Using other game art as a model to start?

GalaxyQuest · 2001-01-25T20:09:52

Hello graphics forumn. This is my first post here and am a little skeptical of the answers i may get. Let me say that i am creating a tilebased game demo which is basically gonna be a senior project for graduation. The view is going to be "isometric". I put it in quotes since its striving for that look without using the standard isometic tiles and graphics of that type of game. Anyways i kind of have a couple of questions so here i go: 1) Lets take an example of a dirt graphic used from something like ultima online. Its probably not too hard to create on my own but i do have some sames i am presently using in my demo. I got the graphics not from the game itself but from jpegs of screenshots(not that that matters much). Of course this isnt very nice of me to use it in my demo. So what if i changed the texture a little and maybe changed the hue(??) to make it a more lite brown color. --->So, at what point, if there is one in your mind, would this new "tile graphic" not be considered the rights of the owners/creaters? 2) Lets say i am playing a 3d game and take a bunch of screen shots of a player walking in some direction to use for bitmap animation of a character, instead of trying to draw the different sequences of walking on my own. Of course i assume this is not allowed. But what if i cant draw 16 different frames of animation on my own and i use this as a MODEL for my character. For example i take the 16 screenshots of some 3d model player. If i change the way that model bitmap looks..say change it from a player model from the game wearing pants and shirt to an ELF wearing armor. ---> Do you think that this model, if converted to a bimap, then converted to a different looking species, is still considered the rights of the owner? Both questions are very similar. I understand that using others artwork without permission is bad, but if you change it and create something new from it..is it still theirs...its almost like i use them as models i guess. Anyways, what you think? aka John M. Never give up. Never surrender!

2D and 3D Art Visual Arts

Started by GalaxyQuest January 11, 2001 07:02 PM

18 comments, last by GalaxyQuest 23 years, 2 months ago

Mr Cup

122

January 15, 2001 06:41 AM

Using any part of a copywritten image, altered or otherwise, with out the (written) permition of the owner is illegal (in Australia and probobly in US as well). And any image you draw is covered by copywright, you do not need to put a little ''c'' in the corner or anything. All art you do, ever, is covered un till 50 years after your death. (in Australia) (unless you sell the copyright)

BUT,

All of that depends on you getting caught

As Mr Cup always says,
''''I pretend to work. They pretend to pay me.''''

As Mr Cup always says,''I pretend to work. They pretend to pay me.''

lupine

122

January 15, 2001 05:24 PM

Thought I''d chime in here...
I think retro-enginering is a very important skill.
The Idea is then to go and make your own based on what you
learned. If you don''t then you''ll never acheive true knowing,
in which case you''ll never understand what really goes into art
(game or otherwise)
On the other hand if you''ve only got a week and need to get the
hell finished with school. By all means get it done.

PS. HEY all whats this about modeling and rotating???
I''m out here in a cave doing all my 2D sprites one pixel at a
time? Can someboody point me to where I could find out about
this?????????????????????????????????????????????????

----------------------------------------------------------------
Then Bedivere spake--
For bold in heart and act and word was he,
Whenever slander breathed against the King

"do you like my helmut?"-yoghurt

Pierspo

122

January 15, 2001 06:28 PM

Well if anyones still reading (good for you). I believe almost all art is partly copied from somewhere, half of being an artist is incorporating other artists work into your own. That actually constitutes 1/4 of my A-level. So if you ask me modifying art and calling it your own is what art is about (partly). For example many people use djgpp and allegro and create excellent programs which they call their own although you dont expect them to have built the compiler and graphics library. In the same way as people that modify art and call it their own. In fact one of the runners up for thr Turner prize (in the U.K/big art competition) simply copied others great works of art and put a twist on them.

yeah boy

GalaxyQuest

122

Author

January 15, 2001 11:08 PM

Well, first i would like to say that once i actually started a little bit of "game" programming i can say i matured immensely in many ways. Not only is my appreciation for the work that goes into game programming been raised, but also a real appreciation for the artists and how talented they are.

And im glad i started this thread.. the replies have been honest and fair(no real cheap shots taken), so thanks. Its given me a little more perspective on things and i really do want to try to create "original" stuff on my own even though school and other things are really cramping my style. Given time and money constraints, im gonna check out the learning curve on some of these "free" modelers out here like anim8tor and blender and read any threads about them later. I will also give more effort into creating "original" ground tiles for my demo as well..cross my fingers.

To biere to punk:
Yeah, i knew about the tricks to save time creating new images by mirroring and such already processed figures. Ill actually do that for one of my more "general" figures. The current model im using holds a shield on one side and i went ahead and took screenshots of all 8 directions. But thanks anyways.

To lupine:
For sprites and using models, say for an isometric figure that walks in the basic 8 directions, you can use the "mirror" control in paintshop pro/photoshop. Im assuming this is what you are asking about.. in my case i would create the images for n,ne,e,se, and s. I can then mirror NE to get NW and mirror E to get West, and mirror SE to get SW. So i save myself from doing 3 extra sets of frames..which is over a third of the job...and if that character has a lot of actions and can be mirrored...its a huge savings in time.

Well, i guess if you knew this maybe someone who didnt will now know.

aka John M.
Never give up. Never surrender!

Fantasy Edge

122

January 19, 2001 02:36 PM

as far as i know, the copy right laws dont come into play as long as 10% of the object in question is noticably different. this was a few years ago so i may be wrong now, that is just fine. but this does not mean that you should copy any art from anyone else. I would see nothing wrong with useing somthing as an inspiration though as I have done this on occasion. sometimes you need an idea from somthing. this is all well and good as long as you take the time to do it yourself therafter.

I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

Conshape Electronic Arts

BitBlt

386

January 20, 2001 04:34 PM

quote:
I'm out here in a cave doing all my 2D sprites one pixel at a
time? Can someboody point me to where I could find out about
this?????????????????????????????????????????????????

24.70.255.173/tutorial/default.htm, try it out, it's pretty good.

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams."
- Willy Wonka

Edited by - BitBlt on January 20, 2001 5:35:07 PM

Fantasy Edge

122

January 21, 2001 05:47 AM

for ammusement. ill show you some tiles i made for a game running in 210 color and 320x200 resolution.

I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

Conshape Electronic Arts

CGalyon

122

January 25, 2001 09:54 AM

That''s pretty good, actually. Curious, are you using RPGMaker to create a game or just making tiles on their own? If you''re not already using it and just want to have some fun, I''d recommend playing with RPGMaker some. You can import your tilesets and make your own game. Of course, if you''re interested in making a commercial grade game with those kind of graphics, GameBoy Advance is probably a good move. It''s back to the SNES with GBA!

Charles

Charles GalyonPresidentNeoPong Software, Inc.

Fantasy Edge

122

January 25, 2001 05:45 PM

no, i used paint for those as i was working in the ohrrpgce(official hamsterrepublic rpg cunstruction engine. i had a 210 color pallete and 320x200 resollution to piss with. not good. then again, my signature sprite was meant to be the sprite style for a game to made in the sprite game engine. this engine supports 16bit color and 600x500 resollution.

I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

Conshape Electronic Arts