Reply To: What is the worth of my 3d model?

I don’t know if my response will help, but when selling art in any market look at the market values for comparable models (poly count, style, etc..), look at various sites such as Turbo Squid, CG Trader, etc…, talk to others actively selling models, look at how long it took you to make the model, your time is valuable, what is the quality of the model (level of detail, mesh quality, materials/textures included, rigged or not)and the demand for that style of model. You will find models in the same category (Spaceships or Figures) will vary. You will find some that are $5 while others are $25 or up to $75. and more. You are in a unique situation since you have a demand for it. Which is awesome. Congratulations. 

Also, the pricing for developing a custom model for a client vs selling a pre-made model is different. You are right to be thinking along the lines of varying pricing for selling them sole use of the model vs you retaining the rights and ability to continue to sell it to others. If they were to buy it for their sole use, that cost would be equal to developing a custom model for the client.  I have also seen some modelers offer limited-custom use rights. IE 6 months or 1 year. But it doesn’t sound like your client is interested in limited or exclusive use rights. Just something to consider if you decide to sell your work. 

Also consider if will you need to rig this for them? Or do they have someone who will rig and animate it? Make sure you include the pricing for any extra work you may need to do before they take possession of the initial model. This is outside of any future development you may do on the model for them. 

I hope any of this was useful to you. Good luck and congratulations. The model looks awesome.

EDIT: Be sure to have a contract that clearly states the rights they will have to the model and what you retain. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a doc that clearly delineates the rights and expectations. This way there is no question. You will find every site that sells models has this information for each model they sell. I believe some sites even have a separate 3D print license for the model while others may have a personal use vs commercial use license. It varies per site, but is there. 

I also forgot to mention, consider the credit you will receive and if you intend to sell, what is it worth to you to get this into their hands as part of your active client portfolio to use for marketing? Also, will they likely be a future customer? If you are fairly sure of repeat sales vs a one-off purchase, you may consider a better value for them in order to build a long-term relationship.  I would absolutely price a one-off purchase at the higher-end market value vs if I knew I could establish a long-term relationship with them. You can even lock them into the updates you want to make now by offering a discount on whatever the market price you decide it will be as long as they want the future development. I don’t know if you have an idea of how your working time and process is yet. That may or may not be a viable option for you. But it is something else you can consider.