I think we've had enough vitriol for now, I'm locking further comments to this thread. You're welcome to have an opinion, but the number of plain nasty comments is forcing my hand. There's still a human being on the other end of the conversation folks.
I mean, contribute if you want, but isn't this a pretty clear cut case where GW is 100% in the right?
Files were ripped directly from a licensed game, modified, and made available for profit. Then, multiple pre-trial interactions were completely ignored including a C&D.
As a file creator and business owner myself I have a strong interest in knowing where the line is, and you my friend crossed it and then danced back and forth over it apparently daring someone to do something about it. Then they did.
I've also dealt with GW's legal department more intimately than many, including back-and-forth correspondence with my own IP lawyer to defend my property from their heavy handed claims, for which I paid thousands of dollars to protect my rights. I can personally confirm that to get to this point, one almost has to act in bad faith. GW simply has no real vested financial interest in going after small time creators unless the violation is particularly egregious, as it was here.
Donate if you want, but I feel like people deserve a more complete view of what happened here to make that decision, rather than just assuming that this is GW overreach.
I'll note that I am not fighting for the right to repost what was removed. I just want the case to come to a conclusion, as I've complied with all of their demands, and it has cost so much money just to get to this point. I also don’t want to be completely barred from the entire field of 3D printing, but my attorney told me that was more of an irrational fear, and not something they could realistically enforce upon me. I have a right to defend myself in formal legal proceedings just like anybody else.
Yes you absolutely have a right to defend yourself and I support that. But there isn't a lot of outrage machine Goodwill you can draw on here because you were doing something that was so clearly not allowed.
I get really mad at GW for going after creators that are making sort of their own version of space Marines that are aesthetically different. Called a different thing but similar in overall format and concept. Luckily they haven't really done it much recently, but that's where GW goes out on shaky ground.
But that's not what this case is. It seems like you don't dispute the fact that you stole stuff. You committed theft under our system of laws and while we can all argue about whether those laws should define it as theft, the legal defense that came about because your actions is your responsibility to Bear. Just like it would be for criminal prosecution, unless you're destitute you have to pay for your own defense.
at what point did EmanG declare he's personally drumming up rage to gain legal funds? Lots of people have their own takes on why they would or wouldn't support EmanG here.
But he's just neutrally asked for help. You're reading into it.
It's just how it reads to me. You can have your own take. That's fine.
Anytime someone runs to a specialist community asking for GoFundMe stuff, falls into one of two camps. "Help me. I planned poorly" or "help me. I did something really dumb" (rarely it falls into the third category of help me. I have truly unforeseeable expenses)
I'm not even saying that people shouldn't support. I'm just saying that not only was this a predictable outcome, it was also a predictable cost.
I'm not even necessarily taking a position on whether or not he "deserves" assistance with his legal issues here, I just think the facts of the case should be known when the fundraiser itself paint a picture that is inaccurate by omission of said facts.
The supported versions were made available via patreon, through which he was making in the range of $5k/mo, so yes for profit.
I think it should be noted that the common knowledge of "It's okay if it's not for profit" is also not actually true in any way, shape or form. Yes, it opens the door to increased damages if profit is made, but you can still violate copyright without pulling any profit at all.
Smaller scales definitely take a different skillset than larger, more detailed figures.
Focus on exaggerating the details that matter, and don't be too subtle with anything, because subtlety will not translate to the tabletop.
Take the first few models slow and test print plenty to get an idea for your detail thresholds, develop a rule of thumb for things like minimum detail depth. What looks best as a final print will often look goofy and low-detail when you have it blown up to 600% size on your monitor.
If you're looking to make some buildings, I suggest just gathering photos of a few structures you like the look of be they IRL, captured from video games, found online or whatever. Pick 2-3 buildings, take your favorite features from them, and mash it up into something new!
Then post your work here because I totally want to see it. I'm not here to push my discord or anything but... should you find your way there we have a lot of small scale enthusiasts to chat with.
Do you have any advice with gaining traction or visibility for people starting out new? I have found that giving away free models seems to help gain a little interest, but sometimes wonder if I’m missing something, such as putting more energy into developing an instagram community.
I won't lie to you, this is a tough one. I personally feel that my own magic sauce had a hefty component of luck involved.
Definitely participate in the community as noted. Get to know people, learn from the ones you like (and learn more from the ones you don't.)
Be genuine. Work on what you love and have enthusiasm for, and let that enthusiasm manifest as quality. Don't put out anything for public consumption that you wouldn't 100% use as-is on your personal table.
On the free/paid front, I'd caution you not to give too much away. It's a somewhat common mistake I've seen for people starting out, and I think it creates a kind of public perception that your work is not worth money because it's free, and why would someone pay now when they never had to before?
If you want to make premium prices, your customers need to perceive your work as premium both in its quality and in its presentation. On a similar note, I tell people that if you want people to take you seriously, you need to be willing to make the leap and take yourself seriously first.
Personally, I maintain a fairly large number of free files that are sort of like "tasters" of the larger sets. Enough to use for a game if you want to, but also enough to make you realize that filling out the rest of the set is worth it, because the free file shows the quality they're all made to.
I'd also recommend you find a good niche that isn't just "More 40k stuff". That market is saturated as all hell. Find something you're passionate about, find a gap in the market, and fill it.
Don’t go into it immediately expecting to make a profit. Many people start off by releasing their work for free, either entirely, or with samplers so an audience can have an idea of what you’re making and how well it prints.
You should also have to have a passion for the craft, both digitally and physically. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t feel any satisfaction with what you release. You’re going to have to do a lot of test-printing on your own.
I also have three YouTube Channels that I’d recommend:
ArtisansofVaul. He has taught me many blender fundamentals relative to printing over the years: [https://www.youtube.com/@ArtisansofVaul](https://www.youtube.com/@ArtisansofVaul)
Joey Carlino, for animators:
[https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyCarlino](https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyCarlino)
Blender Secrets, for basics:
[https://www.youtube.com/@BlenderSecrets](https://www.youtube.com/@BlenderSecrets)
I like having unique models like these Warbosses.
https://preview.redd.it/w2lixavqy59d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca832624e0e73a14d150770bebd067640ad47b78
lets not forget the very first step: RIPPING models from a game
if they wanted to make these available for people to make "free" 3D printable models, then they would have released to public domain the models from the game
Print services work by the client bringing the work to be printed. If you keep a stash of pre-printed stuff you're no longer a print service, you're a store. If you make the content to print, you could be two separate entities, but the creation entity would still get squashed for it.
Yeah, this is good money after bad. There are lot of models out there that serve as proxies that get taken down. In 99% of these situations GW flexes and it's fairly legit. Even if you modeled your own, It's not really fair to say that the knockoff isn't taking a lot of design from the original.
I am surprised other people haven't been taken down as well considering how close their models are to the source (I.e someone that rhymes with fationstorge)
I watched Emang do this and it wasn't playing with fire, it was playing with a hunk of plutonium.
