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Yes it is, you have bought building blocks bbut what you do with them is your own art completely.
I would always say to give a nod to the people that made the elements but art is art and If your creating then your an artist that has made something different with the pieces you bought.
I often use several pieces from models I own to make something brand new but I still mention the pieces and their creators.
3D for home users has come a long way thanks to DAZ, things we can now do easily are what I used to do over weeks and months, If I make a comic panel I simply wont paint a city background I would render one of the brilliant ones from people like stonemason
I am not getting the second "No". Couldn't postwork also be considered as "being painted over"? What if I painted mittens on one of my rendered figures because I couldn't find a model of it? I know Poser at one point advertised that their models could be used to be traced for comics and such to make the process faster. Is that also considered as it's not your own, copyright wise?
When I was in college my drawing professor told us to pick a medium and do a piece, I did mine with Poser, because that was what i was using at the time. When I showed it in the class critique, I got torn up by a few idiots who had the opinion that since i used Poser and didn't make every model and texture myself that it was not my work... My Professor pointed at one of them and said, well how about that 'found items" piece you made, did you make every part of what you used? The guy just stared at him and the point was made and no one said a thing after that.
That sort of attitude annoys me.
That will be my new answer to everything in life.... "Pink Thursday...80%!!!"
I had a retort but forgot it.
Murdering Mickey sounds like a plan; always hated that damn mouse, as a kid and now as an adult. But, I wouldn't do such renders, as wouldn't want to give the mouse any time.
So whatever folks do render must be in some way, whay they find interesting, they like, or find enjoyable.
Just be grateful its text and not an image. Any images then are down to your own imagination.
Here is a soft pastel artwork I did. I did not create the chalk or the board, but is this my own art? Just from a different perspective but similar to this topic. It is a different medium but still I wonder.
Terms of Use/License that comes with 3d character models function pretty much in that way.
If Michelangelo didn't sculpt King David & the Pietà from marble he personally hewed from a quarry located on land he owned, that had been in his family since before Laurasia started to drift apart from Pangaea--does that mean they weren't his works of art?
/snark :D
To keep it as simple as possible, Art/your art/arts are judged from three banks of opinions.
They combine to to decide what is art and what is craft, what is 'bad art' and what is poor craft.
The three are...
1) Critics - they supply the (historical) context for the work and rank/evaluate it accordingly.
2) Other artists- They have insight into the creative process and evaluate where, when and most importantly IF you added any artistry BEYOND your TOOLS and MATERIALS.
3) The audience - they supply or deny the EMOTIONAL CONNECTION to your work, which ultimately decides how good or bad the art is for their desires.
To have any kind of full-on success, you need two of the three. Very hard to go far with only one and most 'classics' have managed at achieve all three- even if it's delayed. It's not really that subjective since each angle has exact things you can name across the board as a measuring stick.
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The reason you need all three included is that they serve as checks and balances for each other.
An artist's opinion doesn't count here and is only taken as a claim. When an 'artist' claims to be an artists or they make art is them quoting one of those other sources. In other words, you don't get an artist stamp until someone else gives it to you. lol But personal attitudes are immune to everything so if you feel like something, go ahead and give yourself a label.
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So before we stretch our minds to find a counter example to cite.... or hate Griffin for saying all this, realize NONE OF THIS was created by me or is some kind of stance - it's a reflection of how the world works. We actually have critics, we have the opinion of other artists and we also have an audience that takes in our work. Just because you can go straight from your desktop to a gallery doesn't discount how it all functions together.
Validation is a prime concern and those that shrug it off as meaningless are usually not in a position to earn it. It's usually NOT something an artists 'works hard' to attain/obtain, it's just picked up along the way.
What many would like to do is find some kind of technical categorization that self-validates. And those that want to dismiss do the same- when, truthfully, it's a case by case, work by work basis. Is something art? Let us see it and we'll give you our opinion.
That's how it works.
As Daz users, we know what you did and didn't do.
A critic might think of your T-pose as a huge religious statement. We might know it's the default pose and realize you haven't found the Pose Tab yet. lol
What you're doing might be BRILLIANT for the Daz Studio 4.X and Iray, but in context to what other artists are doing in CGI, maybe it's not that impressive to a CGI art critic.
Critics might see your work as formulaic (not another EFG) and Daz users might say is easy to get those results (they say "they only did XYZ to ABC...")
But the audience might see it as current, novel and love it. You found a way to press those buttons and garner a reaction.
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In summary, TOOLS and MATERIALS don't make or break you as an artist. What you do with them does.
But it's also true that artists know their tools and materials well enough to create the kind of stuff that taps several of those banks and earn validation.
This usually involves (re)working the tools and materials to your desired specifications.
It makes for a nice circle.
I like it. Very honest work, keep it up.
