Papa, over at PoserPros, BigT has promised a tutorial on how to take an obj file and rig it into a cr2. He's done some amazing work on modifying files, and I can't wait to see how he does it.

the silent vast majority of members who arent sexually repressed and have no problem whatsoever with the human body You know, I see this line a lot, and I'm getting really tired of it. It's not the human body you purport to be celebrating. It's one particular kind of human body: the gorgeous supermodel with perfect hair and perfect makeup. That right there is your rallying cry and your standard to hoist, and anything else, as far as you're concerned, is a waste of time. So if you're as true to this belief as you claim, prove it. Let's see a first-rate image of a nude study of an overweight, middle-aged man. Not a laughable cartoon, but one that shows empathy and a real desire to celebrate the naked human body in all its diversity, instead of just the one that happens to sells. I'll bet right now that none of you closet sexists can do it.

Gotta agree with Fishnose on this one (::waving at Fish::). The image itself? It's okay, but nothing all that special, to be bluntly honest. I would have prefered to see more compositional space given to the flag than the standard chick if indeed "proud to be American" is the message -- after all, what's the real symbol here? The flag? Or perfect makeup and a fab-o wardrobe?

For the merchant, remember sex isn't the only thing that sells, use your imagination Like that will ever happen....... :)

The links all seem to be working now. I just d/l'd four of his hair styles, including the one above.

Cyber, for the record, I was playing nice till this dufflebag started pulling rank with "I'm the mod". Maybe he should consider getting his skillset brushed up a bit so he can deal with these difficult questions. And after the AOY fiasco, you'd think the mods around here would have learned to be a tad more responsive.

Take it however you wish, Jeff. But when you come down from that mountain, remember that you still haven't answered the question.

So its okay to steal until you get caught? Is that what I'm hearing now? Sorry if I'm seeming a little adamant, because frankly in the Grand Scheme of Things, it's all a little meaningless. But when I'm told, "Oh, well, see it's for non-commercial use" or "I'll only use it till they tell me not to", I start to suspect the sense of ethical morality at play here. Just about everyone in the now-locked thread was real quick to slam Tor for what they presumed was warezing, even though in his society it's not seen that way. Nope, it's all terribly black and white, and that's that. But when we raise those grey areas: DAZ selling models of Harleys or MM appropriating a trademarked name... well, then, it's like "Gosh, I'm not doing them any harm." Interesting, I must say.

Thanks for the enlightening post, Jeff. Really appreciate your desire to help us understand the situation a little better. Really, I mean that. Honest. ::shaking head: THEN WHY NOT MOVE THE THREAD HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, DUFFLEBAG???

Actually, it does make it OK because the company (who owns the rights to the characters) has no objection None that you know of, MM. They may just consider it a petty annoyance and not worth the trouble of a complaint. But from a strictly technical POV, they should be asked for permission before you do a thing. I doubt many, if anyone, here has done that.

Since the other thread is locked, I have to respond to the arguments there here, but they still apply. (BTW: why was the thread locked?) To the member who responded to my assessment about models for sale of 57 Chevys: many of the models and textures you name say "FOR NON-COMMERCIAL USE" Immaterial. If I put on a production of, say, Jesus Christ Superstar and dont bother telling MTI, who controls the licencing of performances of the work, they'll shut me down, whether it's for profit or a free-admittance performance. It's still theft. To the member who asked about Martian Manhunter's handle: DC has indeed registered the name as a trademark. It's immaterial whether or not our MM is a green shapeshifter or not. It's still theft. Companies may look the other way when it comes to fan sites, but does that make it okay? Sorry, no. You cannot assume there's tacit agreement. By the strict letter of the law, it's still theft.

If we want to be truly iconoclastic about this, consider the following, folks: Models of 57 Chevys sold by Dudley? Theft of trademark. Freestuff models of Harleys? Theft of trademark. Almost the entire Animotions website? Theft of trademark. Someone doing a morph of Spike or Buffy? Theft of trademark. Martian Manhunter's handle? Theft of trademark. Shall I continue? Troberg has stated over and over that it was a test drive, perfectly legal in Sweden, and that he plans on getting the proper licence. But you're running wild with the assumption that he's some kind of warez kitty who's ripping off the system. Well, start cleaning your own houses first, okay? Delete all those Wonder Woman textures and those "looks like Scully" morphs. Unless they were authorized by DC Comics or the X-Files production company, you're stealing, pure and simple. Doesn't feel quite so good when the shoe's on the wrong foot, huh...

Martian, when you're down from the podium, remember that it all has to do with a sense of personal morality within a larger community. You basically said, "Screw everyone else; I have mine. I don't care about anyone else." Ain't that much different from the guy who ignored the folk getting taken away.

"Sorry, but no files match your search" ?? Curt, can you give a little more detail to your request? Style? Period? Scale?

Actually, Bit, this raised another intruiging ethical question/scenario: A client contacts you to do some modelling work that's an update to an existing file. Along with the model, they send you the program and a registration number that will allow you to install the needed software to do the job, with the understanding that you'll delete it after the job is completed. Assuming your own ethical standards are such that you actually do, is it proper for the client to do what they did?