Before publishing your 3D model for sale, take a few moments to organize the scene for the customer. A few minutes of your time saves the customer many more minutes, and even hours, of work after buying your model.

Customers, by survey, expect the following from the 3D models they buy:

• Objects have intelligent names
• Objects are grouped in appropriate ways (grouping, linking, selection sets, layers, etc.)
• No extraneous or hidden objects in the scene
• If the model has multiple parts, include a single control object so they pick up and move the entire object at once.
• If the object includes subdivision, make it so the subdivision can be easily removed and added at will (examples: TurboSmooth modifier in 3ds Max, build history in Maya).

Naming Objects Intelligently

A customer can find it particularly frustrating to download a 3D model made up of dozens of objects with default names like Box32, Box33, etc. Customers often merge your model into a scene with many other models, so you should name your objects with this in mind.

One way to make sure your model will merge well with other models is to put a distinctive prefix or suffix on all object names. For example, suppose you've made a model of an office building. You could name your objects as follows:

• Office Building Window01
• Office Building Window02
• Office Building Front Door, etc.

Here is what one of our customers has to say about intelligent object names.

Customer Interview: Kim Lee of Worlds Away Productions

Putting Like Objects Together

Your 3D software has tools for grouping objects together in various ways. Sometimes it makes more sense to use hierarchical linking, layers, or some other method to keep like objects together. Consider how a customer will most likely select the objects, move or rotate objects, and otherwise use your model, and you'll find the best ways to organize your scene.

Organizing Your Scene

The videos below show you how to organize your scene for the best customer experience using 3ds Max and Maya.

Next: Texture References >>

Related Topics

• Instructional videos
  • 3ds Max
  • Maya
• Customer interview videos
• About the TurboSquid Modeling Series