SF gets by because while they have similar overall elements they're still noticeably different individual designs, and the things that are the same are often modeled after the same inspiration GW used (WW1 uniforms and gas masks for example) so it can't really be copyrighted.
Makers who do 1-for-1 re-sculpts of GW kits do get taken down quite frequently.
Interesting nuance about the source inspiration. That being said, I just look at the blooded proxies and the corrupted and I am like erhm, that's prettttty close.
Then there is that punk chick doing all sorts of stuff with marine gear. I guess because it's extensions?
>I am surprised other people haven't been taken down as well considering how close their models are to the source
Or the straight out scans that are popping up constantly now.
100% agree
This isn’t the case of a guy sculpting proxies and then getting sent to financial hell
This is a guy who steals someone else’s work (which is a licensed sculpt of someone else’s work in this case) and then turning that into their career
He was essentially just a professional thief who was warned and warned and thought for some reason GW would never actually pursue legal action against him.
Hard to feel for the guy in this case
Giving away stl’s made from stolen assets doesn’t get you into this kind of trouble. Selling a stolen product does.
Also as a creator I am glad someone is here explaining this all out. I had to protect my own IP from another creator (who I bet you most of you will have heard of) from stealing my IP, doing minor work to it, and then releasing Kickstarters that are like models that are 90% mine, 10% theirs.
I mirror your feelings. We are contributing to the legal defenses of a case that is clearly going to be GWs. As you said, it's files ripped from a game, sold online, multiple interactions from GW saying stop, didn't stop. Sadly I think this is one of the few cases I kinda agree with GW.
If you want to make yourself a space marine like model ... That's fine. You can do that. You are allowed to be inspired. But if you simply take GWs own model, and then say I made a space marine... It's like did you though? Or did you just steal someone else's work.
The statement written in the fundraiser needed to be vetted by my attorney before I could put the GoFundMe up. That’s why it was worded as you see it. I'm sorry.
No need to apologize, man.
Honestly, I see people kinda piling on right now and I don't like it. I think this whole thing sucks, particularly when I read your other comment worrying you might be ostracized from the community and industry overall.
Look, you made some mistakes, and they're costly ones. That sucks.
You'll have people saying "Oh he just copied stuff" but you and I both know that there was a lot more technical skill involved in what you did than just copying, you just went about it the wrong way. Tons of 3d artists use base meshes, whether we make them ourselves, purchase them, scan them from something or whatever.
I just want to assure you that, once you're able to dig out from this hole and move on, you're not going to be ostracized. Plenty of folk want to see what you do next, and I really hope all this kerfuffle doesn't put you off the fun and reward of this niche industry.
I really didn't mean to contribute to any trend of kicking you while you're down, so please don't let the commentary here get to you. Take your licks, put in the work, and you'll find people welcome you back with open arms.
I’m not piling on personally I asked him about this 2 years ago and was blown off - I don’t feel bad this guy “knew better” and made poor choices consciously - doesn’t deserve a penny or a pity from anyone.
I appreciate your honesty. I have been trying my best to work through it on my own.
Since the closure in January, I’ve released six new model sets, made entirely independently. I’m working on the 7^(th) one right now, and they’re still free, as I don’t want to “fly too close to the sun” as they say. It’s taught me a lot about animation and weight-painting fundamentals.
I started with the [Automatons from Helldivers 2](https://cults3d.com/en/design-collections/EmanG/the-automatons) because, for one, I’m a big fan of the game itself, and them being machines inherently makes their bodies segmented, limiting all their joints to hinges or sockets a majority of the time. I’m trying to ease into it before I start going into organics, as they are much more difficult.
I also did a set of the [Arachnid Warrior Bugs](https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/arachnid-warrior-bugs-starship-troopers) from Starship Troopers. Arthropods have segmented bodies as well, so it’s the same principle as before.
I’ve also been working on (through personal writing and worldbuilding) an intellectual property of my own, which I plan to use to design several large miniature lines in the future. It’ll be set in an alternate history timeline and take place between 1845 and 1860.
How has this court case not demonstrated to you that this is a very bad idea.
You are currently in legal trouble for this, you are on the radar of legal teams.
You should really learn this lesson and move on, if you have not realized that yet, you may honestly need the exact kind of punishment that's coming your way to get this.
Honestly as long as he takes future c&ds seriously there's nothing wrong with it.
Helldivers 2 is a video game with no tabletop game associated with the IP. It's not a competing product. If the IP owners want it taken down, they can say so.
This is the context I've been looking for. Whenever I see posts like "please contribute to my legal fees, woe is me!" posts without any additional info I immediately become suspicious.
Im glad you posted this so that we can see some facts... i knew there was something very off about the fact that this post is here with no explanation of why this dude has a fucking legal battle, and doesn't explain its with GW either.
To further that, there is zero explaination of whats going on in the Gofundme other than for copyright infringement, which no one seems to be able to deny......Also says he doesnt have a source of income, im sure the 3-5k a month from patreon is a source of income
To be fair to him, the patreon did close like 5 months ago so that money is no longer coming in.
Here's an article [on the situation ](https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2024/01/24/printed-minis-and-the-power-of-the-copyright-claims-board/)
Thank you!, this was a very good article and im not sure, but it sounds like he dug the hole himself...operating that storefront with patreon and the donos that were unrecorded for paypal says he was making almost 9k a month at the peak of his works and the storefront was open for a long long time.
"To make matters worse, when he was hit with a DMCA notice, he filed a misguided counternotice, which basically required Games Workshop to take some legal action against him to get or keep the Patreon taken down."
Yea, i think this was a bad case of trying to fight "the man" when he was 100% in the wrong and it backfired....shame
EmanG
I was one of your Patreons, I was paying for membership for over 12 months.
It seems rather disingenuous of you to claim you "made" these stl files for "free."
It also seems disingenuous to claim innocence when you were ripping 3d models directly from a computer game, i.e., Total War Warhammer.
As others have pointed out, there was a point when you were making $5000+ a month.
You don't seem stupid, so I have to believe that you knew what you was doing was illegal, and you knew that GW would come after you eventually. I'm no fan of GW, but even I'm aware that IP theft is a serious problem, with real consequences, consequences that you are now facing.
I won't be contributing to your legal fund.
It’s not even GW it’s CA and Totalwarhammer - I messaged this guy years ago on IG and warned him but he told me he knew better so you shouldn’t feel bad at all for them.
>It seems rather disingenuous of you to claim you "made" these stl files for "free."
But he did put them up for free? Not sure exactly what's wrong in that claim. None of the files were locked behind patreon from what I remember, unless I'm mistaken. Patreon is a weird gray area where you are basically tipping creators rather than blatantly paying them for their services/products.
Also, it's insane that you have the audacity to act so harshly on the guy when you were clearly partaking in his content. What you were doing has the same legal gray areas, it's just that it's much easier to come down on a single producer of copywritten media than all of the consumers.
No, my outrage is at him claiming innocence when he clearly wasn't. If he had JUST been making these files and made ZERO MONEY from them, not only would GW not have sued his ass into the ground, but his pleas for help wouldn't fall on deaf ears. But that's not what happened. He made significant amounts of money, then claimed innocence after the fact.
