Technic spare parts renders/pictures

[rm8]

Hi,

I need pictures of lego parts (mostly technic) with white or transparent background. I need pictures of all details.

Saving it from bricklink is bad idea, because of different quality (mostly low) and different background (white, studded panel and others)

As I understand better way to do it is to make renders of details. I need fast method, dont want to render each detail for minutes or hours.

Please help me:

1) which program to use?

2) may be someone already have this pictures (write me p.m.) and can give me them for commercial use?

Edited April 5, 2013 by rm8

[Calabar]

It depends on the quality you need.

LDD allow to take transparent screenshots of the 3D scene, but the bricks are not like real ones.

Similar situation for LDView for LDraw ecosystem bricks.

If you want a "real life" quality, rendering is the only way, but it needs more time.

You could use low quality settings for a fast render, or render more parts at a time. Transparent parts will require a lot of time, anyway to show decent results.

To increase quality, you can take screenshots at hight resolution and then downsample the images to the desired size.

What's your goal?

[rm8]

It depends on the quality you need.

LDD allow to take transparent screenshots of the 3D scene, but the bricks are not like real ones.

Similar situation for LDView for LDraw ecosystem bricks.

If you want a "real life" quality, rendering is the only way, but it needs more time.

You could use low quality settings for a fast render, or render more parts at a time. Transparent parts will require a lot of time, anyway to show decent results.

To increase quality, you can take screenshots at hight resolution and then downsample the images to the desired size.

What's your goal?

Thank you. I need pictures of details for web site - the goal is to make picture clear and understandable and in one style.

Edited April 5, 2013 by rm8

[hrontos]

Thank you. I need pictures of details for web site - the goal is to make picture clear and understandable and in one style.

Do you expect to use a few or few hundred of the pictures?

Rendering of each part with full level of detail can take longer, outlines versions are a question of may be 2 minutes each.

Flat colored parts with outlines in style as seen in building instructions are a question of less than minute per part.

Edited April 5, 2013 by hrontos

[rm8]

Rebrickable have a good picture base. Who is the owner of this site? Where did he make all those pics?

[hrontos]

Rebrickable have a good picture base. Who is the owner of this site? Where did he make all those pics?

According to FAQ, they were all rendered from the LDRAW library.

[legolijntje]

Maybe you can use this article to make a batch file for LDview?

I need pictures of Technic parts too (with trans background), but I haven't found the time yet to try the above linked solution

[Superkalle]

I think you are touching in to something about ownership. It's always best to ask to use brick images first, specially if you are going to publish a lot of them and even more so if it's a commercial site (which I don't understand it is in your case).

The sources I can think of for brick images are:

- LEGO.com, as can be seen on brickset. These are from what I understand possible to use freely since Brickset are publishing them.

- Ldraw via scripting

- LDD, either natively or via rendering via scripting

BrickLink and Peeron also have images but they might be a bit more restricted to use since

1) They are photographs (in most cases) and such more clearly protected by copyright.

2) They are published on a specific site.

[rm8]

I think you are touching in to something about ownership. It's always best to ask to use brick images first, specially if you are going to publish a lot of them and even more so if it's a commercial site (which I don't understand it is in your case).

The sources I can think of for brick images are:

- LEGO.com, as can be seen on brickset. These are from what I understand possible to use freely since Brickset are publishing them.

- Ldraw via scripting

- LDD, either natively or via rendering via scripting

BrickLink and Peeron also have images but they might be a bit more restricted to use since

1) They are photographs (in most cases) and such more clearly protected by copyright.

2) They are published on a specific site.

Yes, ownership is a very important question for me. Who knows about restrictions of using TLG's images?

[Superkalle]

Well, the terms of use on the LEGO site says:

You may download material displayed on the Site for non-commercial, home personal use only, provided you keep intact all copyright, trademark and other proprietary notices. You may not, however, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute in any way the contents of this Site including the text, images, audio and video for public or commercial purposes, without written permission from LEGO A/S.

So I guess that means you cannot use the images without written permission. I would assume Brickset has that, and in that case, I guess you could just write LEGO and ask too. On the other hand, I have never heard TLG coming down on a small, non-commercial site for this sort of thing, so I don't know.

The Ldraw terms I don't know, but since this is a community effort, I guess it should be possible to use for non-commercial use.

The LDD terms are in the EULA, and it says

You may NOT modify, translate, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble (except to the extent that this restriction is expressly prohibited by law) or create derivative works based upon the Software or Documentation.

So what does this mean? I don't know to 100% but it sounds pretty restricive.

[rm8]

1. As I understand, LDD is more user friendly comparing to other software. How and is it hard/easy make renders here?

2.And what about using own made photos of parts? Is it legal to use them in my needs personal or commercial?

