Don’t really understand that topic. If the cars should look like the real cars they should like look very similar. And the texture, paintings and sponsors as well. And as EA has the F1 license they probably get some data from the F1 to put it into the software.
Well if the material is not copyrighted, why not use it as reference? Could save a lot of time.
Very similar, but not identical. Some people analyzed the Ferrari F2002’s model from the F1 2017 game and found the wireframe to be identical, then Code”masters” later confirmed it in a message to the model’s author. I would like to see a similar analysis done for this year. As far as the texture file, I have messaged the original author about it.
It’s illegal to commercially distribute that material…which is what Code”masters” would be doing if they did copy it from a free source.
Given that ultimately the liveries belong to F1, I doubt Codemasters, who is operating under that license, could be legally accused of stealing. If anything, free liveries distributed by modders within other games are tacitly permitted by their license holders to be distributed, when at any time those license holders could request a takedown.
And no, just because modders aren't profiting off of what they distribute, doesn't mean they are granted the unconditional right to do so.
Ethically, it's a completely different story, and it'd be really disappointing and incredibly disrespectful if assets were lifted from the thankless efforts of community members without so much as an acknowledgement.
