Turbosquid buyer expectations and the Coconut Bay

# 1 24-01-2013 , 06:27 PM

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Turbosquid buyer expectations and the Coconut Bay

I was surfing in turbosquid to see which models sell in a short time. But when i try to get to a deduction by checking the statistics and model infos written by project owners, i get confused all the time. Ok, quality characters sell good, i understand production quality veichles and architecture that is needed for a spesific scene in industry... but, what makes this Coconut Bay so attractive to buyers in such a short time. 90 M polygons is understandable if you think about the trees and stuff... Understandable. But hey, Sep 4, 2012 publish date, and 24 reviews already? What am i missing? is that few months which get passed was the biggest time period in earth history that coconut bay demand was at its climax? Ok just exaggerating. Just want to know seller impressions and strategies on selling models online. What is more profitable on such sites. I am totally ok with the coconut bay. Totally ! Not even impressed. True story. 24 reviews? its totally understandable !

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# 2 25-01-2013 , 02:09 AM

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I have seen a lot of their models...and to be honest, most of them are very ordinary and you could do better yourself.

cheers bullet

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 3 25-01-2013 , 11:34 AM

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I think that Coconut Bay product gets so much attention not just because of the sheer size and quality of it(and there's not a lot of that on there) but also because the seller produced high quality promo images. It's marketing, the product stands out against the hordes of thumbnails with dodgy texture work, shading and presentation. And if that gets the asset on the front page, even better.

I think a seller is taking a chance with characters unless they're realistic(Coconut Bay has this going for it as well), otherwise there's a good probability that it will not fit in with the art direction of the buyer's project. I should think that goes for any asset that's of non photo-realistic design. And if you're selling gadgets/electronics then you'll have to update often because that phone from 4 years ago probably isn't going to be moving too much. If you're doing Arch Viz assets then be prepared for some stiff competition in quality and volume.

- Genny
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# 4 25-01-2013 , 09:49 PM

Lead Modeler - Framestore
Join Date: Feb 2003

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Should be called TurboSquib.....

They make me laugh with their quality mesh check blurb. You are just better off making your own, or use one of theirs as a template and make a better one over it.

I worked on a production a few years back and we need spaceships really quick, so it was decided that they were going to download a few from the Turbosquid guys, they spent alot of money on stuff only to find out that it all needed rebuilding...

Jay

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# 5 26-01-2013 , 12:33 PM

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What do they lack in quality mesh check Jay? As a pro what are the facts you look for in meshes before you buy.

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# 6 26-01-2013 , 04:17 PM

Lead Modeler - Framestore
Join Date: Feb 2003

Location: UK

Posts: 6,287

Generally Ive come across meshes with holes, some alleged UVs (laughable), 5 siders and so on.

What we look for is a clean mesh, quads and no N-sided faces no lamina faces and so on. Thats why I say its just better to build your own, keep an eye on it keep it clean. You'd be surprised at some of the dirty meshes I have had to clean up from Digital Domain. Ludicrous, these so called 3d modellers/generalists are a disgrace, they just want to put their names on stuff and make a bit of money and say. 'yeah I did that' There is no fundamental understanding of a good mesh in some cases. Its common sense.

The uv side of things is that alot of artists hate the task, but if you want a good texture you gotta have good uvs, Good uvs on a model are not done in one click with a plugin or otherwise. Yeah sure get something rough mapped out with a pelter if you want but dont take it for granted. Be good to your mesh and it will serve you well at the end of the day.

Jay

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# 7 27-01-2013 , 02:50 PM

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... they just want to put their names on stuff and make a bit of money and say. 'yeah I did that' There is no fundamental understanding of a good mesh in some cases. ...

Originally Posted by

I came to the same conclusion, some of the stuff on there.... I wasn't surprised that TS implemented the check mate system, yeah the merchants have to jump through some more hoops but at least their product(s) stand out more (and you're still getting borked meshed Jay lol).

- Genny
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# 8 08-01-2014 , 09:31 PM

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yeah its weird. 222 reviews ! Possibilities;

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/...pion-v2/572876

- it was free and it got relisted with a price
- scorpion demand is high ( why doesn other scorpions and insects doesnt make the same hit ??)
- owners of the site wanted to see more scorpion models and listed this in their own aacount
- this guy knows how to promote his models online, directing buyers to squid...

and here is another one;

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/...d-model/767028

this one had 7 reviews in a couple of months. i have been following it. and it got stuck at 7 ! could it be like, they already have buyers to sell the model, and they list it on squid to make insurance kind of thing?

and thats the model i am working on... if i finish texturing and retopology, i will have a clue on how things work in squid !!

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/...ead-obj/772194

btw its a good deal, 9$ for a unique sculpt , no scans user added image

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# 9 09-01-2014 , 06:13 AM

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TS take a fair chunk of that price...read the specs first. I was going to do heaps of props but when I saw the % take I left it alone.

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 10 09-01-2014 , 08:27 AM

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they sure do, but imagine you have a scorpion that will sell for 200+ times user added image

the mighty scorpion

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# 11 09-01-2014 , 10:09 AM

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Hmmmm I still left it alone....I think TS are taking too much if you ask me.

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 12 09-01-2014 , 10:52 AM

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I think Turbosquid is more of a buyer's site than a seller's. Last I checked, they take 60%. You can work your way up to earning 80% on your sales only if you agree to be exclusive, have diamond status (sold over $10,000 worth of merchandise) and are apart of the affiliate program (direct traffic to TS). If you're exclusive, the affiliate rate is 20%, if not it's 15%. However, it doesn't matter how well you sell, if you're not exclusive with them, you will never get a royalty rate above 40%.

For established merchants this might not be such a big deal, but for the merchants that are trying sell enough to get to diamond level, it will be hard since buyers can filter out products based on merchant level. Then there is the extra time and effort needed to jump through the checkmate system hoops. Even if they go exclusive, a lot of sellers will be stuck for longer periods of time handing over 60% to Turbosquid. Some artists hike up their prices but that causes other issues.

- Genny
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# 13 09-01-2014 , 04:27 PM

Technical Director
Join Date: Feb 2004

Posts: 2,988

Still my favorite: https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/...d-boxes/504378

Polygons: 6
Vertices: 8

user added image

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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# 14 09-01-2014 , 05:24 PM

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Posts: 895

haha Awesome boxes. Only black stars are from people who have purchased the item. Sell a lot of this stuff on there each month but you will just have to trust me as most people don't rate items.

https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Artists/studio-Lab

Also started putting all our game stuff up on there as well under a diff user to try and bring in some extra cash. It can make money but it is hit and miss and you really need a lot of stuff

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# 15 09-01-2014 , 05:35 PM

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Join Date: Apr 2002

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Still my favorite: https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/...d-boxes/504378

Polygons: 6
Vertices: 8

Originally Posted by NextDesign

I might have considered it if they had been properly rigged user added image

Dave

From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

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Turbosquid buyer expectations and the Coconut Bay

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