life of 3d model on CGT?

Discussion started by uzairali

hey can someone tell me what is the life of 3d model on CGtrader? like i haven't seen any 3d models of 2015 or below. this site is created on 2011 i think... So i guess life of model is here about 4 years ? sorry for silly question m just asking,

Answers

Posted almost 4 years ago
0

I have at least a dozen models that were uploaded here back in 2015. Some of them started out as free, and some still are free. I get sales to these models once in a while too, so they're somehow being found. This reminds me, I need to update some of those to more modern PBR formats.

luxxeon wrote
luxxeon
I should point out that I'm not sure how the model scores worked back then either. Most of the models I uploaded back then only had a few previews renders and the size of the renders wasn't HD, so the model score on those are quite low. I'm willing to bet many people back then did the same. Yet another thing I should address.
Posted almost 4 years ago
1

There was a statistic shared by TS few years ago and I think they estimated 5 years on average.

luxxeon wrote
luxxeon
That sounds about right, and corresponds with my own experience with it. However, i think you can extend the life of any model if you update or modify it after a few years with new techniques or higher quality maps/previews.
uzairali wrote
uzairali
@trimitek yes but i have seen a model in TS of 2012 or 2010 , which are still appearing in 2-3 pages. when i joined the 3D market someone told me that you have to just 400 good models on these site and earn lifetime by saling. as @luxxeon said you can do it only by updating your models time by time.
Posted almost 4 years ago
2

Yes, updating the model with the new software and making higher res textures may extends it's life for some categories and uses, but not for all.
Requirements of the industries regarding mesh quality and details also change and in some cases updating a model require almost the same work as making it once again.
That thing about having 400 models and earn for life is absolute bullshit - it may have sounded realistic 10 years ago, but there are so many variables that affect sales - the competition is constantly increasing, prices are going down, demand for certain models changes...
If you want to maintain good income you have to constantly work your ass off and adjust to the changes in the environment.

Posted almost 4 years ago
1

@uzairali, your observed difference between old models on CGT and TS, might be because the two marketplaces have different alghorithms of search result sorting. I think TS prioritizes model's performance in terms of sales and CGT prioritizes model's age, i.e. newer models are scored higher.

Regarding 400 models, i can only second what trimitek said - there's no magic number that would let you expect stable income. There is one seller at CGT with over 100 000 models and i think he hardly sells anything. On the other hand there are few sellers with less than 100 models (some have of them have much less) and it looks that they're performing excellent. In any case, no matter how many models you have and how good they're performing at the moment, you can't reasonably expect guaranteed income for the rest of your life. This is very fast evolving business and if you look at the best models of 10 years old, they are now looking very dated and has almost no value at all. If you want to stay afloat, you must constantly add to your model's collection. Even more, you need constantly learn new things and techniques to stay actual in this business. And despite your best effort, it is possible that 10 years ahead, you won't be able to earn for living from selling models, because technology will evolve to such extent, that everyone without any special knowledge will be able to produce highest quality models almost effortlessly.

Posted almost 4 years ago
2

Even if CGI demand is greater than ever and is constantly growing, i think that golden age for people who earns their living from selling models at stock markets, is over.

luxxeon wrote
luxxeon
The Golden Age is definitely behind us, that's for sure. No longer can you make $10,000 a month selling models. Those days are long gone. However, you can still make a good living if you diversify your talents. Selling models should really be a supplementary income goal. It could still be a good source of income, but certainly should not be the ONLY source. Tools and addons are in their golden age now, especially for Blender.
Posted over 3 years ago
1

I can't imagine the models I made in 1999 still being bought lol. "Lifetime" is very short in this industry and requires patching, updating, revising, more options, etc, just to keep up with the times.

It wasn't so long ago that PBR wasn't the standard and the new low-poly ideal was the old hi-poly. Once upon a time, you could make quite a tidy sum from modelling as not many people could do it. Now, I write books about doing it more than I actually do it lol

P.S. One of my best selling models is 16 years old. All I did was add a little detail, textured it using Substance Painter, and it sells like new :D

uzairali wrote
uzairali
yes i got it and i am totally agree with you. we can just relive our model by detailing and texturing . there are many competitors and are doing very well in this field. and that's also true somewhere we get lazy to retouch our old model. we always wanted to give new model . and i saw a model of 2013 today, its realy motivated lol.

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