3D game asset artist saying hello!

[gibsongervais]

Hey everybody 🙂 I make 3D game assets and live in Canada. I’ve worked on AAA games for over 3 years and it’s been awesome. Joining Fiverr seemed like a great way to get involved in new projects. I’m excited to get started on my first order.

[yogevsharabi]

I don’t see many 3D artists in the forum. I guess they are all busy making art. Good luck with that.
Are you allowed to say which games have you worked?

[benedictrm]

Ooh I like yer fiddle.

I am thinking the issue you may face here is in the area of pricing. Sadly, in my experience, smaller gave devs are like musicians, they want stellar results but don’t want to pay anything. The only way I have managed to get game work is by being free which is rather demeaning when the resulting games are tossed on a backwater and ignored even by the dev.

Don’t drop your pricing tho as I bet, like me, you look at the $5 offers and they are not remotely the same quality of work.

🙂

[gibsongervais]

I don’t see many 3D artists in the forum. I guess they are all busy making art. Good luck with that.

Are you allowed to say which games have you worked?

I can’t say what I’m working on right now but I did prop art for Plants Vs. Zombies: The Battle for Neighborville while working at Electronic Arts. I figured the forums would be a good place to get started… Surprised there’s not more 3D people here.

[gibsongervais]

Ooh I like yer fiddle.

I am thinking the issue you may face here is in the area of pricing. Sadly, in my experience, smaller gave devs are like musicians, they want stellar results but don’t want to pay anything. The only way I have managed to get game work is by being free which is rather demeaning when the resulting games are tossed on a backwater and ignored even by the dev.

Don’t drop your pricing tho as I bet, like me, you look at the $5 offers and they are not remotely the same quality of work.

🙂

Thanks for the advice. Hoping I can get some attention for the type of asset work I can offer. I do simpler stuff too but I wanted my first gig to feature the more detailed props. More or less testing the water.

[invaderroxas]

Welcome to Fiverr!

I’m a 3D game artist myself, granted I’m still in school and I use Fiverr more for pixel art/illustrations. But it’s cool to see some other 3D artists on the platform! Wishing you lots of luck!

[gibsongervais]

Welcome to Fiverr!

I’m a 3D game artist myself, granted I’m still in school and I use Fiverr more for pixel art/illustrations. But it’s cool to see some other 3D artists on the platform! Wishing you lots of luck!

Thanks 🙂 Likewise, it’s always cool to meet people pursuing 3D. What type of games would you like to work on when you finish school?

[yogevsharabi]

I can’t say what I’m working on right now but I did prop art for Plants Vs. Zombies: The Battle for Neighborville while working at Electronic Arts. I figured the forums would be a good place to get started… Surprised there’s not more 3D people here.

Again, I think they are actually busy working on their gigs. There are top rated artists on Fiverr, I just don’t really see them on the forum.

As for you gig, the starting price MIGHT be a bit too high for someone who is a new seller on Fiverr and has no reputation. Look at competitors from all levels to see what price you compete with. Studio experience is good and all, and there’s a good chance that people will look at the feedback you have on your gigs (currently you have none), rather than your resume.

Add a turnaround video. Doesn’t have to be long, can be just 120 frames showing an asset, but a video would help.

More detailed gig description. Write more about the difference between the packages that you offer.

7 days is quite some time, some wouldn’t want to wait that long. ESPECIALLY when working with a new seller.

You can also break down a big expensive gig into smaller cheaper gigs. For example, a gig just for unwrapping and texturing.

[gibsongervais]

Again, I think they are actually busy working on their gigs. There are top rated artists on Fiverr, I just don’t really see them on the forum.

As for you gig, the starting price MIGHT be a bit too high for someone who is a new seller on Fiverr and has no reputation. Look at competitors from all levels to see what price you compete with. Studio experience is good and all, and there’s a good chance that people will look at the feedback you have on your gigs (currently you have none), rather than your resume.

Add a turnaround video. Doesn’t have to be long, can be just 120 frames showing an asset, but a video would help.

More detailed gig description. Write more about the difference between the packages that you offer.

7 days is quite some time, some wouldn’t want to wait that long. ESPECIALLY when working with a new seller.

You can also break down a big expensive gig into smaller cheaper gigs. For example, a gig just for unwrapping and texturing.

That’s awesome advice. Exactly what I was looking for, in fact (I wanted to make a topic asking for advice but I could only make one today since I just joined). I’ll definitely do the turnaround and making gigs for simpler work like unwrapping and texturing is a great idea. I can likely trim some time from what’s listed too but those time frames were considering I have other work.

Thanks a bunch for the tips!

