New Levels of Mini Piracy

[Mr. White]

I’m not into piracy, nor a fan of 3D printing, so the following doesn’t excite me at all.

Now, I’m also aware that this could be fake. Hard to tell in these dark, modern times what is real online anymore. But I thought I’d share just for the conversation if anything.

A buddy sent the following to me that he got from one of his gaming discords:

“Someone has used GW’s images from a recent reveal and used an AI stl maker to print out the model before GW can even release them”

Why does this timeline continue to get worse?

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

I think mini sculptors are going to have to go to a subscription based library of .stls  in the same way that music and cinema became streaming services.  When it is so quick and easy to pirate a fig in the same way it was to pirate music, i don’t see an alternatives but licensing.

If i had a pound for every knocked-off computer created dupe (produced in a Chinese owned factory in Thailand )of one of my hand made pieces of jewelry i see come by my booth at a festival, it would probably equal the profits i make on just selling one of my originals…and i am a very small operator.  I routinely send out cease and desists but it’s just a single finger in just one hole of the sieve of a dyke.

[Elbows]

This has been a thing for a while, though normally it's a guy actually sculpting the mini - with the advance of AI stuff, this will become the norm, rather than the exception.

As usual, this will mainly affect GW moreso than smaller companies (mainly due to their prices, FOMO style of sales, etc.), but it will snag the occasional small-time sculptor.

There won't be a viable solution to it, sadly.

[pixelgeek]

Why does this timeline continue to get worse?

Because there  are n repercussions for being doing this.

[mikedemana]

...and as long as people frequent said places or buy from pirates. That's why I try to buy online as little as possible, and then only from known vendors. I tend to do my restocking on terrain and figs at conventions.

I gave a friend of mine grief about how, after our night of online board gaming during Covid, he would sign off and buy the game we just played off Amazon. I told him to wait until tomorrow, drive down to the local store that lets us game there for free, and buy it from them...!

It's the same reason I don't buy off Amazon unless it is something I can't go down to the local store and pick up. I know...old fogey! 

Mike Demana

[pixelgeek]

It's the same reason I don't buy off Amazon unless it is something I can't go down to the local store and pick up. I know...old fogey! 

Given how much forgery and piracy there is on Amazon there is also the problem of not knowing if the game you spent money on is legit or not

[FinnN]

This is definitely a thing, they’ve been around for a while but it’s only very recently that I’ve seen them generate useful 3D models (from photos of monuments rather than minis) rather than novelty ‘ooo that’s cool but quality is rubbish’ type stuff.

This one for example is pretty impressive, although you’ll either need to be able to read Chinese or use your browser’s translation function https://3d.hunyuan.tencent.com/

Or an older less capable version that’s in English:

https://synexa.ai/explore/tencent/hunyuan3d-2

[Easy E]

I for one am just happy that once I buy a rulebook and the minis for it, I can actually own the game for as long as I want to play it. 

I sincerely wonder how long that will be true.

[Rick]

I for one am just happy that once I buy a rulebook and the minis for it, I can actually own the game for as long as I want to play it. 

I sincerely wonder how long that will be true.

When someone suggests hosting the rulebook online rather than a physical or downloadable copy, whether to prevent piracy or make updating far easier - then fear the worst! 
I honestly did not think we were at the level of sophistication where you could convert a basic 2d image into a fully realised 3d stl file - it's impressive and, yes, seriously worrying for various industries. It's all good in countries that adhere to international copyright laws but we are all aware of some countries that continue to ignore them or turn them to their own advantage. And that's as political as I'm willing to get on this subject.
What I think will happen next is that people will start creating methods of confusing the AI and preventing it from creating a 3d image - whether patterns in the 2d image, blurring parts of it or splitting the image into smaller parts, I don't know what it'll be but I'd bet someone has started developing a counter.

[Freddy]

But why stop at GWs figures? You can stl-ize random dude on the street, your favourite pr0nstars genitals, yourself from the 1995 school yearbook or a complete ww1 scene someone made a photo of. Or any combination of these. Yeah, hand sculpting, even hand 3D sculpting will be obsolete.

So you can paint- for yourself, as painted mini pictures can also be made with AI 

[Elbows]

Given how much forgery and piracy there is on Amazon there is also the problem of not knowing if the game you spent money on is legit or not

Loads of forgeries, and a lot of companies dump stuff on Amazon that has quality issues, etc.  Kind of like Wal-Mart which tries to bully manufacturers into taking more and more cost-saving shortcuts so they can sell cheaper stuff in their stores, etc.

[Dubbya]

I've seen some frighteningly good tests of minis based on GW art, where the ai has had to guess what the back view would look like. Clear photos of minis, especially with turnarounds on the web store must be easy.

I never thought I'd have to base my own purchases around whether models are legitimately made by a human or not. It's made me look at what I really enjoy, and made me focus on older and indie ranges.

[Tactalvanic]

I would not be surprised, if the next evolution of GW miniatures will come with specific license/authenticity certificates, and you will have to provide them at tournaments to confirm your using officially licensed product.

I wondered for a brief moment if it might see a serge to go back to old school stuff but of course, they have been faking/forging those old school for years anyway.

As with anything, people find uses for technology, good, bad and in-between.

As with everything, as long as it makes them money, they will keep doing it.

As with everything, once you start looking, pets, favourite comic character, pr0n, footballers, your own body parts, whatever it might be, the latest tech is getting in there to provide it for you, moulded, scanned, printed etc.

What to do ? avoid it where possible if you are sure its not legit..?

[HerbertTarkel]

Ugh. Again, a new low is achieved.

AI slop generates a copy, and people lap it up?

I’m ok with paying GW retail (never mind buying at a discount online), to say a HARD NO to this kind of seller.

AI is crap.

[Belligerentparrot]

I had been wondering why GW had removed the "rotating view" of their minis from the website, where you watched the mini spin around so could see all the details...

... now I know.

That printed mini at the top of the thread makes me sad.