CGTrader.com Redesigned: The New Reality Is Here

CGTrader designers are so talented, that buyers sometimes think their models are real. A car for 119 USD? A pair of shoes for 30 USD? No wonder the customers sometimes get confused with these amazing, photorealistic 3D models available for sale.

And yet, 3D models are actually becoming real. 3D printing can turn many digital 3D models to real, physical products. This technology is becoming a viable alternative to factories and production lines, changing the rules of manufacturing and placing a 3D designer at the center of this transformation. While some 3D printing technologies still produce low-quality prints, that is changing fast – and we see this very clearly in our sales data on CGTrader.

To take advantage of this monumental shift, we have introduced some changes in CGTrader.com. The new CGTrader.com is split into two parts: computer graphics for professionals and 3D printing for consumers.

Computer graphics 3D models will be bought and sold by professionals in the same way they have always been – with a few improvements listed below. In 3D printing the sellers have three options: sell 3D models, stream 3D models directly to the printer, or sell real, physical 3D printed products. If the first option is probably well-known for you, the other ones are something new.

Sell 3D Printable Models Easier

With 3D printing, the market is not limited to professional 3D designers. Every designer with 3D skills has a shot of selling their 3D model to mainstream consumers bypassing traditional stores and distribution networks. You can sell your 3D printable models as before – but in order to make discovering 3D printable models easier for the buyers, we are introducing new categories designed especially for 3D printing.

Want To Control Your Designs? Charge per print!

Some designers have the question about selling their best 3D printable art without the risk of losing control of the source 3D model. What should you do to earn a fair amount of money for top-notch designs without facing these risks? Charge for each print!

To address this issue, we have started collaboration with 3D licensing provider Authentise. It provides a possibility to buy and sell not the source file itself, but the right to 3D print – and the model is streamed directly to the customer’s printer. It is a pay-per-print service, so the model is not stored on the customer’s computer and is valid for one print, so that you can offer the most exquisite pieces of art for sale, without any risks.

Selling Real Stuff

The third option for authors of 3D printable models is selling real 3D printed objects. This allows you to access billions of customers – your buyer can be anyone worldwide looking for artsy, innovative, special products with an access to a credit card. Upon purchase, our partner Sculpteo will 3D print the model in high-quality material and ship the product directly to the customer – and you will receive a chosen markup for each print.

Sell Computer Graphics Models Fairly

Our core community is in computer graphics - which we love and support. We made some changes there as well. Sometimes certain models on CGTrader are priced way below their value and appearance. This creates pressure to other sellers to lower the prices, thereby damaging the community. With this update, we are addressing this issue – minimum price for computer graphics models is increased to 7 USD, so that everyone can trade fairly and encourage quality.

CGTrader always strived to create a better place for 3D designers. 3D designers have multiple ways to monetize their talent – and our job is to give you the best platform to take advantage of them. Keep it real!