License Question: In Game Character Creator

[pistacja]

If you can't have what you want maybe you should try to work with what you have?

Export 20 or so characters and let the player select one, just make it look as if the mesh changes in real time, most players will have a ilusion of making a unique look and in reality they will only select one of the premade characters.

[Corscaria]

If you can't have what you want maybe you should try to work with what you have?

Export 20 or so characters and let the player select one, just make it look as if the mesh changes in real time, most players will have a ilusion of making a unique look and in reality they will only select one of the premade characters.

Thought about that... but no, i managed to find a MIT'd demo of just a head with lots of morphtarget settings... no where near as complete as makehumans mesh... but i'm adapting that to a standardized neck shape i worked out and have a hand full of free body meshes that i'm doing the same too... it'll put me right on par with Fallout3s character system, instead of over the top where i was wanting to go... I can't believe that even offers of paying for a commercial license were ignored...But i can simplify the clothing system giving the limitations...

[Corscaria]

Actually... I thought of a compromise that would probably allow me to use the base mesh and morph targets for my closed source game, and remain compliant with the GPL. But i want to run it past you just to make sure. I could have character creation be in a GPL'd loader app, as the loader launches the games from command line arguments instead of linking in, this should be compatible with the GPL. The loader app would export the mesh to the profile folder for the particular character, and tell the game which profile to load with command line arguments. The loader could be used by other games, opensource or not, thus giving back to the community. Neither the basemesh, morphtargets, or makehuman code would be accessible to the game. If the generated mesh is not found it loads a default mesh instead, thus making the game not actually requiring any GPL'd content.

As the "MakeHuman like" program is GPL and does not link into any non-GPL software, would this be acceptable?

P.S. The loader would have to have my clothing system as well as the game, since i can't have the loader displaying a nude character for a game i'm targeting toward low teens and up.

[kittrellbj]

A rather easy way around this whole issue is something like this:

- Create 2 programs independent of each other.

Program #1:
This program is a generic character designer. It is a separate download from the game from the website. In this program, you can design the look of your character with all available options. Once you are done, you click save. (The program could login to a database and save the player's information and choices, and save the resulting model to his directory on the game server.) Release this as GPL. Use the GPL status of the tool to promote your game and get on blogs everywhere.

Program #2:
This program is the game. Since the models are completely generated from Program #1 and you're not manipulating them in the game or using MH code, this is your closed source application. You are using things generated by the MH product, but nothing default. It is actually a creation of the end user to use in your closed source software. Basically, it turns the MH process into an "avatar creator" with your GUI, released as GPL, and the software takes care of the hassle of uploading it to the server and loading it into the game for them.

Using this solution, yeah, you can't have things like "work out to gain muscle" or "get fat if you eat fast food" by using morph targets, you can't have a "get old" system, and so forth, but these are hardly necessary for most games. So long as the models are generated before going into the game, and so long as the MH software isn't needed once inside the game, that appears to be in compliance with the GPL to me.

Problem solved.

[orindoomhammer]

couldn't you just build your own morph target info? morph targets are kinda beyond me and im not sure if the license would support it but you wouldn't be using the MH ones so wouldn't that negate any ill effects?

also if your targeting low teens and worried about nudity take the route of oblivion then and cover that up with a bra texture or something. though you might wanna do something about the nipples they kinda stick out.

[Manuel]

Program #1:
This program is a generic character designer. It is a separate download from the game from the website. In this program, you can design the look of your character with all available options. Once you are done, you click save. (The program could login to a database and save the player's information and choices, and save the resulting model to his directory on the game server.) Release this as GPL. Use the GPL status of the tool to promote your game and get on blogs everywhere.

Program #2:
This program is the game. Since the models are completely generated from Program #1 and you're not manipulating them in the game or using MH code, this is your closed source application. You are using things generated by the MH product, but nothing default. It is actually a creation of the end user to use in your closed source software. Basically, it turns the MH process into an "avatar creator" with your GUI, released as GPL, and the software takes care of the hassle of uploading it to the server and loading it into the game for them.

Using this solution, yeah, you can't have things like "work out to gain muscle" or "get fat if you eat fast food" by using morph targets, you can't have a "get old" system, and so forth, but these are hardly necessary for most games. So long as the models are generated before going into the game, and so long as the MH software isn't needed once inside the game, that appears to be in compliance with the GPL to me.

Problem solved.

This is ok indeed. Another cool solution is to write a plugin for makehuman (write plugin is very easy) that connect mh to the program #2. So you will use mh itself as program #1. This return some advantages:

1) You will help us, adding a new function to MH
2) You will get more advertising, because we will talk about your game on our sites too
3) Your character editor will be very powerful
4) Each time we release a new MH, practically we release a new character creator for your game too.
5) Your game will promote us, also, that's a good thing.

Best,

Manuel

[ioflowstudios]

This is ok indeed. Another cool solution is to write a plugin for makehuman (write plugin is very easy) that connect mh to the program #2. So you will use mh itself as program #1. This return some advantages:

1) You will help us, adding a new function to MH
2) You will get more advertising, because we will talk about your game on our sites too
3) Your character editor will be very powerful
4) Each time we release a new MH, practically we release a new character creator for your game too.
5) Your game will promote us, also, that's a good thing.

Best,

Manuel

Lol, that's an excellent plan assuming that everyone in your game is bald and naked

[Manuel]

Lol, that's an excellent plan assuming that everyone in your game is bald and naked

This happen because a lot of people ask for features but no one contribute the project.
It seem that when it's time to download the project is open source, but then it turn closed source when it's time to contribute..

[ioflowstudios]

Hmm, fair enough...
I'll have a look and see what's involved in adding stuff...

(can you recommend any links in particular?)

[Manuel]

Hmm, fair enough...
I'll have a look and see what's involved in adding stuff...

(can you recommend any links in particular?)

Well, makehuman technology to include hairs is ready. What we need, actually, are good hair models, with textures.
I recommend you this as starting point:

http://wiki.polycount.com/HairTechnique

In case you want to help us, I'll contact you with more details about the team.

Best,

Manuel

PS:: This is going OT. In case you continue the conversation, please open a new topic.