NEW TO 3D COMMISSIONS?
START HERE.
3D commissions are a different beast from 2D. This page answers the questions that come up in almost every first conversation — read it before reaching out and we'll both save a lot of time.
WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY BUYING
A 3D character commission is a fully custom character built from scratch — not a modified template, not an edit of something that already exists. Every commission goes through the same core stages: blockout sculpt, high poly sculpt, retopology, UV mapping, texturing, and rigging. Depending on what you're commissioning, additional stages apply — hair cards or grooming for characters with real hair systems, and Unity setup for VRChat avatars.
Each stage builds on the last. The high poly sculpt determines what the textures can show. The topology determines how the character moves. The rig determines what you can do with it. None of these can be skipped — and changing decisions made in an earlier stage after it's been approved costs real time.
That's why knowing what you want before work starts matters. The more specific you are upfront, the less you pay for changes later.
The 3D Process page walks through every stage with images and explanations — including what each stage means for your commission specifically and why changes get more expensive the later they're requested.
VRCHAT AVATAR VS BLENDER RIG — WHICH DO YOU NEED?
These are two different products. They share the same sculpt and base pipeline but diverge significantly at retopology and rigging. Choosing the wrong one — or not knowing you need both — is the most common source of confusion before a commission starts.
| VRCHAT AVATAR | BLENDER RIG | |
|---|---|---|
| You want to… | Wear it in VRChat, use face tracking, interact with other users in real time | Have it properly animated or posed for renders — with full control over every joint, muscle, and expression |
| Can it be animated? | Technically yes — you can pose deformation bones directly in Blender. But the avatar wasn't built for animation. No IK, no FK switching, no helper bones, no facial controls. It will work for basic poses but falls apart on complex movement | Built specifically for animation — IK/FK switching, mechanism bones, helper bones for smooth deformation, facial controls, muscle flex systems. Every joint is designed to be pushed to its limits without breaking |
| Topology | Optimized for real-time performance — triangle budget, bone count limits, single merged mesh required by VRChat | Optimized for deformation quality — denser edge loops in joints and muscle groups, built for clean movement through extreme poses |
| Rig type | Deformation bones + PhysBones for physics (hair, tail, clothing). Follows VRChat's humanoid bone requirements | Full animation rig on top of deformation bones — IK/FK, mechanism layers, custom Rig UI panel, muscle flex controls |
| Bone count | Kept low intentionally — VRChat's performance rank penalizes bone count. Every extra bone affects everyone nearby in the session | Can be in the thousands — helper bones, corrective bones, mechanism bones, facial controls. No hard ceiling |
| Blendshapes | Visemes (lip sync), face tracking shapes, custom expression menu. Primarily used for real-time interaction and facial animation | Corrective shapes for deformation, body morph states (muscle flex, body mass transitions), full facial animation. Used for quality control and animation flexibility |
| Delivered files | Blender file, Substance Painter file, Unity package (ready to upload to VRChat) | Blender file, Substance Painter file, custom Rig UI |
| Starting price | $2,000+ | $2,000+ |
WANT BOTH? PLAN IT UPFRONT.
It's possible to get a character that works in VRChat and has a full animation rig for Blender. The keyword is upfront.
If you tell me at the start that you want both, I plan the pipeline to save states at the right stages and reuse work across both deliverables. It's not double the price — but it affects how every stage is approached from day one.
If you ask for the animation rig after the VRChat avatar is finished, the topology, rig, and blendshapes all need to be rebuilt from scratch for a different purpose. At that point you're paying for a second commission's worth of work.
If you know you'll want both — say it before work starts.
CAN YOU EDIT OR UPDATE AN EXISTING MODEL?
It depends entirely on what kind of change you want and what files you have. There are three very different situations here.
Making a character bigger, more muscular, adjusting proportions, changing overall body shape — this can be done on the game-ready model file you already own. It's moving vertices around. Doesn't require the original sculpt. Quoted based on scope of changes.
If you want the surface detail changed — more defined muscles, different skin quality, a different stylistic approach — that detail lives in the normal map, which was baked from the original high poly sculpt. The model file you have is just a simplified shell; the detail isn't actually there, it's a texture faking it. To change those details I need to modify the original sculpt and re-bake. Without it, the only option is working from the low poly as a base mesh — which is essentially starting from step one of the pipeline.
