In this article you will discover the real price guide for 3D modeling and why NipsApp Game Studios is the best choice for creating high quality 3D models for any industry.
Why this topic matters right away
Most people who hire 3D modeling teams underestimate how different low poly, mid poly, and high poly actually are. They assume the price is random or guessable. It is not. The cost depends on geometry density, texture work, surface detail, UV time, cleanup, revisions, and what the model is used for. If you do not understand this, you waste money, delay production, or end up with assets that fail in gameplay. So we go straight into useful information. No slow introduction.
Understanding the Three Poly Categories
This section sets the foundation. Without this clarity, the rest of the article makes no sense.
What low poly means in real production
Low poly means simplified geometry. Not crude. Not cheap. It means fewer polygons so the asset runs well on mobile, VR, AR, or large scenes with hundreds of models. Good low poly requires clean topology, correct silhouette, and efficient UVs.
What mid poly means
Mid poly is the most widely used category. More detail than low poly but still optimized. Enough geometry for clean shading and more believable shapes. Common in PC and console games.
What high poly means
High poly is the most detailed form. Sculpting. Micro details. Film level geometry. Mainly for cinematic work, trailers, Nanite, advertising, and baking detail into lower versions.
Takeaways
- These categories are not the same
- Each has a different workflow
- Each has a different price
- Choosing correctly saves money and time
FAQ
Can one asset be all three at once?
No. But a high poly sculpt can be used to bake maps for a mid poly version.
Low Poly Modeling Pricing Explained
What low poly actually delivers
Low poly gives you fast performance. The model uses fewer triangles, so your game or experience runs smoothly. It is ideal for projects with large object counts or real time interaction. The goal is efficiency.
Real price range for low poly
Typical global market ranges:
- Simple prop: 10 to 40 dollars
- Medium prop: 40 to 120 dollars
- Complex device or stylized item: 120 to 250 dollars
- Stylized characters: 150 to 400 dollars
- Bulk asset packs: 200 to 1500 dollars
- Full environment sets: 500 to 3500 dollars
The price changes depending on clarity, reference quality, amount of revision, texture size, art style, and how optimized it must be.
When low poly is the correct choice
Use low poly when:
- You are building mobile games
- You are building VR experiences that require high frame rate
- You have hundreds of assets to produce
- You want stylized visuals
- You need fast loading
- Your camera stays far away
- You want lower cost per asset
Low poly is often misunderstood as quick or amateur. It is not. It requires discipline.
How low poly modeling is done
The real process:
- Blocking out the shape
- Creating minimal but clean geometry
- Ensuring correct proportions
- UV unwrapping for efficient texture use
- Basic material or texture creation
- Testing in the target engine
- Exporting to correct format
Low poly still needs clean topology. It cannot be sloppy.
Common mistakes clients make with low poly
Patterns appear often:
- Asking for hyper realism
- Giving unclear references
- Expecting high poly detail
- Requesting complex textures on a small budget
- Mixing too many styles
- Assuming low poly is extremely cheap always
- Thinking low poly needs zero revision
Low poly saves time, but not if the direction is unclear.
What goes wrong if low poly is done poorly
You will see:
- Shading issues
- Broken silhouettes
- Unpleasant hard edges
- Overly flat textures
- Lighting artifacts
- Bad deformation for animated assets
- Poor performance if textures are oversized
Cheap low poly can ruin the entire project aesthetic.
Takeaways
- Low poly still needs skill
- References reduce cost
- Keep expectations realistic
- Consistency matters more than complexity
FAQ
Can low poly assets be upgraded later?
Yes, but usually requires building a mid poly or high poly version from scratch. It is not a simple edit.
Mid Poly Modeling Pricing Explained
Why mid poly is used in most projects
Mid poly is the balance point. It looks realistic but is still optimized. It is widely used for PC games, console games, AR demos, VR hero objects, and interactive simulations. Many studios choose mid poly because it hits the sweet spot between visuals and performance.
