I will probably have to give up modeling...

[Adrian Kulawik]

Hi,
I will probably have to give up modeling, which is why I inform you that I have significantly reduced the prices of 3d models. If you are interested, I invite you


- 50 % for everything...
https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/3D...ort_order=desc

- 30 % for everything...
https://www.cgtrader.com/adriankulawik

- 50 % for everything...
https://www.artstation.com/adriankulawik/store

[Axis3d]

Hi,
I will probably have to give up modeling, which is why I inform you that I have significantly reduced the prices of 3d models. If you are interested, I invite you


- 50 % for everything...
https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/3D...ort_order=desc

- 30 % for everything...
https://www.cgtrader.com/adriankulawik

- 50 % for everything...
https://www.artstation.com/adriankulawik/store

Adrian, your modeling/texturing work is amazing. I hope you are well and not having to give up modeling for any health reasons.

[Adrian Kulawik]

Thank you for your concern but my life situation has changed a bit and I have to look for a job because unfortunately I am not able to support myself with modeling.

[TheLexx]

Glad you are okay Adrian. Sorry to hear about the change. It is quite something when a man of your talents has to walk away from modelling, but those guys on the Daz store who make a big breast morph for Vicki whatever seem to be raking in the cash. Crazy world....

Best wishes anyway.

[Tim Parsons]

Let me get this straight - you actually make/made a living creating models and it is/was your sole source of income?

[jwiede]

Let me get this straight - you actually make/made a living creating models and it is/was your sole source of income?

Honestly, it is fairly impressive that he was able to get by this long, modeling for primary income.

Adrian: Sorry for the situation, job change is always stressful. Hopefully you saw it coming, and had time to plan ahead for it.

[prometheus]

Glad you are okay Adrian. Sorry to hear about the change. It is quite something when a man of your talents has to walk away from modelling, but those guys on the Daz store who make a big breast morph for Vicki whatever seem to be raking in the cash. Crazy world....

Best wishes anyway.

Makes me wonder if the DAZ marketplace kind of aimed at more people in general willing to spend money, or if there is so many men out there with this obsession of paying for sexistic morphs?

I now Ryan Roye has a video covering making morphs for daz, and hinting that DAZ is a great marketplace, but I don´t know if that is something Adrian tried? or if the kind of modeling required for that isn´t what Adrian is used to or what his best skills is at?

Then Turbosquid takes how much of the profit? VS Daz? perhaps that is just a too low margin that really doesn´t affect the general income that much.

I also wonder, sure lightwave models may have it´s use and market, but wouldn´t pure blender models all completly converted have a chance to sell much more? that along with obj, fbx, and lwo that is, though additional time to convert.

[erikals]

get a 30-50% side job in addition.

or. like you say, change fields, to something more boring perhaps, but much better paid.

[Dan Ritchie]

I feel the pain. The market isn't what it once was. Everyone's doing it. CG is kind of disliked these days in favor of more practical stuff. But hey, we hated CG before it was cool to hate it, right? But it isn't going away. These are the tools of the trade.

[erikals]

it's more people than ever doing 3D modeling. In addition the pile of 3D objects has built up over time.

so the new way i believe is to work for a company, one way or another.

or change to 3D animation, but the same goes for that field, more people doing it overall.

unfortunately, this was always a tough industry.

a few lucky ones get to earn big cash  
for the rest of us, a life earning the bottom dollar awaits  


this is why parents scream when their kid says "mom... dad... I want to become an artist"

[TheLexx]

If you guys were in Adrian's shoes what might be your adaptive strategy ? I am not speaking from experience, but maybe being a one-guy store isn't the best way because it effectively relies on "passing trade" (albeit passing via the net), when perhaps being "a service" would be better - eg, be ready to model blind for whoever asks for anything. Then it is down to becoming really good at one thing, pretty good at another thing, and kinda okay at lots of other things, adding value and hopefully survivability along the way. Take on one more guy, then you become a 3D house yourself....

[erikals]

post #8 > get a 30-50% side job in addition.

or like you say, cooperate with others, join the force.

or an online service, like fiverr.

[vncnt]

Hi,
I will probably have to give up modeling, which is why I inform you that I have significantly reduced the prices of 3d models. If you are interested, I invite you

Of course you're not giving up!

Simply try to do the same that many of us successfully have done: expand your business.

With Lightwave you have a mini studio in a box.
Use that and add free tools (Fusion, Resolve) to your toolbox and start animating in Layout, combine with VFX work in Fusion, combine everything in Resolve.
Much later: buy a camera, a tripod, a good mid-range directional microphone.

