a friend of mine here just noticed that my robby was being credited as "anders bot." by anders i think i mean (and forgive me for butchering your name dude) Anders Leczjak -not orbital, the other cool space dude who's been dishing out robot and space scene psd freebies, can't remember the nickname atm... anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal. but i did get slightly annoyed. and why not, right? i mean robby's my pride and joy... okay, more like joy, since pride wise i could have worked on it a whole lot more... but yeah. doesn't it annoy you? when it's other people's work i'm always like, ah, it's no biggie, but when it's me i usually go nuts. remember that guy who was selling a model in wings on 3DC which he had made from my tut? man was I annoyed. So yeah, it's funny when the shoe's on the other foot... or whatever other saying you say in cases like these. thank you for allowing me to waste some 30 seconds of your -previously- eventful day :D drac

I dunno,.........it kind of annoys me when people use some of my tree freebies and don't give any credit at all. I always try to credit those whos mods and stuff I use in my images,...it's just common decency,.......that's what I think anyway.

You mean bazze? Yeah, his and your robots are similar. And of course you're annoyed. I would be too, and probably bazze, also.

Yeah, I try and give credit too. We did the work, we should get a little credit. What annoys me more is people who don't make it clear that they've used peoples models. Although I've noticed that other regulars tend to pick up on that and make a comment mentioning it. Some newbies assume we don't talk to each other I think. ;-) I did see the picture with the Drac Bot credited to Anders. I didn't make the connection and figured it was some reference I wasn't aware of. All in all, I think you have a right to quietly mention it to them, then if nothing happens, to the forum so we can flame them to hell and back.

I usually try to remember to give credit on the main items in my images but Im afraid the smaller stuff does get missed. I mean you could fill a page of minor credits with some of my pics. Unfairly its these little details that often make the pic. Miscrediting someone is embarrasing but surely not meant maliciously. Id bet Ive done it a couple of times. I also get embarrased when someone comments something like "congrats on the modelling" when Ive made it clear on the gallery post that someone else did it. I cant model a cube! I feel like writing to the modeller, apologising.

Yepp, thats annoying. I once gave a scene away to a "friend" here at Rendo who was stuck, only to find out later on that i didnt recieve any credit at all for it, even though he used the models in several images. Lets just say that the guy wont be getting any more models from me. Fortunatly its not anyone from this forum though. :)

yes, be annoyed, very annoyed.....point out to whomever that the robot is yours and correct credit be given. I try to give credit to those whose models I use because not giving it or giving incorrect information, harms the original artist, by way of copyright, reputation, etc..... The same goes for when I see my name one someone else's texture, although the artist doing the image made note they didn't remember whose it was, I commented that so and so's texture was being used not mine, it's only fair..... We put so much into development and creation of models and textures that being given credit is our due, actually, legally it is our right... Incorrect crediting of models or textures can lead to some very nasty things later, as the information is dessimated to others, eventually, someone will clain the model or texture as their own, and then we get into the sticky copyright infringement area......best to set things straight at the onset.....tell them that they are incorrect as to whose model it really is right now.....of course follow your own mind in this, but I've seen (and had) so many things stolen, it just saddens me.... mho

What about when you take the door from one model, and the window from another model, etc etc... Until you get something completely different then what it was originally? How do you credit that? I'm truly just curious here. I always have a hard time deciding how best to give credit where credit is due in this situation. I would be annoyed if I were you drac. It's just as bad as taking someones picture, and putting it on your web site and claiming to the masses that you did the work. That happens to me from time to time, and it annoys me to no end.

Just state what you did, "the model of the 'thingy' is a composite of models from these artists", nothing fancy just the plain facts, it will keep you out of trouble too!

You might want to add to your freebies what Rodluc did with his castle models: "No limitations for using all models, BUT if you use it, you must credit me in notes of your image." That way if someome doesn't credit you, you can gently remind them of the terms of use.

thats what i did too but im not that bothered when i see someone used my meshes i just comment on it and say im glad they used it

I for one can't model but looking at some of the models i have been able to get because of those that have put the time and effort in to make them i to get annoyed when someone claims a model to be theirs or they credit the wrong person for it. In all honesty if i see anyone giving credit to someone for a model they never made or someone claims the model to be theirs i will be the first one to contact the rightful owner of the model and inform him or her.

I stay away from other people's models mostly. Yet I still download chunks of freestuff sometimes, which reminds me I should do another sweep through the Bryce section again. There's probably fifty drawbridgep ships that I've missed.

I always try to give credit for models someone has given me although I must admit I have been somewhat remiss on textures (apologies to Nod).

I always try to give credit - if I forget then its not intentional.

I try to do all my own stuff but of course I can't so I try to credit anyone's stuff that I use. And yep, I'm terrified of making a mistake.

You can use other people's stuff? WHAT?!?!

Or if you forget where something came from you could just be honest about it and ask if anyone knows where it came from to comment. That way you're covered.

I have a bad habbit of not giving credit,i will admit that,and i do apoligize now to whosever models i have used..Phils in my recent image.I will from now on not to forget that it is important and you guys deserve the credit..Believe me i wish i could learn to model.. War..

