There's been a recent update to Spore that allows players to export their creations in Collada format to be loaded into rendering programs such as Maya: http://oceanquigley.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-export-spore-creatures-to-maya.html It should theoretically also work with Blender, but apparently the necessary Collada plugin is not doing the trick as yet: http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/37155.page Anyway, so this is EA, and there's an EULA: http://www.ea.com/portal/pdf/legal/EULA_SporeCreatureCreator.pdf Which looks like it stifles any possible benefit to the indie community. Now, this would be a glorious day for indie game developers if it weren't for the EULA, allowing Jo Shmuck programmer to make games that look like they have some kind of artistic talent behind them. Therefore we must harness this technology for our benefit despite the EULA. There are a few possible avenues of attack: 1) Petition EA to play super duper nice (allow assets created to be used in commercial games) 2) Petition EA to play pretty nice (license the assets for a nominal fee) 3) Petition EA to play a tiny bit (allow for non-commercial games) 4) Screw EA, find a way to invalidate the EULA (it may actually have no legal standing). Thoughts? :D

The export spits out a rigged skeleton, but there are no animations in the output. Even if you're in a position to brave the legal consequences, you'd still need an animator to get those characters moving. The one I tried had a 214 bone skeleton, so there's some major labour required there!

Haven't tried the building/vehicle editors, but they might have some promise for stationary objects.

A petition sounds like a good idea - I can't see what EA would lose from allowing redistribution of the assets.

I've heard that the animation info is part of the Collada export, are you sure about that? The only modeling program that the export has been verified to work properly on that I can tell is Maya, so you'd have to test on that...

The building/vehicles can not be exported as yet, but apparently that is planned in a future update.

You're right, they have nothing to lose, and a good reputation to gain... I'm sure the corporate director types will see it that way... :/

I think they've kind voided their own eula in doing this. I read another eula which only specified their ownership of the tools and materials in the creations.

They would not have done this without knowing the ramifications for this. How can they keep track of all the creatures that they own unless they have some kind of top secret software hack. You make a single change in the model then it could be said to be a unique asset native to the whatever software you used to change it.

Why do this if they arent going to allow people to use this for anything. They would be foolish to do this and then expect people to abide by some eula words no one ever reads.

I'm gonna be using this(if I can get it to work for) for a 101 games I will never finish. They cant stop me, how will they know, I'll change the assets just enough and say I made them myself from scratch.

Its awesome what they've done, its a boon to anyone. I dont think they released this, and just expected people not to do anything with it.

edit: The eula applies to the game and the assets in it when you move those assets out of it does it still apply. Someone who does not own the game could acquire an asset and then use it against the eula but they never saw the eula and never could of.

Ok, so here we have it:

1) Create internet identity A. Create a website that offers free art assets that you created (not on your home computer).

2) Create internet identity B. Take website above up on its generous offer, and download your own assets. Do this on your home computer so that there's a nice record.

3) Use assets freely.

4) Get away with it forever;

OR/Until

5) Get contacted by EA to cease and desist using assets. They can't sue you outright because you never agreed to the contract. All they can do is inform you that it's their IP, and tell you to stop using it. You of course comply, and get away without punishment (although you do have to change the art assets in your game, bummer).

6) EA go after identity A, however you have cleverly left no trace that could link back to the real you.

Unfortunately I can not enact this plan because I'm on my work computer at the moment :p

But my alter ego Hodgman could do it from a different computer (we're both in Melbourne, Australia... could we be the same person? Who can tell :p)

Damn, I guess big brother is always watching :p

That sounds a bit tough that they can sue you even if you thought you were getting some legit merchandise. My gf is a law student, I'll have to ask her to review this case for me :p

Anyway, now to go and buy Spore. To, um, play... it. Yes.