What sort of pricing do you consider fair for freelance work like concept art, modeling, texturing, and animating game models? Is there someplace I could go to see examples? Some examples I’d like to reference are Next Gen, (i.e. >15k tri’s, with Normal maps) and Low rez MMO stuff that are just 4-5k tri’s with textures. Also I’d like to know what to charge for conceptualizing someone’s ideas from “idea” to “finished game ready model”. (Including the concept art and game animations) I realize there are many variables to consider, I’m just looking for rough ideas and a way to compare my work with the industry standard. Thanks

This should give you a good idea.

Wow…You saw right through my clever ploy to drive up the price of 3d game models. I guess there are no idiots here.

…is there anyone else I could talk to??

I suppose you could forcecast how many hours it's gonna take you, and take it from there. Other than that, I wouldn't know.

Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.
Maxim 847. Publius Syrus








Low rez stuff, I can probably find for 30 bucks or so, maybe less.

It depends on a lot of things, if the buyer want exclusive rights you should imo charge the buyer based on how long you think it will take. (Anything from $5/hour to $50/Hour or more could be reasonable depending on how good you are and where you live.

for non exclusive deals its alot harder, (Lower prices could result in more sales and thus higher profits but alot of models will only be of interest to a limited number of projects so you need to consider the size of the target market as well as the effort involved in making the model)

Thanks for the help guys. I guess it is sort of a vague question. I suppose its like any other artwork. (Except it wont be worth more when I'm dead)

As was mentioned, it is worth whatever you can negotiate.

If you are generating concept art for a bid, the initial few prototype pieces may be $0 or it may be a bit of earnest money. If you are generating finished models, you should negotiate incremental payments based on work completed. You should also provide each individual piece as a finished work and get paid for it before investing too much work in the next phase.

Larger groups will pay more money but want it done quickly. Generally they can afford to pay well. They will pay a lot to a contractor because they are not paying for employee overhead, they will generally pay less than it would cost them to hire a person for the same work, and they done at least as fast as in-house work. Because speed is generally more valuable, they will often turn to experienced groups (sweatshops) to do the work quickly rather than turning to individuals. They will be in command when negotiating the price and the contract details. You should have a lawyer review every detail before signing anything.

Smaller groups or individuals generally have less money. They typically cannot afford a full-time artist or modeler. They will generally require more "face time" to communicate their ideas, and will not have experience articulating their needs. You can get away with contract and IP books from Nolo press if you don't want to pay for lawyer time. You need to be aware of the types of contracts, and you can freely negotiate the price and contract details.