That's the risk you run when you offer free stuff. There's no escaping it, so if it bothers you, stop offering them. Sounds harsh, but it's something I live by. I offer free 2D stuff, as well as original and unique Photoshop tutorials, on my blog, and not only do I see people using the stuff without crediting me, I see them use my bandwidth on top of that by not saving the freebie to their own server, and I see them create their own tutorials, using my techniques (which I know were unique to me because I discovered them through play and then searched all over for anything similar before posting them) and not even mentioning where they learned the technique from. Even then it never bothers me because the freebies and tutorials I share are only a tiny part of what I do, just the barest hint of my true techniques, the leftovers, the stuff I don't mind sharing because I have even better stuff that I keep to myself ... if that makes any sense. (Plus, I genuinely enjoy sharing my more basic stuff and having people learn or benefit from them.) So, my advice? Don't give away anything that you'd hate to see others claiming as theirs. It's not worth the pain you go through when the worst kind of people abuse your generosity.

I always try to give credit to anyone I use a model of. Sometimes however I have either download that model so long ago I forgotten who I got it from or they are no longer available. However if I am mistaken I usually put in the image description that I have forgotten the author and if anyone knows to let me know and I will change the description. In your case Drac I am surprised when anyone would admit to using your model LOL. Alright I am joking and I used your robot and gave you credit. But hey have you tried to contact said user and ask for a retraction? .

so far, I think I've seen one pic with a helmet I gave Peejay (thanks, Peejay) in a pic (uncredited), and I was mainly flattered..did put in a snide (but harmless comment) about how much I liked the helmet..;) Some folks have occasionally asked for models, I don't really have a problem handing them out..so the more, the merrier..;) sorry to hear about the problems Drac..and I've never mistook him for a girl..;)

Sorry, Drac, my friend, I know how you feel !!! :D What I do, I do not expect anything back, when it comes to giving, so if I get something in return, fine, if not, not a biggie, the only thing which would ever upset me if somebody would sell what I gave out for free !!! :D

i am sorry Dracul BUT I have been here for a week or less. I DID not have to time to review all bryce images or otherwise before designing my work. Theres NO way !!! and i have 5 GB of freebies with 1800 objects to shift through. I dont always remember whos who. ....

How do you all organize your files so that you can remember who to credit? I am working a bit with Bryce but I come from a fractal background. The only credit is usually what generator and whose formulae, lol! I would like to get more into the 3d, but this is one of the problems that make me crazy! It also sucks up tons of my HD! How do you archive your images? It seems I save about 10 iterations of my images, files and .bmps, and wow does that take up space. Any suggestions on either topic would be greatly appreciated.

"How do you archive your images? It seems I save about 10 iterations of my images, files and .bmps, and wow does that take up space. Any suggestions on either topic would be greatly appreciated." Well, I put all the interim and final images and scenes into a directory named after the scene. And when I finish several somethings, I burn the directories onto a CD. Models made by me are not a problem, cause they go in a sub-directory in the same directory. Textures ditto. Freebies usually just sit in a completely separate directory tree. And I admit they can be a problem. But you can do what Baument suggests, create a directory with the name of the creator. OTOH, it can be very unwieldy, cause I organise my models by categories, for easier navigation. Baument is okay, as they have lots of models, but what about tons of other people? It would be very difficult to have directory Vehicles and zillions subdirectories named after the authors. I suggest authors should also include readme files with their models, clearly identifying themselves and the terms of use.

tresamie - When I do download things, I tend to download both the model and the thumbnail image that people provide with the freebie. I leave the model in its zip until I use it and go by the thumbnail for finding it. It seems to be a good way of keeping track of what's whos (if the author has a readme in the zip - if not, then I modify the name of the zip and thumbnail to mention the author so I'll know whose it is if I use it). Textures on the other hand, can be a bit of a nightmare and I don't have any real solution for that.

no worries, omac2. notice i wrote the post in a pretty joking manner. and welcome to renderosity! :)

I found that archiving freebies into folders named after the creator or website helped me...since I tend to get multiple textures from one source anyway. For example, I have a folder called "Lemog" with all my lemog textures in it. Or sometimes I'll add a readme.txt in a folder with information about some odd freebies that don't necessarily fit perfectly in a category. It helps to put the web address somewhere, either as the folder's name or a note inside the folder. I wish I had thought of this system earlier though as I do have a handful of textures I can't use because I can't remember where I got 'em from. :/

It took me a about a week to track down all of the artists who made models that I used in my Godzilla animation (posted at www.changestorm.com/godzilla) so I could post their names in the closing credits. I had to resort to posting at 'Rosity pictures of the items for which I could not find the readme files in my files and asking for help. This resulted in most of the items beinbg identified correctly. I usually try to keep the readmes files in the texture folder for the model, and that way I can always user Poser together with Windows' Search feature to find the texture folder for that model. Awkward, but it works for me. It made me uncomfortable to use the models and not give credit, and I hope it brought a little joy to the modelers to see their items used in the animation.

being the nut I have, I have a MS-Access database with (currently) 18,000 items+ (about 23 gig, last I checked, 112 cds..;), thumbnails of about half of them (sometimes they don't come down..dangit..;)..I keep putting Drac in either Rendergods or Digital Freewriters..;) I give credit where I can..;)