Is it wrong to use existing models and files as a reference or starting point?

Acksor

I'm still very new to using Blender and stuff to make my ideas, and I was just wondering what the general consensus is about importing existing models to use as reference. I'm still completely lost about how things should fit and how to attach to bones, etc. Having a model there I feel makes it a bit easier so I can gauge the size and everything.

Baddcog

You should decompile the chaarcters (Crowbar is an excellent new tool for that). Then you can make your items to fit. You can also decompile any in game items and see how they are made, etc...

Just like any game though, Valve and the artists retain those rights, you can't reuse the assets for other games.

Acksor

I have decompiled a few of the character models for reference, but I was thinking more along the lines of how they did the "Making a Skull Hat" tutorial. I've been using HellJumper's tuts but they seem pretty dated nowadays. Are there any recent tuts I should be using?

Vrav

Hey Acksor, I don't know any recent tutorials, but importing/inspecting models for reference is totally standard practice. Beyond the technical stuff, good for learning the visual design styles of the game.

Baddcog

Tf2 hasn't changed, that tutorial should be fine.
here's another though
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=197975983&searchtext=modeling