Where to Download 3D Objects for Free

3D illustration and design expert Zigor reveals a few of his favorite sites to download material for limitless 3D projects

3D has become a crucial model for digital production, whether that’s in 3D printing, animation, video games, architecture or industrial design. Below are a few of the best platforms for finding 3D objects online, recommended by designer and illustrator Zigor Samaniego (@zigor), for anyone starting out in the professional world of 3D needing resources to realize renders when working on Cinema 4D.

Thingiverse

Considered to be the largest community of 3D printers in the world, Thingiverse is a free website where users share all kinds of digital material and anyone can generate new material on it and then print it in 3D. The site has a repository of more than 1.4 million 3D models created by its community and the designs are regulated by Creative Commons licenses. In addition, all objects have a description and instructions on how to print them.

Free 3D

This page offers more than 15,000 free 3D models for high-quality downloads in the most common formats: 3D, 3d Max models, fbx models, .obj models, Cinema 4D and Maya, and is categorized depending on the type of object you are looking for (architecture, plants, food, etc.). Its community is made up of more than 450,000 users and some of the objects it offers have been downloaded more than 200,000 times. In addition to free designs, there are also paid models.

Ten24

This website allows you to download, free of charge, scanned human figures with various formatting options, which can be used in any type of project. Ten24 also offers its services to make real 3D scans and print them, although the latter option is only available for a fee. Its founders come from the world of video game visual effects (VFX), something that can be seen in their business model and their work.

TurboSquid

Considered the largest library of 3D models for sale in the world, Turbosquid is a platform of digital resources with high-quality 3D models, both free and paid. Its materials are used by a wide variety of industries, such as video games, architecture or 3D printing. Its portal is structured according to different formats: 3D models, free models, 3DS Max or Maya, Cinema 4D; models in Blender, FBX and OBJ; and by categories (anatomy, animals, furniture, etc.).

In this video, Zigor explains the basic characteristics of each of these platforms:

If you want to go deeper into the world of 3D, Cinema 4D and ZBrush, we recommend the 3D and animation courses by Zigor Samaniego:

- Express Introduction to 3D: From Zero to Render with Cinema 4D
- 3D Lettering: Modelling and Texturising with Cinema 4D
- Advanced 3D Lettering Techniques with Cinema 4D
- 3D Animation for Non Animators with Cinema 4D
- Creation of Characters with ZBrush and Cinema 4D

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- Essential Keyboard Shortcuts to Work More Efficiently in Maya
- The 20 essential shortcuts to boost your Cinema 4D productivity