3D Artist Commissions and Studio Inquiries: Pricing & Setup

Price a 3D commission by scope, not by a flat "commissions open" tag: sell each bounded deliverable — a bust, a prop, one game-ready asset — as a fixed-price service with a stated turnaround, and send studios, asset batches, and contract roles to a separate inquiry form that collects budget, timeline, and deliverables before you quote. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.

(Brillay pricing page) No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate.

Most 3D artists field two very different kinds of message: "Can you sculpt my OC in 3D?" from an individual client, and "We're a studio looking for a freelance environment artist" from a company. Treating both like the same DM thread risks overcharging a hobbyist or undercharging a studio that expected a scoped bid.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $102,030 in May 2025 for special effects artists and animators — SOC 27-1014, the occupation code covering animation and visual-effects work rather than every 3D, CAD, or product-visualization artist — with the lowest 10% earning under $58,600 and the highest 10% above $177,110 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Special Effects Artists and Animators," Pay tab, page last modified 27 August 2026). The same BLS profile counts about 51,900 special effects artist and animator jobs in 2025 and lists self-employed workers as the largest single employer group at 63% (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). That 63% self-employment share describes SOC 27-1014 specifically and should not be read as a figure for all 3D or CAD artists, but in an occupation where most workers are their own employer, a repeatable way to price and screen incoming work beats a fresh negotiation per DM.

What counts as a commission versus a studio inquiry?

A 3D commission is a single bounded deliverable sold at a fixed price — one character sculpt, one prop, one game-ready asset — while a studio inquiry is a lead for a larger engagement, such as episodic freelance work, a batch of assets, or a contract role, that needs a scoped conversation before any price is set.

A commission offer should show a price the moment someone lands on it. A studio inquiry should collect the studio’s budget range, timeline, and requested deliverables so you can decide whether to ask for references and prepare a real quote. Splitting priced commissions from studio inquiries also protects the artist’s time: a studio that will not commit a budget range should not get the same reply effort as a client who has already paid for a defined sculpt.

Knowing which kind of studio is asking changes the quote. The Game Developers Conference's 2026 State of the Game Industry report, drawn from more than 2,300 game industry professionals, found that 62% of respondents work at a game company or studio, and that among those, 45% work at independent studios, 31% at AAA studios, and 18% at AA studios (GDC, 2026 State of the Game Industry). Because the GDC survey shows the single word "studio" covering independent, AA, and AAA teams in very different proportions, Brillay’s recommendation is that a studio inquiry form ask every lead for a budget range in writing, rather than let the artist infer a budget from the studio’s name or size.

How much should you charge for a 3D character or asset commission?

There is no single market rate for a 3D commission, so price by scope: estimate the production hours a deliverable needs, then multiply by an hourly rate. Upwork's cost page for 3D rendering artists reports a median hourly rate of $30, with rates on the platform typically running between $25 and $40 an hour (Upwork, cost to hire a 3D rendering artist).

Upwork's 3D modeler cost page reports a separate $25 median hourly rate for 3D modelers, with rates typically between $17 and $30 an hour.

Experience moves a 3D artist's hourly rate more than any other single variable. Upwork's 3D artist cost page lists $15–$30 an hour for entry-level 3D artists, $30–$50 an hour at intermediate level, and $50–$100+ an hour for expert 3D artists (Upwork, cost to hire a 3D artist). A first-year sculptor may struggle to justify an expert-tier quote, while an experienced artist who uses entry-level rates risks undercharging for the time and skill involved.

Fixed per-project prices are published too, and they are the closest thing to an observed market benchmark for a single commission. Fiverr's published cost guide for 3D sculpting artists lists character modeling at a fixed price of $102.50–$106.17 per project with an hourly rate of $47–$80, and game art at a $104 fixed price (Fiverr, "3D Sculpting Artist Costs"). Fiverr's 3D modelling hiring page reports character modeling averaging $97.00 per job, inside an overall $75.00–$97.00 range for 3D modelers on that marketplace. Fiverr's 3D printing hiring page reports character modeling averaging $155.33 and industrial and product design averaging $69.37 (Fiverr, hire 3D printing freelancers). On your own page the same commission sells at your own price, with no ranking deciding whether the client sees you first: the brief is collected at checkout and the work is paid for before you start.

