You've been heard. Response re: 4.9 and Encryption
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Rather, they are encrypted - but you can load them into DS and use any of the export formats (OBJ, FBX, MDD if you have a full AniMate 2 licnese, etc.) as you can with unencrypted content.
The items are still encrypted (if they were unincrypred after install, this whole messy discussion would not be existent), but you can export them to a different format, that exported file is unecrypted.
(Taking off smartypants now and hops off into the sunset...)
Hi DAZ,
I do all my renders in Vue. DAZ Studio is not a lanscape program and I do a lot of renders/scenes in outdoor environment. Will I be able to export the encrypted products in Vue?
Best regards.
I am not very technically gifted at all, so this idea might well be riddled with problems but...
Wouldn't it be possible to implant every copy of every product sold with a hidden customer code/identifier that traces that copy back to its original purchaser? Then, if that copy was later discovered being distributed around the net on warez sites, it could be traced back to the person who originally started distributing it and they could be investigated/prosecuted? Feels like that would potentially pick up a lot of the casual pirates without inconveniencing anyone.
Just spit-balling here...
*Bracing self for the inevitable ridicule
*
Ok cool I stand corrected, my bad. I thought I did read what I said somewhere but probbaly got the worng end of the stick as usual. :)
I thought about that too but how are you going to hide the identifier without encrypting the file its in? I mean the DRM people would be happier but those who want read access to the files aren't going to be pleased with that solution.
I dunno how you'd do it... or if its even possible. Thats why I phrased it as a question
. Could well be a stupid idea.
Yes, export options are not affected.
I don't know either but that seems like the ideal sort of copy protection - people can still copy it (knowingly or not) and everything will work fine regardless, but when that file pops up online someone from Daz can download it and get an idea of where the files are coming from and identify patterns ... if they don't already ;o
There are some implementation issues, in particular it would mean creating a unique zip for each customer just before download, doable but a fair bit of extra work for the download servers. Caution would also have to be taken against accusing someone falsely if the distributed content was amended and matched the id of some innocent customer, unlikely, but an unpleasant situation if it arrives. Also if the code was hidden away somewhere, it could be quickly discovered where by comparing the files from two different accounts.
Also, that would require generating a fresh copy of the zip (assuming the plan is to copmbine this with DIM) for each user, rather than simply feeding them a copy of the standard zip. I think the tremendous overhead associated with that is why we get two packages for offline authorisation with Connect - a big one, the same for all users, with the data and small one with the individual decryption key (which works with the machine key to extract the files). But yes, placing an indetifier that couldn't readily be found and removed would also be an issue I think.
Right I wouldn't suggest having a product someone bought pop up once be damning evidence, just something to keep note of. When it happens several times over a time period that's a lot more of an indicator than having nothing to go on though.
And its well within the abilities/motivations of many crackers to crack the coding, change the identifiers to those of legit customers who would be horrified at the mere idea of so much as looking at a piracy site, and then sitting back to watch the "fun" of wrongful prosecutions and DAZ getting hit hard for exposing customers to such (and to what it takes to accomplish it).
Yeah that was a scenario that crossed my mind. Not sure how easy it'd be for hackers to change it to someone else's code... I guess it would depend on how complex the identifiers were.
Yeah, there are way too many technical issues.
Would still love to hear why prices would have to go up without DRM though.
Personally I don't feel punished by DAZ. I understand their decision and if I were to blame anyone it would be the pirates for without them this would never had happened.
So IMO you're just punishing yourself with the belief that you're being punished by DAZ.
Hahaha!
Noooo you edited your post - I wanted to buy the god content, hand it over.
Seriously though, that's one hell of a limb to crawl out onto over some maybes. Hopefully it works out for you!
So the critical equation of determining success of this exercise boils to: if "unknown sum" > "another unknown sum" then success else failure.
Nice to know the world contains such certainties!
Yeah, that's what I figure. Marketing and corporate types who actually think DRM helps.
AH well. It'll be interesting to hear the spin in a few months.
Thank you. This statement feels more frank and honest than a lot of the corporate double-speak I've seen recently.
