Prehaps a Silly Question Concerning copyrights

[Lobo Faulkner]

My question is have been learning and refining my skills to be able to make mesh items for SL having spent the last several months learning my way around Blender followed numerous tutorials I have made some items that I feel some comfort in now importing into Second Life and some of these items are based on tutorials I have followed but have modified the objects in both detail and look to upload into SL. So my issue is since the builds are based on tutorials I have followed is there an issue concerning copyright? I feel I have changed the objects enough to make them not exact duplicates of what the original creator made in either written or video tutorial. As I said I have changed details like vertices count used my own textures and created my own UV maps that due to not being an expert look like anything in the tutorial but do work. So I am wondering am I over thinking copyright rules or do I have a reason to be concerned? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Dilbert Dilweg]

It really depends on the site you used the tutorials from . Always read their site/ or Youtube info for content rights. Most sites will let you know that what you make from the tutorial can be used and sold as your own work. It is up to you to really seek that Info before going thru all the work and find out that you can't. But for the most part they are all pretty good about it..

 

A quick example is Gaias website. It has a tutorial License Posted

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/tutorial-license-terms/

 

 

Techniques learned from tutorials can not be copy protected

 

If you are following the tutorial and making a copy of the same item they made. Then you have made a copy of their work So always best to make sure how you are able to use the copies

 

 

By the way, this is far from a silly question. Most people think right away that copying others work on a tutorial, that they can use it and sell it as their own work. It is not always the case. So you asking this question saves you from a lot of future hassle and that in it self is priceless

[Lobo Faulkner]

Thank you Dilbert many of the tutorials are Gaia's from the machinimatrix site and youtube those gave me the basis for getting a grip and learning Blender grant far from any expert yet but and then watching many of the tutorials on Youtube of course but not many of the great people who put up tutorials do not add any disclaimer or guide as to how you can use what you make from their tutorials. Like the one item I am finishing up actually was not from one tutorial but several all modeling the same object but with the use of different tools and such and I took what worked best for me form each so in that case it is not just one tutorial I followed but a few and even then I am only taking the a part of what was modeled and adding it into something totally different than their final object. Like for example I took how to model a leather cushion for a chair and using that to model a cushion for a sort of mattress in a different mesh object.

[Madeliefste Oh]

Gaia replied to this question in this thread

[Chic Aeon]

I agree with Dilbert's advice and if there is no info on the website or YouTube you could certainly write to the person who made the tutorial.

If these are strictly for your own use, then it probably doesn't matter. And if they are something simple like a coffee cup -- well there are tons of tutorials out there for that.

If though, it would be very obvious where they came from (the fire hydrant for example which I have seen in both good and bad forms in SL *wink*) and you planned to sell them, I would think twice. Even if it is OK with the tutorial maker, it is much better to make something on your own. You can get ideas from real life certainly, but putting up a tutorial object doesn't seem like a great way to enter the commercial side of mesh.

And, if I remember correctly, there is something fairly related to this in the MESH TEST.

Here is the question:

Tom purchased a membership to a website that offers creative works, such as 3D models, to its members. The terms of use on the website state that the 3D models cannot be sold "as is" but they can be re-sold if they are added to an original creation. Can Tom upload the 3D models as meshes to Second Life and then sell them "as is" to other builders on the Second Life Marketplace?

The correct answer is "no"

This isn't the exact same thing of course, but is in the ballpark. That "original creation" part is, I think, the key.   To me that means making your own object from scratch more or less on your own while perhaps looking up a few things like how to make the flexi looking cord for your lamp etc.

Just a thought.

[Lobo Faulkner]

Thank you Chic yes I see the logic and now I am feeling a bit more assured since my final build does not resemble the tutorials final object that my final object is different than the tutorial because what I took from the tutorial was more how to achieve a certain look and style the tutorial in mention was how to model a Barcelona Chair now I was not going to model the whole chair but found how to do the leather cushion of the chair to my liking for something I been working on now because this tutorial was originally made for Blender 2.49 and I am currently using 2.65 I had to look up other reference info to be able to get similar results in the current version of Blender which lead me on how to carry out similar steps with in the current vision of Blender. Now my finished version is different enough that except for using some similar modifiers their finished object is much more superior to my own plus I had to make modifications to be able to even upload as a mesh into SL due to Sl own limitations. But I see everyone's point and do greatly appreciate all the input from all of you thank you