Is this is a positive thing?
Anyone else have this feeling
Could you elaborate better the idea?
You mean those models whose license does not allow be used by others?, or using models without meeting the license?
Otherwise, why not extend your reasoning to other things? Do you feel wrong when using a pre-made code such as Blender or some addon? Why better you do your own program/code instead using a premade code?
I never start at 0, I always use my old models, tweak them and finish the new one.
it you do it for job, then it can be wrong: why not buy a model for some money, before spending days in recreating it?
Do you feel wrong when using a pre-made code such as Blender or some addon? Why better you do your own program/code instead using a premade code?
fair point but I don’t know how to code at all
but I know how to model and I would achieve the same thing if I had the time and dedication
It just… doesn’t feel as rewarding when you make an artwork that you made all the models than if you just downloaded most of them from TF3D or blendswap
Oh and
You mean those models whose license does not allow be used by others?
Using a model whose licence doesn’t allow it to be used by others,
In my very personal opinion it is just not a good thing to do.
But I do see your point…
@Pit
I meant the models that you might find in a site like the google warehouse or TF3D or blendswap
Depends on what you’re doing and who you are doing it for.
If you’re just making art for art’s sake, unpaid and without deadline - you can make the models from whatever foundation you like. If it makes you happy to create them using a text editor to write an OBJ file, you do that.
When you’re on a deadline and/or being paid by someone else - the time/effort required to do everything from scratch may be ethically dubious. Are they paying you to do everything from scratch or just the final result? So long as you are not violating copyright and the final result has a suitable level of creativity, I don’t see an issue.
Take machinima for instance - there is clearly art & talent involved even though it’s nearly all precreated assets.
Users from sites like Blend Swap share their jobs to be used by anyone. Many of them would be very happy to see their models used by others in their projects. You respect the license and you should not feel wrong/bad. A nice practice is always mention the author and a link from where you downloaded the model, even if it has CC Zero license.
Situations where you might need to use works done by others can be varied and some have already been mentioned here. The rewarding feeling can be relative, and it depends on each person. Anyway I do not see why anyone should feel wrong by using models where people intentionally shares to be used.
For those it concerns, I think meeting a deadline is more rewarding.
For myself, and most others (I assume and hope :)), I think it depends on the situation. Few rotten apples would probably use others objects when promoting themselves as a modeling artist. But I don’t see the problem for an animator or even shader writer to use other peoples stuff, as long as he’s selling himself as just that. I don’t think I would though, on a personal level. But of course we do at work, use lots of “stock stuff” to get the jobs done in time (CAD design though, not so much rendering).
personally I think the only exception for using pre-made stuff would be, if you are using your own self-made creations.
this might be for animations but it can easily also be used for the debate;
There are articles and reports that some studios have used the “method” of using other peopls work to make a quick game…
As an example;
Coffee Stain Studios has used pre build models of others to create their Goat Simulator…
since the game should be perceived as a joke, it nailed it nicely and even makes a joke of the whole industry.
@My
I’ve never heard of this “go animate”
and the video seems to describe my feelings exactly
and about your game assets part,
yes, the jimquisition always talks about such occurrences.
I always live by the . if you can do it or have an idea to do it, do it
I’m more or less with you re: your initial thought. I wouldn’t use the word “wrong”, per se, assuming you’re obeying the license terms, but on a merely personal artistic level it can feel like less than your personal best to use pre-made assets, especially if time and budget totally allow you to get your nails a little dirty and do the work yourself. I’d so much rather sign my work with my own personal “style”, whatever that may be…
I’m also of the opinion that doing things the long way, or the “hard way”, can be a lot more stimulating and rewarding than simply getting the job done with time to spare. More importantly, it can also instill the confidence that you’re worth your salt. You got the job done on time, under budget, AND you made the assets yourself? That’ll look good on a portfolio. 
nothing wrong with it, in fact popular studios rely on their huge kitbash stash (from past works or maybe even the net) to quickly iterate design concept.
for me, i have kitbash items for hands, feets, ears and eyes. i also use Makehuman to generate a human base mesh which i could then dynto sculpt to fit my style then use R3dS wrap to refit the basemesh topology back to the sculpt.
things is, if you’re aiming for speed premade stuff is good. but if you’re practicing to improve your skills and you want to experience plunging to the whole pipeline and learning where you lack experience, then you’d better start from scratch.
i use premade stuff now 'cause i know i could already do them from endless practice. :), so now it’s kitbash for speed.
OP - should a painter need to grind their own pigments and make their own paint? Should a musician need to craft their own instruments?
Do you feel the same about textures, HDRI environments etc? For that matter - should a 3d artist need to code their own application and renderer?
Whether or not you think it’s acceptable to use pre-made work simply depends on where you set your goalposts (you seem to feel it’s acceptable to use pre-made modelling and rendering software for example).
It really depends on what you are trying to achieve, how much time you have to achieve it etc. Personally I see no issue - as long as you give the appropriate credit and don’t try to pass the work off as your own.
Artistically, when I look at someones work, and it looks great, then I notice that they got all of their models off chocofur or whatever, it effects my opinion of the piece. If the piece has artistic merit beyond the assets itself, I don’t have a problem with it. But if the only reason the piece looks good is because of the assets, then I don’t see much artistry in it.
Professionally, when you are on the clock, you gotta do what makes the most sense economically. as long as licenses are in place, then I see no issue
I am a casual artist, and at this time of writing I have not worked on any commercial project in my life.
Personally, I create my own library of “re-usable components”(hands, mugs, swords - that kind of thing) and will not use anyone else’s models. This way, I can say with 100% certainty that “I made this model”, and no modelling session goes to waste.
However. That said, I have created models for friends to use in their works, but I allow them to pass those models as their own as I know they can do a much better job but are just hard pressed. They can’t quite make their time stretch far enough, but I can spare a bit of time whilst I’m chilling out listening to music or watching videos on the net, and the work is something I can do with little effort and thought; if they want the Statue of Liberty then they are out of luck, but just a coffee table or sword then I’ve got their back.