Model Images
You think you know how something looks until it’s time to draw it, and then you feel like you’ve never properly even looked at it. Well, it’s the same for 3D modeling but with the added complexity of depth and volume. You’re not always going to be able to model from memory, so it’s good to have reference images – especially from various angles – that will help you get the pose and proportions right.
Whether it’s for characters, props, mechanics, animals, or even cartoons, having reference images to base your drawing on can greatly improve the quality of your model. Besides technical skills, your artistic side also needs to shine in order to be a complete modeling pro.
We’ve gone through a number of image sites and gathered a list of the best based on their usefulness and what people working in 3D modeling like and recommend. Here are a few considerations that we took into account:
- Pricing: We included both free and paid sites. Free sites are ideal, but sometimes, it’s good to pay a little extra money for better quality or a specific reference image you can’t get anywhere else.
- Highly rated: We took into account the opinions of people who work in 3D modeling (whether professionally or as a hobby) and who’ve had experience with the featured sites.
- Wide variety: We selected a diverse set of sites that focus on different types of reference images. Some are focused on humans, some on animals, others around vehicles, and so on.
Now that we’ve whet your appetite, let’s go through our selections!
Dimensions
Dimensions is a free database of dimensioned drawings. They usually have two or three side views and a comparison to human size. This is useful because you get many perspectives for the same object, which makes it easier to get the proportions right. It’s a popular site for low poly artists, too, because they can use the images in the background as they model.
You can browse or explore by categories, or you can search by keywords on the search bar. Dimensioned drawings for just about anything can be found on the site, including vending machines, barbecue grills, lions, dinosaurs, fish, dogs, and more. Although it’s not as well known as others down this list, it’s very useful and highly recommended by those who know the site.
- Pricing: Free
- Community opinion: Very positive
- Types of images: Wide variety
The Blueprints
The Blueprints is a mix between a free blueprint database and a market for paid vector drawings. Blueprints are formatted as image files that are non-modifiable. In contrast, the purchasable vector drawings are modifiable, and they come in many available file types, including EPS, AI, PDF, SVG, and more.
To navigate the site, choose either “The Blueprint Database” or the “Vector Drawings” from the top menu. Here, you’ll find many categories and subcategories that include lists of images available for download or, in the case of Vector Drawings, for purchase.
You’ll quickly notice that this site focuses mostly on technology, such as vehicles like ships, planes, cars, buses, and even designs from popular sci-fi films and series. In addition to vehicles, there are lots of technology options, including mobile phones, other devices, and construction equipment. It’s also possible to find images of humans, animals, and comic book characters.
- Pricing: Free and paid
- Community view: Popular
- Types of images: Primarily mechanical objects
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is a free file repository for public domain pictures, sounds, and video clips. It’s maintained by volunteers, and anyone can use its contents. Additionally, the repository is available in many languages.
Finding an image is fairly simple: Just use the search bar to look for what you need. Every image has a title and description, so images that have the keywords in either the title or description will show up. It’s worth mentioning that only photos are available on Wikimedia’s site; there are no drawings, technical drawings, or blueprints unless it’s pictures of them.
All of the pictures are very good quality, and they’re also good for inspiration. Many people recommend Wikimedia because of the great variety of themes and the free rights to photos. It’s important to note, though, that some authors of the photos do ask for credit when their images are used.
- Pricing: Free
- Community view: Popular
- Types of images: Pretty much anything
Photobash
Photobash is a market of 2D packs and 3D kits, all royalty-free. In regards to the 2D packs, many people recommend this site as a great source of reference images because the packs include many photos of the same object or place from different angles. Being able to see an object from many different vantage points is very useful when 3D modeling because you not only can get its proportions right, but also you can better capture details, shading, and lighting.
On this site, there are 2D packs for many things, mostly centered around nature, landscapes, and architecture. There’s also a limited number of museum fossils and human poses. The site is popular amongst 3D artists, especially for reference images for backgrounds.
- Pricing: Paid
- Community view: Popular
- Types of images: Mostly images that can be used for backgrounds
Drawing Database
Drawing Database is a free database where you can find a wide variety of detailed blueprints with many views, numbered parts, and measurements, though the amount of information and number of views vary from drawing to drawing. The site is centered around transportation, so there are ships, cars, planes, tanks, you name it.
All the models are titled based on their make and model, so it’s extremely easy to find what you need. You can browse the featured drawings or scroll through the categories displayed on the top menu. Alternatively, you can search by the specific model you want or simply its brand.
This site isn’t that well known, but people who focus on modeling mechs use it a lot and highly recommend it.
- Pricing: Free
- Community view: Very positive
- Types of images: Vehicles
3D.SK
3D.SK is an online marketplace of photo references intended for 3D artists and game developers. Needless to say, it’s the ideal place to get references for 3D work. As such, it’s one of the most popular sites for reference images and one of the top recommendations whenever one asks for suggestions.
Images are available in sets that can be downloaded as zip files. The sets include photos of the same subject from different angles or in different poses. You can find many reference images for the human body, including specific body parts like the eyes, expressions, costumes, and people in uniform.
- Pricing: Paid, though a limited number of free reference images
- Community view: Very popular
- Types of images: Human references
Pexels
Pexels is technically a photography site, but it’s very useful, especially when modeling animals. Animals are very challenging to model because each type of animal requires specific knowledge and modeling techniques. Some animals are smooth, some are furry, some have a lot of fat, and some are very skinny, so you need to practice a lot to master the techniques and get your animal models right. And to practice, you need good reference images to learn the proportions and textures.
As many photographers do studies of the same animal, you can find pictures of animals in many different poses or angles. It’s a highly recommended site by 3D artists, who – you guessed it – model animals.
- Pricing: Free
- Community view: Popular
- Types of images: Animals
New Masters Academy
New Masters Academy is an online subscription-based platform, similar to Netflix. Instead of getting access to TV shows and movies, however, you get access to art resources such as classes and photo references – especially human anatomy, although there are also animal references.
You can find references for facial close-ups, poses, specific muscle groups, and even clothed bodies, which is good to learn to model cloth and simulate its behavior. There are also references for specific parts of the body like hands, which are considered some of the most tricky to draw and model.
- Pricing: Paid
- Community view: Very positive
- Types of images: Human anatomy
Pinterest is a popular social media site that allows users to create digital corkboards with ideas, always in image format. As it’s a great source of inspiration, the site is popular among many kinds of artists, including those working in traditional or digital media as well as crafts.
You can search just about any topic, and the site will return related images. What’s more, you can collect images on different boards, or you can find already created boards with a selection of images you want.
It’s recognized by many people as a great source for reference images, especially on very specific themes such as medieval props, steampunk machines, sci-fi weapons, and things of the sort. Images can be saved to your boards or even directly onto your device, both options for free. It’s also worth mentioning that Pinterest is available via web or as a mobile app.
- Pricing: Free
- Community view: Popular
- Types of image: Wide variety
Pixabay
Pixabay is a library of free royalty-free stock images, music, and videos. All the products are made, donated, and shared by the community of users. In the images section, there’s photography, illustration, and vector images. Even though one often thinks automatically of photos for reference, it’s also a good idea to use illustrations or vectors to inspire creative ideas.
You can browse by image type or the featured images on the site, or directly search for the category of images you want. In photography, you’ll find people in different poses, clothes, and from different ethnicities as well as images of landscapes, plants, and urban scenes. There’s basically a huge variety of images to use for reference purposes.
- Pricing: Free
- Community view: Popular
- Types of image: Wide variety
Lead image source: FlippedNormals via YouTube
License: The text of "Reference Images for 3D Modeling: 10 Best Sites" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.