question about using models in sprite creation

[raymoohawk]

do you think an aproach similar to this:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4jxp5ICcAARo9o.jpg

but using models would be valid in the creation of FREE and OPEN CONTENT sprites?

let me put a specific example

take this render that Revilution did:



that render was done from a heavely modified version of the PROPRIETARY monster in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8l1ipybW84

as you can see the render itself is very different from the source model. now suppose i where to build a sprite on top of the render, such that it was completly different from the original character, say it ended up looking something like this:

http://pre05.deviantart.net/d07f/th/pre/i/2015/110/f/c/cybermanthite_by_mazmon7734-d8qi4ba.jpg

would the resulting sprite be valid as FREE and OPEN CONTENT? Why?

(also i dont intend to do the specific example in this post. i just put it to illustrate what i meant)

thanks!

[Zanieon]

Well, "heavy edits can be free content?", in fact the answer for this question is no, my model may be a heavy edit from the Magician Dragon from TERA (Zelvictus isn't the only monster which uses that model inside the game, and it's class name inside Unreal Engine 3's paks and code is Magician Dragon) but the model still is proprietary of BlueHole Studio which is who did the original model for a copyrighted game.

HOWEVER, what you really mean is, "Can i use some heavy edited 3D model as a base-idea for a sprite to a new monster?", and the answer is yes you can, 100% original ideas is VERY, VERY rare today, many people take other's ideas as a base to build their own, enhancing and modifying at their will.

[raymoohawk]

thanks
i know heavily edited content cannot be free and open content. what i meant was something like this (sorry for the crappy example, dont have much time to put together something decent right now):



i drew my sprite over the tamer. wich is kind of like what ID did here:

[Zanieon]

That fits exactly in the second quoted question i made, you are just using something as a starting point to build your own content, that is completely fine to do.

[raymoohawk]

thanks for claryfing that revilution

EDIT

after thinking about it some more i think this is a bad idea and wont be trying it. if i want to use renders to speed up my work i should try and make my own models

[ibm5155]

" I heavily edited Windows 7, can I share it for free?"

Still, it's a quite interesting area, like, can I make a free game using persiskian hd sounds (they're heavly edited doom sounds with much better quality, and some of them from their original quality), Doom HD Texture Pack (they're heavily edited textures based on doom textures) plus edited doom monster sprites, and for the final touch, freedoom as a base Iwad.

I may make the maps and musics, but I'll be using a heavily modified doom sprites,sounds and textures...

There may have some copyright law problem somewhere in some country, but for that, there's a simple solution, read the copyright, most of your questions can be answered on it, like (can I modify it and share?) (can I modify it and monetize?) , about doom, I only know you cannot use doom data (sprites,sounds,...) for a free game or commercial, or even a mod (couf, Doom 2 TC for Freedoom).

But about your topic, you just need to check the copyright of the model you want to have as a base to make your sprite, but for a commercial game, the chances to get a "NO" is high (and that's how a Doom 3 TC was canceled ) but ignoring the law, that kind of guys may ignore you if you do that, unless your work get popular

[wildweasel]

The biggest problem you're going to see is not what you actually based your work on, but how identifiable it is. If you were to sell a commercial game using only the Doom High Resolution Textures and PK's sound pack as a base, you'd probably still get slapped by a lawyer, because even if those works were made from scratch, they're still identifiable as being Doom, and would classify as derivative work. (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.)

[Zanieon]

WW is right

If the game is going to be free and open as raymoohawk wants, using CC-BY stuff and only this, is fine as long you remember to credit everyone who you got the resources

Commercial games always works different on that manner, it needs own content, and mainly because everyone enjoys some cash for the job done, once it is commercial

[Amuscaria]

That's not really a "heavily edited content" with the example you gave. You're just using the original as a reference pose. It's perfectly legal to sell something that you based off of a reference pose.

[raymoohawk]

thanks for all the adivce guys, ive already decided that i wont be trying this method anyway.

i think ill just record myself walking and making the poses, and use that as a base

[cambertian]

I'm having a similar question with texture creation. In particular, using photos of things/patterns from the real world and editing them before putting them into a WAD. Is it considered acceptable?

I'm concerned mostly with one texture in particular - a composition notebook cover that I edited to look kind of fleshy or lava-like:



Do you think it's far enough away from the original? I'm fine with not "claiming it as my own;" I just need some custom textures to use.

[wildweasel]

I'm under the impression that everybody does this, even commercial games (like Max Payne and Half-Life 2, especially). The question you should be asking is, is it at all feasible for the original item to be copywritten? In the case of patterns on composition books or camouflage patterns on uniforms, it probably isn't, because those patterns come from a specific process instead. (Disclaimer: I am still not a lawyer.)

[Amuscaria]

I'm having a similar question with texture creation. In particular, using photos of things/patterns from the real world and editing them before putting them into a WAD. Is it considered acceptable?

I'm concerned mostly with one texture in particular - a composition notebook cover that I edited to look kind of fleshy or lava-like:



Do you think it's far enough away from the original? I'm fine with not "claiming it as my own;" I just need some custom textures to use.

From what I know from my artist friends, if it's your own photos, there are no problems. If you are using other people stuff, either ask for permission or edit it so much that it's no identifiable.