Your potential customers who work for other (generic) companies don't even know what "modeling" is.
All they want is an instructional video, or a PR video, or a commercial.

With Lightwave you have the ability to to distinguish yourself with 3D models/animations/VFX in the final product, compared to the competition. Your customers will be impressed and they will come back for more!
Read some books about story telling, media project management, etc.

You can't do modeling the next 45 years until you retire.

[gar26lw]

this is a shame, I think I have bought a number of your models. great stuff.

[ccclarke]

it's more people than ever doing 3D modeling. In addition the pile of 3D objects has built up over time.

so the new way i believe is to work for a company, one way or another.

or change to 3D animation, but the same goes for that field, more people doing it overall.

unfortunately, this was always a tough industry.

a few lucky ones get to earn big cash  
for the rest of us, a life earning the bottom dollar awaits  


this is why parents scream when their kid says "mom... dad... I want to become an artist"

You hit the nail on the head. Unless you're one of those very rare, supremely talented individuals, (like in the music industry) your chances of making a comfortable living as a 3D artist over the long-term are not high, unless you're part of something bigger than yourself. I work for a large aerospace company as a 3D visual effects artist. I've got more work than I can ever complete lined up. As priorities and deadline dates constantly change, I adapt and stay focused on the highest priority tasking.

We use the capability for high-level briefings, (CAD renders from the design engineers in yellow/green/red just don't carry the same impact as photo-realistic ones) documentation, (I can place a virtual camera at any angle to get "the perfect shot", no matter the size of what's being built) and training, (if a picture is worth a thousand words, an animation is worth a million) just to name a few. One of the best uses for an animation is the ability to explain something visually that is very difficult to comprehend conceptually using words.

For our Preliminary Design Reviews where we showcase a capability to a customer before being approved for further funding, photoreal renders demonstrate we know what they want by giving them something that looks like a finished product, far beyond the working prototype stage, which can be years away in some cases.

Oftentimes, our customers can't tell the concept from a completed product if the render knocks their socks off. That's the best indicator I have that I've done my job. We had a customer get very upset in a meeting when he was shown a render. He thought it was real and wanted to know who authorized building the hardware, because he wasn't about to pay for it. The program manager waited for him to calm down and explained that what he was viewing in the presentation was a computer-generated image. The customer became most embarrassed, thanked us for doing a thorough job, and we won the contract. When the meeting adjourned, everyone headed to my office to tell me the story. The renders didn't sell the product, but they helped.

Working for a successful company has it's benefits. If I need additional hardware, software, or training, it's available with sufficient justification. (I was able to convince our management to send me to the DAVE school!) Great healthcare benefits, a pension, 401k, etc. are part of the deal. But most importantly, (for me anyway) is job security. Too many of my friends who went to Hollywood hoping to make it big were never able to convert their dreams into reality. Their talent wasn't the issue - the entertainment industry is absolutely brutal. Most didn't last long and moved into other occupations.

When I retire, I'd be happy to sell models online, but only as supplemental income. Waiting for someone to buy my art when a household bill is coming due would stress me out. And nothing is enjoyable if you're stressed out, so it would be a paying hobby more than anything else.

There are challenging opportunities available for motivated Lightwave artists in a variety of interesting and well-paying fields.

Law firms are a one example. An accident attorney has the potential to win a huge settlement. Convincing the jury in his client's favor is the major factor in winning the case. Witnesses called by each side offer contradictory testimony. What better way to settle the issue than with an animated scene of the accident, placing cameras in the positions occupied by each witness to show their perspective of the scene?

If I were out of work, I'd take a demo animation with fixed photography shots of an intersection as reference to every accident/injury law firm in the area. Convincing them if they don't use this capability, one of their competitors will is a compelling motivator to at least try my service. Getting a full-time gig for a busy firm would be the next logical step. The opportunities for full-time employment are limited only by one's creativity and imagination to adapt their talents to the marketplace, and convincing a prospective employer they need high-end graphics to gain a competitive edge.

Rewarding employment opportunities exist for talented, adaptable Lightwave artists who can demonstrate their skills in a creative, compelling way that match with the needs of prospective employers - even if they don't know they need the capability yet! I don't have the temperament to wonder if I'll be employed next year - Working for a large corporation is my preferred choice to earn a constant paycheck, doing what I enjoy with the benefits to care for my family.

Your mileage may vary,

CC