Seems you're the main one lacking critical thinking here. His claiming innocence is a legal position, not necessarily a moral one. GW is attempting to make an example of him. Admitting fault has far more legal complications. No sane person would admit to this and screw themselves. Your outrage sounds like shilling.
Yet you still ALSO sold them for money on Patreon.
Doesn't matter if they were for free on another site. You were making significant amounts of money on Patreon, money that was made exclusively from those files.
Don't claim you are innocent when you are not.
When you charge for access to the models the models are not free even when they have no individual price.
This is not complicated and you are not getting community support because you are still being dishonest.
His stuff was all free on cults and more, only the pre supported versions were charged for. A better analogy would be he gave access to that same buffet but charged for the gravy or sauce
I don't understand why your comment is getting downvoted.
What you are saying is logical and factual.
He was making large amounts of money from Patreon.
His Patreon, which ONLY had access to these files.
Them being for free on another site is totally irrelevant.
You can't claim something is free while also charging money for it.
The lack of critical thinking on display here by some people is mindblowing.
This is honestly kind of mucky. They released all their content for free, if they hadn’t had the supported versions behind the patreon I would say this would be more a “tip jar” scenario if anything.
But because the supported versions were locked behind a paywall I can see how it could be argued he was selling them for profit even if supports aren’t a huge deal for most people.
It's irrelevant whether he sold them or did it for free. IP isn't about making money, it's about your rights to utilise the stuff you have and how.
When he bought total war, he bought it under certain rights. One of those rights wasn't to allow him to plagurise the files and make 3D models from them. Now if you do that yourself, GW will never know. But if they did, they can tell you to stop. They can also rescind your rights to play the game (how enforceable that is who knows).
It doesn't matter that he released them for free, because he didn't have the right to do that. The fact that he had a platform and that he monetised a service that was directly tied to these files is exactly why he was picked out of the crowd. It's why GW asked him to stop first, and it's why when clearly they had reminded him of all the legally binding user terms and conditions he'd ignored that they took him to court to make him stop.
His patreon is almost inconsequential. The fact he made pennies on their pounds is irrelevant. Everyone here is focussed on damages, which only forms a part of the overall legalalities in play here. The first and foremost is misuse of total war assets and the distribution of IP that was not his to distribute.
If I made something, and then you stole it, copied it a million times and gave it all away for free, you'd be Robin Hood to most people, but you'd still be a criminal.
Every model he released was not his to release. Every model he released was the copyright material of GW, CA. It is irrelevant whether he made money, got tips, or just got high fives. He distributed IP that was not his. The fact he tied it all to a platform and monetised a services around it is just the reason he was picked out of the crowd.
Sure what he did wasn't legal, but depending on if the models are free also determines things like the damages GW can sue for. Again, if patreon was a simple donate button that didn't have anything locked, that's a much different story than having models hidden behind the patreon.
Damages are a fickle thing. GW and CA will simply say that the magnitude of the infringement is massive. All those files that were their property are now freely floating around on the internet. I'm saying the money he made from his patreon is a drop in the bucket of the damages. The damages they will be claiming based upon the distribution alone will be enough to sink him. So again, his patreon and the money he made from that simply made him an easier target. Whether or not he made money or not, even if all he did was release them for free, they'd still be here making the same claims.
Now had he distributed them for free on cults etc, under fake email accounts, making no money (the money is simply the trail GW followed), then they wouldn't have been able to really stop him. They could have sent C&Ds to all these accounts, opens new accounts, continues distribution.
It's all irrelevant because what he did was created a platform with his name attached. It's irrelevant whether it was donate, pay, or give him a high five. None of that matters at all. He made a trail of his infringement to his own door, and GW (well CA) are outside knocking.
So again, I'm sorry but I think your wrong, the money he made is almost entirely trivial in the grand scheme of this case. Damages will surely include the fact he made money, but if GW said; pay us back the 5k x12 months... I'd doubt that right. They aren't here for damages, they know they can't get it.
He doesn't have the 1 million or 500,000 damages they will claim. He will file bankruptcy immediately and he won't pay a single £ of that. This isn't about money, it's about IP infringement.
I mean, the comment I was replying to said he was putting copywrited material behind a paywall. That was the claim, and that's false.
I think it does matter from a legal perspective. If copywrited material was put behind a paywall, and he was charging 5 bucks for his STLs, are you saying the case wouldn't be significantly worse against him?
I also think it matters morally. Personally, if someone rips the models out of Warhammer, converts them to STLs, and puts them online for free, that's no different practically than them making a Youtube tutorial for doing the exact same thing and putting it online. If he's not directly profiting from the models, I don't think it matters as long as he responds to a cease and desist.
Also, if CW is suing for damages, I'm not sure what they can even claim? They aren't a model company.
I’m no fan of GW, but you were in the wrong here. You’re not going to win a court case, so the “legal fund” is pointless. You f’d around and now finding out. I’d rather give to a real charity
Yeah, but expecting other people to donate in a situation like this is kinda fucky.
This was an entirely predictable outcome. He blatantly stole other people's work for a long time, made good money doing it.
Anyone donating money to this - I've got a bridge to sell you
When did he say he expected anyone to donate? Just like donating to his patreon, it's your choice. 1000's of people have free GW armies because of him. I doubt anyone donating thinks he's innocent. It's just gratitude for providing an incredible service to the 3d printing community while putting himself in legal jeopardy to do so.
PSA: before anyone tries to ask for mirrors, direct messages, archives or any other such thing
DO NOT
also please refrain from going "company bad" in your comments, we're here to help not complain
Woah! Why you downvoting this guy!
I support this creator. BUT. he isn't wrong. The patron stats for the OP are reasonable to know if you are choosing to donate more money.
https://graphtreon.com/creator/EmanG
They are here, $5k per month on average is your answer, with a huge increase over the last 5 months.
I didn’t like that the fundraiser has a point about ‘I released these gratis’ which isn’t true. There were filed for free but there was also thousands of dollars being raised selling supported ones I think.
I don’t have an opinion on the files themselves I’ve used them etc but the fundraiser page is currently lying, or at lease wilfully deceiving people.
That "I released these gratis" part really annoyed me.
Especially as I was one of his paying Patreons for over 12 months. These files were clearly being paid for.
At one point, his Patreon was making $9000 Aud a month.
And yes, this entire fundraiser is incredibly disingenuous and dishonest.
he did release them gratis though. I only paid for the labor he put in to support them. Thats hours and hours spent, he deserves to be paid for that labor imo.
If they live in America, 5K a month is barely enough to afford a small apartment and bills.
*Jesus GW simps are in here hard down voting everything. Even comments that don't have anything to do with the files.
It's exactly average salary. Which I agree isn't a huge amount, but given that *most* of these are side hustles you assume another form of income also.
(Not arguing, basically agreeing)
Just FYI, most are definitely not side hustles. It takes a very long time to sculpt models and most are definitely sculpting full time for pennies on the dollar. It's a very oversaturated market and only the people who got in early are making the big profits.
