Youtube timelapses legal and moral dilemma.

IvanKocic

Hi Everyone. I have one dilemma and i wanted to ask other fellow 3d artists. So, as 3d modeling artist with 13 year professional experience in field of 3d modeling for movies and games i never build designing skills, just craft skills. Recently i wanted to start improving my portfolio by spending time that i get between projects doing 3d modeling of weapons/props/vehicles by following concept arts from other artists and also from games. But i get to idea to also open youtube channel where i will record timelapse videos while doing those modeling of concepts i find interesting. So i can open patrion and maybe one day monetize videos (earn something extra no mater how small that amount is would be helpful).

Do you think that is legal or morally acceptable if i put in description that i am not designing that but only 3d modeling it and to put resource of designer of that concept? Should i ask artist first for permission? What if design is from game? Is that even count as commercial use?

ZacD

Not a lawyer, but it should clearly count as transformative and fair use, especially if you're not distributing the assets. Copying from games could be considered fan art, probably should label it that way. But asking for permission from individual artists is always a cool thing to do, and you'll get permission most of the time. 

iam717

Not a lawyer, What ZacD said, if you are NOT distributing it ever, i think you might be okay, but we are heading into a gray zone i think with all this "a.i./copyactionsscript" mumbo-jumbo, about that you know they basically just told everyone they'd been spying and keylogging all your actions by releasing this right?

Anyway, Ask them if they are okay with you sort of making money off of their work in a way, then hopefully one day they just do not change their minds and come after you after you get popular.  It is not to hard to also get more creative and take inspirations from pieces and mix and match as best you can without copying 1:1 and avoid all the what if's.

I am finding out they are throttling my net isp or youtube so either way they are setting up for something else soon, at least on my end.  All the best with whatever.  /My rants do apply to topic.

poopipe

Practically speaking..
There's plenty of people making money off other people's IP  - cosplay models, doing 'how to draw sonic the hedgehog' tutorial videos, sculpting big tiddie anime girl toys and plenty more.  

With youtube there's a mechanism in place for anyone who doesn't like you monetising their IP to complain  - they ask you to take the video down, you take the video down and everyone moves on.


Morally speaking.  as long as you credit the original designer you're fine IMO.  

Vertrucio

If the concept is from an individual artist, you can contact them for permission. If it's from a big studio, well most of the time they won't bother with a take down in the same way they don't bother with fan art.

DrunkShaman

If it is in your own style. For example a Youtuber name Yan Sculpt have a different style who makes LOL and Over Watch characters in blender, Mike Pav does live Zbrush sculpting of about anything, Danny Mac have a different style but he sculpts characters. All of them make time-laps videos on Youtube except for Mike Pav (he doesn't need time-laps...he is time-laps, you know when you study him.)

On a broad scale everyone is drawing everyone's favorite character / anime character / trending characters, it doesn't really matter as long as everyone knows they exist. Like there was a trend of many Youtubers artists started sculpting Deadpool without giving the artist any credit because everyone knew who came up with the Deadpool idea.

So when it comes to youtube it is a gray area. Think of it like a bar that you are welcome to stay, where there is an extremely slim chance of you to get accepted and get a blue tick to go VIP or you may get kicked based on the bar owner's mood, because their policies were lengthy and blurry.

The legality comes when you, suppose, create something that someone else made and start selling that on sketch fab. That is illegal, showcasing or creating the time-laps video relevant to your art is not.

But yes, please do give credit where it's due.