Freelance 3D Modelling

[Lord Derp]

I am a 3D digital modeller (mainly CAD, but some organic/Zbrush experience) who works in the industry. I am trying to gauge the interest level in 3D Modelling for hire, making custom bits and models for 3D printing. With the price of 3d high quality printing dropping (and medium quality places like Shapeways being already pretty cheap) it seems that it may be a lucrative side business. The basic idea is you'd contact me with an idea, I'd build the 3d model, and once you're happy with it, you'd pay me, and I'd send you the digital file, cleaned up and ready to print.

It seems to me the upside of such a service is "getting whatever custom bits I want" but the downside is "I have to pay for the model, and then pay again to get it printed."

Opinions?

[-Tom-]

I am a 3D digital modeller (mainly CAD, but some organic/Zbrush experience) who works in the industry. I am trying to gauge the interest level in 3D Modelling for hire, making custom bits and models for 3D printing. With the price of 3d high quality printing dropping (and medium quality places like Shapeways being already pretty cheap) it seems that it may be a lucrative side business. The basic idea is you'd contact me with an idea, I'd build the 3d model, and once you're happy with it, you'd pay me, and I'd send you the digital file, cleaned up and ready to print.

It seems to me the upside of such a service is "getting whatever custom bits I want" but the downside is "I have to pay for the model, and then pay again to get it printed."

Opinions?

On the other hand, if you were going to make the model for them, and print it for them, you'd charge a bit more for it, so although it is 2 separate payments in this case, it's unlikely to add up to significantly more than if you were doing both parts. It may seem inconvenient in one way, to just get a file to take elsewhere, but comparing it to something that we're more familiar with (with 3D printing being relatively new), when you want to have a custom house/extension built, you may get an architect to draw up the plans but you only expect to get the plans back from him and then hire builders to build it.

It sounds good to me to get the 3-D file as a deliverable, whether you were or weren't then also printing the pieces, as it would be good to have the option to be able to get more of them done in future. I guess there might be issues of intellectual copyright though if people decided that what you had designed for them was popular enough for them to print a load off, or make moulds and do resin casts, to sell batches of? You'd probably need to consider the terms under which you were sending them the file, or licensing them the right to use it?

[Lord Derp]

If they've paid for the work, it's theirs to do with what they please.

Honestly, my main problem with printing them myself is that it's not something I really want to deal with. It may well be that I have to incorporate that in order to get work, though. But I have a lot of experience in dealing with different rapid prototypers, and most of them are extremely easy to work with. Often, it's all automated to the point that aside from having to upload the file, it's no different than any other online store.

The other reason for doing it that way is many schools and business are getting into 3D printer technology, and desktop units are becoming more affordable, even the high resolution ones. People are more and more likely to know a guy who knows a guy with a printer, or have access to one themselves; it's getting the file to print that would be the stumbling block.

Of course, either way, the customer would get the digital file. That's primarily what they're paying me for, whether I handle the printing end or not.

[Night Haunter]

I know that I would be interested in this.

[Stephan Reber]

I know that I would be interested in this.

I second that.....

[-Tom-]

If they've paid for the work, it's theirs to do with what they please.

Of course, either way, the customer would get the digital file. That's primarily what they're paying me for, whether I handle the printing end or not.

Which is fine, if that's something you've considered and are okay with - I raised it from the point of view that someone may be willing to do the sort of work you're considering but may then be really unhappy if their client takes their designs, does a 3D print, makes up moulds from that and starts mass producing them and selling them in bulk, if that was something they hadn't been expecting

[Lord Derp]

Fair enough. But recasters gonna recast. Even if I didn't give them the files, and just provided prints, there's nothing stopping them from doing the same thing.

[Lord Derp]

Also, I've uploaded a few samples to my member gallery [URL="http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/photopost/u50789-lord-derp.html"]here.[/URL] Most of what I've done over the last three years isn't mine to show, so I'm scrambling to get as many personal models done as possible before fully advertising my availability. I especially want to get some more elaborate models ready to show- the ones I posted are nice and all, but they're not terribly complex.

[-Tom-]

Also, I've uploaded a few samples to my member gallery [URL="http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/photopost/u50789-lord-derp.html"]here.[/URL] Most of what I've done over the last three years isn't mine to show, so I'm scrambling to get as many personal models done as possible before fully advertising my availability. I especially want to get some more elaborate models ready to show- the ones I posted are nice and all, but they're not terribly complex.

Well, I'd be very interested in things like the custom Eldar heads

[Lord Derp]

Good to know. I do intend to do some limited run kits in resin, though to be honest, it's mostly because it'll be stuff I printed and made molds of for my own armies, and since I've already got molds at that point, I may as well try and subsidize the production costs by selling additional copies.