Just understand that personal and commercial are different terms. My needs are commercial.

Edited April 5, 2013 by rm8

[hrontos]

1. As I understand, LDD is more user friendly comparing to other software. How and is it hard/easy make renders here?

2.And what about using own made photos of parts? Is it legal to use them in my needs personal or commercial?

Just understand that personal and commercial are different terms. My needs are commercial.

Your own pictures can be used commercialy.

For commercial use of model produced with an aid of LDD you have to ask for a permission. But pictures are probably free since they are not part of the software or documentation.

LDRAW also does not permit commercial use of the parts library, but pictures are ok.

[technicmad]

Rebrickable have a good picture base. Who is the owner of this site? Where did he make all those pics?

That would be me. I made the images from the LDraw models, L3P, POV-Ray and a lot of scripting. I am happy for anyone to use these images in whatever way they like, but please don't scrape the site as I am low on server resources at the moment :)

(edit) I have just created a downloads page with links to zipped collections of all of these images. Knock yourself out: http://rebrickable.com/downloads

Edited April 7, 2013 by technicmad

[rm8]

That would be me. I made the images from the LDraw models, L3P, POV-Ray and a lot of scripting. I am happy for anyone to use these images in whatever way they like, but please don't scrape the site as I am low on server resources at the moment :)

(edit) I have just created a downloads page with links to zipped collections of all of these images. Knock yourself out: http://rebrickable.com/downloads

Thank you very much. It is really hard work that you have done.

[Calabar]

I made the images from the LDraw models, L3P, POV-Ray and a lot of scripting.

As the images are obtained using LDraw models, probably the limits about using the images for commercial activities remain valid.

[legolijntje]

As the images are obtained using LDraw models, probably the limits about using the images for commercial activities remain valid.

I don't think so, because you're using an image of the model, not the model (file) itself.

[Calabar]

I don't think so, because you're using an image of the model, not the model (file) itself.

Superkalle reported this:

You may NOT modify, translate, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble (except to the extent that this restriction is expressly prohibited by law) or create derivative works based upon the Software or Documentation.

I think in this situation we can speak about a "derivative work".

Or maybe the sentence is referred to LDraw software and not to its whole ecosystem, including the 3D models?

As LDraw is a "open standard for LEGO CAD programs" I thought about the second hypothesis, but maybe I was wrong.

[legolijntje]

Well, that would mean that all the moc instructions that are being sold are against LDraw's rules (they are also pictures of LDraw files in the end). If they don't want that, we would've heard that already a long time ago

[C3POwen]

As the images are obtained using LDraw models, probably the limits about using the images for commercial activities remain valid.

Well, that would mean that all the moc instructions that are being sold are against LDraw's rules (they are also pictures of LDraw files in the end). If they don't want that, we would've heard that already a long time ago

The LDraw.org site (http://www.ldraw.org/article/227.html) states the following about the use of LDraw parts. I've highlighted the pertinent part in red.

Rights

You are free:

• to copy - distribute, display, and use the CA approved LDraw Parts Library
  
• to make derivative works
  
• to make commercial use of the CA approved LDraw Parts Library
  

Under the following conditions:

• Attribution - You must give the original author credit.
  
• The LDraw Steering Committee (SteerCo) also holds an attribution to 'The LDraw Parts Library' in such Derivative Works to be sufficient in lieu of a full list of authors.
  

For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms of this library.

Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.

Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above.

Enforcements

The single copyright holders are the sole entity responsible for enforcements of their copyrights. For purposes of enforcement LDraw.org considers the following good rules of thumb to determine if a new file is not a Derivative work. Anything else should be considered a Derivative work and an attribution would be required. If in doubt contact the current LDraw SteerCo.

What is not considered a Derivative work?

• Rendered images generated from the LDraw library. Rendering here covers any conversion of a 3D model file into a 2D image.
  
• Model files containing references only (the source code for the part may NOT be included in any form) to parts in the official LDraw Parts Library at the time of their creation. Part files which are marked as unofficial at the time of creation may be included in full in the model file. If the sole or main purpose (as determined by the LDraw SteerCo in consultation with the potentially offending author and LDraw community at large) of the Model file is to include large numbers of unofficial parts then it WILL be considered a derivative work.
  
• Alternative libraries of parts which LDraw.org does not own or enforce the copyright. If some or more of the parts in the library are converted from the LDraw Parts Library then they must be considered a Derivative work.
  

[technicmad]

I asked one of the ldraw team directly for his interpretation and can confirm that rendered images are fine to use for any purposes: http://www.ldraw.org/article/227.html#Renders

[Calabar]

I've highlighted the pertinent part in red.

Great, it seems that definitively solves the question.

Thanks technicmad too for asking to LDraw team.