Looking for that one texture?

The best way to find textures of any theme is to look them up under first and third person shooters like Quake 3, Unreal and Half-Life. I just scored a gig of .Zip files from a major Kingpin site and all I was looking for was some stone blocks .

- Jolan

I thought the best way was just to make some yourself?

Jolan, read the licenses that come with those texture packs. If it specifically says the creator has granted unlimited use rights, then what you're suggesting is fine, but in most cases, it won't say that. Usually, you're not allowed to extract the textures to use on projects outside of the specific game they were designed for. Unless the license says otherwise, bringing the textures into SL amounts to copyright infringement and theft. If it doesn't specifically say it's okay (even if it also doesn't specifically say it's not okay), it's not okay; don't do it. Sorry.

What it boils down to is that a real person with real talent and real dedication worked very hard to create each of those game mods for a very specific purpose. That person likely didn't put in all that time and effort just so that you could avoid doing the same in SL. Some modders may feel it's okay for others to take their blood, sweat, and tears, and use them for any purpose, but many don't.

If you do in fact have unlimited use rights on those textures you're talking about, great, but if not, what you're doing is highly unethical, not to mention illegal. You probably didn't realize, but now that you're aware, plese read those licenses carefully.


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And for what it's worth, although I probably wouldn't have put it so bluntly, I agree with Cottonteil here. The BEST way to get textures is to make them yourself. Second to that, if you're not so artistically inclined, is to work with someone who is. That means either hire someone to do custom work, or find someone who's as excited about your projects as you are so they're willing to make textures for free, or buy pre-existing textures. The third best option if none of that works, is to go hunting for freebies with unlimited use rights. Although there are obviously millions of images freely available to view all over the internet, relatively few of them come with unlimited rights, so most of them aren't usable.

Semi-related, but for what's worth, according to this thread

http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=4323

content from http://www.daz3d.com/ is free for SL use. (well 'free' as long as one actually purchases it, that is)

Interesting, Joannah. Still, I'd rather go with what the license says in black & white than with one person's account of an alleged phone conversation. Better to err on the side of caution, in my opinion. By the letter of the license, written permission from DAZ must be granted to use DAZ's textures on anything except DAZ's models or other Poser models. Technically, over-the-phone verbal permission doesn't really count.

The DAZ license permits post-render images to be used on anything, of course, but I don't really buy the argument that "SL counts as a render". Until and unless DAZ puts it in writing, I'd suggest steering clear of ripping DAZ's stuff for SL. At the very least, I'd recommend contacting DAZ yourself and asking, rather than taking someone else's word for it. If that other person's correct, you've got nothing to lose but a few minutes of your time. However, if they're incorrect, then you'll have saved yourself a bunch of potential trouble. Either way, you get to feel comfortable that you're not doing the wrong thing.

Aye, probably most reasonable would be to mail DAZ to get confirmation in writing, maybe mentioning the thread in question as reference, i don't know. It's just interesting because there does seem to be option/chance for such use rather than flat out 'no you can't' ^^

Ohh I've never thought about all that stuff. Well, the KP textures were from other games in the first place so wouldn't that make most texture packs out illegal? Anyhoo when I use or sell them in game on stuff, I don't consider SL currency to be real so it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything wrong because I'm not making any real profit off them. To me SL currency may as well be called Simoleons .

There are people all over the place that can't make good looking textures so they fill up the various boards with 'where can I find...'. I just figured I was helping them out. I browsed through all the packs and ended up getting the ones I needed from a free bulk-textures site .

- Jolan

Nobody was having a go, just explaining the ethics

Also, whether you think of the L$ as 'real money' or not doesn't matter. I don't cash out my earnings that I made in world, because I don't see it as 'real money' either - I see it as game money that I made in a game to buy things in that game. But if I was stuck in RL, I probably would.

But even though I see it like that, it doesn't mean it isn't real. Far from it. People use that 'game money' for real. It can be converted - people rely on it as supporting, and even main income. The way you see it doesn't change how it is - just as the way I see and use the money I make in SL doesn't change the fact that if I were to be making L$ from something that I shouldn't, it would still be very wrong. Just because I see it in a different light to those who buy and sell L$ doesn't change the way it is.