[invaderroxas]

Again, I think they are actually busy working on their gigs. There are top rated artists on Fiverr, I just don’t really see them on the forum.

As for you gig, the starting price MIGHT be a bit too high for someone who is a new seller on Fiverr and has no reputation. Look at competitors from all levels to see what price you compete with. Studio experience is good and all, and there’s a good chance that people will look at the feedback you have on your gigs (currently you have none), rather than your resume.

Add a turnaround video. Doesn’t have to be long, can be just 120 frames showing an asset, but a video would help.

More detailed gig description. Write more about the difference between the packages that you offer.

7 days is quite some time, some wouldn’t want to wait that long. ESPECIALLY when working with a new seller.

You can also break down a big expensive gig into smaller cheaper gigs. For example, a gig just for unwrapping and texturing.

I’m partial to stylized material, and I’m a big fan of horror/adventure/slice of life titles (weird mix, I know), but I’ll be satisfied working on any project at the end of the day.

As for you gig, the starting price MIGHT be a bit too high for someone who is a new seller on Fiverr and has no reputation.

This is a good point, and something I struggled with initially. Unfortunately in order to sort of gain reputation, you may have to lower your prices in order to gauge interest. But after a couple of initial reviews, definitely increase your prices to where you feel your work is worth. With this all being said, definitely don’t extremely undercut yourself. $5 gigs can really attract the wrong kind of buyer.

[yogevsharabi]

That’s awesome advice. Exactly what I was looking for, in fact (I wanted to make a topic asking for advice but I could only make one today since I just joined). I’ll definitely do the turnaround and making gigs for simpler work like unwrapping and texturing is a great idea. I can likely trim some time from what’s listed too but those time frames were considering I have other work.

Thanks a bunch for the tips!

It’s up to you to balance your studio job (and your life in general), with Fiverr. It also depends on your goals. I had a retopology gig (currently paused) that attracted quite a lot of views in a month (although there was only 1 order, which can be due to a number of reasons). Take some time to edit and come up with ideas, and if need be ask the forum. You can’t lose by asking.

[benedictrm]

It appears that an offer of friendship between colleagues is somehow against community terms.
🙂

[gibsongervais]

I’m partial to stylized material, and I’m a big fan of horror/adventure/slice of life titles (weird mix, I know), but I’ll be satisfied working on any project at the end of the day.

As for you gig, the starting price MIGHT be a bit too high for someone who is a new seller on Fiverr and has no reputation.

This is a good point, and something I struggled with initially. Unfortunately in order to sort of gain reputation, you may have to lower your prices in order to gauge interest. But after a couple of initial reviews, definitely increase your prices to where you feel your work is worth. With this all being said, definitely don’t extremely undercut yourself. $5 gigs can really attract the wrong kind of buyer.

Nice, yeah that first job is a big step but things usually open up after that. It’s great you have some experience with graphics and illustration - that could be a good talking point in an interview. Best of luck!

I’ll keep in mind that I’m just starting out here and think on what I can offer to gain some exposure. I think the idea @yogevsharabi suggested to offer more limited services in addition to complete asset work is a great one. Retopo, unwrap, texture work or even a zBrush pass for detail could all be done within a day.

I’ve been practicing with 2D digital media myself. Do you think it’s a good idea to try and offer those services along with 3D? Is simpler better or should I try to make as many gigs as I’m capable of offering?

[gibsongervais]

It’s up to you to balance your studio job (and your life in general), with Fiverr. It also depends on your goals. I had a retopology gig (currently paused) that attracted quite a lot of views in a month (although there was only 1 order, which can be due to a number of reasons). Take some time to edit and come up with ideas, and if need be ask the forum. You can’t lose by asking.

Fair enough - The retopo service sounds like a good idea. I’ll definitely think on the type of work I can provide and how I can offer it here. Thanks again!

[ghilmanabdullah]

Hi! nice to meet you

[yogevsharabi]

Fair enough - The retopo service sounds like a good idea. I’ll definitely think on the type of work I can provide and how I can offer it here. Thanks again!

Just make sure the model is ready for retopo and doesn’t have any issues (broken files, parts of the mesh crashing into each other, etc).

Despite the impression I might b e giving at the moment, I’m not frequent on the forum. I see a lot of posts that are similar, so on that note I would say that always look in the forum before asking a question.

I said it before, but it took me 4 months to get my first order (although there were few buyers who expressed interest and then disappeared, and also a cancellation due to a mistake). Although I never worked in a gaming studio, nor am I from Canada. Other people I see there took less than a week to get the first order, although they were not 3D artists. So there is no guarantee to how long it will take for you personally. There will be cancellations, and sometimes you won’t have option to fight it, so just accept it and move on.

