I’ve been recently approached to do some modeling work based on my previous work. I’ve never worked with these guys before but they are extremely nice and appreciative that I agreed to work with them. I am a generalist and have 36 years experience doing cgi and modeling etc. They are asking what I’d like to be paid and to be honest I have no idea what to charge. This would be part time work seeing that I already have a full time job. I tried googling what 3D modelers get paid but it’s all over the map and I’m not sure what kind of budget these guys have. Anyone have any advice? I’d really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
I mean… What is your time worth to you? Really, only you can answer that. Although, some general points- you should always charge more for freelance work than for your full time job. Your non-job time is your free time, and as such, it’s worth more. Generally I charge between 1.5 and 3x per hour for freelance work as I get at my full-time job, depending on the complexity and how much I actually want to do the project.
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A decent reference source is the Animation Guild wage surveys that you can sometimes find online. I’m pasting a link to a page of theirs with some survey results that aren’t exactly yesterday but within the past few years:
https://animationguild.org/media_category/wagesurvey_documents/
I’m looking at a saved survey on my local machine and the CGI Animator/Modeler position gets about $1834-1946 per week at Walt Disney…similar range for Warner Bros.
This might get you a better ball-park impression.
If you brush your teeth, you can charge double.
Good luck.
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That’s 45 an hour, which is a good rate if you can get your client to pay it, but for modelling, you’ll be hard pressed to get more than a few hundred total for the whole project. Especially nowadays, where you can get someone on Fiverr to do 3D modeling for 30 bucks, you have to be careful not to prove yourself out of the chance.
For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t charge a dime less than 70 an hour for animation, but I’m a fast animator and I also don’t charge by hour, but by project. For modelling… My hourly rate would be absurd, becuse I can model pretty much anything in two hours, so there again, I highly recommend quoting by project
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Yes, this is a very nebulous figure to make a statement on. It can vary wildly. As mentioned, the space is flooded with every Tom, Dick, and Harry offering 3D modeling services. The payment spectrum is as vast as the quality of modeling being offered.
I’ve turned down more freelance jobs than I can count in recent years as the payment offered wasn’t worth my time.
If the team that has solicited your services seems appreciative that you would want to work with them then the ball is in your court, so don’t sell yourself short. This is really something that you need to work out for yourself: what is your time worth?
Personally, I don’t like to work for an hourly rate as it often leads to issues if the project is long/has scheduling issues/is stop start. I prefer to agree on a total figure per model up front, with major changes being an extra fee and agreed up front.
Of course, having said all of that, I absolutely believe in being honest and politely blunt, fair, and flexible. If the potential client seems like you can work together well then this can foster a long-lasting relationship that benefits both parties. This is where the flexible and politely blunt part comes in. I can offer flexibility in pricing for the right client, but will also be up front in adding to the bill under circumstances that lead to more work on my end.
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Wise words 
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I think it’s hard to disagree the main question is: What is your time worth? I think it makes sense to focus on this and asses what amount of your time the job is going to take and it is very helpful to think about the job in terms of time. At least for me. It is easier to assess any kind of job in terms of time if you split it up into smallest possible tasks needed to complete it and asses them separately then add up the time needed for the whole job. Even if some tasks may be hard to predict I often ask myself: well how much time would I need to do that for sure whatever unpredictable circumstances change and then take that ridiculous amount of time into consideration. I don’t know… It’s simple, it’s not perfect, but it helps…
I even have a time calculator add-on in the Text Editor for that:
It takes float numbers at the start of each line and adds them up and can also move commented lines to the bottom - that’s basically it.
And it doesn’t have to be cold and heartless nor the only criterion I will base the price on, but I find it really helpful to track my predictions and then the actual time as well, so I might also save the prediction and also use it as my to do list while working correcting the time to actual. That helps with planning and fitting into deadlines as well.
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Its depends on how much the client can pay and what kind is it (individual or company/studio), also as mentioned how much you value your time matters, and where are you located:
If you live in a third world country like mine (Venezuela) where there is a lot of inflation or expensive costs to afford monthly (rent, basic bills, food and other minorities) you gotta charge a bit more expensive than other people like from India, Nigeria, etc where things are cheaper or so and also there is too many freelancers from there and other many related areas of the world in the competition. If you live in North america, united kingdom, or europe or anywhere where is expensive the living costs raises up significantly.
Now for companies/studios if is a contract in where they pay you what you want per month/hour (unless they mention the max rate/salary they gonna pay for that contract) they usually can afford people with high rates e.g from 15 to 60 usd per hour or so. Also the hourly rate increase also depends on your experience level as well, usually the lowest is for those that are starting or are juniors, the middle range for intermediates, and the highest for seniors but is not always the case.
And for individuals is harder to find good deals, since they are using money from their own pockets and be limited by how much they have monthly or how much money they have saved for the project they want to do. Also, most of them usually know less about how the 3d business or market works and the rates to get them, so usually you will see low budget offers because they don’t know how much it actually costs or know but don’t care and want to take advantage of fresh low rate freelancers…
And also, there are individuals that are rich people or entrepreneurs that also can afford it and hire more advanced professionals for the job/project, those are good deals.