If the original artist won't provide the sculpt (common — artists keep it for protection), a full rework means a new commission. See section 04 for why the normal map matters.
A common request: adding a nude version to a model that wasn't built with one — adding legs, genitals, or missing anatomy to an existing character. This isn't just "adding what's missing." The original model was built around a different set of requirements. The topology wasn't designed for those parts, the UV maps weren't planned to accommodate them, the rig wasn't built to include them. Every stage of the pipeline is affected — sculpt, retopology, UVs, textures, rigging, blendshapes.
Depending on scope, this can cost more than starting fresh — not because of the individual parts, but because you're working inside the constraints of decisions someone else already made. I'll always tell you honestly which route makes more sense before quoting.
Send a description of what you want changed and share the file. I'll look at it and give you a straight answer on scope, approach, and cost before anything starts.
WHAT IS A NORMAL MAP — AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
This comes up a lot, because most clients see a detailed 3D character and assume the detail is in the mesh. It usually isn't. Understanding this changes how you think about edits, complexity costs, and what "more detail" actually means.
The model you see in VRChat is a simplified shell. A character that looks like it has defined abs, skin pores, scales, or veins is actually a relatively low polygon mesh — maybe 30,000–100,000 triangles. That's not nearly enough geometry to hold real surface detail.
The detail comes from a normal map — a texture that fakes surface depth using light information. During the pipeline, I sculpt a high poly version of the character with millions of polygons — enough to actually contain every muscle fiber, skin fold, and surface texture. Then I "bake" that information onto the low poly mesh: the high poly casts its detail as light and shadow data onto the surface of the low poly, producing a normal map. The normal map tells the engine where light should hit and recede as if the surface had real geometry, even though it doesn't.
This is why "just add more detail" isn't simple. More detail means a higher poly sculpt — a smooth character might be 12 million polygons at sculpt stage, but scales, full body vascularity, or a shredded physique with visible striations can push to 50 million or more. That's not just more sculpting time. The topology at blockout stage has to be planned to support whatever detail level the sculpt will reach. Scales need a different edge flow than smooth skin. Hyper-defined muscles need denser loops in specific areas. If the blockout wasn't designed for that level of detail, the sculpt can't deliver it cleanly — and the normal map bake reflects that.
The detail you see on a finished character is a texture baked from a high poly sculpt that no longer ships with the model. If you want to change or improve that detail, the original sculpt is what makes it possible. Without it, you're starting from a base mesh — which is the beginning of the pipeline, not a shortcut through it.
FUTURE-PROOFING — THE THING NOBODY ASKS UPFRONT
3D commissions are long-term investments. Most clients eventually want more than what they originally asked for — a second outfit, a different body mass state, an animation rig after getting the VRChat version. This is completely normal. The problem is timing.
IF YOU THINK YOU'LL WANT MORE LATER — SAY IT NOW
Source files are large and I don't keep save states automatically. If you know — or even think — you might want something later, mentioning it upfront costs nothing and can save you a full commission's worth of work. I can approach the pipeline differently to preserve what you'd need.
If you ask for something after the fact that wasn't planned for, I'll need to rebuild from wherever the pipeline diverges. That's the same amount of work regardless — I can't charge less for it. Not because I'm squeezing the commission, but because the work is what it is.
Things worth thinking about before you reach out:
VRChat and animation both? If there's any chance you'll want an animation rig down the line, say it now. The topology and pipeline can support both if planned from the start — not double the price, but a different approach from day one.
SFW and NSFW versions? If you want both, the sculpt, rig, and toggle system all need to account for it from the start. Easy to build in — harder to retrofit.
Multiple body mass states? Relaxed vs muscular, lean vs shredded — blendshapes that transition between body states need to be planned at the sculpt stage. Not something that can be added cleanly after the fact.
Outfits and toggles? Clothing is significantly cheaper to build alongside the base character than after. If you know you'll want a second outfit, planning for it upfront saves real money.
Alt genital options? If you want multiple types or state blendshapes, the rig and sculpt pipeline needs to account for it from the start. Retrofitting is not straightforward.