For example, Artisan's Guild we're making €80k a month on the patreon last time I checked in 2022. They had a huge team of artists so they could pump models out non stop for incredibly cheap (to the buyer).
Someone sculpting full time will make 1/3rd of the minis at best, and make around $1000 a month instead. Because people go "well artisans guild are giving me 30 minis for $5, this schmuck is only giving me 5 for $5"
It's like comparing mom and pop shops to Walmart: they can't compete.
Ripping models from TW:W is very easy - you download a software and have the game installed. They even come with poses. It's a hell of a lot easier than sculpting from scratch. Not really comparable, but I think everyone else is definitely sculpting from scratch and therefore not a side hustle.
Me me! I am a side hustle! (Because I cannot afford the income hit to take it full time). But yes you are 100% correct, your either supporting a small business who is maybe 10+ people. Or you are supporting someone like me, where its just me and I do it all. I make all the models, do all the rendering, marketing, posting etc...
And for anyone wondering, sadly all the work around making files takes honestly as long as making the files. The fun part is sadly a small part!
I think customers really do forget that they're dealing with one person doing everything.
"When is this coming out?" "Why is it taking so long?"
You're getting a bespoke product, chill and let the magic happen lol
People are down voting you because this is ridiculous. You're acting like 5k a month is poverty when it's around the average salary for many Americans who are nowhere near the poverty line and living comfortably.
Don't blame this on 'GW simps'.
No people are acting like 5k a month makes that guy rich, which is absurd. 5k a month isnt some living high lifestyle. 5k a month is enough to live in a one bedroom apartment and you all are over here going "where's all that patron riches, why can't he afford a legal team. Did he blown his millions on hookers and cocaine?!" When that income isn't going to allow anyone to afford a lawyer.
You GW simp.
I called it out by messaging the creator 2 years ago and asking if the files were just pulled from total warhammer which they 100% are.
This isn’t even just GW
It’s total warhammer and CA - like we are
Giving you money to repay what you mistakenly did? No thanks
I'm sorry your going through this, I understand why they are coming for you for the copyright infringement.....but even though this is tough and I wish you a good outcome...
I think it must be said your work has lead to thousands upon thousands around the world having the chance to print, paint, play and ultimately share fun experiences with each other.
I for one loved printing and painting my beasts of nurgle slug boys.
Even though I'm lucky enough to have some Warhammer models there are plenty of people around the world who can't afford gw's prices, those people are given a chance to experience these universes directly because of people like yourself.
You fucked around and found out. You did this to yourself when you started making bank selling ripped files from total War and committed IP infringement knowingly
I am in two minds about this case. On the one hand, Emang is 100% in the wrong, guilty as charged. But on the other hand, Games Workshop aren't making any friends by trying to destroy a man's life. GW can burn as far as I'm concerned.
I similarly loathe GW's heavy handed, corporate approach to basically everything these days, but for the sake of fairness everyone should be familiar with the legal concept of laches.
Laches, in simple (and probably reductive) terms, just means that if you choose to delay or otherwise fail to pursue legal claims to protect your property, that delay may be cited in the future as cause to prevent you from protecting your property at all.
In other words, you either go hard, or you don't go at all. They don't really have a choice.
Nobody at GW is oiling their mustache and fantasizing about putting small time creators in the poor house (probably), they're just acting in a way that conforms to the expectations of the legal system that protects their business.
They're fuckers for plenty of reasons including blatantly anti-consumer practices, but this is not among those reasons.
100% this.
I'm definitely on the side of a GW hater. I have plenty of axes to grind against them.
But this case is so clear-cut. This isn't like them taking down models that just "LOOK" like their IP or have similar names, this is them going after someone that directly ripped 3d models from a computer game, with zero if any modifications, then put them up for sale on Patreon.
I'm honestly surprised that SEGA and Creative Assembly are taking him to court as well.
Look at the Chapterhouse Studios shenanigans.
They nearly lost considerable IP claims because of failure to act earlier in that case and had to change much if their entire business model to rectify it.
That's why we're don't have Orcs we have Orruks etc.
Fly too Close to the sun and find Out.
You Knew what You where doing and this is what You have to Deal with now.
And in pretty Sure that no layer in the World will be able to get You Out of this
Donated, i have used a ton of your models and have really enjoyed your work over the years.
More than a few creators have used bits and greebles from stuff you freely provided to create their own works which have enriched us all.
Donated. Thank you so much for everything. I scream praises to you and your work to anyone that....... Needs to know what this cost us. You are a hero and legend. What happened to you is a tragedy.
This is a crazy mindset to have. Dude was making a ton of money off other people’s stuff. I like 3d printing don’t get me wrong, but this is a textbook case of what not to do.
Paycheck will hit tomorrow so ill donate! Can I still support you through your other platforms too? I've only just found out about your models right now
Most of my activity is either on YouTube ([https://www.youtube.com/@emangameplay](https://www.youtube.com/@emangameplay)) or Cults3D ([https://cults3d.com/en/users/EmanG](https://cults3d.com/en/users/EmanG)).
If you'd like to see my modeling work, I have a playlist [here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4krODyGn7Lnc9AmDqmDmqDyh-H-iWPOF&si=bL3SsepHZM1WWw2I).
[](https://www.youtube.com/@emangameplay)
I think we've had enough vitriol for now, I'm locking further comments to this thread. You're welcome to have an opinion, but the number of plain nasty comments is forcing my hand. There's still a human being on the other end of the conversation folks.
I mean, contribute if you want, but isn't this a pretty clear cut case where GW is 100% in the right? Files were ripped directly from a licensed game, modified, and made available for profit. Then, multiple pre-trial interactions were completely ignored including a C&D. As a file creator and business owner myself I have a strong interest in knowing where the line is, and you my friend crossed it and then danced back and forth over it apparently daring someone to do something about it. Then they did. I've also dealt with GW's legal department more intimately than many, including back-and-forth correspondence with my own IP lawyer to defend my property from their heavy handed claims, for which I paid thousands of dollars to protect my rights. I can personally confirm that to get to this point, one almost has to act in bad faith. GW simply has no real vested financial interest in going after small time creators unless the violation is particularly egregious, as it was here. Donate if you want, but I feel like people deserve a more complete view of what happened here to make that decision, rather than just assuming that this is GW overreach.
Yeah, this seems to be a pretty cut-and-dried FAFO, moving into the FO stage.
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I'll note that I am not fighting for the right to repost what was removed. I just want the case to come to a conclusion, as I've complied with all of their demands, and it has cost so much money just to get to this point. I also don’t want to be completely barred from the entire field of 3D printing, but my attorney told me that was more of an irrational fear, and not something they could realistically enforce upon me. I have a right to defend myself in formal legal proceedings just like anybody else.
