How to secure your work...?

[EricCamper]

We have stated that any files that the clients would get would be flattened files for reproduction only as far as PSD go. But with max files and dwgs. We have stated in the contract, unless otherwise notified that the client will only receive upon request dwf files and 3ds files only. I mean.....Otherwise you would have to send them all the proxies......bitmaps.....and everything....What if the client has max...Does he have all the plugins...Vray?? RPC? Etc... I wouldn't want to be the guy who has to FIX stuff from another file...We have all done that....Bad layering.....Meshes....Mapping..etc... So we just nipped it and said...Sorry...This is what you get....Again...unless the client SPECIFICALLY requested it in the beginning

[EricCamper]

and what Dynedain said...

[Sawyer]

If you are in a situation where the client contractualy expects a file you need to give it to them, I usually don't give my stuff out but just last week I found myself offering a finished file so I could compete for a job. And I didn't get the job.

There are a lot of negatives about handing out your work. And what I fear is that assuming they use your file I imagine that it would look like crap rendered in autocad by Billy the cad monkey (sorry Fran) who really wants to learn 3d. But then my name is still attached to it. So this becomes somehow my project even when I am not doing it. And like Eric said someone will then have an opinion on your work and chances are it won't be what they want. So then you name becomes attached with having to "fix" stuff to match their system. The file will create a life of its own your name will still be on it but you will have no control of it.

And no you cannot send out a file that contains information/files you purchased. So models and textures should be excluded. But you also need to make sure they know this otherwise they may think that they are getting the whole cow by paying for a gallon of milk.

One potential client told me that not only do they want the illustration but they use the model for cad construction drawings. I felt funny about that because I can model to the fraction of an inch but I often don't. I may apply a bevel to an edge that I think needs one and it might change the dimension a little. Ultimatly you need to know what your work will be used for. And you may end up modeling differently if the end product is a 3d print than if it is a printed image.

[gilicom]

if somone asked me (and the did) they will get the following :
1. striped materials model since the textures are yours and you can't legally give them away.
2.convert to poly , attach everything.
3. assign material modifier so all will be the same mat id.
4. select all elements (sub object) , press tesselate (face) 3-5 times
4. export to 3ds.
and you are set.

[instinct]

To be honest i dont really see any "abuse" there depending on what the contract says. Why are the Materials his ? If he signed a cotnract that includes the final scenes then this is not the fault of the client is it? We are also sometimes doing full buyout models that include the complete setup to create finished renderings. If that's part of the contract and you dont want that, then dont sign it. Easy as that if you ask me. If it ISNT part of the contract...then dont give it out.

Regards,
Thorsten

[dellis]

Well...you could always strip out all the materials/mapping on everything and add a camera map mod in the view that you rendered and project it onto the geometry. That way they really couldn't render any other views without re-doing all the texture/mapping work you did....and the view that you gave them would still render as it did before. And if you did multiple views just repeat the process and give them seperate files for each.

[Syclone1]

All my contracts said that I retain all rights to the 3D models unless purchased elsewhere and all the client receives unless otherwise stated is the final rendering or animation.

I tell my clients NO when asked for the source files and explain the copyrights on the materials Ive used and its like taking your car to a mechanic to get fixed but ask him for the tools that he used on your car when he's done. Sounds stupid but its pretty close.

-dave

[Da_elf]

or taking a ride in a taxi then asking the guy for the car

[percydaman]

IMO its it own best analogy

[jujubee]

Here was my reply to a client last week:

I received your voicemail and just got around to replying. Almost all of the files contain source material which are not redistributable due to content licensing. They require purchasing of HDR libraries for lighting, character models, and furniture models. These files would have to be stripped of a lot of their content rendering it mostly unusable. You will not get the same results if I took the time to strip them out. Also, since there were various steps in compositing involved (the lens scene in particular had to be composited 4 times with some pretty unusual steps), it would also make it difficult to simply 'press a button.'

Currently, I am swamped with projects and do not have the time to accommodate this request.

Kind Regards,

-Charles

[dimo]

Hehe,

giving away files is hard. Some time ago we hired some freelancers for a job. Later we found out they "backuped" our material library for their own jobs

Best regards,

Dieter