So You're Looking for Bodies...
3D models of the human body can be used for all kinds of things, from animation to educational 3D printing. Unfortunately, these complex models can be difficult to make from scratch, especially if they need to be accurate, so you could benefit from ready-made versions.
That’s where this article comes in, listing the best places to find human body models. And don’t worry – there are sites here that cater to many needs.
What to Look For
In general, our choices were made considering the following:
- Model selection: The range and number of models are crucial; you don’t want to be stuck with the wrong model for your project.
- Model quality: Professional projects have high standards, so you might need models that are clean and detailed.
- Price: Of course, if you’re just working on a hobby project, you won’t want to shell out hundreds just for a single model.
CGTrader
From a repository of more than 900,000 models, you should find what you’re searching for. CGTrader models are split into three major categories: 3D computer graphics, 3D printing-ready, and low-poly.
A wide range of industries leverage 3D content from the CGTrader marketplace to reduce design costs. Another interesting feature is CGTrader Enterprise 3D Modeling. It allows enterprise customers and online retailers to transform their 2D product images into photorealistic 3D models for augmented reality, virtual reality, and other customer experiences.
With this massive platform, you can find many free 3D models, including many human bodies. But if you register, you’ll get $20 worth of credit for use on their site.
Model selection: Large
Model quality: Great
Price: Free to $1,500
TurboSquid
TurboSquid is our second choice, having a large library of models, especially under the “People” section. They vary from anatomically perfect male and female bodies to high-detail individual parts like hands. Some of them are even pre-rigged and ready to be used in games.
TurboSquid sets high standards for 3D models. You shouldn’t expect low quality designs, but on the other hand, their high-quality models aren’t always cheap.
Model selection: Medium
Model quality: Amazing
Price: Free to $2,500
Clara.io
Clara.io is a web-based 3D computer graphics software developed by Exocortex. It has an online library consisting of more than 100,000 free 3D models. Currently, there are just a little over 200 free human models, but the community is growing fast.
Clara.io incorporates a 3D viewer, where you can pan, zoom, and rotate the models before you download them. That’s a feature not all websites have.
For those who seek models primarily for digital work and not for 3D printing, Clara.io might be the right choice.
Model selection: Large
Model quality: Great
Price: Free
Thingiverse
If you’re looking for 3D printable models, Thingiverse is a great place to look. Here, you can find skeletal structures, organs, or different body parts ready to be printed. On the other hand, if you’re looking for full human body models, the selection is somewhat limited.
All models on Thingiverse are free, but if you want, you can tip designers to show them your gratitude.
Thingiverse is one of the largest model repositories out there, so there’s bound to be something you can use. The community is large and active, making the platform one of the biggest for sharing 3D models.
Model selection: Medium
Model quality: Satisfactory
Price: Free
Free3D
Counterintuitively, at Free3D, you won’t find many free models, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re willing to pay, there’s a huge collection of quality models of the human body, and the price tags on models are often indicative. They rarely exceed $15, but when they do, it’s usually because the extra money is worth it.
If you just want to find a base mesh and build on top of it, Free3D is the best choice. Not only are many base meshes free, but they’re also anatomically correct and suitable for many purposes.
Model selection: Large
Model quality: Satisfactory
Price: Free to $50
CadNav
If you’re looking for cartoon-like 3D models of the human body, CadNav is a good place to look. It doesn’t have a large base of models, but all of them are free. It’s worth a check if you’re on a shoestring budget or can’t find anything elsewhere.
On the website, you can download high-quality polygonal mesh 3D models, 3D CAD solid objects, textures, V-Ray materials, CAD drawings, and more.
All in all, this isn’t a super large site like the others, but it could match a specific use case. Plus, you can’t beat the reasonable price of $0.
Model selection: Small
Model quality: Satisfactory
Price: Free
(Lead image source: Asset Scan 3d via TurboSquid)
License: The text of "Human Body 3D Model: 6 Best Sources" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.