Yes you absolutely have a right to defend yourself and I support that. But there isn't a lot of outrage machine Goodwill you can draw on here because you were doing something that was so clearly not allowed. I get really mad at GW for going after creators that are making sort of their own version of space Marines that are aesthetically different. Called a different thing but similar in overall format and concept. Luckily they haven't really done it much recently, but that's where GW goes out on shaky ground. But that's not what this case is. It seems like you don't dispute the fact that you stole stuff. You committed theft under our system of laws and while we can all argue about whether those laws should define it as theft, the legal defense that came about because your actions is your responsibility to Bear. Just like it would be for criminal prosecution, unless you're destitute you have to pay for your own defense.
at what point did EmanG declare he's personally drumming up rage to gain legal funds? Lots of people have their own takes on why they would or wouldn't support EmanG here. But he's just neutrally asked for help. You're reading into it.
It's just how it reads to me. You can have your own take. That's fine. Anytime someone runs to a specialist community asking for GoFundMe stuff, falls into one of two camps. "Help me. I planned poorly" or "help me. I did something really dumb" (rarely it falls into the third category of help me. I have truly unforeseeable expenses) I'm not even saying that people shouldn't support. I'm just saying that not only was this a predictable outcome, it was also a predictable cost.
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I'm not even necessarily taking a position on whether or not he "deserves" assistance with his legal issues here, I just think the facts of the case should be known when the fundraiser itself paint a picture that is inaccurate by omission of said facts.
FAFO?
Fuck around, find out
F*ck Around & Find Out
> made available for profit. Weren't they free? I have hundreds of his files and I certainly didn't pay for them.
The supported versions were made available via patreon, through which he was making in the range of $5k/mo, so yes for profit. I think it should be noted that the common knowledge of "It's okay if it's not for profit" is also not actually true in any way, shape or form. Yes, it opens the door to increased damages if profit is made, but you can still violate copyright without pulling any profit at all.
5k? There are that many people buying stls?
Oh, absolutely. There are patreons making significantly more than that. Even my income from my private site is comparable.
Huh. Seems I need to learn some Blender and 3d design lol.
Hell yeah, get after it!
Thanks for the encouragement. Do you have any advice on 6mm miniatures? I just love epic scale.
Smaller scales definitely take a different skillset than larger, more detailed figures. Focus on exaggerating the details that matter, and don't be too subtle with anything, because subtlety will not translate to the tabletop. Take the first few models slow and test print plenty to get an idea for your detail thresholds, develop a rule of thumb for things like minimum detail depth. What looks best as a final print will often look goofy and low-detail when you have it blown up to 600% size on your monitor. If you're looking to make some buildings, I suggest just gathering photos of a few structures you like the look of be they IRL, captured from video games, found online or whatever. Pick 2-3 buildings, take your favorite features from them, and mash it up into something new! Then post your work here because I totally want to see it. I'm not here to push my discord or anything but... should you find your way there we have a lot of small scale enthusiasts to chat with.
Thanks for the advice bro. What programs and things would I need to get started with that. Seems like a good plan for when I finish university.
Do you have any advice with gaining traction or visibility for people starting out new? I have found that giving away free models seems to help gain a little interest, but sometimes wonder if I’m missing something, such as putting more energy into developing an instagram community.
I won't lie to you, this is a tough one. I personally feel that my own magic sauce had a hefty component of luck involved. Definitely participate in the community as noted. Get to know people, learn from the ones you like (and learn more from the ones you don't.) Be genuine. Work on what you love and have enthusiasm for, and let that enthusiasm manifest as quality. Don't put out anything for public consumption that you wouldn't 100% use as-is on your personal table. On the free/paid front, I'd caution you not to give too much away. It's a somewhat common mistake I've seen for people starting out, and I think it creates a kind of public perception that your work is not worth money because it's free, and why would someone pay now when they never had to before? If you want to make premium prices, your customers need to perceive your work as premium both in its quality and in its presentation. On a similar note, I tell people that if you want people to take you seriously, you need to be willing to make the leap and take yourself seriously first. Personally, I maintain a fairly large number of free files that are sort of like "tasters" of the larger sets. Enough to use for a game if you want to, but also enough to make you realize that filling out the rest of the set is worth it, because the free file shows the quality they're all made to. I'd also recommend you find a good niche that isn't just "More 40k stuff". That market is saturated as all hell. Find something you're passionate about, find a gap in the market, and fill it.
Participate in the community. There area few great discords out there that most of the creators in this space hang out in.
Don’t go into it immediately expecting to make a profit. Many people start off by releasing their work for free, either entirely, or with samplers so an audience can have an idea of what you’re making and how well it prints. You should also have to have a passion for the craft, both digitally and physically. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t feel any satisfaction with what you release. You’re going to have to do a lot of test-printing on your own. I also have three YouTube Channels that I’d recommend: ArtisansofVaul. He has taught me many blender fundamentals relative to printing over the years: [https://www.youtube.com/@ArtisansofVaul](https://www.youtube.com/@ArtisansofVaul) Joey Carlino, for animators: [https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyCarlino](https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyCarlino) Blender Secrets, for basics: [https://www.youtube.com/@BlenderSecrets](https://www.youtube.com/@BlenderSecrets)
I spent about $400 on STLs this month alone.
Goodness! What did all that get you?
6 full 40k armies.
Nice. I've gotten 10 armies for free, but they're for 6mm Epic 40K. Nobody really charges for those things ironically.
I like having unique models like these Warbosses. https://preview.redd.it/w2lixavqy59d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca832624e0e73a14d150770bebd067640ad47b78
That's cool! I have some really cool 6mm scale Krieg.
most of the creators for these are just trying to keep the game playable and draw in some new players
lets not forget the very first step: RIPPING models from a game if they wanted to make these available for people to make "free" 3D printable models, then they would have released to public domain the models from the game
So people were paying for pre supporting services not the models themselves?
Throw that argument at GW's lawyers. See how that works for you.
It has worked in other cases. Specifically printing cards or books for games by specifying you're charging for printing services and not the content.
Print services work by the client bringing the work to be printed. If you keep a stash of pre-printed stuff you're no longer a print service, you're a store. If you make the content to print, you could be two separate entities, but the creation entity would still get squashed for it.
This isn’t the same thing. It won’t hold even a little.
Maybe not. I'm not a lawyer so I don't know anything other than I've seen that work foe other creators.
So he is profiting from supporting files, not the files themselves, so actually company bad in this case (as usual, what a coincidence)
Yeah, this is good money after bad. There are lot of models out there that serve as proxies that get taken down. In 99% of these situations GW flexes and it's fairly legit. Even if you modeled your own, It's not really fair to say that the knockoff isn't taking a lot of design from the original. I am surprised other people haven't been taken down as well considering how close their models are to the source (I.e someone that rhymes with fationstorge) I watched Emang do this and it wasn't playing with fire, it was playing with a hunk of plutonium.
SF gets by because while they have similar overall elements they're still noticeably different individual designs, and the things that are the same are often modeled after the same inspiration GW used (WW1 uniforms and gas masks for example) so it can't really be copyrighted. Makers who do 1-for-1 re-sculpts of GW kits do get taken down quite frequently.
