Skinning in OFF... remember to give credit

[OvS 8]

Hello Gents,

 

Recently it was discovered that an OFF Community member created a very large slew of very nice skins for use in OFF (well... most of them won't work other than using them as personal skins) however, there was no mention of using our original base skins, where the original artwork came from, or who the original artist was. We know many of you like to be personal or creative and offer great skins for download, which is absolutely fine, but please remember the source of the skin may not have been your own to start with.

 

By no means should you feel you are not allowed to create your own skins, you can, we encourage it, but at the minimum, mention the source should you use one of our skins as a base skin in a simple readme file included with the skin you are offering for download.

 

Our artwork takes months to create, perfect, align, test...etc, so that you are given a high-quality, and enjoyable product. At the very minimum, it's the least you can do. We do have copyrights on everything we do, so all we ask in return is proper credit to where it originated from.... even if you rework the entire template... the template is still property of the original artist.

 

Thanks for your understanding, and we do appreciate the dedication and drive to be personal. Keep it going!

 

Hopefully, with the possibility of having your own personal skin selectable looming in our future as mentioned, we're looking forward to seeing all the wonderful ideas and imaginative artwork you guys will come up with.

 

All the best,

 

OvS

[Bullethead 12]

Howdy OvS-

 

Sorry to offend. I just never thought it mattered. I mean, it's a given that all 3rd part skins for OFF planes necessarily start with an OFF skin for the plane in question, which everybody knows. Saying so just seems redundant. Besides, the skins will only work in OFF, right? Plus, I've made skins for numerous other games that have these same 2 characteristics, and the game companies have never required any sort of text saying the original skin was made by them, because of the above.

 

BUT, if it matters to OBD, then in the future I will endeavor to remember to say the original skin was made by OBD. Please tell me how, exactly, you want this done? Add some text to the texture file itself, which nobody will see within the game? Add a separate text file to the upload? Or just say so in the upload's description?

[Burning Beard 14]

OVS,

 

My apologies to OBD for not mentioning the original credits on the skins I have reproduced, but at the moment they are just a work in progress. With each SPAD skin I have done, I have been developing a template which I will release with the final Showbird Spad pack which will represent the changes I have made. At that time I truly intend to credit the original OBD base skin.

 

Beard

[Rickitycrate 10]

That sounds great Beard! You know I'm hot for them birds.

[OvS 8]

Howdy OvS-

 

Sorry to offend. I just never thought it mattered. I mean, it's a given that all 3rd part skins for OFF planes necessarily start with an OFF skin for the plane in question, which everybody knows. Saying so just seems redundant. Besides, the skins will only work in OFF, right? Plus, I've made skins for numerous other games that have these same 2 characteristics, and the game companies have never required any sort of text saying the original skin was made by them, because of the above.

 

BUT, if it matters to OBD, then in the future I will endeavor to remember to say the original skin was made by OBD. Please tell me how, exactly, you want this done? Add some text to the texture file itself, which nobody will see within the game? Add a separate text file to the upload? Or just say so in the upload's description?

 

You're not offending anyone by what you are saying. Different compaines handle different things in different ways. I once had Jim Dietz's artwork on my Hell's Angels website, which I prompty recieved a nice email from him simply remidinig me that I did not have permission to use it, and asking that I give him credit for the works. I promtly agreed, and added the credit, plus promoted his site with a link to it. No harm done.

 

As many public releases ask of anyone that uses their work (check files on Flightsim.com, and you'll see it all the time), all we are asking is a simple readme.txt just sighting the use of the OFF base skin, and who the original artist was.

 

So if you take a skin, add a few marks to it, does it make it your own work? No, not at all. If you are offering it for download, without mentioning that it was derived from a base skin, someone might get the idea that it was your work to begin with ... which is not right, as you know.

 

As a last example... many of the skins I used in my Hell's Angels patch were not mine, even though I had to alter them to fit the models.... but if you check my readme file included with the patch.... I gave credit to every one of the artists and what they donated to the patch.

 

OvS

[Bullethead 12]

all we are asking is a simple readme.txt just sighting the use of the OFF base skin, and who the original artist was.

 

Okee dokie. I'll do so in the future. You might want to see if Combat Ace and add some text mentioning this requirement to the upload page, in case we forget up to that point.

 

Do you want me to go back and add such a text file to what I've already uploaded? It's not that big a deal for me as I've only made a half-dozen skins, but for folks like FRO who has made dozens, it will be a lot of work.

[shredward 12]

That would be nice.

Cheers,

shredward

[OvS 8]

Okee dokie. I'll do so in the future. You might want to see if Combat Ace and add some text mentioning this requirement to the upload page, in case we forget up to that point.

 

Do you want me to go back and add such a text file to what I've already uploaded? It's not that big a deal for me as I've only made a half-dozen skins, but for folks like FRO who has made dozens, it will be a lot of work.

 

Yes, please... thanks Bullet. As for FRO, I'll sort that out with him once he replies to my PM I sent him. I don't think we're asking a lot, again, it's pretty standard stuff with many freeware/shareware/ and payware software out there. We're no different.

