Advice pls., trying get new models added DOW 2: Ret. Elite Mod

[DarnedDragoon]

Hey all, DarnedDragoon here, I've just joined nexus in order to find support for the Elite Mod of Dawn of War II: Retribution. I'm not the creator of the mod or a contributor (as of yet), I am just a fan. The Elite Mod is a game balancing mod.

 

A lot has been added to mod already by other modders, but you can count those modders on one hand. To say the least they are overwhelmed. I unfortunately don't have any experience in 3d modeling, 2d texturing, or programming. Like I said I am just a fan, so about only way I thought of to contribute is by hiring 3d/2d artists from a freelance websites like upwork.com (aka odesk.com). Though that poses complications too.

 

First off, is it legal? I am not sure if paying someone to make new textures or models for a game, based on other 40k models that haven't been put into the game. Is paying someone for the work illegal? Is using concept art that I don’t own to make 3d models illegal? It is Warhammer 40k concept art which is owned by Games Workshop and the Dawn of War 2 developers, Relic Entertainment (now owned by Sega), was given permission to make a game based on Warhammer 40K. Though I of course haven't received permission to add any models to the the game from Relic nor GW.

 

Second complication is I don't know what the heck I am doing. I've spent many hours already trying to just gather the right information to be able to give someone explicit instructions of what I want done. I've made a list of all the basic information I've gathered so far (see below).

 

Game Engine: Essence Engine (Essence 2.0)

Textures: .dds images

diffuse texture (diffuseTex),

normal map (normalMap),

occlusion texture (occlusionTex),

specular texture (specularTex)

chaos_lord_common_dif (an in-game model reference) 512 x 1024 , 32 depth

terminator helmet 512 x 512

Overview:

I am looking for a 3-D artist experienced in making low poly game models and texturing in order to make new models for Dawn of War II: Retribution Elite Mod.

The Game:

The game is a mod (called "Elite Mod") to the original game "Dawn of War II: Retribution" developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2011. Dawn of War II: Retribution uses Essence Engine (Essence 2.0) game engine and made for the PC.

 

The Models:

The models will need to have a low poly count of 5000-6000 and lower as well as textures. They will also need to be made in 3ds Max or similar program.

Artists will need to have experience in 3d modeling, texturing, rendering, and animations.

I will provide reference art of what models I want. Models should include firearms, armor, and humanoid characters

 

What else do I need to know?

 

Finally the last major complication I'm having, is actually dealing with freelancers. As they are doing the job for money they are unlikely to own the game already. So anything they do has to be sent to me where I then have to send it off to one of the Elite modders to look over and implement into the mod. This will of course be more time consuming and there for the freelancer will have to be paid before I have confirmation that the work is sufficient. So vetting the artist will be key in my hiring process.

 

If anyone has advice for me on how to accomplish all this, would like to help out with the Elite mod, or just needs further information please comment below. Thank you.

[wulfharth]

Paying freelance artists to make any model you want is legal.

 

However trying to sell the game or DLC that contains trademark protected concepts or models there of is not.

 

If it's a free project, you can do whatever you want.

[DarnedDragoon]

Yep its a free project intended for public use. Thanks for the clarification.