fixing integrity question

[telefen]

Hi: I made my first successful swimsuit mesh using a maxisshape which was not properly converted to my default replacment. There are a few original maxis still left(maybe because of different vertices arrangment). Anyways, I read in one tutorial that, I should do "fix integrity only once". Does that mean I can't use that particular mesh again? I ask because I'm not sure if I can use a maxis mesh which has clothing & thenfix integrity / replace with my own swimsuit mesh since thats's what I relly want in order to be able to add heels to it. Am I clear? My question was, if I can use the same maxis swimsuit model over& over& do integrity fix on different occasion or that's wrong? If the later, can I for example do integrity fix on a let's say a full dress mesh (with one mesh part)& then replace it with my modified swimsuit&heels mesh? Any help would definitly help this second year sims2 university student. lol. Thanks alot. :beer:

[HystericalParoxysm]

When you do "Fix Integrity" to a mesh, what it does is take the name that you gave it in there and generate an instance ID based on that name - that's what makes it a unique item as far as the game is concerned - having its own instance that is not the same as any other existing instance.

If you Fix Integrity again without changing the name, nothing changes. If you change the name and Fix Integrity, the instance changes, and you can use that mesh for something different. You'll just have to re-link it to a recolour file after doing so.

[telefen]

Hello: Thanks H.P..for clearing this a bit. Now, if I wanted to upload this particular mesh, there seem to be something missing. For example how can I claim this as my own creation since, I only used maxis parts&modified them to my vision?

[HystericalParoxysm]

Modifying parts from the game is the standard way of doing it. 99% of body meshes are chopped together bits of things from the game. That's just how it's done - no worries there. :)

[telefen]

Modifying parts from the game is the standard way of doing it. 99% of body meshes are chopped together bits of things from the game. That's just how it's done - no worries there. :) Dear H.P. I read on peoples uploads that one shouldn't use their stuff& so on so,how do I claim my work as mine&therefore nobody elses. That was my main question. If you answer it,then i'll know. Thanks :beer:

[HystericalParoxysm]

Well, if it's modified from parts from the game, it's -not- really yours and nobody else's. Really, the best thing to do is to have an easy, permissive policy - use my stuff all ya like, just link back. That way, people can learn from and use your work to make new, cool things, but are encouraged to not just rip it off. It doesn't -force- people to credit - no matter how permissive your policies, someone can still just take the whole thing - your files, pics, and all and upload it somewhere else and say it's theirs... But that's the case with anything you put up online, and the only way around that is to just never share anything. Which isn't very much fun. ;)

[telefen]

Well, if it's modified from parts from the game, it's -not- really yours and nobody else's. Really, the best thing to do is to have an easy, permissive policy - use my stuff all ya like, just link back. That way, people can learn from and use your work to make new, cool things, but are encouraged to not just rip it off. It doesn't -force- people to credit - no matter how permissive your policies, someone can still just take the whole thing - your files, pics, and all and upload it somewhere else and say it's theirs... But that's the case with anything you put up online, and the only way around that is to just never share anything. Which isn't very much fun. ;) Ok H.P. i just wanted to clear thing up a bit in my head. If what you're saying in the first line is true, then please exPlain to me this; artist both now& in the past must have started out with maxis parts & created something unik. So, how is it that they can claim that as their own. I'm just curious so i would know,since they can disallow the use of even a small part of their mesh. How come their's can be totally their's to the last vertex& not mine. What's the diffrence?, since we both started from scratch & sculptered something unik. what if someone takes my work & further claims that I stoll their work. What's my proof that it's my original work?. You've been around long time so, I'm sure you can answer this. Sorry,I don't mean to use you as my private tutor. Either way, thanks a lot for helping a curious student. :beer: BTW, if that day comes when i feel confident enough to share my work,i'll have no particular demands so long it stay's free. :up: :beer:

[HystericalParoxysm]

People demand and claim all kinds of silly stuff. To be fair, it -does- take a lot of work even just to combine two meshes, so people tend to be pretty protective of what they've made, even when it's just Frankensteining two meshes from the game together.

Generally, as far as MTS is concerned, we consider the finished mesh the "property" of the creator as it is a derivative work and has required a significant effort to create it. But it is possible for two creators to make the same changes to some meshes and end up with exactly the same output. For example, taking a particular pair of shoes from one outfit and adding them to another outfit - if both creators choose the same line of vertices to chop at, and they combine them in the same way (vertex data merge) then their mesh files may end up identical - vertices in exactly the same places with the same weights, same number of vertices in the same order, etc. - in that case, there's really no "stolen" even if one of them made it first. It's just the same edit. We see this happen sometimes just with textures too - two people find the same picture of a cute shirt on a popular clothing site like Forever21, they both use the same picture to photoskin from, and then one accuses the other of stealing - when really, they both just used the same source.

Of course, with more extensive edits, that becomes more and more unlikely. Slimming down a game mesh, for example - it's unlikely two creators would choose the exact same rings of vertices to shrink, and would do so in exactly the same way. One might be 1% skinnier than the other, because of how they've chosen to scale things. And in that case, we -can- tell if someone just ripped off someone else's mesh, because there's no way two people would do that edit in precisely the same way down to the .00001 position of the vertices.

As far as "stealing" is concerned, here at MTS, before we call something stolen we investigate thoroughly. That means actually opening up the textures in SimPE, looking at the meshes in Milkshape, etc., - and those who do the investigating are always someone skilled at making that kind of content, and if there's any question or doubt, we ask for second, third, or fourth opinions from other staff. I can't speak to the procedures on other sites as they may do things differently.

[telefen]

Thanks a lot H.P.. One last question for you; if one uses differnt parts from many other cc & shapes them to be completely different to their tast,is it allowd to share for free?

[HystericalParoxysm]

If you use parts from custom meshes, you need to ask the creator if you can use 'em (or check their policies to see what they say about it).

[telefen]

Thanks H.P.. I sort of thought that. That day when I upload my stuff, In the credit&thanks area your name&tiggypaum are the first to appear since you two have done a lot in helping me& many. Have a jolly day.