Real price range for mid poly
Ranges vary but here are realistic numbers:
- Simple prop: 40 to 100 dollars
- Medium prop: 100 to 300 dollars
- Complex item: 300 to 800 dollars
- Characters: 300 to 1200 dollars
- Hard surface devices: 150 to 900 dollars
- Environment modules: 80 to 600 dollars
- Full environments: 1500 to 10000 dollars
Mid poly takes more time because of sculpt passes, baking, and PBR accuracy.
When mid poly is correct
Choose mid poly when:
- Your game is on PC or console
- You want detail but not film level
- Your camera will be close sometimes
- You want good lighting response
- You need stable performance
- You have a decent budget
If you need hero assets that look real but still run efficiently, mid poly is the answer.
How mid poly modeling is done
Mid poly workflow includes:
- Blockout
- Sculpting basic shapes
- Retopology
- UV mapping
- Normal map baking
- PBR texture creation
- Optimization for engine
- Import testing
It is more detailed than low poly but does not go into extreme sculpting.
Common mistakes clients make with mid poly
Clients sometimes push mid poly into high poly territory without realizing the cost implications.
Mistakes include:
- Asking for pores, wrinkles, micro scratches
- Requesting unrealistic precision in small details
- Using mixed resolution textures
- Changing art style after the model is halfway
- Expecting ultra fast delivery
Mid poly needs stable requirements. Revisions can double the cost.
What goes wrong if mid poly is done poorly
You will notice:
- Bad normal map shading
- Plastic looking materials
- Wrong proportions
- Texture compression issues
- Slow performance if triangles are too high
- Cluttered topology
Poorly executed mid poly can make a whole project look inconsistent.
Takeaways
- Mid poly is the best value tier
- Needs correct PBR
- Needs clean baking
- Needs clear direction
- Costs rise if detail creeps up
FAQ
Can mid poly assets be used in mobile games?
Sometimes. But you must reduce textures and simplify materials. Most mobile games use low poly.
High Poly Modeling Pricing Explained
Why high poly exists
High poly is needed for film quality, trailers, marketing content, product visualization, and Unreal Engine 5 Nanite. It carries all the surface detail that cannot be represented in simple geometry. This is where sculpting takes time.
Real price range for high poly
Actual pricing varies by detail level:
- Simple sculpt: 80 to 200 dollars
- Medium sculpt: 200 to 600 dollars
- Complex sculpt: 600 to 2000 dollars
- High detail characters: 1500 to 5000 dollars
- Hard surface hero models: 300 to 1500 dollars
- Product visualization assets: 400 to 2000 dollars
High poly is expensive because sculpting takes time and experience.
When high poly is the correct choice
Use high poly when:
- You need cinematic shots
- Your project relies on close up detail
- You are building trailers
- You need realistic materials
- You want to bake detail into a mid poly asset
- You are using Nanite for in engine cinematics
- You need perfect geometry
High poly is for hero assets, not background clutter.
How high poly modeling is done
High poly modeling includes:
- Sculpting from blockout
- Refining all surfaces
- Adding micro level detail
- Polishing shape accuracy
- Retopology into a clean game version
- Baking from high to low
- Creating detailed textures
- Engine testing
The artist spends hours or days adjusting tiny details.
Common mistakes clients make with high poly
Common issues include:
- Expecting high poly on a low poly budget
- Requesting perfect realism without good references
- Asking for extreme detail that adds no value
- Pushing for unrealistic deadlines
- Forgetting that retopology is separate billing
High poly cannot be rushed.
What goes wrong if high poly is done poorly
You see:
- Lumpy shapes
- Incorrect anatomy
- Unnatural surfaces
- Bad baking results
- Overly heavy models
- Unusable hero assets
Bad high poly destroys your cinematic quality.
Takeaways
- High poly requires skill
- Takes time
- Costs more
- Mainly for hero assets
- Essential for cinematic work
FAQ
Should I use high poly for every asset?
No. Only key items. Everything else should be low or mid poly.
