One issue with the "commercial use" is how that is defined, and it is definitely defined differently by different creators.

Some people mean no commercial use in the way Laurie does - you can make a render with that item being part of the render, but can't use the mesh, textures, etc, in a commercial product.

Others exclude the use in a commercial render as well - THAT one can be a challenge, because (as others have said) you don't know what can happen down the road - if you create it will you remember 5 years from now that you used such and such in it?   And, is a contest a commercial render if there is a prize?  What if you use it in an ad where the image is advertising something you created and are selling (unrelated to the particular item rendered)?  Say you've created a new candy bar, and you have an image on your website advertising the candy bar.  You use V4 in the render (eating the candy bar), and she's wearing a freebie outfit or a freebie texture for an outfit.  Is that considered commercial use by those who say "no commercial use even as part of a render?" 

lt's all how the creator defines it.  So it gets very complicated.

I'd like to see 3 categories

1-free with no restriction

2-commercial use - as part of a commercial render only

3-personal use only - no commercial renders or anything else (and with this, they'd have to define if something like a render entered in a contest is "personal use".)

I do understand that sometimes the reason for the "no commercial use including renders" if that a model of something that's licensed, like a Star Wars character, for example.  Then it can only be used in Fan art (though do contests count?).

Like I said, complicated!

Cheers,
Alisa

RETIRED HiveWire 3D QAV Director