How to Buy 3D Models

Buying off-the-shelf content is normally a self explanatory process; however commissioning content to be made specifically for you can have its complications and procedures. We will go over a few of these just to get you on the right track.

One of the easiest ways we've seen to commission a 3D project is via 3drequest, this service takes care of all of the complications for you by assigning you a project manager who acts as a middle man, taking a lot of the risk and stress out of buying custom 3D. However please see both the Where to Buy and the Sponsors section for more Studios/artists.

However when using a studio or a freelancer these details are often left to you, these include drawing up an accurate project specification, making a contract and managing a delivery and payment schedule. Even if the studio you choose does all of this for you, it's nice to know what to expect.

When it comes to what is the right cost this can be difficult to calculate. Every studio or artist has different rates, normally not advertised. So it is worth shopping around if you have the time. Due to the unique nature of 3D there is no 'fare' price for a commission; the price the artist/s charges is what they feel is fare for their artistic and technical work. However you should expect to pay more for certain types of 3D. General Visualisation will come in at the cheapest, as it has little requirements other than being highly detailed. Real-Time 3D can be more expensive as there are alot of workflow elements which are vital and therefore this form of 3D can be more skilled and involve more training or effort.

3D Project Specification

Your project Specification is the most important part of the commission. This is where you define exactly what you want, down to the last detail. If you write a complete a full specification then you know you'll get exactly what you want with minimal variation. This will include reference material, polygon counts, concept art, an exact brief of what you want, etc.

Payment/Delivery Schedule

The payment and delivery schedule normally work hand-in-hand. Ordinarily you will pay a small or partial upfront payment for the project, this isn't un-unusual. This gives the artist/s some piece of mind when approaching the 3D project, and also enables them to buy-in specific software/material to complete your commission. You will then pay a series of payments, normally whilst receiving something in return. For example if you have commission 3 cars, you may have 3 payments and on each payment you receive a car. There will almost always be a completing payment, where you receive the last of the 3D content and you also pay the last of what is owed.

The Contract

The first point to make is that every commission is different, so there is no 'blanket' contract you can use for everything; however there are certain things you should include in forming your contract. The second point to make is possibly the most important; your contract might not be worth anything. That's right, even if you have a perfect contract it may never serve any real purpose; the main reason for this is if you are dealing with a 3D studio/artist outside of your countries jurisdiction then there is very little chance of you being able to use a contract to resolve a dispute in court. Using a contract when dealing with somebody outside of your own country is more for 'good-will', laying out the terms so that you both understand before the project starts.
A contract needs to contain the following:

1. Identify the parties. (Client & Artist)
2. The nature of the 3D project to be completed.
3. The timing and payment details. (Payment & Delivery Schedule)
4. How the agreement can be ended.
5. Coverage of anything that you may foresee going wrong.
6. An important thing to remember ... leave the 'legal talk' to the lawyers. Keep the English simple with straightforward, unambiguous sentences.

What's important to remember when writing your contract is that you need to cover your back. In short you need to essentially state that you will pay the studio/artist the full sum, if they complete the work according to the project specification. As long as this is clear and the conditions surrounding this agreement are clear then there should be no problems.