Question Reprograming rockets, the rules?? - Orbiter-Forum

whecsailor · 07-17-2012, 05:42 PM

Hi
Gene a long time ago (2003) made the Thor family of rockets. I am unable to locate him and wish ,, as my first attempt into Orbiter, to mod the coding (update it) so that it can fly again.
Is is this allowed if I give him full credit for his research and models?

OR

Should I just rebuild them myself. I am a average gmax modeler, but this will be my first try into orbiter.

Thanks
Mike Davis

N_Molson · 07-17-2012, 05:52 PM

2003 models & textures will be a little outdated IMHO. That's nearly 10 years ago.

I'd say dive into the big pool of addons developpers.

**Urwumpe** · 07-17-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whecsailor

Hi
Gene a long time ago (2003) made the Thor family of rockets. I am unable to locate him and wish ,, as my first attempt into Orbiter, to mod the coding (update it) so that it can fly again.

That is a problem. Unless he has a copy-left license included, you are entering a world of pain there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whecsailor

Is is this allowed if I give him full credit for his research and models?

No, generally not. If he permits this, giving him credit is the minimum. Not the alternative to asking him for permission.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whecsailor

Should I just rebuild them myself. I am a average gmax modeler, but this will be my first try into orbiter.

That is the safest version. Only little trouble that can happen.

jedidia · 07-17-2012, 06:46 PM

A bit confused here... update the coding would mean that you have the source code. If the source code is posted along with the add-on, it's probably intended to be used further, and will most likely have terms of use noted inside it.

This does not automatically extend to the models, though.

dgatsoulis · 07-17-2012, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whecsailor

Hi
Gene a long time ago (2003) made the Thor family of rockets. I am unable to locate him and wish ,, as my first attempt into Orbiter, to mod the coding (update it) so that it can fly again.
Is is this allowed if I give him full credit for his research and models?

OR

Should I just rebuild them myself. I am a average gmax modeler, but this will be my first try into orbiter.

Thanks
Mike Davis

"Rebuild" could mean a lot of things. First of all we are talking about an addon that used Vinkas multistage.dll addon to start with.
So, what exactly do you intend to rebuild? Vinka's work, Gene's work or both?
-Gene's work would include the meshes, config files, textures and scenarios.
-Vinka's work would be on the .dll that makes addons such as these possible.

If the problem is that the

Thor family

addon doesn't work with Orbiter2010, I think that what you are looking for is Brianj's stage.dll

If you are just asking about the "rules" of reusing someone elses work, I think that these are the ways to go about it:

1. You can do whatever you want to do with them.
Reverse engineer them, add to them or delete from them.
That even includes the textures and the scenario files. But ONLY FOR PERSONAL USE! (Excuse my shouting, but I think this point has to be made very clear). You can NOT share them in any way, without permission from the author.

2. If you DO want to share the outcome of your additions or subtractions of someone else's work, you should have a licence to do so, either by default (the addon is open source-in some way) or by permission (contacting the original author(s)).

3. As always there is some "gray" area like: "What of the popular SC3 to .DLL addon by Artlav or the updates of various addons for the newest versions of Orbiter?"

This is a community of people that use their time to share their work with others for free. Even if you infringe on someone else's copyrights, in most cases it would be "ok", as long as:
a) You are not making any money out of it and
b) You are willing to remove any infringed or even challenged content from the public. I believe the "law" here is: Orbiter is free for everyone, don't try to make money out of it and always give credit to the ones who deserve it.

iceman · 08-29-2012, 10:20 PM

Hmm.. That's an interesting question. I would rebuild them myself though if I were in your shoes - just to avoid any unforeseen issues.

07-17-2012, 05:42 PM	#1
whecsailor Orbinaut	Reprograming rockets, the rules?? Hi Gene a long time ago (2003) made the Thor family of rockets. I am unable to locate him and wish ,, as my first attempt into Orbiter, to mod the coding (update it) so that it can fly again. Is is this allowed if I give him full credit for his research and models? OR Should I just rebuild them myself. I am a average gmax modeler, but this will be my first try into orbiter. Thanks Mike Davis

07-17-2012, 10:23 PM	#5
dgatsoulis Orbinaut	Quote: Originally Posted by whecsailor Hi Gene a long time ago (2003) made the Thor family of rockets. I am unable to locate him and wish ,, as my first attempt into Orbiter, to mod the coding (update it) so that it can fly again. Is is this allowed if I give him full credit for his research and models? OR Should I just rebuild them myself. I am a average gmax modeler, but this will be my first try into orbiter. Thanks Mike Davis "Rebuild" could mean a lot of things. First of all we are talking about an addon that used Vinkas multistage.dll addon to start with. So, what exactly do you intend to rebuild? Vinka's work, Gene's work or both? -Gene's work would include the meshes, config files, textures and scenarios. -Vinka's work would be on the .dll that makes addons such as these possible. If the problem is that the Thor family Thor family addon doesn't work with Orbiter2010, I think that what you are looking for is Brianj's stage.dll If you are just asking about the "rules" of reusing someone elses work, I think that these are the ways to go about it: 1. You can do whatever you want to do with them. Reverse engineer them, add to them or delete from them. That even includes the textures and the scenario files. But ONLY FOR PERSONAL USE! (Excuse my shouting, but I think this point has to be made very clear). You can NOT share them in any way, without permission from the author. 2. If you DO want to share the outcome of your additions or subtractions of someone else's work, you should have a licence to do so, either by default (the addon is open source-in some way) or by permission (contacting the original author(s)). 3. As always there is some "gray" area like: "What of the popular SC3 to .DLL addon by Artlav or the updates of various addons for the newest versions of Orbiter?" This is a community of people that use their time to share their work with others for free. Even if you infringe on someone else's copyrights, in most cases it would be "ok", as long as: a) You are not making any money out of it and b) You are willing to remove any infringed or even challenged content from the public. I believe the "law" here is: Orbiter is free for everyone, don't try to make money out of it and always give credit to the ones who deserve it.

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07-17-2012, 05:52 PM	#2
N_Molson Addon Developer	2003 models & textures will be a little outdated IMHO. That's nearly 10 years ago. I'd say dive into the big pool of addons developpers.

07-17-2012, 06:15 PM	#3
Urwumpe Donator	Quote: Originally Posted by whecsailor Hi Gene a long time ago (2003) made the Thor family of rockets. I am unable to locate him and wish ,, as my first attempt into Orbiter, to mod the coding (update it) so that it can fly again. That is a problem. Unless he has a copy-left license included, you are entering a world of pain there. Quote: Originally Posted by whecsailor Is is this allowed if I give him full credit for his research and models? No, generally not. If he permits this, giving him credit is the minimum. Not the alternative to asking him for permission. Quote: Originally Posted by whecsailor Should I just rebuild them myself. I am a average gmax modeler, but this will be my first try into orbiter. That is the safest version. Only little trouble that can happen.

07-17-2012, 06:46 PM	#4
jedidia shoemaker without legs	A bit confused here... update the coding would mean that you have the source code. If the source code is posted along with the add-on, it's probably intended to be used further, and will most likely have terms of use noted inside it. This does not automatically extend to the models, though.

08-29-2012, 10:20 PM	#6
iceman Orbinaut	Hmm.. That's an interesting question. I would rebuild them myself though if I were in your shoes - just to avoid any unforeseen issues.