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Using models from installed games
This is more like a general question? I need some models for a school project and I have in mind some objects from a mmorpg. Do you know if it's possible to use in Unity models taken from installed pc games?
It depends on the game. Popular games often have a modding community with various programs for extracting assets. Some games also simply pack their assets into archive files, like the PA$$anonymous$$ files of Quake and others.
Answer by toddisarockstar · Feb 23, 2017 at 02:42 AM
No. once a video game / program goes through a compiler or "build process" its its packed into a binary format that is extemely difficult to read externally . Especially an entire model.
This is not correct. 3D models (in common with audio files, textures, and most other game assets) are generally already saved in a "binary format" such as FBX or 3DS even before compilation. When you build your game, Unity simply packs this data into resource files so recovering it is not hard.
And remember that whatever format it may be stored in, when you play a game, mesh data must be sent to the graphics card to be rendered and it can easily be intercepted in the pipeline to the GPU.
Answer by tanoshimi · Feb 23, 2017 at 06:14 PM
From a technical point-of-view, it's normally pretty trivial to "rip" assets - including models and textures - from a game. From a legal point-of-view, however, this is almost always expressly prohibited by the EULA.
For a school project, I recommend you visit somewhere like blendswap.com instead, which clearly states the licence under which models can be used.
Answer by Joe-Censored · Feb 24, 2017 at 08:04 AM
Your biggest technical issue will be figuring out how that specific game bundles their model and texture data, and how to extract it. Some games that will be easy, some extremely difficult. You're not going to find instructions on how to do that here.
Legally you'd have to look at the terms of use, which almost certainly ban any use of the game data outside of simply playing their game.