Gaming

Top 5 Platforms to Hire 3D Artists

Guillaume Chichmanov
|
March 3, 2024

The gaming industry is approaching an all-time high, with projections suggesting it will generate $365.6 billion globally in 2023. As game art continues pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology, the demand for 3D game artists is soaring. These talented professionals are at the heart of the development process, handling everything from character design and environment modeling to texture creation and animation. 

Put short, 3D game artists know how to breathe life into your creative vision, curating lifelike avatars and environments that pull players from far and wide. Using a mix of ray tracing, shadow effects, and advanced technologies, the right gaming artist is the secret code for your next hit title. However, with the boom in demand for high-quality gaming content, securing a skilled 3D artist for hire is easier said than done. 

But don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll list the top 5 platforms to help you onboard the best 3D game developers, whether you’re working on an AAA title or an indie release. So, read on!

What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing Game Art

Outsourcing 3D game art means no compromise on quality. These experienced professionals are adept with the latest trends in art, including tools and techniques for 3D modeling, animation, and texturing. This makes outsourcing a win-win for small studios and independent developers who want to ensure that their release looks good and meets the high standards expected by players today. 

1. Cost Efficiency

When we talk about creating 3D art for games, one of the first things that comes to mind is the budget. It’s without a doubt that game development can be expensive, with the charges of releasing a 3D title ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Outsourcing game art to professionals can majorly cut down these costs. 

When you hire an in-house team, you’re paying for salaries, software licenses, hardware, and more, regardless of whether you’re actively developing. However, outsourcing means you don’t need to pay for employment charges, including health insurance, taxes, and overtime. Thus, game art outsourcing means that you only pay for the work you need when you need it. 

2. Access to Specialized Talent

When you outsource to 3D game developers, you’re not limited to the skills available in your immediate geographical area. Need someone who’s a pro at lifelike textures or an animator who knows how to add stylized expressions to characters? Outsourcing lets developing units access a vast talent pool, allowing them to find the perfect developer for their project needs. 

3. Scalability and Flexibility

Game development is rarely linear, with highs and lows in the workload, especially in the art development unit. This is where outsourcing helps manage your resources well, thanks to its scalability. During active periods, when you need to develop a large volume of assets, you can hire more 3D game artists. Similarly, when the 3D marketing industry slows down, you can scale back without the hassle of having full-time staff. 

Outsourcing Game Art: The Top 5 Platforms to Hire 3D Artists

1. Cominted Labs

Cominted Labs is the one-stop shop for hiring 3D artists, thanks to its innovative approach to producing game art and 3D marketing campaigns. With a positive record of serving over 50 companies, the studio stands out for the quantity and quality of work it delivers. In the past two years alone, Cominted Labs has produced 1000s of 3D assets, proving its capacity to handle large-scale projects in no time. 

Plus, they have a service to match all your 3D art and CGI ads needs, from 3D environments and animations to detailed props, characters, and level art. Cominted Labs also specializes in marketing trailers, VFX, texturing and skinning — so your campaign has everything it needs to stand out. All you need to do is submit project briefs through a personal, collaborative dashboard using pre-made templates, and you’re good to go! 

A project manager (PM) is assigned to share an estimated time of completion (ETC), oversee production, and make you feel involved throughout the process using reviews and feedback. This collaborative approach at Cominted Labs ensures that the final product meets and exceeds your expectations. 

Features
  • Transparent Pricing: A simple, predictable monthly subscription model that eliminates surprise charges and allows for efficient budget management. 
  • Access to Global Talent: Subscribing to their services opens up a pool of artists and 3D experts, ensuring high-quality outcomes for every project. 
  • Seamless Communication: It integrates with popular communication tools (Slack, Loom) for on-the-go collaboration. 
  • Broad Client Base: Trusted by over 50 companies, including well-known names like Ethereum Towers, TCG World, and Baby Doge. 
  • Collaborative Dashboard: A personal, user-friendly platform for submitting project briefs, tracking progress, and communicating with the project manager and 3D team. 