 

I'll speak to Erik and see if he can create something like that.

 

All the best,

 

OvS

[Olham 164]

You are absolutely right there, OvS.

I did mention here and there, that I used parts from various skins,

mostly made by you and Paarma.

But I will now check all my uploaded skins, and see if I can add that there still.

 

Without all your great work, I would be nowhere.

 

For my article in German Wikipedia, I would really like to know, how many skins

you all have made for BHaH.

That would be a big point the other sims don't have.

Edited October 20, 2009 by Olham

[sandbagger 1]

For a total of in-game skins, highlight all of the skin DDS files in the Campaign/Campaign Data/Skins folder. Then right click and select properties - it should give you the total amount of files.

 

The initial release for BHaH was I believe over 3000 skins and there are many more coming.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I too ditto what others have said.

I have never skinned for any other Sim up until our Wonderful OFF came out!...I wasn't aware of the credit thing, but will include it in all my future releases.

(though I suspect people could spot my skins weren't made by an OFF team member!!! )

 

PS...Might be worth making a sticky of this in the Skinning Section too?

 

Oh, one more thing...Winder and Pol sign theirs...but how do we know which artist did which??

Or should we merely credit the OFF Original Skinners?

Edited October 20, 2009 by UK_Widowmaker

[Red-Dog 3]

Ovs i've been back and added this in the file description for all the ones i've done "Orignal art work by OBD " will that do?

[OvS 8]

I too ditto what others have said.

I have never skinned for any other Sim up until our Wonderful OFF came out!...I wasn't aware of the credit thing, but will include it in all my future releases.

(though I suspect people could spot my skins weren't made by an OFF team member!!! )

 

PS...Might be worth making a sticky of this in the Skinning Section too?

 

Oh, one more thing...Winder and Pol sign theirs...but how do we know which artist did which??

Or should we merely credit the OFF Original Skinners?

 

 

Good question Wid,

 

If the skin has the artists name on it, use it, and give mention to OBD Software... if no name, then just that the 'artist' and OBD Software. Some of the earlier skins Makai and I did we did not include our names. But as we moved on, we did.

 

All the best,

 

OvS

[Olham 164]

Okay, since I have almost only done Albatros variations, I added this as the first line:

 

Skin created from original OFF skins made by OvS/James Romano and Paarma/Arto Karttunen.

 

Hope that will do? Sorry, OvS and Paarma - I wasn't thinking.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I wonder if this means that many of the Historical Skins that have been uploaded, are to appear in the Addon?

[Makai 1]

Hello Widowmaker

Thats correct. We have not stopped. I did not mark some of my earlier skins but starting putting a small red TK on them to keep track of what I had completed. You will see it on the Alb DII's, Pfalz's, Fok DR1's, Fok DVII's, Hannovers, DFW's, and Rolands.

We have been working hard to fill in the blanks for all the aces and squad skins that are listed in the data files.

Cheers

Makai

[Rickitycrate 10]

Aloha Makai, OFF No Ka Oi! We don't see you often enough around here but when you show up you have great news. Thanks again for all your hard work and to the rest of the skinners and the whole OBD team a big Mahalo, Thanks!

[+Paarma 0]

I haven´t use my name in dds files. I have done albatros dv/dva´s and spad VII´s for phase 2 and 3.

 

Cheers

 

Arto

 

 

 

Good question Wid,

 

If the skin has the artists name on it, use it, and give mention to OBD Software... if no name, then just that the 'artist' and OBD Software. Some of the earlier skins Makai and I did we did not include our names. But as we moved on, we did.

 

All the best,

 

OvS

[sandbagger 1]

Same here. No name on the DDS templates, but I've skinned:

 

SE5 (Viper), SE5 (HS), Sopwith Camel, Spad X.III, Halberstadt D.II, Nieuport 24, and tweaks to the RE8 and Bristol Scout.

[rabu 9]

I did about 99.9% of all the Nieuport 11's, 16's and 17's in OFF, and I think they all have my name on them, so it's pretty obvious. I also drew most of the French Escadrille emblems from scratch, based on very sketchy historical photos in many cases, or I redrew others interpretations of what they thought they might look like with my own approach to what I thought they might look like.

 

Thanks everyone for your cooperation with all of us who have done skinning here, a lot of work goes into these. A huge part is mapping out how each contact point joins the skin areas and the only way to do it is laborious checking in flight till everything matches up to the 3d models. Then research and mapping to try to get everything just right, but it's also tremendously rewarding when it's done. And those who created the 3d models also need a lot of recognition for what they have done over the years and how much they have improved.

Edited October 21, 2009 by rabu

[sitting_duck 3]

ut oh.......

 

ive made one mp mission that uses custome skins i got off the download page, and am in the process of making another one. Neither has been made available in the mission forum for download.

 

if i should be putting credits up for these planes, please let me know, and ill be glad to backtrack and get the necessary information.

[Burning Beard 14]

Rabu,

 

I have fooled with the N17 a little bit and getting everything to line up properly must have been a real feat. When I finally release it you will definitely get credit.

 

Beard

[Bullethead 12]

OK, I've gone back and put a text file into all my old uploads.