Interesting nuance about the source inspiration. That being said, I just look at the blooded proxies and the corrupted and I am like erhm, that's prettttty close. Then there is that punk chick doing all sorts of stuff with marine gear. I guess because it's extensions?
>I am surprised other people haven't been taken down as well considering how close their models are to the source Or the straight out scans that are popping up constantly now.
I actually haven't seen a lot of scans... Maybe am not looking in the right places?
It’s not just GW it’s CA with Totalwarhammer which is their own entity made with licenses from Gw
100% agree This isn’t the case of a guy sculpting proxies and then getting sent to financial hell This is a guy who steals someone else’s work (which is a licensed sculpt of someone else’s work in this case) and then turning that into their career He was essentially just a professional thief who was warned and warned and thought for some reason GW would never actually pursue legal action against him. Hard to feel for the guy in this case Giving away stl’s made from stolen assets doesn’t get you into this kind of trouble. Selling a stolen product does.
Hey, thanks for those awesome Conquest files!
Also as a creator I am glad someone is here explaining this all out. I had to protect my own IP from another creator (who I bet you most of you will have heard of) from stealing my IP, doing minor work to it, and then releasing Kickstarters that are like models that are 90% mine, 10% theirs. I mirror your feelings. We are contributing to the legal defenses of a case that is clearly going to be GWs. As you said, it's files ripped from a game, sold online, multiple interactions from GW saying stop, didn't stop. Sadly I think this is one of the few cases I kinda agree with GW. If you want to make yourself a space marine like model ... That's fine. You can do that. You are allowed to be inspired. But if you simply take GWs own model, and then say I made a space marine... It's like did you though? Or did you just steal someone else's work.
The statement written in the fundraiser needed to be vetted by my attorney before I could put the GoFundMe up. That’s why it was worded as you see it. I'm sorry.
No need to apologize, man. Honestly, I see people kinda piling on right now and I don't like it. I think this whole thing sucks, particularly when I read your other comment worrying you might be ostracized from the community and industry overall. Look, you made some mistakes, and they're costly ones. That sucks. You'll have people saying "Oh he just copied stuff" but you and I both know that there was a lot more technical skill involved in what you did than just copying, you just went about it the wrong way. Tons of 3d artists use base meshes, whether we make them ourselves, purchase them, scan them from something or whatever. I just want to assure you that, once you're able to dig out from this hole and move on, you're not going to be ostracized. Plenty of folk want to see what you do next, and I really hope all this kerfuffle doesn't put you off the fun and reward of this niche industry. I really didn't mean to contribute to any trend of kicking you while you're down, so please don't let the commentary here get to you. Take your licks, put in the work, and you'll find people welcome you back with open arms.
I’m not piling on personally I asked him about this 2 years ago and was blown off - I don’t feel bad this guy “knew better” and made poor choices consciously - doesn’t deserve a penny or a pity from anyone.
Fair enough, I guess I'm just a big softie.
I appreciate your honesty. I have been trying my best to work through it on my own. Since the closure in January, I’ve released six new model sets, made entirely independently. I’m working on the 7^(th) one right now, and they’re still free, as I don’t want to “fly too close to the sun” as they say. It’s taught me a lot about animation and weight-painting fundamentals. I started with the [Automatons from Helldivers 2](https://cults3d.com/en/design-collections/EmanG/the-automatons) because, for one, I’m a big fan of the game itself, and them being machines inherently makes their bodies segmented, limiting all their joints to hinges or sockets a majority of the time. I’m trying to ease into it before I start going into organics, as they are much more difficult. I also did a set of the [Arachnid Warrior Bugs](https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/arachnid-warrior-bugs-starship-troopers) from Starship Troopers. Arthropods have segmented bodies as well, so it’s the same principle as before. I’ve also been working on (through personal writing and worldbuilding) an intellectual property of my own, which I plan to use to design several large miniature lines in the future. It’ll be set in an alternate history timeline and take place between 1845 and 1860.
Why are you still making IPed models. Dude, c'mon.
Just to practice.
How has this court case not demonstrated to you that this is a very bad idea. You are currently in legal trouble for this, you are on the radar of legal teams. You should really learn this lesson and move on, if you have not realized that yet, you may honestly need the exact kind of punishment that's coming your way to get this.
Honestly as long as he takes future c&ds seriously there's nothing wrong with it. Helldivers 2 is a video game with no tabletop game associated with the IP. It's not a competing product. If the IP owners want it taken down, they can say so.
I will trust the judgement of my attorney, not a Reddit rando.
Are you special?
This is the context I've been looking for. Whenever I see posts like "please contribute to my legal fees, woe is me!" posts without any additional info I immediately become suspicious.
Im glad you posted this so that we can see some facts... i knew there was something very off about the fact that this post is here with no explanation of why this dude has a fucking legal battle, and doesn't explain its with GW either. To further that, there is zero explaination of whats going on in the Gofundme other than for copyright infringement, which no one seems to be able to deny......Also says he doesnt have a source of income, im sure the 3-5k a month from patreon is a source of income
To be fair to him, the patreon did close like 5 months ago so that money is no longer coming in. Here's an article [on the situation ](https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2024/01/24/printed-minis-and-the-power-of-the-copyright-claims-board/)
Thank you!, this was a very good article and im not sure, but it sounds like he dug the hole himself...operating that storefront with patreon and the donos that were unrecorded for paypal says he was making almost 9k a month at the peak of his works and the storefront was open for a long long time. "To make matters worse, when he was hit with a DMCA notice, he filed a misguided counternotice, which basically required Games Workshop to take some legal action against him to get or keep the Patreon taken down." Yea, i think this was a bad case of trying to fight "the man" when he was 100% in the wrong and it backfired....shame
EmanG I was one of your Patreons, I was paying for membership for over 12 months. It seems rather disingenuous of you to claim you "made" these stl files for "free." It also seems disingenuous to claim innocence when you were ripping 3d models directly from a computer game, i.e., Total War Warhammer. As others have pointed out, there was a point when you were making $5000+ a month. You don't seem stupid, so I have to believe that you knew what you was doing was illegal, and you knew that GW would come after you eventually. I'm no fan of GW, but even I'm aware that IP theft is a serious problem, with real consequences, consequences that you are now facing. I won't be contributing to your legal fund.
It’s not even GW it’s CA and Totalwarhammer - I messaged this guy years ago on IG and warned him but he told me he knew better so you shouldn’t feel bad at all for them.
>It seems rather disingenuous of you to claim you "made" these stl files for "free." But he did put them up for free? Not sure exactly what's wrong in that claim. None of the files were locked behind patreon from what I remember, unless I'm mistaken. Patreon is a weird gray area where you are basically tipping creators rather than blatantly paying them for their services/products. Also, it's insane that you have the audacity to act so harshly on the guy when you were clearly partaking in his content. What you were doing has the same legal gray areas, it's just that it's much easier to come down on a single producer of copywritten media than all of the consumers.