Other than that you will see freelance artists (or for example the admins here which also know too) that will complaint respectfully and sometimes delete the job offer from the original posters of such bad offers if the job they are requesting is not appropriate with such low budget they are offering and the amount of work for that, and lack of information, etc… and sometimes they claim you will get exposure if you do the job for that low amount (that’s something not worth your time, and exposure is bullsh*t) also there is example triangle of the cost, quality, time concept:
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What?!? 
I’ve never seen much animation from you here … can you please provide an example, something you animated where you were able to charge that rate?
I did come close to that only once, €60/hr, and that was one month of madness to complete 4 one minute clips.
Good friend of mine, in the movie business for decades, illustrator, storyboard artist, even directed a feature, told me that 30€ was his best hourly rate ever, and whatever I do, that’s pretty much where I kept ending up too.
So please would you stop spreading fantasy numbers here - or deliver proof this is actually more than wishful thinking (and see me commit Seppuku after that)?
I recommend that for reliable, reasonable and friendly clients only. Others will attempt to sneak in little changes, and/or reiteration after reiteration.
PS:
it isn’t possible to give advice on rates without context knowledge - most of all, in which economic zone are you and your partners/clients in. There are per industry/per experience level/per economic zone averages/norms, but as soon as you cross borders, there’s no solid ground anymore …
They’re not fantasy numbers. The only time I’ve ever done freelance animation (I avoid it like the plague), I was paid 5500 to model, rig, and animate a 6 second clip of a robot unrolling from a ball, getting into an attack pose, and swinging a sword at the camera. The whole thing took 25 hours. You’re welcome to do the math there and satisfy your incredulity 
I don’t quote by hour, ever, I quote by project, so my numbers were rough estimates, but it would seem they’re quite a bit too low anyway
Then you have been exceptionally lucky, or exceptionally well connected, or are an exceptionally gifted salesman/negotiator, or have been able to wait this single lucky strike out because you’re working another job that keeps you fed. A single case, not the rule … in particular as i bet demand for those 5s-10s mini clips is what’s impacted most by the arrival of video genAI.
Anyway, your 70$/hr rate as an animator is fictional (except you are a top tier Disney animator maybe - which you are not), it is irresponsible and misleading to stir such expectations.
And this is true as well for most other specialist roles - like modelling.
You may land the occasional lucky strike, if you don’t depend on that business and are able to sit things out. If on the other hand, you need to earn your bread and butter with it, it’s different.
It would seem I’ve struck a nerve with you and I apologize, that was never my intention. I fully agree that I’ve been very blessed and very privileged to be able to charge what I want for freelance work. I do have a full time job that takes care of my bread and butter, so I’m in a position to only do freelance work that I want to do at a rate I want to do it. That’s a remarkable thing and I thank God for it every day.
However, I didn’t see anywhere in the initial post suggesting that OP is struggling to get their bread and butter. As I read it, they too have a comfortable situation and want to do some freelance work in their free time. It’s not the same situation as you’re describing. I stand by my numbers in my advice to OP, even though I recognize they come from a place of privilege. If you are comfortable financially and doing 3D modeling in your spare time for freelance, you shouldn’t charge any less than 40 an hour, in my opinion. (I’ve done more freelance modelling than the once, I’ve only freelance animated once. Just to clear that up)
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My freelance rate, 20 years ago, was $100/hr. And yes, I got hired. Two clients that immediately come to mind are a banana company most people have heard of, and a mobile phone manufacturer you’ve also heard of.
I had a friend in LA who did contract work on films you’ve seen, who was encouraging me to try and get more LA work. When he saw my hourly rate, he was suprised how much i was under-charging based on what I could deliver.
In 2024, my rate is closer to the $70-80 range merely because the world has changed. More people have joined the pool of offering services, and some (like Fiver) have had a rather negative impact. Nonetheless, I didn’t drop my rate to $15/hr to compete with a sweatshop or rando across the globe. For $15/hr, I won’t even sit down at the computer.
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My experiences echo yours, although my rates are a fair bit lower than yours as I’m younger and less experienced. But still, it’s entirely possible to charge a reasonable rate
I know. It’s not your fault, I’m on edge these days, and I’m, in general, utterly fed up of overconfident opinions and advice given from a position of comfortable safety.
I agree.
I even would add that no one should charge less than that, because it makes no sense, economically.
As a matter of fact, that’s not reality though.
Many, many of those who are all-in, in that business, do what they do because there’s no other option for them (for emotional reasons). That’s being exploited violently.
So you’ve worked as an animator or a modeller?
Nope, as a designer. I know where designer rates were, a couple of decades ago.
Around the 2000s, I charged up to €90/hr as a software developer btw. (today, the rates would be even higher!), but what does it prove, or matter, except that rates are absurdly out of proportion when it comes to what they’re actually paying for.
The stuff I did as a sw dev was a complete joke regarding required skills and effort, compared to the short movie projects I worked on.
Nowhere did @thorn say or suggest anything about design?
No, he left that open for speculation.
However I read enough of his postings to know he’s not a modeller or animator, but - if I remember correctly - a designer. Maybe he wants to clarify that himself.
Anyway, comparing rates across industries … while it makes sense … it doesn’t really help.
I’m sure he will clarify himself, but I’ve worked with Thorn on projects and he most definitely is a modeller and animator
All of the above are tasks that I’ve billed clients for. Not really sure where you’re going with that.
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