Heh, and TBH it doesn't even matter whether you buy and sell L$. It's still the currency used in game, and to get it, you have to make an effort. So it HAS VALUE, however you look at it. Cheat codes aside, you know the value of a simoleon when the toilet's clogged and you can't pay a repair man. Same here - except those simoleons have real consequences for people here, even if you're not one of them.

Being a modder myself, I've seen plenty of game Mods shut down by a company that owned the original, such as those based off of various toy lines. I think mostly because the toy company realizes "Hey? Why should they do it when we could be making a buck off it instead??"

Most of the games that allow modding do so with the basis that you'll be using THEIR game engine, not someone elses. For example, if you did a Half-Life 2 mod using all the original Unreal tournament textures, you might run into some legal issues.

The best use of game textures for SL? Study them!!! See how a game company produces textures. Study how they've optimized them. An example: some of the textures in UT have several levels of detail (LOD) called MIPS. It looks like one texture in the editor, but if you open it in Photoshop, using the DDS plugin, you'll find there are several versions of that texture in one file.

I'd go into further details, but I gotta go to work.

BTW- using their textures IS considered stealing unless otherwise stated in a licence.

Contrary to popular opinion, copyright infringement AKA intellectual property theft, has nothing at all to do with whether or not the infringer happens to make a profit of any kind.

So, even if you are giving away the textures in world, it's still an infringement, and still considered theft. The fact that someone does or does not consider Linden Dollars "real" has absolutely no bearing on it.

Also, yeah, there is no other option than a flat, "if the license doesn't specifically permit it, then don't do it." A whole lot of life is like that. When you see something in the store that you want, the rule is, "If you don't pay for it, don't take it." There's no wiggle room there.

It comes down to this; if it's not yours, then you have to follow the owner's rules.

If you didn't create the texture yourself, it's not yours.

You don't buy this stuff, as I've mentioned elsewhere, you buy the license to use this stuff. That's all that's "yours," and you have to abide by the owner's rules.

It's really very simple.

And about the DAZ phone call; even if it's accurate, remember that a whole lot of the stuff you find on the DAZ site isn't made by DAZ. It's made by others, and licensed by DAZ. So, even if DAZ will say, in writing, that it's okay with them to extract their textures and use/sell them for a different game, you still need to make sure that it's okay with the individual who created the specific content you have in mind.

Ethical considerations aside, if you look up the penalties for copyright violation you'll find that there is no method of gaining textures that's potentially more expensive. Since there's no way of knowing if someone will come after you with their lawyers, and demand the full statutory penalty of thousands of real (not Linden) dollars, I strongly suggest that you not go there.

Just a word of advice. (Well, several words, actually. )

I'd like to suggest Luke Ahearn's book '3D Game Textures' for those who are in the process of learning these things.

http://www.lukeahearn.com/

Grabbing lots of free textures from various sources normally inhibit one from making a set or families of textures that blend together. You end up with a mishmash of stuff that might not work so well as compared to one that you custom made for a certain scene or object.

Is that why most SL Clothing Designers do NOT create Rock Tshirts? With Rock Logos or symbols on them?

That is probably the biggest reason it is hard to find rock tees in SL, is because of copyright laws. It would be cool to see them, but it is illegal AFAIK

I have just discovered the fun of building and TEXTURES.. Way fun.. ok on a more serious note.

I went to several stores in sl looking for textures.. One of hte many things that suprised me where the textures I've seen in sims or on other sites. Another thing that suprised me was the price for various textures.

So I know that some of you actually do make some amazing textures, and they are worth every linden.

I see nothing wrong at all with people locating on their own free textures on the net, instead of AT TIMES mistakenly spending lindens on something they could have uploaded for 10..


(goes back looking for free textures)

after looking at thousands of textues... i really don't ever want to do this again, im so reading that book.. lol

Dont forget- digital cameras are quite handy too! RL Textures, when the photo is taken properly, can save you many headaches & hours in Photoshop.