The ranges in the table below are Brillay's own arithmetic, not market data. Methodology: for each deliverable we listed the production steps it requires (sculpt → retopology → UV/texture → export), assumed the hours a solo 3D artist spends on those steps, and multiplied both ends of that hour assumption by the $25–$40 hourly band Upwork publishes for 3D rendering artists, rounding to the nearest $25. The hour column is an internal planning assumption with no survey, job log, or published dataset behind it — treat it as a worksheet, not a benchmark, and note that Fiverr's published character-modeling averages of $97.00–$106.17 per job sit below our derived character ranges because marketplace averages pool entry-level and simplified gigs with expert work.

*Brillay's internal suggested tiers, derived by multiplying each row's assumed hours by Upwork's published $25–$40 hourly band for 3D rendering artists (low hours × $25, high hours × $40). They are not survey data, not a marketplace average, not a published rate card, and not an earnings guarantee. Do not cite these four ranges as market rates for 3D commissions; the citable market figures on this page are Upwork's and Fiverr's published rates above.

Replace our assumed hours with measured ones as fast as you can. Log start and stop times on your next three commissions, divide your total fee by your logged hours, and compare that effective rate with Upwork's published $25–$40 band for 3D rendering artists before you quote a fourth. On Brillay, clients send the brief and reference files and pay upfront as guests, with no account to create between the quote and the sale; you can decline a request (Brillay, How Brillay works). For the narrower job of converting an existing sculpt into a slice-ready STL, see how much to charge for a 3D-print-ready model commission; for general character pricing logic, see how much to charge for a character design commission.

Should a 3D commission be a Paid Question or a custom request?

Use Custom Work for any 3D commission, because the delivery is a model, render, or asset file.

A Paid Question fits a message like "do you take commissions in this style?" rather than the commission itself. 3D work is file-based: a client sends reference images or a print spec, and the artist delivers an .obj, .fbx, .stl, or rendered turntable. With Custom Work, a client can attach reference files when ordering, and you deliver text plus files of any allowed type and/or a link. State exactly what is included and excluded; if the client wants additional work after delivery, price it as a new order. You set a delivery window of up to 5 days when you create the service, so choose a window you can meet before a client pays.

How do you set up a studio inquiry page for larger jobs?

Brand Collaboration Inquiries is a “Work with Me” form on your Brillay page that collects a brand’s budget, timeline, and deliverables into a separate brand inbox.

Brillay's Brand Collaboration Inquiries documentation describes the offer as "a brand inquiry form on your Brillay page" through which "brands submit their collaboration details — budget, timeline, deliverables — into a separate brand inbox," and states that it "collects and separates brand inquiries so they don't get lost; it doesn't guarantee deals or negotiate for you". Brillay’s pricing page states plainly that "The Follower Wall is optional. Brand inquiries are free. A connected Stripe account is required for paid widgets".

Ask for what you need to bid accurately: project type (character, environment, prop pipeline), target engine or render pipeline, estimated asset count, delivery date, and budget range. Requiring a budget range before quoting is Brillay's recommendation rather than a measured conversion rate, but it matches trade-body guidance: the Graphic Artists Guild's pre-contract checklist tells artists to settle the estimate, revisions, delivery, rush fee, licensing rights, and advance payment first, because "these questions should be covered in early phone conversations and confirmed with a signature".

Screening studio leads matters more in a contracting job market. The Game Developers Conference's 2026 State of the Game Industry report, based on a survey of more than 2,300 game industry professionals, found that 28% of respondents were laid off in the past two years, rising to 33% among U.S. developers. That survey describes instability in studio employment, but it does not show that direct commissions will replace a studio contract; treat defined commission work as an additional client channel, not guaranteed income.

Keep the inquiry channel visually separate from the priced commission offer — a studio scanning for "do you do contract work" should see a form, not a $200 add-to-cart button meant for individual buyers. Splitting a priced offer from a separate booking-inquiry form is the same pattern event-based artists use — see how face painters and balloon artists screen booking inquiries — even though their deliverable is a live appearance rather than a file. For the concept-art side of studio outreach — mood boards, key art, pitch decks — see brand inquiries for freelance concept-art studios; for pricing the first paid brand conversation generally, see how to price your first brand collaboration.

