I am wondering how people could protect their 3D-models which are displayed in the game. We are going to externally load several mehes during the game.
What formats can be loaded externally? We are considering to use DAE-files… Any good or do you have other format-suggestions?!
How can the uploaded models be protected so nobody just rips them for their own use? Use compiler? Obfuscate the DAE-file?
We are concerned to give access to our models. Protection is imortant for us. Does anyone have a solution?
Thanks. J
At some point the models have to go to the GPU to display them, DXRipper and others like it can grab most things easily. This isn’t a Unity issue either, heck it’s worse for other engines, special tools get written for those that make the process incredibly easy.
Hi,
Unity can read .FBX, .dae, .3DS, .dxf and .obj files.
As far as I’m aware, I don’t think that buildings can be stolen unless you have the actual unity project. But I might be mistaken.
that Unity reads these formats is one thing. That you externally load formats elsewhere is the other… I am sure you can externally load other formats such as .xml, hopefully .swf etc…
Now when you externally load this file it goes right into your GPU enabling anyone with skill to trace it and de-obfuscate it or whatever it needs to re-use your (3D-)models… This is a serious thread you hardly can cope with.
Our easiest chance is to obfuscate it (the source-code or the DAE-code, if possible) somehow. Making it too much of a hassle to de-obfuscate your models… Simple and effective.
My question is: How?! How could we obfuscate the DAE… Or maybe we could wrap a crypted .swf around.
No need for skill. Download a ripper app and rip away. There’s no way to prevent this. Ripping can be done from almost any game.
What I’d be more concerned about is that decompiling source code is really easy.
Sure it’s possible to obfuscate it, but chances are it will mess up the code badly. Especially if you have a big game.
As others have said, as long as your GPU is going to render the model at some point, people will be able to rip them. I don’t think there’s a way you can obfuscate a 3d model. If companies like Blizzard, CryTek and Valve can’t find a way to do it, I think you’re going to have an impossible time trying to find a solution.
But what if I would load an external .swf-file that is crypted?! Trying to decrypt it might be too much of a hassle…
I see that there is no 100% protection. But making it hard enough to decompile/decrypt will be part of a solution. The time you´d spend to decrypt it might not be worth the effort. Then you´re probably better off to model it yourself…
Sounds sensible to me. Now, is there a chance to externally load crypted .swf-files? Or any other compiled format?
People can rip models out of all the top of the line triple A million dollar video games created by the most talented artists and modelers on the planet and made to look incredible. Why would they bother with a little Unity game.
I am not concered that people can steal the geometry and the functionality out of my unity-game… Besides I think it does suck - but I am more concerned about the content within.
Remember: I want to externally load several hundred meshes + textures… Thus making it way easier to rip it as it is no part of the entire game anymore.
This content got to be valuable for others and we are highly interested in protecting our models… There´s got to be something we can do, except watermarking the whole texture…