Have no Fear: CC0 Models are Here!

I have been looking for CC assets for ages. Since I was 15 y.o., probably.
Every time I open “free 3d model” website and pray: “please don’t be trash”.
And every time I see trash.
I guess the only exception was Mixamo, and it wasn’t CC-BY, and it was sponsored by Adobe.

I guess that’s just how life is. If artist can make decent models in reasonable quanities, they can as well sell them at Asset Store.

I came to realization that “3d model” on its own is worthless for anything game-related.
Even for graphics or shaders demo I need at least matching set of models in certain setting. You know, all these “urban asset pack”, “forest asset pack”, “animal asset pack”, etc, etc, etc. For simplest game I will probably need several such sets made by the same artist.

I can respect author of 3dmodelscc0 for this very fact of sharing anything under CC license, but this site in its current form is completely worthless.

If I want a couple of random models for testing purposes, I don’t need CC license, and there are plenty of websites with random 3d models.
And if I want to make demo and share it, I need matching asset set.

I am inclined to agree with Eugene here. And I think this goes for really any media in a game, though visual art is easier to notice. And mixing art styles (really, every artist has their own style in a way) is at best off-putting and at worst distracting/ugly. For 2d art I commission it from the same artist, and for 3d I figured it was worth the time investment practicing more with blender. Less time spent in the end than mixing and matching free assets, plus it’s unique, plus it’s very satisfying, and most importantly you have total control.
That’s my two cents.

We The Future?

I like to use free online models as a placeholder, just to avoid the grey box syndrome most of my prototypes have. Style mismatch shouldn’t be a worry if you’re in the beginning phase and once you feel you have something playable you start sketching models.
There’s also opengameart.org but it’s mostly 2D art + sounds.
CC0 textures is where it’s at, though.

Are you familiar with these?

Ok these are great. Thanks for sharing

Already had.

This guy makes good CC0 lowpoly assets.

Those are awesome! I just spent 45 minutes downloading all of them.