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Should I give a client access to my spine editor files?

mikedssx

I used to not even think about this and I would just do it. However now I'm wondering if I'm giving away my trade secrets to rigging, mesh deform, setup, graph technique and animation technique. Big companies go to war to protect trade secrets and if you leak them they can sue you.

Is this the correct etiquette for dealing with clients or do they expect to get my editor files? I feel it's in my best interest to just give them the export JSON or .Skel file and the image atlases. If they can reverse engineer it from those files than I guess that is what it is.

I feel if I were to give away my editor files or if they were to request them I would ask for a big chunk of money. It would be like if a musician gave away their raw music files.

Am I being unreasonable or have I been a fool to give up my editor files? (I haven't done it many times)

Nate

IMO the deliverable is the skeleton itself, which includes the rigging, deformations, etc. The project file contains the skeleton, as does a JSON or SKEL file. They can just import a JSON or SKEL file into Spine. That isn't reverse engineering, that's just reading the data that they paid to have you create.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. To be able to dissect your rigging and other aspects of your work would pretty much require someone to be good enough to do that work themselves. The rigging is important but a big part of the value of your work is being able to create the animation itself. That is what is seen be the end user, so there's no hiding that, and yet it's still difficult for someone to copy. Good animation is hard.

mikedssx

Oh okay I didn't realize if you have the json it would give all the editor data as well. Anyway thank you for the prompt reply. It puts my mind at ease that there is nothing I can do about it lol.

Erika

Just to add to the conversation, I used to worry about sharing techniques as well, but turns out, sharing techniques is good because they demonstrate you can work well, and if people see you can work well, you're gonna get contacted and hired more often 😃