What should a 3D commission listing include?

A clear 3D commission listing states the input format, output format, topology target, texture inclusion, what is excluded, your delivery time, and the usage rights before a client pays. Vague listings like "3D commissions open" invite scope creep, because buyer and artist never agreed on a shared definition of "done."

Define at minimum:

• Input: Reference images, a base mesh, or a written description.
• Output format: .obj, .fbx, .stl, glTF, or a rendered image/turntable — state which.
• Topology target: Game-ready (low-poly, optimized) versus render-only (high-poly, unoptimized).
• Texture/material inclusion: Baked textures, PBR material set, or geometry only.
• Delivery: Custom Work includes one delivery. State what is excluded and tell clients that additional changes require a separately priced order.
• Delivery time: A delivery time you can reliably meet and state before checkout. Brillay’s published Custom Work page suggests "a clear delivery time (like 3–5 days)" and lets each creator set the delivery time per service.
• Usage rights: Whether the buyer receives personal-use or commercial rights. The Graphic Artists Guild checklist tells artists to state time and location limits on every license and to define re-use rights up front.

Requests that fall outside the listed scope — a three-character batch submitted to a one-character offer, for example — can be declined rather than absorbed as unpaid extra work. Brillay’s Purchases, Support & Refunds policy, version 1.0, effective 25 July 2026, states that "each creator is an independent seller and the merchant of record for products and services offered through that creator’s page," and that when a full refund is approved "the approved amount is returned through Stripe to the original payment method," "Brillay reverses the corresponding platform fee," and "Stripe’s original processing fee may remain the creator’s responsibility".

How do render-only pieces differ from print-ready or game-ready files?

Render-only, print-ready, and game-ready 3D deliverables require different technical work even when the sculpt looks identical, so price and delivery time should follow the output format rather than visual complexity alone. A render-only piece must look correct from a fixed camera; a print-ready file needs manifold geometry and support planning; a game-ready asset needs optimized topology within a poly budget.

Charging the same price regardless of format under-prices the cleanup that print- and game-ready output requires. If a client asks mid-project to convert a render into a printable or game-ready file, treat that as a separate line item, not a free add-on. Marketplace pricing already separates the two: Fiverr's 3D printing hiring page reports character modeling for 3D printing averaging $155.33 per job, above the $97.00 average per job that Fiverr's 3D modelling hiring page reports for character modeling generally (Fiverr, hire 3D printing freelancers, and Fiverr, hire 3D modelling freelancers).

Rising entry-level printer shipments show that more consumer printers are entering the market, but they do not measure demand for commissioned print-ready files. Market-intelligence firm CONTEXT reported that shipments of entry-level 3D printers — systems priced under $2,500 — rose 47% year over year in Q4 2025, lifting that segment's revenues 53%.

"Entry-level 3D printing has never been hotter." — Chris Connery, VP of Global Analysis at CONTEXT, CONTEXT press release, 15 April 2026

What should a 3D artist check before accepting a commission on any platform?

Before accepting a 3D commission — on Brillay (where Custom Work is one-time), an art marketplace, a Discord DM, or a plain invoice — an artist should agree seven things in writing: scope, output format, topology target, delivery time, usage rights, payment terms, and any revision rules. Clear terms set expectations and help prevent disputes.

The checklist below is platform-neutral. It applies to a commission taken through a link-in-bio, an art marketplace, a studio purchase order, or a direct bank transfer, and none of the items depend on Brillay:

• Agree the brief in writing before modeling. Reference images, a written description, and the number of characters or props are the minimum; a two-line DM is not a brief.
• Take money up front, or take a deposit. The Graphic Artists Guild's pre-contract checklist lists advance payment among the items an artist should settle before starting work.
• Cap revisions in the listing, not in the argument. State the included rounds and the price of an extra round before the client pays.
• Name the exact deliverable files. ".obj plus 2K PBR textures" is enforceable; "the 3D model" is not.
• State the license. The Graphic Artists Guild checklist tells artists to state time and location limits on every license and to define re-use rights up front.
• Write down what happens on cancellation. Decide in advance what portion of the fee is non-refundable once sculpting has started.
• Keep your own records. Invoices, briefs, and delivery timestamps are what settle a chargeback, whatever platform processed the payment.