You don't need a complete wishlist before reaching out. But if you have a "maybe someday" — mention it. It costs nothing to plan for.
WHAT TO BRING BEFORE YOU CONTACT ME
The quality of your references directly affects how close the first result is to what you're imagining — and how many revision rounds it takes to get there.
Character references from multiple angles. Front view is the minimum. Side and back views let me nail proportions at blockout instead of guessing. If you only have a front-facing ref we can work with it — expect more back-and-forth at the blockout stage.
Back references before texturing. A front view is enough to start sculpting. But for textures I need to know what the back looks like — markings, color distribution, patterns. If you don't have a full ref sheet yet, having it ready before the texture stage works fine.
3D references over 2D references. 2D art and 3D sculpture read differently. If you've seen a specific model — mine or someone else's — that captures what you want, share it. A 3D reference eliminates ambiguity about volume, proportions, and surface quality in a way a flat illustration can't.
Body type specifics. Muscle mass level, body fat, species anatomy, facial structure. The more specific, the fewer revision rounds at blockout. If something from my existing portfolio matches your vision — link it directly. It removes guesswork about scale before work begins.
Style examples. If you want your character done in a specific style, show examples. I can adapt to a wide range of styles — from my own to other artists'. Showing is always faster than describing.
You don't need all of this before a first conversation. A single piece of character art is enough to get a quote and start date. The rest can be gathered before work begins.
HOW PRICING BUILDS
Base price covers a nude character at standard complexity — average body type, standard species anatomy, no clothing. Every layer of complexity beyond that adds to the quote.
This isn't arbitrary. Each complexity factor adds work at multiple pipeline stages, not just sculpt. A hyper-muscular character with visible striations and full vascularity requires more time at sculpt, retopology, blendshapes, and texturing — the topology has to be planned differently from blockout stage to support that level of detail. The quote reflects the full pipeline cost, not just the sculpting hours.
Standard → athletic → muscular → hyper-muscular — each is a significant jump in sculpt and rig complexity
The leaner the character, the more defined the surface. More detail at every stage — sculpt, normal map, blendshapes
Localized (biceps, hands) has minimal cost. Full-body adds ~10% on top of base price
Extra limbs, additional heads, complex tails, scales, full manes all add significantly — quoted per feature
Each item follows the same pipeline stages as the character. Quoted separately. $300+ per item (Blender Rig), $400+ (VRChat)
Hair cards for VRChat, particle systems for offline. Quoted by scope — complexity varies widely by hairstyle
Standard included. Alt types (canine, horse, etc.) are add-ons — quoted per type and complexity. Starting ~$150+
Start with the high poly sculpt alone ($700+). Deducted from the full commission cost when you continue to rig
I'll always give you a full quote before accepting payment. No surprises at delivery. Quotes are valid for 30 days.
NSFW OPTIONS
The nude base is standard — all commissions include full anatomy. What varies is the level of detail, alt types, and what's possible with the rig.
Standard genitals included. Fully sculpted, textured, and rigged. For VRChat avatars, default is a toggle — SFW masked by default, NSFW via expression menu. No extra cost.
Alt genital types (canine, horse, etc.). Requires a separate sculpt and additional blendshapes. Quoted per type — horse anatomy has more surface area and detail, costs more than a standard alt. Starting around $150+, quoted case by case.
State blendshapes (erect/soft, vein states, etc.). Done via blendshapes and the rig system. Requires a separate sculpt for each state. Quoted based on scope and complexity.
SFW toggle (smooth / no visible anatomy). A fully smooth, anatomy-free state. Can be done as a blendshape or mesh state. No extra cost if planned upfront.
PAYMENTS
Full breakdown of payment options, installment plans, and how complex commissions are structured is on its own dedicated page.
Short version: standard payment has three options (upfront, 50/50, or 30% minimum). Payment plans are available with a $300 floor. Complex commissions ($2,500+) are scoped and broken into milestone chunks before work starts.
See the Payment Plans page → for the complete breakdown including installment structures, how work-per-payment works, and the sculpt-first entry point.
READY TO START?
You've read the important parts. Reach out with your character reference and what you're looking for — I'll get back to you with a quote and a realistic start date.