If you are creating a larger project, chances are that you don’t have time to create all the 3D models required. In that case it can be time saving and affordable to look for 3D models on the available 3D asset stock markets.
Here we list the top 8 places to find and buy 3D models for your Blender projects.
When you shop around on these sites you will soon find out that many assets are up for sale on multiple stores. So, if you are trying to find the best price for an asset you may have better luck by looking at multiple platforms.
CGTrader is a huge library of 3D models. You can find just about anything in there. The search features are good and CGTrader has worked hard to feature the highest quality models for any search query.
The library contains over one million assets and increases every day.
Just about anyone can sell on CGTrader so the quality varies quite a bit. You will have to be a bit careful so that you actually know what you are buying. Other than that, most models are priced relatively low and you can do some real bargains.
You probably know about Blendermarket already if you are here. Blendermarket focus on the Blender software only and primarily add-ons. There are also some sellers selling 3D models on the marketplace.
A couple of sellers that has large libraries of high quality are the 3D shaker account and another called quantum. Both of these sellers have a large library of high quality assets for Blender projects with native file format.
The problem with Blendermarket is that the interface and search features are not comparable to the other platforms. It can be hard to find what you are looking for and the filters are often buggy.
Blendkit is an add-on that actually comes bundled with Blender. There are a lot of free resources in this add-on but even more premium assets that you can access for a small monthly fee.
With a yearly plan, you pay only $5 per month and you get access to the entire premium library. The models vary in quality but there are really good ones in there as well.
You can browse the library by enabling the add-on and see what models are available both for free and in the premium collection.
If you are new to buying 3D models and you want a very affordable alternative, this may be a good place to get some cheap content. Blenderkit also heavily support the creators and Blender development with the funds that come in.
Flipped normal market themselves as the only curated cg marketplace. My understanding here is that they review seller portfolios before people are let in to sell on their marketplace. But I have never sold anything on this marketplace so I am not sure if that is the whole process or if they actually review every product upload.
In any case, flipped normal generally have high quality products in their catalog. Not like CGTrader where everything seems to be allowed. So if you are looking ofr higher quality models and don’t want to filter through piles of lower quality assets, flipped normal may be a good place to check out.
Sketchfab is known for their platform where artists can upload and display their 3D art assets online through a web viewer. But not too long ago they also started their own asset store.
Sketchfab is a pretty new assets store. They are otherwise known for their web viewer for 3D art. Anyway, Sketchfab has grown quickly to become a major player in digital 3D art assets and is one of the most used platforms.
There are a lot of stylized and low poly models on Sketchfab. This is because the 3D models need to work well in the web viewer. You are less likely to end up buying a model with performance issues if you use this marketplace.
If I were to guess I would position it as the third largest platform after Turbosquid and CGTrader.
The main benefit with Sketchfab is that they give the buyer a very nice preview since their web viewer is enabled for all assets. Many artists also had their assets uploaded to sketchfab when their store launched so they could grow quickly.
Hum3D, now rebranded as 3DModels.org has a huge library, especially for those looking for all sorts of vehicles to put in their scenes. They also have a nice collection of plants and foods, but apart from vehicles I especially like their animal models.
If you are looking for some kind of landmark or famous building, check their architecture category. You will find 3D models of many famous buildings here.
Also, I have not yet found a model on their marketplace that wasn't provided as a .blend file and it is always a huge plus when we don't need to import and deal with setting up materials of other features manually. So, a huge plus there.
Turbosquid is traditionally the most well-known and probably the largest marketplace for digital 3D assets. Maybe second to CGTrader, it is hard to tell.
They have what they call a squid guild program where an asset can get a stamp of approval if you will that signify that an asset reaches a certain level of quality. Traditionally it is the most expensive marketplace, probably thanks to the low commission that they give sellers.
They were recently acquired by Shutterstock and we will see what changes that may bring in the future.
A site that I discovered only a couple of years ago and became an active subscriber of just recently is iMeshh. The quality they produce is simply outstanding and fit for any high end project. Be it architectural visualization or other kinds of high end renders or animations. Perhaps in your latest TV commercial project?
They provide both native blend files but also more widely accepted formats such as fbx and gltf.
One downside though is that they only allow 4 downloads per asset, so if you find that you have a few favorites you cannot rely on unlimited downloads of that asset.
Other than that the site is snappy, well designed and easy to browse. They also have materials and a few full scenes along with a collection of free assets to try before you buy.
Chocofur is not a marketplace but they do have a handful of partners that sell through their site. If you are into archviz, exterior and interior scenes, Chocofur is a great place to find thousands of models that is catered towards this niche.
They have a nice, sorted library with high quality models. My Chocofur models are the ones I use the most out of all 3D models I bought.
The best thing about Chocofur is that they sell all their models and assets in a single bundle. You also get the models they release after you bought the bundle.