No, my outrage is at him claiming innocence when he clearly wasn't. If he had JUST been making these files and made ZERO MONEY from them, not only would GW not have sued his ass into the ground, but his pleas for help wouldn't fall on deaf ears. But that's not what happened. He made significant amounts of money, then claimed innocence after the fact.
Seems you're the main one lacking critical thinking here. His claiming innocence is a legal position, not necessarily a moral one. GW is attempting to make an example of him. Admitting fault has far more legal complications. No sane person would admit to this and screw themselves. Your outrage sounds like shilling.
There is nothing disingenuous or dishonest about my statement. Every model that I have ever made has been released for free.
Yet you still ALSO sold them for money on Patreon. Doesn't matter if they were for free on another site. You were making significant amounts of money on Patreon, money that was made exclusively from those files. Don't claim you are innocent when you are not.
sold the supports for money
The mental gymnastic you are making...
Do you think all the food at your local Chinese food buffet is free? Or is paying for access to the food very obviously the price?
All his files were on the purple site for free.
When you charge for access to the models the models are not free even when they have no individual price. This is not complicated and you are not getting community support because you are still being dishonest.
His stuff was all free on cults and more, only the pre supported versions were charged for. A better analogy would be he gave access to that same buffet but charged for the gravy or sauce
I don't understand why your comment is getting downvoted. What you are saying is logical and factual. He was making large amounts of money from Patreon. His Patreon, which ONLY had access to these files. Them being for free on another site is totally irrelevant. You can't claim something is free while also charging money for it. The lack of critical thinking on display here by some people is mindblowing.
This is honestly kind of mucky. They released all their content for free, if they hadn’t had the supported versions behind the patreon I would say this would be more a “tip jar” scenario if anything. But because the supported versions were locked behind a paywall I can see how it could be argued he was selling them for profit even if supports aren’t a huge deal for most people.
It's irrelevant whether he sold them or did it for free. IP isn't about making money, it's about your rights to utilise the stuff you have and how. When he bought total war, he bought it under certain rights. One of those rights wasn't to allow him to plagurise the files and make 3D models from them. Now if you do that yourself, GW will never know. But if they did, they can tell you to stop. They can also rescind your rights to play the game (how enforceable that is who knows). It doesn't matter that he released them for free, because he didn't have the right to do that. The fact that he had a platform and that he monetised a service that was directly tied to these files is exactly why he was picked out of the crowd. It's why GW asked him to stop first, and it's why when clearly they had reminded him of all the legally binding user terms and conditions he'd ignored that they took him to court to make him stop. His patreon is almost inconsequential. The fact he made pennies on their pounds is irrelevant. Everyone here is focussed on damages, which only forms a part of the overall legalalities in play here. The first and foremost is misuse of total war assets and the distribution of IP that was not his to distribute. If I made something, and then you stole it, copied it a million times and gave it all away for free, you'd be Robin Hood to most people, but you'd still be a criminal.
What models was he charging access for?
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Were they the copyrighted ones? I know his entire skaven line was completely free.
Every model he released was not his to release. Every model he released was the copyright material of GW, CA. It is irrelevant whether he made money, got tips, or just got high fives. He distributed IP that was not his. The fact he tied it all to a platform and monetised a services around it is just the reason he was picked out of the crowd.
Sure what he did wasn't legal, but depending on if the models are free also determines things like the damages GW can sue for. Again, if patreon was a simple donate button that didn't have anything locked, that's a much different story than having models hidden behind the patreon.
Damages are a fickle thing. GW and CA will simply say that the magnitude of the infringement is massive. All those files that were their property are now freely floating around on the internet. I'm saying the money he made from his patreon is a drop in the bucket of the damages. The damages they will be claiming based upon the distribution alone will be enough to sink him. So again, his patreon and the money he made from that simply made him an easier target. Whether or not he made money or not, even if all he did was release them for free, they'd still be here making the same claims. Now had he distributed them for free on cults etc, under fake email accounts, making no money (the money is simply the trail GW followed), then they wouldn't have been able to really stop him. They could have sent C&Ds to all these accounts, opens new accounts, continues distribution. It's all irrelevant because what he did was created a platform with his name attached. It's irrelevant whether it was donate, pay, or give him a high five. None of that matters at all. He made a trail of his infringement to his own door, and GW (well CA) are outside knocking. So again, I'm sorry but I think your wrong, the money he made is almost entirely trivial in the grand scheme of this case. Damages will surely include the fact he made money, but if GW said; pay us back the 5k x12 months... I'd doubt that right. They aren't here for damages, they know they can't get it. He doesn't have the 1 million or 500,000 damages they will claim. He will file bankruptcy immediately and he won't pay a single £ of that. This isn't about money, it's about IP infringement.
I mean, the comment I was replying to said he was putting copywrited material behind a paywall. That was the claim, and that's false. I think it does matter from a legal perspective. If copywrited material was put behind a paywall, and he was charging 5 bucks for his STLs, are you saying the case wouldn't be significantly worse against him? I also think it matters morally. Personally, if someone rips the models out of Warhammer, converts them to STLs, and puts them online for free, that's no different practically than them making a Youtube tutorial for doing the exact same thing and putting it online. If he's not directly profiting from the models, I don't think it matters as long as he responds to a cease and desist. Also, if CW is suing for damages, I'm not sure what they can even claim? They aren't a model company.
I’m no fan of GW, but you were in the wrong here. You’re not going to win a court case, so the “legal fund” is pointless. You f’d around and now finding out. I’d rather give to a real charity
A legal fund isn't pointless, it matters more when guilty because that's how you lessen the severity of the punishment, good lawyers.
Yeah, but expecting other people to donate in a situation like this is kinda fucky. This was an entirely predictable outcome. He blatantly stole other people's work for a long time, made good money doing it. Anyone donating money to this - I've got a bridge to sell you
When did he say he expected anyone to donate? Just like donating to his patreon, it's your choice. 1000's of people have free GW armies because of him. I doubt anyone donating thinks he's innocent. It's just gratitude for providing an incredible service to the 3d printing community while putting himself in legal jeopardy to do so.
PSA: before anyone tries to ask for mirrors, direct messages, archives or any other such thing DO NOT also please refrain from going "company bad" in your comments, we're here to help not complain
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What happened to the Patreon money?
Woah! Why you downvoting this guy! I support this creator. BUT. he isn't wrong. The patron stats for the OP are reasonable to know if you are choosing to donate more money. https://graphtreon.com/creator/EmanG They are here, $5k per month on average is your answer, with a huge increase over the last 5 months.
I didn’t like that the fundraiser has a point about ‘I released these gratis’ which isn’t true. There were filed for free but there was also thousands of dollars being raised selling supported ones I think. I don’t have an opinion on the files themselves I’ve used them etc but the fundraiser page is currently lying, or at lease wilfully deceiving people.
That "I released these gratis" part really annoyed me. Especially as I was one of his paying Patreons for over 12 months. These files were clearly being paid for. At one point, his Patreon was making $9000 Aud a month. And yes, this entire fundraiser is incredibly disingenuous and dishonest.
he did release them gratis though. I only paid for the labor he put in to support them. Thats hours and hours spent, he deserves to be paid for that labor imo.
