Need links to free 3d models for architecture

October 1, 2005 1:37 PM

I am in need of 3D models to use in architecture renderings. Since I am a starving student, free is the only price I can pay!

I have been to 3dlinks.com and 3dcafe.com but their selection is.... crap. Thanks for the help.

posted by Dean Keaton to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Models of what? I've had great success with the models supplied as free add-ons to Sketchup. You can export from Sketchup to a few other formats, notably 3DS. They have a trial version of the software for download as well.
posted by wzcx at 1:43 PM on October 1, 2005

You can find a lot of "free" models on directconnect. Look for hubs with "3d" in the name, then search for .3ds, .dxf, etc.
posted by signal at 2:47 PM on October 1, 2005

Response by poster: I am working on an architecture type rendering, and want to use trees, desks, tables, chairs, things like that.
posted by Dean Keaton at 4:46 PM on October 1, 2005

TurboSquid and 3d02 are quite good and have some free samples, just not many.

It's really hard to find decent free models; somehow talented artists are less willing to go "free" than talented programmers.
posted by b. at 9:40 PM on October 1, 2005

I'm not sure if it would fit the bill, but looking at the pictures from the websites you gave, POV-Ray might be worth a look. It's a ray-tracing program that can do some badass 3D renderings. Not sure how architectural it is, though. There's also something of a learning curve, but nothing you can't get the hang of fairly quickly

Oh, and if you're looking for pre-built objects (as I now realize/guess you are), POV-Ray does allow importing libraries and renderings others have created. I guess there are some of these on their site, but I haven't worked with it in a few years, so I can't remember.
posted by SuperNova at 9:45 PM on October 1, 2005