Giving Full Mod Permisions & Theft

Just looking for some general opinions here about how some of the other clothing designers feel about giving full mod rights. I do all of my things no mod, no copy, yes transfer.

I do this because when I played there.com I had to deal with seeing my items and the designs of others harvested out of the .dds folder and being used as templates. Oooh and nobody likes Janie when she loses her cool over seeing someone's hard work stolen - trust me.

I'd like to think more people are honest than not, and for the most part, I think thats a true statement. So its almost like the handful of dishonest peeps are ruining it for everyone else because I'm so certain the general shopper would like to be able to choose the fit on a pair of jeans or the length of a tank top.

Still, I see a lot of who I think of as the best designers in game leaving thier items full mod. Do you just think the benefits of doing this outweigh the disadvantages?

For the most part I'm fine with not being able to mod my clothing. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to change colors, but it's like shopping at the mall. I don't go to the mall looking to remake the clothing I buy.

I say don't worry about it. I'm going broke enough at your store to keep you in biz myself so it's all good.

Depends on what it is, Janie. If it's something easily made, something others are already producing either cheaply or for free, mod rights aren't unreasonable. But for those items you worked hard to create and which involved techniques or textures that were difficult to come by, then if I were you I'd be jealously protective. No copy/No mod. Let 'em transfer that one item if they're funding a friend or an alt, but nothing more.

What you're doing, I think, is protecting the long term value of your work. The moment one other person can emulate what you did, the value just dropped like a rock.

I prefer to be able to modify clothing I buy, whether its to change the length of sleeves or pants, or to tint it a different color.

Can clothing textures even be viewed in the way she's mentioning? I do not think I've seen a skin or clothing texture that could be examined out of the object... but then I'm not a hacker. If its hacking you're seeking to avoid, setting permissions is not going to matter, prolly.

No_mod clothing, IMO, is only restricting legitimate uses of the clothing (I want fuller cuffs, or red pants, so I change my copy of the clothing using the Appearance system we are provided). If its set no_mod to keep the outfit looking specifically as it was designed, restricting my options to change it up a little, then I'll either buy it or not, depending on the look.

It should be noted on your vendor that clothing is no_mod. That's one thing I hate is buying a new outfit thinking I'll just make the sleeves shorter, or tint it red, only to find out its locked down tight. Meh, wasted $L.

One thing I really like about PixelDolls is that the clothing is modable, letting me express my own style by modding the Appearance of their designs.

-Ghoti

I buy clothes that are no mod, no copy....but I perfer mod.

As bodies are so different, and changing the size, baggy, etc.. of the clothes make them look better on different bodies.

There was a time when it was pathetically easy for anyone to steal the textures from mod enabled clothing or skins. That has since been fixed so even if the item is modifiable that only gives the owner access to the appearance sliders and tint. They can't see the actual textures as anything bigger than a thumbnail. I sell all my clothing to allow mod and transfer but not copy. That way people can adjust the fit or tint as they choose and give it as a gift or sell it second hand when they don't want it anymore. I feel that gives the customer the most value for their money.

I prefer mod/transfer/no copy items. I have waaaay too many items that I have purchased that I would have liked to modify in some way...be it color, length, etc...but cannot. It gives the customer more value for their money if they can modify as needed. I also have tons of no transfer clothing that is sitting in my inventory that I no longer wear. I really wish I could pass these on to new people so that they can be utilized instead of just gathering dust in inventory.

they can be viewed - i just checked to see if it had been changed since the last time i looked. they can't download the texture out of the client or anything but viewing in thumbnail form is all it would really take in some cases.

mostly just using this thread to think outloud with some of you who have more experience than me.

I don't understand how viewing a thumbnail could be a problem... its not like it can be expanded to full view.... well, except to blow it up in photoshop, which would yield a texture only very vaguely like the original. But okie, protect yer items as you wish, to feel safe... just saying my opinion.

-Ghoti

It used to be that the texture preview could be expanded to full screen so anyone that wanted to steal the textures could ust use prtscn. All they'd lose is the alpha channel. It was a big problem. Having people able to see just a thumbnail size isn't really an issue at all. Even when it was still possible to see them full size I still sold my clothing as modifiable, but I stopped selling skins that way after I had some problems with theft. I may start making mod versions again soon. My paranoia is slowly wearing off.

This was a huge dilemma for me too Janie. When i started designing, i made most all my clothing mod & trans. Then, a few months back, someone (who openly admitted doing it, as well as indicating he/she would continue to do so) was caught and brought to task by several other designers for blatantly ripping off designs and reselling. At that point, i stopped making my creations mod, because most of us who design really put our hearts and souls into making our creations unique and top notch. i can't think of much that could be more disheartening than to have someone stealing our hard work and sharing it as their own.

i usually never have any problem giving someone mods on something if they ask for it...and when i set permissions on clothing articles, i usually take into consideration my own observation on whether it could/would be important or necessary for the buyer to have mods to make it fit properly. so some parts of an outfit may have mods while others not.

i've recently come to the conclusion though....that sadly...if someone truly wants to rip something off, there is always a way. one in particular comes to mind, that while it would take a touch more work from the theft to duplicate it than just snagging the texture, it CAN be done. i won't state it here for obvious reasons lol, although the concept is certainly not rocket science by any means lol.

Anyway...for now, i'll probably keep my things as they are...basically mod on request... but it's definitely an ongoing internal debate for me.....so my stand is always subject to change lol.

Most of the pants and skirts that I've designed are modifiable. Those are the two items most likely to be modified. Whether it's someone who wants their skirt shorter or someone who wants to make that pants outfit a shorts outfit. Tops I do not usually offer mods on because they are usually very specifically designed and not many women that I know really want to make their blouses bigger lol.

I hate the idea of theft, however, it's probably a reality just like in the real world with the untold number of knockoff clothing manufacturers. So I don't let it worry me much. I just keep doing the best job I can.

And when I buy I prefer mod/transfer. Copies are cool but they just add unnecessary clutter to my already tortured inventory.

And Janie, love your stuff!!!!

No mod/no copy, and if there's demand of the item, someone else will find a way to do it. It's the way to keep a dynamic market out.

Business consists in attending needs. If people can make their own fancy stuff there is no need, and if there is no need there is no business, so it's not only about crafting things people might want, but also make sure you're one of the very few who is providing such service to the community.

So, go ahead: No copy, no mod. After all, you're a crafter, and if someone likes one of your items but would like come changes, that's what you're there for

I like my customers to be comfortable with what they have bought from me. Sometimes the way an outfit looks in a store is totally different when you actually wear it because of the different av-shapes. And maybe they would prefer a different tint, or the sleeves shorter for a certain occasion. So most of my clothes are mod/transfer/no copy. If someone wants to expend the effort that they could use to make their own, by ripping off the thumbnail of my design, and i find out about it then my policy will change. Sofar i haven't seen any evidence of it. So all is well as far as I'm concerned.

If it is actual clothing I recommend mod, copy, no transfer. If someone wants to make your shirt a little baggier and add some red to it.. let them. THey can't take it in any worthwhile quality texture resolution or copy alpha anyway. Plus this way they can have 1 of the item for each AV outfit they use and change it to fit.

However if it is prim based I recommend no mod, copy, no transfer. Mod items are to easy to copy and no copy/transfer items are dangerously easily deleted.