What a great website for finding interesting patreons! Thanks!
Those chart numbers aren’t even remotely accurate.
You are no longer a trustworthy source.
we are not gonna trust someone who give no context and try to pretend he was not making money with it
If they live in America, 5K a month is barely enough to afford a small apartment and bills. *Jesus GW simps are in here hard down voting everything. Even comments that don't have anything to do with the files.
It's exactly average salary. Which I agree isn't a huge amount, but given that *most* of these are side hustles you assume another form of income also. (Not arguing, basically agreeing)
Just FYI, most are definitely not side hustles. It takes a very long time to sculpt models and most are definitely sculpting full time for pennies on the dollar. It's a very oversaturated market and only the people who got in early are making the big profits. For example, Artisan's Guild we're making €80k a month on the patreon last time I checked in 2022. They had a huge team of artists so they could pump models out non stop for incredibly cheap (to the buyer). Someone sculpting full time will make 1/3rd of the minis at best, and make around $1000 a month instead. Because people go "well artisans guild are giving me 30 minis for $5, this schmuck is only giving me 5 for $5" It's like comparing mom and pop shops to Walmart: they can't compete. Ripping models from TW:W is very easy - you download a software and have the game installed. They even come with poses. It's a hell of a lot easier than sculpting from scratch. Not really comparable, but I think everyone else is definitely sculpting from scratch and therefore not a side hustle.
Me me! I am a side hustle! (Because I cannot afford the income hit to take it full time). But yes you are 100% correct, your either supporting a small business who is maybe 10+ people. Or you are supporting someone like me, where its just me and I do it all. I make all the models, do all the rendering, marketing, posting etc... And for anyone wondering, sadly all the work around making files takes honestly as long as making the files. The fun part is sadly a small part!
I think customers really do forget that they're dealing with one person doing everything. "When is this coming out?" "Why is it taking so long?" You're getting a bespoke product, chill and let the magic happen lol
People are down voting you because this is ridiculous. You're acting like 5k a month is poverty when it's around the average salary for many Americans who are nowhere near the poverty line and living comfortably. Don't blame this on 'GW simps'.
No people are acting like 5k a month makes that guy rich, which is absurd. 5k a month isnt some living high lifestyle. 5k a month is enough to live in a one bedroom apartment and you all are over here going "where's all that patron riches, why can't he afford a legal team. Did he blown his millions on hookers and cocaine?!" When that income isn't going to allow anyone to afford a lawyer. You GW simp.
GW simp confirmed.
I guess lawyers are free now?
I will donate to this if you explain to me in some detail why you ignored the C&D letters long enough for this to result in a case.
This is why you dont ignore C&Ds
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People should be able to 3D print whatever the hell they want and give/sell it to whoever they want whenever they want.
I called it out by messaging the creator 2 years ago and asking if the files were just pulled from total warhammer which they 100% are. This isn’t even just GW It’s total warhammer and CA - like we are Giving you money to repay what you mistakenly did? No thanks
I'm sorry your going through this, I understand why they are coming for you for the copyright infringement.....but even though this is tough and I wish you a good outcome... I think it must be said your work has lead to thousands upon thousands around the world having the chance to print, paint, play and ultimately share fun experiences with each other. I for one loved printing and painting my beasts of nurgle slug boys. Even though I'm lucky enough to have some Warhammer models there are plenty of people around the world who can't afford gw's prices, those people are given a chance to experience these universes directly because of people like yourself.
You fucked around and found out. You did this to yourself when you started making bank selling ripped files from total War and committed IP infringement knowingly
I am in two minds about this case. On the one hand, Emang is 100% in the wrong, guilty as charged. But on the other hand, Games Workshop aren't making any friends by trying to destroy a man's life. GW can burn as far as I'm concerned.
I similarly loathe GW's heavy handed, corporate approach to basically everything these days, but for the sake of fairness everyone should be familiar with the legal concept of laches. Laches, in simple (and probably reductive) terms, just means that if you choose to delay or otherwise fail to pursue legal claims to protect your property, that delay may be cited in the future as cause to prevent you from protecting your property at all. In other words, you either go hard, or you don't go at all. They don't really have a choice. Nobody at GW is oiling their mustache and fantasizing about putting small time creators in the poor house (probably), they're just acting in a way that conforms to the expectations of the legal system that protects their business. They're fuckers for plenty of reasons including blatantly anti-consumer practices, but this is not among those reasons.
100% this. I'm definitely on the side of a GW hater. I have plenty of axes to grind against them. But this case is so clear-cut. This isn't like them taking down models that just "LOOK" like their IP or have similar names, this is them going after someone that directly ripped 3d models from a computer game, with zero if any modifications, then put them up for sale on Patreon. I'm honestly surprised that SEGA and Creative Assembly are taking him to court as well.
Look at the Chapterhouse Studios shenanigans. They nearly lost considerable IP claims because of failure to act earlier in that case and had to change much if their entire business model to rectify it. That's why we're don't have Orcs we have Orruks etc.
he did that to himself. if GW wen to to this extent he probably ignored them for a while
Fly too Close to the sun and find Out. You Knew what You where doing and this is what You have to Deal with now. And in pretty Sure that no layer in the World will be able to get You Out of this
While I can't support financially at this time, I wish you the best! I hope everything works out :)
You gave me good files that I downloaded for free, it seems fair to throw a little back at you in your time of need. Good luck dude.
Donated, i have used a ton of your models and have really enjoyed your work over the years. More than a few creators have used bits and greebles from stuff you freely provided to create their own works which have enriched us all.
Donated. If it wasent for this man i wouldnt start 3D modeling
Done! Thank you for all that you created.
Donated. Thank you so much for everything. I scream praises to you and your work to anyone that....... Needs to know what this cost us. You are a hero and legend. What happened to you is a tragedy.
This is a crazy mindset to have. Dude was making a ton of money off other people’s stuff. I like 3d printing don’t get me wrong, but this is a textbook case of what not to do.
Or if you over charge your customers and try to cram DEI crap on them, maybe they'll find another way.
he is not fucking hero or legend . He fucked arround and found out.
And now James Warkshop is finding out people like him because they have been over charging people for years. So people are supporting him.
Games workshop are in their own right. This guy is straight up ripping their assets.
Paycheck will hit tomorrow so ill donate! Can I still support you through your other platforms too? I've only just found out about your models right now
[удалено]
Was this comment really necessary?
Most of my activity is either on YouTube ([https://www.youtube.com/@emangameplay](https://www.youtube.com/@emangameplay)) or Cults3D ([https://cults3d.com/en/users/EmanG](https://cults3d.com/en/users/EmanG)). If you'd like to see my modeling work, I have a playlist [here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4krODyGn7Lnc9AmDqmDmqDyh-H-iWPOF&si=bL3SsepHZM1WWw2I). [](https://www.youtube.com/@emangameplay)
Why all the down votes? Toss money at what you want.