I'm considering being a freelancer - specifically in the 3D modeling and 3D modeling-for-printing fields. How can I make this viable?

[ff_ninja]

Years ago, I spent my college time unlocking an interest and an understanding for 3D modeling principles. It's been a long time, but I still understand the fundamentals and it was one of the few "creatives" I'd ever lost myself into. I'm a stay-at-home dad now and I want to develop an additional revenue source while making myself more productive, and I've always had an interest in 3D modeling - especially and specifically, 3D modeling for print. I've dabbled in tabletop game development over the years, and I've come to understand that 3D printing has become a lot more economically viable than it was 10-ish years ago.

Years ago, I had the notion to create 3D models, adapt them for physical printing, and sell them on placed like Shapeways. I'm trying to determine if making 3D models for print is viable anymore - and if it is, some good methods of making money from them. I don't seem to be hitting the right search algorithms lately, however; there are a lot of people talking about printing models at home (or as part of a business) and retailing/selling them directly, but there doesn't seem to be much discussion of using print-on-demand fulfillment ala Shapeways et al.

If there's one community I'd think might be able to help me determine if 3D modeling design (and especially design for 3D print) is a viable business choice and how I might go about that, then it's this one. Any useful insight is welcome.

To clarify: my original idea was to design objects (dice, miniatures, tokens, perhaps jewelry, collectibles, etc. - heavily influenced by my love for the RPG hobby) for 3D print and do order fulfillment and marketing through services such as Shapeways; I am however open to viable spin-off options that still involve 3D design or 3D printing, and I'm open to any thoughts.

[alcabsn]

What a nice story you have! I found my interest in graphic design because of my cousin. I've watched him design stuff when I was young and I was amazed on the results. I just love that you can create anything with just the help of your imagination.

But, unfortunately, I don't know anything about 3D modeling so I'm going to be giving you a link that leads to some articles that might help you in your future career as a freelancer in Fiverr.

In the link below, you can find and read a lot of articles that can give you an idea on how Fiverr works. Take your time reading it 🙂

https://www.fiverr.com/support/categories/360002121498-Gigs?segment=seller

1 hour ago, ff_ninja said:

If there's one community I'd think might be able to help me determine if 3D modeling design (and especially design for 3D print) is a viable business choice and how I might go about that, then it's this one. Any useful insight is welcome.

If you're talking about the Fiverr Forum, there are a lot of users that gives out tips that doesn't even help you as a seller. They give tips that doesn't have any evidence of working, so be wary of that or else you might just end up wasting your time. Some also spam thinking that posting a comment on the forum will give them more orders, but that's not true.

However, there are also a lot of useful tips that was given by sellers that you can actually call an expert. Here are the threads that I've found useful.

Best of luck! 😄

[glow_writer]

Check if there are gigs in that category and see what they are doing, as well as how they structure their gigs and what they offer. Do more research and see what you might come up with.