whats the deal on porting models from other games?

[zeealex 2029]

I fancy seeing how Mass Effect would look on the Real Virtuality 4.0 engine and the models are readily available.

Is this allowed by bis?

How would I configure a VTOL aircraft with no landing gear?

[Messiah 2]

I fancy seeing how Mass Effect would look on the Real Virtuality 4.0 engine and the models are readily available.

Is this allowed by bis?

How would I configure a VTOL aircraft with no landing gear?

Depends what readily available means - if it means the creators have Mass Effect have released them out into the community and have granted permission for them to be used in other engines, then that's fine. If readily available means that a series of people have ripped the models from the game and thrown their ill gotten gains onto the internet? No, that's not ok.

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

Bioware has not released the models from Mass Effect. The models that are "readily available" are ripped from the game illegally, and cannot be used in other games without opening yourself up to a lawsuit. In theory, you could do so for your own personal use as long as you don't ever share pictures of them or send them to anybody, but it would still be illegal. (Also, it *will* get you banned from these forums)

[zeealex 2029]

Ah, right, its worth knowing that bioware havent released anything, I steered away fromTF3DM, for the same reason, the new model site I was looking at made them look like they were released by Bioware with permissions. I wont touch them then.

Edited May 14, 2014 by zeealex

[R0adki11 3945]

Ah, right, its worth knowing that bioware havent released anything, I steered away fromTF3DM, for the same reason, the new model site I was looking at made them look like they were released by Bioware with permissions. I wont touch them then.

I would check those sort of model sites as most of them are dubious and have content which is not legal. Rather than porting from other games, its much better to create your own work from scratch.

[zeealex 2029]

yeah, definitely. I love making my own work, there's a bigger sense of achievement, and I actually learn along the way as well some things though are way out of my league at the minute, but i'm getting there.

[Ckrauslo 12]

Oh Resident Evil would be COOL ( Cartman voice)

[EricJ 725]

TurboSquid is a good site to get models from, but again some people still have restrictions. So if you're not sure, ask the modeler first and he or she may or may not allow you to use it in Arma

[zeealex 2029]

thanks EricJ I'll check it out! :)

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

Turbosquid can't really be trusted either. I've seen CoD/Battlefield models on there, I think community members have found their work on there, and half the ripped A2/OA work I've reported to Bohemia was being sold on Turbosquid. Trust no one, always verify things yourself.

[chortles 263]

What Darkhorse 1-6 said... part of the reason that you've seen so many ports-from-vanilla-A2 is simply because those models' permissions are officially and publicly-confirmed.

[Ckrauslo 12]

Wow they have some nice things there, it's shame i can't find good plate carriers...anyone have a clue where i can find plate carrier blueprints or models?

[sakura_chan 9]

All the mass effect characters and vehicles are available on garry's mod's steam workshop, and have been around for years without any worries of lawsuits so porting other content is just fine. In fact you can download most arma 2 vehicles for garry's mod and GTAIV. Its a lot different than the old days where each game used its own engine and required "illegal hacking' to extract or edit content. Nowadays most games are practically open source with the use of free, publicly available engines and no system to stop you from using their content. Valve's source engine actually ships with tools for extracting their content and their developer website officially lists and supports programs for extraction and recompiling of all free and paid content. Unreal engine is the same. I say go for it!

[noubernou 77]

That is by and away the most flawed logic I've ever read Sakura.

It is still stealing, even if they don't go after you.

[sakura_chan 9]

Imagine if someone writes a book in English, and you want to personally translate it into French for a few friends to read. The author won't stop you or act against you, and in fact gives you help and has formatted the book for easy translation, that would still be wrong?

[rksl-rock 1300]

Imagine if someone writes a book in English, and you want to personally translate it into French for a few friends to read. The author won't stop you or act against you, and in fact gives you help and has formatted the book for easy translation, that would still be wrong?

I'm with Nou on this. That’s still wrong no matter which way you spin it.

And your excuse of "translation" isn’t exactly applicable. Translating a book to share the story with others is different than taking someone’s model and converting it for your own use.

The more accurate analogy is: Taking someone's book, translating it, changing the story in parts you don’t like or disagree with and then re-releasing it.

The version you release isn’t in the format the original author intended. He didn't ask for your edit and even if he doesn’t sue you doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong. What you propose is at the very least plagiarism and at worst out right theft.

[m1lkm8n 410]

...The more accurate analogy is: Taking someone's book, translating it, changing the story in parts you don’t like or disagree with and then re-releasing it.

The version you release isn’t in the format the original author intended. He didn't ask for your edit and even if he doesn’t sue you doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong. What you propose is at the very least plagiarism and at worst out right theft.

Well said!

