Lets say I have an Image of a model thats for sale and I like what I see on it. Instead of buying the object I decide to remodel it from scratch and make it look just like the object on the picture. I use my own software and my own textures, all I have from the originial is the image from the website that sells it.

Do I violate copyright or anything else with that?

yes

depends on the model i think. when it's an unique model and the concept and design have copyrights then yes.

Euhm, yes, you violate copyrights here, you can't simply mimic other people's models because you don't like to pay for that exact model. :smirkL If it's really a 1 : 1 mimic, then you'd be in trouble ...

Cheers

Ok stop...

If you completely reproduce the model by yourself without using the original data in any way, you are not violating any copyrights. Just like if i paint a copy of a painting, i can still sell it it as long as i dont claim it as a work by the original artist (that would be forgery). Copyright is pretty flexible when itcomes to artwork.

Wrong.
Copyright is absoulutely NOT flexible when it comes to artwork.
This is exactly what copyright is intended to protect: the ability of a person to commercialize their own work and prevent others from commercially benefiting from their works without their permission.

Bottom Line: The only person that has the right to reproduce a work is the copyright holder. Period.

Quote:

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Title 17, Chapter 5: Copyright Infringement and Remedies
§ 501. Infringement of copyright3
(a) Anyone who violates any of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner as provided by sections 106 through 122 or of the author as provided in section 106A(a), or who imports copies or phonorecords into the United States in violation of section 602, is an infringer of the copyright or right of the author, as the case may be.
[...]


§ 106. Exclusive rights in copyrighted works36
Subject to sections 107 through 122, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:
(1) to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords;
[...]

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If you don't believe this, handpaint a picture of Mario, put it on a T-shirt, and sell them in front of Nintendo's office... see what happens.

What ISN'T illegal is to be inspired by that model, figure out what you like about it, and make something similar, made with your own sense of design-- chances are it will be better than an attempt at a straight copy, because you allow yourself some creative leeway, maybe yours will be even better.

It will make your project more original looking-- who wants off-the-shelf artwork in a new game? It's more satisfying too!

i think its ok to copy it when you just use the original image as inspiration. Cause you can even do fanrts without braking any laws, right? So why not redesign a model.
There was even someone who made Ifrit and Tidus from final fantasy, and as long as you say the idea is not from you and when you dont sell it, its totally okay.

but jetpack is right anywayx, do your own models, it gives your game an unique style.

i think this has more to do with trademarks than with copyright. so if you imitate a non-trademarked model of blattsalat, andvari or dan silverman it shouldn't be a problem since if you just model from an image there is no way you could get a 1:1 copy anyway.

Fan art, like Fan Websites, more often than not violate copyright. The fact that they aren't prosecuted is a separate issue all toghther. The Fair Use clause could allow you to copy and use fan-art as a training exercise... it would even allow you to post it online so you could show off your skills. But the second that it comes close to a commercial effort, say with adware or using Mario to advertise your freelance for-pay modeling skills, it will infringe Nintendo copyright.


Note that copyright makes no distinction as to what a "copy" is. This is up to the copyright owner to feel that it's a copy and a lawyer to argue that it is and voila! ...it's a copy.

Stay on the safe side of the law: be original.