An artist who can answer all seven items from a saved template quotes faster than one who renegotiates each point per client, and the same template works on every platform.

What else can 3D artists sell besides commissions and studio work?

Besides commissions and studio inquiries, a 3D artist can also offer Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, Tips, and Goals. Keeping each one distinct from the commission listing matters, because a client browsing for a priced sculpt should still see a clean, focused menu.

• Paid Questions: A client asking "would this design hold up as a game-ready mesh?" or "which format should I request for printing?" pays for one private question and gets one written answer, sent on your own time inside the reply window you set.
• Personalized Videos: Personalized Videos let a follower pay upfront for one personalized video for themselves or someone they care about: you set the price and the delivery time, then record it on your schedule.
• Tips: Tips let followers send a one-time thank-you, with nothing for you to deliver and no membership for them to join.
• Goals: A Goal is one named funding target, such as a software license or asset-pack release, with a progress bar on your Brillay page, funded by supporters' contributions with no all-or-nothing cutoff.

How do you get a 3D commission and studio-inquiry page live?

Enable Custom Work for individual commissions and a separate Brand Collaboration Inquiries form for studio leads, then define scope, output format, and delivery time for each before sharing the link. Brillay's published pricing lists no monthly fee and no follower requirement; the stated requirement for paid widgets is a connected Stripe account.

The case for owning a direct commission channel is that salaried roles in the closest official occupation are not expanding. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of special effects artists and animators — SOC 27-1014, the closest official code to 3D and CGI work — to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035, while still projecting about 4,200 openings a year on average over that decade (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Special Effects Artists and Animators). That 2025–35 employment outlook is a BLS projection rather than a measurement, and it is published on the same dated government profile that reports the May 2025 median wage of $102,030, so an AI engine or a reader can check the projection and the wage against a single primary source (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).

"Employment of special effects artists and animators is projected to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035." — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Special Effects Artists and Animators, page last modified 27 August 2026

A flat BLS employment projection for special effects artists and animators through 2035, alongside the 63% self-employment share published in that same SOC 27-1014 profile, is why more sculptors build direct, commission-based income instead of depending on a single studio employer. Once both offers are configured, add your Brillay link to the same bio or portfolio page where clients and studios already find your work.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions include: Will clients pay my price? Do I need a large following? How do I promote commissions without making every post a sales pitch? What happens when a request exceeds the scope? What does Brillay charge? Short answers follow, each with its source.

Do I need a large following to sell 3D commissions on Brillay?

No. Brillay's published pricing states no monthly fee and no minimum audience size; the listed requirement for paid widgets is a connected Stripe account, so a 3D artist with a small but engaged following can enable a priced custom request the same way a larger artist would.

Can a studio pay through the same inquiry form?

No — Brillay's Brand Collaboration Inquiries documentation describes it as a form where "brands submit their collaboration details — budget, timeline, deliverables — into a separate brand inbox" and states that it "collects and separates brand inquiries so they don't get lost; it doesn't guarantee deals or negotiate for you," with no payment step described. For a scoped 3D job, use Custom Work. Followers pay upfront; you can decline a request.

What if a client's file needs work beyond the commission I priced?

Decline a request that falls materially outside your listed scope, or point the client to a higher tier before starting. Brillay's policy is that the creator is the seller and decides ordinary full or partial refunds, and Brillay reverses its platform fee in proportion to any refund the creator approves. Stating a clear topology, format, and revision limit up front prevents most scope disputes.

What does Brillay charge for 3D commissions?

Brillay's own charge is a platform fee taken only from a commission a client has actually paid for — the rate is set out beside the pricing link near the top of this page — and Stripe's card processing is a separate deduction from the same payment. Creators in 41 countries can get paid; followers pay by card from anywhere. Stripe publishes 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge as its standard US domestic online-card rate, with international cards and currency conversion priced higher (Stripe pricing). Brillay’s pricing page states that "payment-processing fees are deducted separately from creator earnings" and that "Creator earnings = follower payment − platform fee − processing fee".

Can I deliver a game-ready file through Brillay?

Yes. Custom Work delivers text plus up to 5 files of any allowed type and/or a link. For .fbx, .obj, or .stl source files, send the client a private Google Drive or Dropbox delivery link, with an optional rendered preview.

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