What happens to the FBX when you share a mod?

[OlaHaldor]

What happens after I have imported the FBX to the asset editor and share the mod on Steam Workshop or any other place?

Is the object file converted to a proprietary format for the game, or will the FBX stay intact for anyone to open, edit and worst case scenario - re-upload as their own?

 

[IVIaarten]

What happens after I have imported the FBX to the asset editor and share the mod on Steam Workshop or any other place?

Is the object file converted to a proprietary format for the game, or will the FBX stay intact for anyone to open, edit and worst case scenario - re-upload as their own?

I'm not sure about the FBX thing, but this was mentioned in yesterday's AMA:

[–]OtterBon 93 points 19 hours ago

3 questions please

1 - In the lot editor can you place designated parking spaces that cims will actualy use?
2 - Can we make and share props for people to use in the lot editor in steam workshop?
3 - If someone uses a prop from the workshop in the lot editor and then shares that lot on the steam workshop will said prop be auto downloaded. If not does the person sharing the lot need to link the user to the other prop. And if they DONT download the prop, what happens?

Thanks! Yall are great for doing this for us modders.

[–]co_damsku 102 points 19 hours ago*

1 - Yes, there are parking props: invisible markers and with the white paint and the citizens will use those designated spots automatically.
2 - Assets such as buildings and props can be shared on the Steam workshop. Other people can subscribe to either use in game or in the case of a buildings, reorganize its props to his own wish in the Asset Editor. It is not possible to prop a prop in the Asset Editor, so in the case of a prop, it will come down to you using it while decorating buildings.
3 - At launch, it will be the user's responsibility to share link to dependencies. In the Workshop, one way may be to create a collection, or just write the needed links in the item description. The reference tracking is one of the improvement we are already planning.

You're welcome, we are looking forward to see your creations

This is mostly about props, but the bolded part does signify they're looking into reference tracking.

edit: some more digging, maybe this gives some insight:

[–]co_damskuProgrammer at Colossal Order - Cities Skylines 19 points 15 hours ago

You have your normal model (let's call it the "high poly version") which is called "model.fbx", "model_c.png" is the color map, "model_d.png" is the diffuse etc... When you select your model in the importer panel, the game will load the fbx, triangulate, consolidate and do more things of the kind such as calculating tangents/normals if unavailable for your model. It will then load the textures and map them to the preview model. At this stage, if you are pleased with this model and press continue, you will get to the Decoration part of the asset editor and a little task notification in the top corner will notify you it is Compressing the textures and Generating LOD. During that process you can freely start propping and editing value, though you cannot save the new asset until those tasks are finished. In this scenario, the game will create a LOD automatically. Our algorithm does not perform great for every possible shape of buildings, even though most of the time, the LODs are so small when you see them in-game, it is not even that big of a deal. In the case it does not, or in the case you want to do a better job with your own hands. You can model a lod and place it along side the model and call it model_lod.fbx. If you do this, you need to UV map the model but no need to texture it as the game will bake the LOD textures out of the high poly version of the mesh. If you are a purist and you want both the LOD and the LOD textures done by yourself, then just add the model_lod_d.png along side and the game will simply load them.

From this I gather that the FBX is part of the fileset you upload to the workshop, but not 100% sure.

 

[OlaHaldor]

So if I got it right; anyone who subscribes to my mod can create their own version of my mod (with new or other props) - and re-distribute?

 

[redjericho3]

So if I got it right; anyone who subscribes to my mod can create their own version of my mod (with new or other props) - and re-distribute?

Potentially. It will likely depend on the paradox terms of service. If they say that you need to share your mod royalty free, then that is what you must do.

Here is what Paradox's official modding rules state:

4) The User Mod may not claim ANY kind of license or copyright of any kind (You can still have Credits).
5) The User Mod should respect the work of other modders and not include any work without the consent of that modder.

 

[Zed68]

Potentially. It will likely depend on the paradox terms of service. If they say that you need to share your mod royalty free, then that is what you must do.

Here is what Paradox's official modding rules state:

I think it will work out like the SC4 mods community. Of course you CAN re-use something that has been made by another but you'd better ask him first and give credit because people will notice.

 

[BStyles]

I think the SC4 community is so vast and expansive that there's really no need to re-create anything. They've literally got everything covered.

 

[Zed68]

I think the SC4 community is so vast and expansive that there's really no need to re-create anything. They've literally got everything covered.

You understand that nothing can be tranferred from SC4 to CSL as it is, right?

Even the builders from SC4 won't be able to make some of their buildings available for CSL so easily, there was no limitations on modelling because the buildings were rendered before import in the game.