Im going to more or less make the same answer I made last year (or was it two years ago) when this topic was brought up (though this wasnt the original intent of the OP). I think of myself more as a Director/Producer. I approved the set which was created by a set designer. I approved the costumes which, likewise, were created by the costume designer. The props, made by someone else but still, required my approval. The lighting, typically, was also designed by a talented designer but chosen by me. The actors, even if I manipulated their morphs, made by someone else, approved by me.
The placement of all the sets/props, the lighting, the camera placement, the look of the actors and their wardrobe, the blocking, the emotion, the story, etc., all mine.
Of course, humans are NOT unique, as they all share similar life experiences, dna, etc. Influence works its way in to a persons life wether they like it or not.
However...
I am a reptoid. Everything I do is unique!
There are people who like to get hung up on rules. There are people who are not like that. I've been an artist for 35 years, I was an art major, I went to school to study art. Unfortunately, I injured my drawing arm at work and holding a pencil or paintbrush is no longer an option, so I took up 3d. My point about this, is I've seen all kinds of artists both sucessful and not successful. There is no one way to do art, and those that choose to police everyone telling people what is an is not art, need to stop and go back and do more art.
ARt for me, is making something out of something else. Its not a specific thing, a speciic manner. It isn't just doing it one way. Be happy with your art. Don't sweat what others think. Being an artist is good whether you draw with a twig on a cave wall or use a fancy set of oils in a well lit studio. If someone tells you what you do is not art, that's their perception. Their perception need never be your reality. Don't limit yourself because they are limited. If you enjoy it and it makes you happy, then good! Be happy. Don't let others drag you down.
Thanks again for the great replies. Lovely explanation of what is art as well!
Unfortunately on this thread I’m looking for whether or not it is your own art from a legal/copyright standpoint and not what constitutes as art or not.
It is not your art because it is mine. Everything is mine. Mine, Mine Mine.
I claim property rights in everything.
but, alas, you are asking for a legal opinion. Legally, not everything is mine. You will have to consult the end user licenses for your stuff. Word on the forums is that the basic Daz users license gives you rights to the renders you produce with their items, but not the underlying mesh, etc. if you combine with stuff bought elsewhere and freebies, refer to their EULAs. Disclaimer - not offering a legal opinion.
I have drawn/painted comics on and off for many years, for DC and Marvel and DarkHorse. I use someone elses character telling a story someone else wrote .They cerdit me as the artist.
So yeah, it's your Art and you are the Artist. I make what I make for fellow artists to use as tools or assets, that they use to create their visions, A.K.A. art. I love what I do and I love to see where it takes someone else. We have a local guy who goes around stacking rocks in impossible ways, they call him an artist. He repurposes what was into something new, Art.
Funny story. I did a quick render of a character in a prison jumpsuit, portraying a character from an author friend's story. It was a medium closeup, chest and head, and I had left the character in T-pose. He liked the render, and even though I explained the T-pose default, he liked the pose because it made it look like the character was being frisked!
From a legal standpoint, it totally depends on the licensces attached to each product. For purchased Daz products, any 2d art that you make is your art and can be used commercially or personally. Other sites may have different licenses for different products and vendors. I only use items that have an unrestricted license in my work, wether its paid or free or whatever. I don't make a list of items I use in my art, people who paint don't list the companies they buy their products from, most photographers don't list their props and where they came from, people who quilt don't make alist of where they bought their fabric, and thread etc from. I've paid for the right to use my assets without having to make long lists every time I want to create.
Yes you own the renders and rights to use them commercially as long as those renders don’t violate someone else’s copyright such as Darth Vader in Star Wars.
I personally avoid content that looks close to others ip in commercial work as well. I can’t always tell if something I buy is very close to a game content and don’t want to tangle with lawyers over it.
If you haven't got an answer that is satisfactory to you, that's because nobody here is an intellectual property lawyer, and you're asking for legal advice. Your question is one for the U.S. Copyright Office, and there are copious free publications provided by that government facility that fully answer the question. Here's one now:
Copyright Basics
It is explained surprisingly well for a government-generated piece, and is not so full of legalese that you will go into a coma.
I think that if you read that you will come to the perfectly rational conclusion that your own original 3D work, using premade 3D models that you have acquired permission to use, is perfectly covered by your own copyright in it—but IANAL. You must do your own due diligence, and then perhaps seek legal advice if you can't suss it out for yourself. I don't personally think you will need to hire a lawyer if you do your own due diligence, but that is strictly my personal lay opinion.
Good luck with it!
On originality not legality:
Nothing is original, everything is made from something. Therefore, it depends on the effort you put into it. If you just mix a few things together and upload to the gallery no one is gonna like it because of the lack of effort. If no one likes it, your art goes nowhere. And you can't fool people to think that those are your original assets since everything is searchable on the internet. So I don't see a big issue.