I think you're attributing a position that nobody over there ever took.

The general opinion you attribute seems to be: Using premade content in CG is cheating.

I think that is not what they think. That's too broad.

I think they think:

Using premade content to finish a job for a client who does not want to pay for new content, or for a situation where the premade content is filler, such as people in a visualization of a new mall, is fine.

Using premade content in a demo reel is cheating and stupid. In fact it is embarrassing. Every studio will laugh you out the door, and this is a fact. You will not get a job in CG. The purpose of a demo reel is to show what you are capable of, 100%. If you are a specialist, for example, an animator, then they will forgive you if the model has a stupid looking head or ugly hands. You should not use a Daz figure even if it looks better. Use your own model. Do your own rigging. Why? It is expected that, as an animator, you know how modeling and rigging works. This is important. If you don't, you will not be effective at communicating solutions to problems when you talk to the model and rigging guys. So you have to demonstrate great skill in your specialty, and tolerable skill in all the others. If you use premade content, you are not doing that, and you are a fail.

Using premade content in a forum dedicated to inspiring each other, one that is almost exclusively about content creation, is just dumb and they let you know.

 

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Renderosity forum reply notifications are wonky. If I read a follow-up in a thread, but I don't myself reply, then notifications no longer happen AT ALL on that thread. So if I seem to be ignoring a question, that's why. (Updated September 23, 2019)