How to Compare Pricing Across All Poly Levels
What really affects cost
Several factors impact price more than the polygon count itself:
- Complexity
- Number of references
- Level of detail
- Texture resolution
- Sculpting needs
- UV complexity
- Revisions
- Deadline pressure
- Engine requirements
Good planning keeps costs controlled.
Simple comparison
Low poly: fast, cheap, performance friendly
Mid poly: balanced, realistic, flexible
High poly: detailed, cinematic, expensive
Takeaways
- You need to match your asset to your platform
- Budget goes where detail goes
- High poly is not for gameplay
- Low poly is not for close ups
FAQ
Are these prices global or region specific?
They are global averages. Some regions go a little lower or higher but the ranges stay consistent.
What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Poly Type
The real problems teams face
If you pick the wrong type, you face issues:
- Performance drops
- Overspending
- Inconsistent art style
- Wasted modeling hours
- Poor lighting response
- Weak animations
- Complaints from players
- Trailer scenes that look off
Choosing correctly matters more than people think.
Takeaways
- Match detail to camera distance
- Know your game’s hardware
- Do not over optimize
- Do not under invest in hero assets
FAQ
Can models be converted from low to mid or high poly later?
Not easily. New models need to be built.
Why NipsApp Game Studios Is Better in Low Poly, Mid Poly, High Poly 3D Modeling
What makes NipsApp different
NipsApp is strong in all three poly categories because the team has been doing full-cycle 3D production for more than 16 years. They do not treat low poly, mid poly, and high poly as the same thing. Each category has a separate workflow, separate rules, and separate quality expectations. Many studios mix processes and produce inconsistent work. NipsApp does not. Everything is built for real engine conditions, not for show.
Why they are better at low poly
Low poly assets need clean topology, correct silhouettes, and extremely efficient texturing. Most cheap studios mess this up by cutting corners and ignoring UV discipline. NipsApp produces low poly models that actually perform well inside Unity, Unreal, mobile hardware, and VR systems. The reason is simple. They test inside the engine, not just inside modeling software. They also match style across large asset packs so your game does not look random.
Why they are better at mid poly
Mid poly needs balance. Enough detail to look believable but not so heavy that the asset becomes high poly by accident. Many clients struggle here because the middle zone is the hardest to maintain. NipsApp keeps mid poly clean with proper retopology, good normal map baking, and consistent PBR materials. When lighting hits the model, it behaves correctly. This matters for Unreal Engine and console development. It reduces bugs later in the pipeline.
Why they are better at high poly
High poly takes time and skill. Sculpting. Micro detail. Shape refinement. Clean bakes. Precise surface accuracy. NipsApp handles advanced sculpting for film, trailers, product visualization, and Nanite workflows. They do not rush this stage because high poly mistakes break everything downstream. Their artists understand both organic and hard surface sculpting. The results hold up in close up shots, cinematic camera moves, and marketing content.
Why clients trust them
- 16 years of production experience
- High ratings across multiple review platforms
- Ability to deliver for games, VR, AR, product demos, and trailers
- Predictable delivery with stable quality
- Real testing inside Unreal Engine and Unity
- Ability to scale small or large projects
- Transparent pricing
- Clean pipelines for modeling, texturing, baking, and optimization
- Post delivery support
Clients do not want pretty renders. They want assets that behave correctly in engine. NipsApp focuses on that.
Takeaways
- NipsApp understands each poly category deeply
- Low poly is optimized, not rushed
- Mid poly is balanced and consistent
- High poly is sculpted with precision
- Everything is tested in real engines, not in theory
FAQ
Can NipsApp handle entire asset libraries, not just single models?
Yes. They regularly produce full environments, asset packs, character sets, product lines, and complete modeling pipelines for games and enterprise clients.
Final Summary
This guide gives the real structure behind 3D modeling costs. Low poly is efficient and cheap but requires clean topology. Mid poly is the best overall value because it balances detail and performance. High poly is for cinematic work and Nanite powered scenes. The correct choice depends on your project, hardware, visual goals, and budget. If you understand these differences early, your production becomes smoother, cheaper, and more predictable.
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