Ok, I have read too many times in too many places, that you can use comercially Gmax tool, md2, md3, bsp. You can't use Id tools for comercial projects. The formats are free. I can go to carmack's home and ask, too ;) No, seriously, way lots of threads of people wo report contacting id, and were replied they could use the formats alone. Could this be a lie? then why they never jump into these guys necks? Why *many* game making software output natively md2 format (ie, 3d canvas, character fx, etc,etc) and many engines support it, have loaders for it, etc...You should be QUITE non worried about that, anyway, I'm collecting bellow some found info :
http://www.flipcode.com/cgi-bin/fcmsg.cgi?thread_show=5674&msg=35940
Then...that leaves you the open field of using any tool not based in it: nPherno md2 tool, md2 max plugin exporters, cfx, quake modeller, etc.
one more....
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=84735
More.
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=94852
Something I consider it should be more proof than a simple thread...as is on a tutorial on a site, since a while...I though they'd have had serious issues, if not... :
http://www.flipcode.com/articles/article_q2bsp.shtml
DB pro, Gamestudio, the old Genesis3d, (Blitzbasic3d) , and a zillion of engines and game environments have it included. Plus some comercial packages, that i'd expect they rarely have paid a 250,000 $ to id for their technology: formats must be free. I say must as in case you yet don't trust it.
3d canvas is run as an smal business, kind of personal one, like Milkshape (was initially)
I doubt they had to pay that quantity.
I think the above posted should make you safe enough...
And btw, in the really weird case the worry to try and claim for the format, hey, that'd make you famous after all...a chance to be known, after all ;)
;)
No, really I doubt there's an issue. (even more for just an indy...lol...:) :) )
Still, you can mail him directly. I really doubt he'll get the chance of reading it. He must have a full blown inbox with the upcoming gpl of the q3 source, doom3 mails, who knows if also about is rockets company, quake4, and yellow elephants... ;)
you email would be probably an spot lost in a universe...
:)
For some reason I am in the mood of writting bad jokes, today.
http://www.flipcode.com/cgi-bin/fcmsg.cgi?thread_show=5674&msg=35940
Here is the actual quote from John Carmack (from Max's Q2 BSP article).
"We do not legally protect the file formats, but you can't use any of the released tools, or tools derived from them (except the GPL'd Quake 1 tools) to generate content for a commercial venture. If you are writing everything yourself, no problem."
So again .. if you write your own tools you have no problems using any of id's file formats.
"We do not legally protect the file formats, but you can't use any of the released tools, or tools derived from them (except the GPL'd Quake 1 tools) to generate content for a commercial venture. If you are writing everything yourself, no problem."
So again .. if you write your own tools you have no problems using any of id's file formats.
Then...that leaves you the open field of using any tool not based in it: nPherno md2 tool, md2 max plugin exporters, cfx, quake modeller, etc.
one more....
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=84735
IT's not possible to 'own' a file format without a patent, which ID does not have.
Various people from ID software have addressed this several times. They don't mind if you use their formats, so long as you don't use their (non-GPL'ed) tools to generate the files.
So, you can use MD2, MD3, Quake3 BSP, etc. But you _cannot_ use the Q3 BSP compiler to compile BSPs for your game.
Various people from ID software have addressed this several times. They don't mind if you use their formats, so long as you don't use their (non-GPL'ed) tools to generate the files.
So, you can use MD2, MD3, Quake3 BSP, etc. But you _cannot_ use the Q3 BSP compiler to compile BSPs for your game.
More.
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=94852
quote:John Carmack
"We do not legally protect the file formats, but you can't use any of the released tools, or tools derived from them (except the GPL'd Quake 1 tools) to generate content for a commercial venture. If you are writing everything yourself, no problem."
That's what they claim to have heard from him at flipcode q2 bsp tutorial http://www.flipcode.com/tutorials/tut_q2levels.shtml
"We do not legally protect the file formats, but you can't use any of the released tools, or tools derived from them (except the GPL'd Quake 1 tools) to generate content for a commercial venture. If you are writing everything yourself, no problem."
That's what they claim to have heard from him at flipcode q2 bsp tutorial http://www.flipcode.com/tutorials/tut_q2levels.shtml
Something I consider it should be more proof than a simple thread...as is on a tutorial on a site, since a while...I though they'd have had serious issues, if not... :
http://www.flipcode.com/articles/article_q2bsp.shtml
Legality
Using id Software file formats in a publicly distributed application always seemed a little questionable to me in terms of legality. In preparation of this document I contacted id Software to resolve the issue; John Carmack was kind enough to send along this response:
"We do not legally protect the file formats, but you can't use any of the released tools, or tools derived from them (except the GPL'd Quake 1 tools) to generate content for a commercial venture. If you are writing everything yourself, no problem."
Using id Software file formats in a publicly distributed application always seemed a little questionable to me in terms of legality. In preparation of this document I contacted id Software to resolve the issue; John Carmack was kind enough to send along this response:
"We do not legally protect the file formats, but you can't use any of the released tools, or tools derived from them (except the GPL'd Quake 1 tools) to generate content for a commercial venture. If you are writing everything yourself, no problem."
DB pro, Gamestudio, the old Genesis3d, (Blitzbasic3d) , and a zillion of engines and game environments have it included. Plus some comercial packages, that i'd expect they rarely have paid a 250,000 $ to id for their technology: formats must be free. I say must as in case you yet don't trust it.
3d canvas is run as an smal business, kind of personal one, like Milkshape (was initially)
I doubt they had to pay that quantity.
I think the above posted should make you safe enough...
And btw, in the really weird case the worry to try and claim for the format, hey, that'd make you famous after all...a chance to be known, after all ;)
;)
No, really I doubt there's an issue. (even more for just an indy...lol...:) :) )
Still, you can mail him directly. I really doubt he'll get the chance of reading it. He must have a full blown inbox with the upcoming gpl of the q3 source, doom3 mails, who knows if also about is rockets company, quake4, and yellow elephants... ;)
you email would be probably an spot lost in a universe...
:)
For some reason I am in the mood of writting bad jokes, today.