HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a 3D modeller in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to 3D modellers. Here is how to agree ownership, confidentiality and file formats before modelling starts.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a 3D modeller in five steps

  1. Say what the model is for3D printing, a game engine, product renders or manufacturing: the use decides how it is built.
  2. Send dimensions and referencesDrawings, photos, measurements and the level of detail you need.
  3. Agree ownership and reuseCopyright in the model assigned to you, and whether the 3D modeller may reuse any of it.
  4. Protect unreleased designsA confidentiality agreement before you share a product that is not yet public.
  5. Name the file formatsSTL, OBJ, FBX, STEP or others, with any polygon or size limits.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses 3D modellers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and no qualification is required. Look at models they have built for the same use, and agree the terms in writing.

Ask for a portfolio in your use (printing, games, renders) and a client reference.

Copyright in the 3D model

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the freelance creator owns the copyright in what they make, and an assignment only works in writing signed by them (section 90). Models built for resale or commercial products should be assigned or clearly licensed.

Put an assignment, or a licence stating whether you may modify and sell the model, in the contract. legislation.gov.uk →

Registered design for a new product

Copyright in the model file is not the same as protecting a product's look. A registered design protects the appearance of a new product, such as its shape or pattern, and lasts in five-year terms up to 25 years.

If the model is of a new product, consider whether to register the design before showing it widely. gov.uk →

Confidentiality before disclosure

A new product design that is shown publicly before you apply can be harder to protect, so a 3D modeller working on an unreleased product should agree to keep it confidential. This is a contract term, not a register.

Sign a short non-disclosure agreement before sending drawings of anything unreleased. gov.uk →

VAT

3D modelling is standard-rated, so a registered 3D modeller adds 20% to the modelling, texturing and rendering fee and to any charge for extra file formats. Registration becomes compulsory once a 3D modeller has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the 3D modeller for the VAT number before the first stage payment, and look for an invoice that splits the modelling fee from the VAT. gov.uk →

“What 3D models have you made for the same use as mine?”

A good answer: Examples built for printing, a game engine or renders, matching your need, not just pretty images.

“Will the copyright in the 3D model be assigned to me?”

A good answer: Yes, on payment, or a written licence that says what you may modify and sell.

“Which file formats and limits will the modelling work be delivered in?”

A good answer: The formats your printer, engine or manufacturer needs, with polygon counts or tolerances stated.

“Are textures and renders included in the 3D modelling price?”

A good answer: A clear yes or no, with the price of photoreal renders, extra materials or animation.

“How many modelling revisions are included?”

A good answer: A number of rounds on the model, with the cost of more.

“Will you, as my modeller, keep my unreleased design confidential?”

A good answer: Yes, with a signed agreement and no portfolio use until you say so.

“Will the model print, or run in my engine, without fixes?”

A good answer: A 3D modeller who checks the model is watertight for printing, or within your engine's limits, before delivery.

Getting the quote right

  • The model, the level of detail and the intended use
  • Who actually attends to the model: the 3D modeller you briefed, an employee, or a subcontracted texture or render artist
  • Texturing, rendering and extra file formats: included or extra
  • Revision rounds and the rate for more
  • Copyright assignment or licence terms, including resale
  • Confidentiality for unreleased designs
  • Delivery date
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as its own line under the modelling and rendering fee

Walk away if

  • No examples for the use you need
  • Will not sign a confidentiality agreement
  • Refuses to say what you may do with the model
  • Delivers files that will not print or import
  • A price with no detail on revisions or formats
  • Shows your unreleased product in their portfolio

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

3D modellers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefUse, dimensions, references and level of detail agreed.
  2. Blocking outA rough shape checked against the dimensions.
  3. Detailed modellingThe model built to the agreed detail.
  4. Texturing and checksMaterials applied where included, and the model checked for printing or engine limits.
  5. DeliveryFiles in the agreed formats, with the assignment or licence.

STL
A common file format for 3D printing.
Polygon count
How many faces a model has; games and apps set limits.
Watertight
A model with no holes, which 3D printers need.
Texture
The surface image and material applied to a model.
Render
A finished image produced from the 3D model.
Registered design
Legal protection for the appearance of a new product, registered with the Intellectual Property Office.

AFTER

When the job is done

Test the filesPrint a sample, import the model into your engine, or open it in your manufacturer's software.
Keep the assignment or licenceWith the final files, so you can prove what you may do with the model.
Decide on design protectionIf it is a new product, decide on registering the design before it goes public.
Review the jobYour review of the 3D modeller can only follow a booking on Locufy. Below four stars, you can send the problem to them first and we follow it up before the review appears.

STEP 1Set it out for the 3D modellerSay what was agreed, what went wrong and the fix you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats a trader's service as including reasonable care and skill; where the 3D modeller fell short of that, you can ask for the work to be redone free or for money off.
STEP 2Locufy's make-it-right stepWhen you rate the 3D modeller under four stars, you decide whether the problem goes to them first. We follow it through, then the review is posted.
STEP 3Trading StandardsIf the 3D modeller ignores you, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland). Each can pass a complaint to Trading Standards.
STEP 4A small claim for the moneyUnresolved money disputes with the 3D modeller fit the small claims routes: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a 3D modeller: questions people ask

No. No licence or registration is needed in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is set by law.

The modeller owns the copyright until it is assigned to you in writing and signed. A licence instead should say whether you may modify or sell the model.

If it is new and its appearance matters, consider it. A registered design protects a product's shape or pattern and is renewed every five years up to 25 years.

No UK publisher prices 3D modeller work in a way we can quote with confidence. Complexity, textures and photoreal renders, and commercial usage rights set the price. Ask two or three 3D modellers for written quotes against the same brief; the 3D modeller price guide explains what moves the price.

STL or OBJ for most 3D printing, FBX for many game engines, STEP for engineering; ask your printer, engine or manufacturer.

Simple models take hours or days; detailed models and renders one to three weeks.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: CAD DesignerHow to hire: AnimatorHow to hire: Game DeveloperHow to hire: IllustratorHow to hire: Motion Graphics DesignerHow to hire: Graphic DesignerHow to hire: Brand DesignerHow to hire: App DeveloperAll 701 hiring guides →

3D modellers near you

3D modellers in London3D modellers in Manchester3D modellers in Birmingham3D modellers in Glasgow3D modellers in BelfastAll 3d modellers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  2. gov.uk — register a design
  3. gov.uk — how copyright protects your work
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register