I’ve also seen posts here of people that said when they increased their gig price (after receiving feedbacks and upgrading a level or two) and that caused more serious buyers to contact them. So high price can be a good thing.

I could give you more ideas for gigs, but you’re an artist, come up with something by yourself. On top of that, measure your competition. Switch from selling to buying, and type keywords such as 3D, Zbrush, retopo. Use the filters: location, budget, level. People on different levels from different countries might have a very different price range, or very similar. Get inspired by other artists, but DO NOT steal their gig description, and obviously their images and videos. (if you have a reopo gig, you might want to show the “before and after” topology)

Regarding time of the gig and it’s complexity, preparing ahead is a good thing. If it really does take you 4-5 days to put a complete asset (depend on how much you work every day), setting the time for 7 days might be a good idea. Don’t only take your day job and personal life into account, but also the possibility that you’ll get more than one order at a time, so you might have to do 3-4 gigs at the same time frame. (you can limit the orders on your gig page)

Now let’s take the starting point of $5. Think how much effort and time you’re willing to put to get the money (that’s a very individual thing). You might have one, and set it to 1 day, thinking that kind of gig will take less than 2 hours to complete. My own example- I had a low poly gig order, for $5. Client wanted a gold coin. And how do you make a gold coin? Create a cylinder, add thickness, unwrap quickly, send to substance and apply gold smart material. Job done in less than 2 minutes. Weather you want to do this kind of job or not is up to you, but there are people who need that service. It can also be a break from your routine at the studio. Or not. Again, it’s up to you. Pricing yourself is your own choice as well.

Very important, possibly more than all of the above, is one question. What is your goal? Do you want to simply have a bit more money and end of the month? Make Fiverr into a full time job? To make enough money to buy a new car and then quit?

After you answer that, ask how many hours you want and able to put into it. 2 hours a day might be plenty or very little, depend on your goal.

PS- I possibly forgot what else I wanted to write, and might get back to it later.

[gibsongervais]

Just make sure the model is ready for retopo and doesn’t have any issues (broken files, parts of the mesh crashing into each other, etc).

Despite the impression I might b e giving at the moment, I’m not frequent on the forum. I see a lot of posts that are similar, so on that note I would say that always look in the forum before asking a question.

I said it before, but it took me 4 months to get my first order (although there were few buyers who expressed interest and then disappeared, and also a cancellation due to a mistake). Although I never worked in a gaming studio, nor am I from Canada. Other people I see there took less than a week to get the first order, although they were not 3D artists. So there is no guarantee to how long it will take for you personally. There will be cancellations, and sometimes you won’t have option to fight it, so just accept it and move on.

I’ve also seen posts here of people that said when they increased their gig price (after receiving feedbacks and upgrading a level or two) and that caused more serious buyers to contact them. So high price can be a good thing.

I could give you more ideas for gigs, but you’re an artist, come up with something by yourself. On top of that, measure your competition. Switch from selling to buying, and type keywords such as 3D, Zbrush, retopo. Use the filters: location, budget, level. People on different levels from different countries might have a very different price range, or very similar. Get inspired by other artists, but DO NOT steal their gig description, and obviously their images and videos. (if you have a reopo gig, you might want to show the “before and after” topology)

Regarding time of the gig and it’s complexity, preparing ahead is a good thing. If it really does take you 4-5 days to put a complete asset (depend on how much you work every day), setting the time for 7 days might be a good idea. Don’t only take your day job and personal life into account, but also the possibility that you’ll get more than one order at a time, so you might have to do 3-4 gigs at the same time frame. (you can limit the orders on your gig page)

Now let’s take the starting point of $5. Think how much effort and time you’re willing to put to get the money (that’s a very individual thing). You might have one, and set it to 1 day, thinking that kind of gig will take less than 2 hours to complete. My own example- I had a low poly gig order, for $5. Client wanted a gold coin. And how do you make a gold coin? Create a cylinder, add thickness, unwrap quickly, send to substance and apply gold smart material. Job done in less than 2 minutes. Weather you want to do this kind of job or not is up to you, but there are people who need that service. It can also be a break from your routine at the studio. Or not. Again, it’s up to you. Pricing yourself is your own choice as well.

Very important, possibly more than all of the above, is one question. What is your goal? Do you want to simply have a bit more money and end of the month? Make Fiverr into a full time job? To make enough money to buy a new car and then quit?

After you answer that, ask how many hours you want and able to put into it. 2 hours a day might be plenty or very little, depend on your goal.

PS- I possibly forgot what else I wanted to write, and might get back to it later.

@yogevsharabi Thanks for the advice, again. I’ll give this a re-read later in the evening and think on the points you’ve made.