped to your main runtime folder. Now do the same thing with your other files and find one that has a folder with a different name. That folder should contain a runtime folder. Unzip that one to your temporary folder. Now see if you have a zip file with no folders. This one will require moving the files manually.

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