[zeealex 2029]

All the mass effect characters and vehicles are available on garry's mod's steam workshop, and have been around for years without any worries of lawsuits so porting other content is just fine. In fact you can download most arma 2 vehicles for garry's mod and GTAIV. Its a lot different than the old days where each game used its own engine and required "illegal hacking' to extract or edit content. Nowadays most games are practically open source with the use of free, publicly available engines and no system to stop you from using their content. Valve's source engine actually ships with tools for extracting their content and their developer website officially lists and supports programs for extraction and recompiling of all free and paid content. Unreal engine is the same. I say go for it!

It's not really the same though, Valve allow the use of their models and assets using their tools, which is fine. but when it comes to games like mass effect, from a little bit of research and from experience with Unreal's SDK they actually use a different (locked) version of unreal 3, and no tools are provided by bioware themselves to extract the models, therefore, we can assume that they are restricting access to their entities, which therefore means that any content on the sites that i've found are extracted from the game against the EULA provided, therefore it is theft of intellectual property to broadcast and use them.

think of it this way, if me and my friends pick up arma 3, but we don't have mass effect, and we think the reapers and the alliance gear looks pretty cool, and we want to use it in RV4.0, then we like how it's gone, so we upload it for the world to see, we've essentially just taken models from Bioware, put it in a newer, better engine which is not licensed by EA or Bioware, which is against the law, not only for my friends and I, but BIS could get into trouble too, because the RV4.0 engine is licensed to Bohemia interactive, If EA/Bioware saw their content on a BIS engine, they could sue BIS without even going into it.

I'm steering away from these sites all together now, it's just too risky that i see something I like the look of and want to see how it looks in game, only to find that it was originally in a game but it wasn't mentioned in the model's description. the only site I'll be using is the autodesk site for mudbox base meshes.

A mass effect mod would've been good to see, but if it's not legal, I'm not going near it, i'll just have to make my own sci-fi mod later on down the line.

I can model my own stuff, it just takes time and it's my patience or lack thereof that kills it.

anyway, question answered.

[noubernou 77]

You know what the nice thing about international copyright conventions is? Unless specifically granted the copyright is that of the authors, so unless you can find something saying "you can use this however you please" it most likely illegal to take those models for your own use.

No matter how you spin it, the law is the law.

Unless someone with the authority to tell you says you can use those models then don't use them.

Why is this even a topic?

[zeealex 2029]

I'd appreciate it if you were a little kinder, I'm still new to the Arma modding community I'm still unsure of the limits. And I'm still unsure of the sites, on some sites it says "free for use in game mods etc" so mostly I'm not sure where to go from there. especially when it says nothing about the nature of the model, whether they've made it themselves or whether it's been illegally ripped it doesn't say so how can I know?

please acknowledge, I'm not going to port any illegally ripped then release it, and risk the reputation of myself and this modding community, that was the reason for this topic, because I needed extra clarification.

I had my question answered by some very nice people on the first page, and I said there and then, I'd leave the models alone.

[rksl-rock 1300]

I'd appreciate it if you were a little kinder, ...

I had my question answered by some very nice people on the first page, and I said there and then, I'd leave the models alone.

I'd suggest that the anger isnt actually being directed at you. At least in this last instance. More at Sakura Chan, a long standing member of the community for the suggestion that ripping content from other games is acceptable in anyway.

[zeealex 2029]

ah, fair enough, it gets confusing sometimes who meant what :P

[sakura_chan 9]

The more accurate analogy is: Taking someone's book, translating it, changing the story in parts you don’t like or disagree with and then re-releasing it.

Do you have permission from manufacturers to use the vehicle designs that you model? Aren't you just making an unlicensed copy/translation of a company's IP?

Even the Bible has received such 'translation'.

The excuse of 'the law is the law' is cute though.

[zeealex 2029]

alright guys i've reported this thread, i want it locked, this is getting out of hand

ONE simple question manages to turn into an argument... seriously?

[rksl-rock 1300]

Do you have permission from manufacturers to use the vehicle designs that you model? Aren't you just making an unlicensed copy/translation of a company's IP?

Ah yes, the "well you do it defence".

No I dont because i am not stealing thier IP. Im making a unique-to-me artistic representation. Im not taking their product and modifying it. Im looking at pictures, and translating what i see into a unique 3D model which is a representation that does not undermine thier Interlectual Property or business.

Even the Bible has received such 'translation'.

Ah yes and look how much trouble that has caused the last 1700 years or so.

The excuse of 'the law is the law' is cute though.

And so is your attempt to trivialise it.

---------- Post added at 22:28 ---------- Previous post was at 22:27 ----------

alright guys i've reported this thread, i want it locked, this is getting out of hand

ONE simple question manages to turn into an argument... seriously?

In this community? Yeah, especially if its about IP and Copyright :P