And if DAZ was a charitable institution this would be a good point. But its a for-profit business, and ours is a business relationship: I spend money here for value received. Encryption/DRM that impairs my use of the products reduces their value to me in many ways, so much so that even freebies aren't worth it. If the artists want my money, they have to provide value to me for that money. And the only person who decides what's of value to me is me -- DAZ isn't going to convince me that putting food on a content creator's table adds enough value to endure impairing encryption/DRM. When I want to do that I donate to a food bank.
Okay, so I finally decided to read this thread... I read the first post. My interpretation is: "We hear you, we understand your concerns, but this is happening no matter what, we hope these above points help to alleviate your fears or distrust of our new system".
Did I expect a diffent answer? No.
What really pisses me off is that since the adoption of Iray, I've been focusing all my model making efforts on Studio trying to learn to make stuff that works better with it and utilizes the IRay system and PBR to achieve better results... Finally, PBR for DAZ Studio... Oh... Wait... They found a way to ruin that... No, it doesn't stop me from making cooler models for DAZ Studio... No, it doesn't stop IRay from working... But it does present a new system that I have no... ABSOLUTELY NO interest in being a part of.
I have so many words and colorful, amusing analogies for this that are such a complete violation of the TOS, that I shall refrain from... Suffice to say, I'm deeply disappointed, but as usual, not surprised.
I will close my comment on this subject by saying: DAZ, your efforts to prevent piracy of content are pointless, they will be thwarted by those who want to steal, no matter what... they always will find a way. The people who download pirated content were never going to buy that content anyway, and nobody is losing money to them to begin with, the only people losing anything is the customer and that is the loss of convenience, trust and patience and in the long run the harder you make it for people to enjoy using their content the less your PAs will earn and in the end the very people you claim this move will help will suffer from it. Likewise providing the opportunity for more problems to arise for customers to have to sort out for themselves and file godforsaken tickets for will not endear you to them, it never has and it never will. There is a saying that I don't remember exactly that goes something like "It is a wise leader that knows when he has made a bad decision and takes steps to correct it, it is a foolish leader that stands by his choices at all cost".
Thank you and have a wonderful day.
I will point out Steve that when you're talking about people who might switch from piracy to legitimate purchases you are talking in 'theoretical potentials' because I assume you haven't had any conversations with actual pirates who've said they'd do this(?). Whereas existing customers saying that they will spend less or nothing in your store as a result of this (assuming that they aren't lying) is somewhat more of a certainty. I'm just gonna say: good luck with tallying those up!
Edit: Also, you forgot a group - the potential new customers you might've attracted in the future who were put off by the thought of DRM and the negative press put out by your rival stores.
That's good to hear. Thank you.
You really need to offer a more compelling proposition than that. This whole thing has been botched badly from the beginning. I remember in the original threads when the presence of encryption sort of leaked out, like the centre of a slowly rotting tomato. It was like pulling teeth getting at the true story behind DAZ's intentions.
That kind of start has created a lot of bad feeling and mistrust, but it seems that you don't really "get" that. It's the typical salesperson mentality: "Forget the issues, let's discount some more, shove some deals down their throats, then they'll come flocking in through the doors."
Good luck with that.
but what I you have no other option in the near future? Eat it or die.
In my case with Carrara it might have to mean grow my own.
Yeah, think he might have realized just how insulting and patronizing that turn of phrase was. Hoping that was just him being tired and/or out of sorts, I'd really hate to think that he really thinks that
I will say that while I've not yet met anyone who said they don't buy here because they'd rather pirate, I have known some that started out pirate and changed to buying legit as soon as they were financially able, despite the continued availability of pirated content at the time. So there's another unquantifiable factor.
Obviously it would be better had they just waited till they could get what they wanted properly, but they weren't 'lost sales' when they were pirating. They would not have been able to buy anyway. And they could hardly be considered 'lost sales' when they actually purchased what they used. Hardly ideal but not the popular conception of some dark figure cackling in a basement as he scrolls through his ill-gotten gains and looks for his next target to steal.