2. SandStorm

With over 3,000 verified game developers, Sandstorm is a leading marketplace where studios and developers can hire 3D artists for their projects. Whether you’re looking for an artist to create 3D models, avatars, or animation, Sandstorm offers a pool of skilled professionals from around the globe. 

Regarding the working mechanism, artists and creatives set up work profiles with their portfolios, experience, and the services they offer. As a client, you can browse creator profiles and easily hire on-demand builders and award-winning studios for any 3D, AR, or VR project.

Sandstorm often runs creator contests where hundreds of 3D artists compete to win prizes. They also have recently launched their analytics platform for gaming studios.

3. Upwork

Upwork is another platform that makes it easy for businesses and individuals to find talented 3D artists for their art development needs. First up, you need to submit a job description outlining what you’re looking for. This should have everything from specific skills to experience required, whether you’re searching for 3D modeling and animation or VR/AR development. 

Once your job is up on the platform, freelancers and 3D artists with the relevant skill set can submit proposals, listing their rates, portfolios, and why they’d be a good fit. During this step, Upwork offers you all the information to filter out applicants, including their job success scores, feedback from previous clients, and more. If you want to find reliable professionals, aim for those with a job success rate of 90% or more. 

Features
  • Project Management Tools: Once you’ve hired an artist, you can communicate with them by sharing files, tracking the hours logged by the freelancer, and managing payments. 
  • Tailored Search Filters: Upwork allows businesses to narrow down artists by using filters such as skill level, rate, location, and even language proficiency. 
  • Safe Payments: The payments are held in Escrow and are only released once the buyer is completely satisfied with the services received. 

4. CGHero

CGHero is home to a library of over 5,500 vetted digital artists or “Heroes” who’re adept at everything from 2D, 3D, and animation to CFX. Catering to the needs of the media and entertainment industry, the platform has become a go-to for various creative production needs. All you need to do is create a project on CG Hero along with a comprehensive brief. This should include your project type, necessary skills, specific software requirements, and production needs. 

Following this, the marketplace creates tasks and matches developers with the most suitable Heroes. CG Hero regularly updates clients throughout the 3D art development process, keeping them informed on project milestones. 

Features
  • Access to a range of skilled 3D artists. 
  • Integrated messaging and file-sharing capabilities for clear communication.
  • A transparent review and feedback system that promotes a high work standard. 

5. 80LV

As a digital content publishing network, 80LV is all about making connections. For companies, it offers a streamlined process to create instant job posts or search through a talent base filled with pre-screened, job-ready candidates. This list includes a pool of skilled artists, including character modelers, visual development artists, environment artists, and more. 

For artists and 3D game developers, 80LV makes it easy to display their work, build a professional profile, and get noticed by top gaming companies. The platform has easy navigation, so you can seamlessly share your portfolio and work samples with clients. 

Features
  • Has a community of over 1.5 million monthly website visits.
  • Allows both companies and job seekers to hire and be hired.
  • Offers professional growth opportunities through courses, seminars, and workshops.

Conclusion

If you want to expand your game development team, outsourcing the 3D art generation to talented artists and creative developers is the way to go. These professionals offer the flexibility to scale as per the needs of your business without committing to full-time employees. The platforms mentioned here are all home to an extensive selection of 3D game artists who know how to revamp your release’s visuals, storytelling, and overall player experience. With the advancement of AI in 3D, it will be interesting to follow the new wave of creators that will use technologies like Sora from OpenAI to create immersive content at scale - A great platform to discover videos create with Sora AI is Soracreators.ai.

And when it comes to the best companion for your game art project, there’s no better platform than Cominted Labs. With keen attention to detail and an extensive 3D art portfolio, we’re worth our name in CGI marketing and game art. 

Since we have produced thousands of 3D assets in the last two years, we’re here to help you with everything from marketing trailers and VFX to texturing services. So, contact us today for a transparent, no-surprise pricing model and smooth 3D marketing services! 

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