Whatever your peculiar use case getting a high fidelity 3D model should be simple business. But with an unending list of online HD 3D model reseller sites and their seemingly complex buying processes, it can be hard to get what you want, how you want it, at a price that’s ‘wantable.’
To help with this, I’ve gone round to identify the best places online for getting high fidelity models for free and paid.
Getting your Hi-Fi 3D model
There are two ways to get your high-fidelity 3D model:
- Buying a premade HD 3D model on 3D model marketplaces.
- Commissioning a 3D artist for a custom HD 3D model.
Both methods lead to the same outcome; at the end of the day, you get a 3D model. Each, however, has its own peculiarities:
Buying a HD 3D model on 3D model marketplaces
Premade 3D models are available on several online marketplaces for purchase or free. The best of these sites stocking high quality premade HD 3D models are, however, of the paid category.
They include:
Of the two options, skecthfab.com provides a bigger bank of HD 3D models for download. But like I said earlier, you need to pay per 3D model piece.
Prices range from low $20 per piece up to $1000. The actual price you’ll pay will depend on the type of HD 3D model you require. 3D models with high visual quality paired to high efficiency typically cost more to purchase.
A few things to note about purchasing 3D models from either of these two sites:
The licensing arrangement
Any model you purchase from third party marketplaces will come with licensing terms. On Sketchfab, the predominant licensing arrangement is Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) which means:
- You can share and distribute the HD 3D model as you please.
- You must attribute (cite) the model back to the original creator anywhere you use it.
- You CANNOT use HD 3D models from the platform for commercial purposes.
- If you made modifications to the HD 3D model, you lose the right to share and distribute it.
The summary of all that is these sites work when you want a HD 3D model for personal use; say you need it for a VRchat avatar, editorials, personal 3D projects and the likes.
If you need a 3D model for something largescale or commercial, then the 3D marketplace option might not work for you.
The customizability problem
High-fidelity 3D models from marketplaces are premade. If you’re looking to get a Hi-Fi model that’s not your definition of typical – anything with special design characteristics – it’ll be hard getting those off Hi-Fi 3D model marketplaces.
The same thing goes if you’re looking for a personalized Hi-Fi 3D model, something that’s made to your spec.
Commissioning a 3D artist for a High fidelity 3D model
If you wanted a Hi-Fi 3D model you could use freely and commercially, your best would be to commission a 3D model artist. A 3D model artist will typically build your Hi-Fi 3D model to spec, meaning you get the exact design features you want with accompanying texturing and shading to match.
Finding a Hi-Fi 3D model artist available for commissions is also a piece of cake. You can connect with one on freelance platforms like:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
On both platforms, there’s an abundance of 3D artists ready to commission high fidelity 3D models, and with this method you get:
- Full ownership/copyrights, so you’re free to use, distribute and modify your 3D model. Make sure to clarify that you want full rights to the 3D model before commissioning the piece.
- Full customization, since the model is built from scratch based on your description and spec.
- Usually better quality and truly Hi-Fi 3D models with all the texturing and shading delivered to exact specs.
Commissioning a high-fidelity 3D model is usually the more expensive option compared to buying one-off 3D marketplaces. For the detailing, customization and full ownership rights you get, I’d say it still pans out to be the better deal.
Using Upwork or Fiverr for commissioning high fidelity 3D models
Commissioning a 3D model artist on either Upwork or Fiverr is pretty straightforward. You just need to sign up, sort through a list of ranked 3D model artists and then finalize the commission. If you need help
I’ve got recommendations for qualified Hi-Fi 3D model artists you can use:
Christian on Upwork
Christian is your typical Hi-Fi 3D model artist, and that’s to say he’s well versed with both the design and technical bits of creating high fidelity 3D models.
His expertise covers everything from PBR texturing, poly modelling, shading, extending to a mastery of efficiency in 3D modelling – something that’s important if you plan on using your Hi-Fi 3D model for resource-sensitive projects.
Experience at high yield animation and design firms like Disney and Pixar gives him an even better edge. Definitely the go-to guy for any form of Hi-Fi 3D models for gaming, animation or associated use cases.
Pearce on Fiverr
Pearce is my high-value high fidelity 3D model artist, the 3D artist you’ll go-to for high-quality 3D models on a budget.
Like Christian, he’s very experienced with the basics of Hi-Fi 3D modelling. With over five years spent using tools like Blender, Maya, Zbrush and Unreal engine, you can bet on the quality of work from this artist. I’m especially impressed by the Hi-FI detailing at max efficiency (with low poly counts) in his works.
Much of that work revolves around creating 3D props, figures and accessories, so the guy to go to for all forms of Hi-Fi 3D art that falls into the ‘extras’ category.
Oakman on Fiverr
For much more complex high fidelity models, the kind with intricate detailing, texturing and designing, Oakman is your go-to 3D artist.
As a 3D artist, Oakman goes in hard on the details. For you, that means superb Hi-Fi models for advertising, editorial, and all other forms of showcase use cases. Quality is absolutely top-draw with this artist, and I cannot overemphasize that fact.
When you need efficiency too, as would be in VRchat, and other virtual reality world settings, Oakman can dial down on the details without losing too much quality to produce highly efficient 3D models.
And everything is at a price I would consider very affordable. See how much he’s charging right now per Hi-fi 3D model commissions on his commission page.
