Top 7 Ways to Make Money with Sketchup and Vray
Architects and Designers have branched out in various different creative fields in the last two decades, from 3D visualization to graphics designing and CGI in movies, including architectural visualization and city building in video games, architects and designers have been at the forefront for most of these projects, so naturally, the way in which architects used to earn money has changed drastically.
While it was very common until a few years ago for architects to earn via design practice with an approved license from the authorities, there has been a huge shift in the design and construction industry with the rise in freelance work and especially in the last two years since covid and lockdown when most of the professionals started undertaking individual projects, the necessity of architectural and 3D visualization resulting in designers opting for various sub-branches in the world of architecture and design. Sketchup and Vray have been among the top most used software for design visualization from architecture to product design and graphics, here are the Top 7 ways to make money with Sketchup and Vray.
1. Competitions
Architecture Competitions are a great way for young architects to be exposed to various new projects, get a chance to participate and even get the project by winning these competitions, although this isn’t exactly one of the newer paths it certainly still stands as one of the prominent things in architecture and construction as most of the architects that we know of today have found their footing through architectural competitions from Moshe Safdie to Bjarke Ingles including Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and the list goes on.
Fast forward to the current times, Archbazar is one such competition platform that bridges clients and designers and facilitates small to medium architectural, landscape, and interior projects. Clients benefit because they get multiple design solutions at an affordable cost. Designers benefit, because they win cash, improve their portfolios, and step into the professional world through real and exciting design challenges.
2. Stock Photos
Architects can earn money through stock photos both via architectural photography as well as photos of high-quality 3D models created in Sketchup and Vray.
On widely used stock photo sites like Shutterstock, you earn between 15% and 40% commission when one of your images or videos is downloaded at Shutterstock.
3. Freelance
Freelance work has seen a big growth in the last decade due to the internet but has particularly seen a huge spike since 2020 after COVID lockdown and most of the world being forced into their houses and taking work remotely.
Sites like, Freelancer is a marketplace where employers and employees are able to find each other. The site allows employers to post work for site members who place bids in a competitive tender process. The site also allows members to host and enter contests for which prize money is offered as a reward.
Work marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr are a great way to find high-quality freelancers and freelance opportunities, no matter where you are in the world. These platforms bring together people with a wide variety of skill sets and connect them to paying clients.
4. Freelancing for firms
Instead of working for one firm full time, as an architectural designer or a 3D visualizer it is better to take a significant amount of work of 3D model creation and rendering for different projects and firms.
The better and more skilled you get at the job being able to deliver the required 3D models in the fastest time possible the more projects you will be able to undertake from multiple firms not only helping you expand your network in the industry but also bringing a large sum of money.
5. Working for Real Estate Companies Advertisements
At first glance one might miss the link between real estate companies and 3D visualization, out of all the sub branches of architecture that designers have taken up Real estate companies marketing is to a very large extent dependent on and works hand in hand with architectural visualization.
Since computer rendering and digital reproduction was born, the toolset suddenly opened up for real-estate firms looking to give their clients a little bit more to go on than a wink and a sturdy handshake. They were able to invest in renderings and animations that showed the potential buyer what was possible without having to tell what it will be like.
6. Selling 3D Assets & 3D Packs
As a designer and 3D visualizer professionals often have various 3D models created specifically by them or a set of 3D models as packs.
Designing objects and selling them on 3D model websites can be a lucrative way to make money with Sketchup. It can be difficult to gain traction using this method, but if you’re looking for some passive income and enjoy modeling objects in Sketchup, this is a good option.
7. Creating a 3D Print Business
Lastly we have 3D printing business which although isn’t as well established yet as the other methods on this it definitely has a solid future ahead of it. 3D printing is not only going to be as important as present day digital drawings but is going to be a necessary visual language in the construction industry along with a multi-million dollar business and a multi-billion dollar industry in itself.
Etsy is one of the biggest marketplace for 3D printing. A lot of 3D printing hobbyists and even professional gravitate towards Etsy because of its large audience who are into handcrafted stuff. Some of them have even made a name for themselves on Etsy, whether that’s selling pre-made items with a little bit of customization or selling full on 3D printed objects.
I hope this blog helped you.
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