General information
General rates - $25/hr or $100/day - subject to change
Any expenses that I have to complete the project will be added as part of the invoiced price. E.g. avatar bases, plugins.
This also applies to any physical or digital materials I may need to acquire to finish a project in any medium.
How Mold works
I don't have a waitlist. I usually have one or two ongoing small projects with a large project in the background. Turnaround time varies per project. I will communicate this info when opening commissions.
My commissions are rarely ever 'open' or 'closed'. The best way to garauntee that I will accept a commission in the future is to ask for a quote and interest me in your project. Present me with things that excite me and inspire me and I will make time for them. I love challenges, things that are new or have never been done yet, unique premises and characters.
Respect my time and space. I currently have a full time job that is separate from this work. I keep a very strong work-life balance but am always happy to respond to inquiries about your commissions when I am free. Please respect my time by only inquiring once per day and allowing me to work at my own pace and at the times of day that I work best.
Revisions during the project, not after. Works in progress are usually provided through whichever communication method works best for both of us. Feedback is best received as soon as possible; small things can become more difficult to change later in the project. I will take breaks in a project to wait for response if I'm not sure how to proceed. If no feedback is received after repeated attempts of communication, I will assume that the work is satisfactory and not expect to have to make revisions. Of course, I am happy to do revisions at the end of a project, but expect to be charged an hourly rate if said revisions exceed the scope of the project.
Everyone's human. I'm neurodivergent and a bit eccentric, so I communicate best when goals and expectations are clear. Mistakes can happen and I am willing to correct them. Not all personalities work well together, and if for some reason either of us feels that this is not a good match, I am happy to charge only for work completed.
If any work that you would like from me is not captured in the below categories, expect that you will be paying an hourly rate that includes learning, research, and trial and error time to understand how to fulfill your request. If I am not confident doing the project, I will not take it.
2D Art
Character design
General rate.
This is a good idea before getting a 3D character commission if you don't know what you want.
Logo design
General rate.
VR Avatar Commissions
General TOS
- I do not do work on ripped or stolen models no matter the source.
- As per most avatar creators' TOS, both parties must own a copy of an avatar in order to modify it. I will work on free avatars as long as the TOS states that this is allowed.
- Clear, color references or descriptions of your character/object with visual references required. I can create a reference for you at the general rate if needed to complete the project.
- I will most likely say no to anything NSFW or offensive in nature. If you are not sure, please ask respectfully; I am very open and accepting of sensitive subject matter.
Model Edits
- My preferred way of working on a full avatar.
- Charged hourly.
Custom Avatars from Scratch
Estimated cost of $1000+ dollars.
You likely do not want to commission me for a full custom avatar unless:
- You already have a VR headset if you intend on owning one, and full body tracking if you intend on using it.
- Many avatars don't 'feel right' unless tested and tweaked in full body by the commissioner during the process. Imagine it like ordering a real life costume - the way an avatar 'fits' you largely depends on your body proportions and perception of your virtual self.
- You've combed both Gumroad.com, Booth.pm, and VRCArena.com for avatars that fit what you want and found that none fit your needs, even with modification.
- It helps to try many different avatars to know how they feel to use in VR. This will also help to determine the kind of body type/shape works best for you and what kind of avatar features you wish to have.
- It is much cheaper to have me modify an existing avatar and requires far less time.
- Many avatars come with included clothing, accessories, and features that I can utilize in the final project.
- It's helpful to have prior experience uploading avatars in Unity.
- You've already checked the work and prices of other 3D modelers who create custom work for VRChat.
- Other artists charge less than I do for a full avatar.
- Other artists may have done more full avatars from the ground up than I have.
- Other artists may be more happy to take on NSFW work.
- Other artists may not have the same level of experience doing VRChat rotation constraints, 3.0 menus, and animations, which are my forte.
- Other artists may be more familiar with Neos/Chillout/Vircadia than I am.
- You can commission work from another artist and have me modify it or make it VR-ready.
- 60-90 hours of time are involved in making something from scratch, spread out over a year
- You will be involved in importing changes your platform of choice in order to test them. This can take a considerable amount of time.
- Have an example with consistent proportions, anatomy, and stylization from every angle. References used to create Fursuits from are a great example.
- It's helpful to know how the character is intended to move and what their facial expressions look like. Animation model sheets are a great example of this.
- Having access to other 3D models or photos of other models to reference from is very helpful. For example, a previous model you've had made of the character or clear screenshots of a Second Life avatar.
- I am a competent 2D artist and can create references as part of the process if necessary, but other artists would likely do a better job than me at creating references.
Texture Commissions
- Starting at 60 dollars
- Add extra 20-60 more dollars depending on complexity of markings, gradients, colors.
- Add 20 dollars if no Substance Painter file is included with the avatar. Add 40 dollars if no Substance Painter OR template files (usually PSD files) are included.
Finished Texture Project Files
- Most people will receive a zip package of textures. Neos users will also receive an .fbx file of their avatar with their textures placed on it.
- By default, you will receive the same shading style as the original avatar. Shading changes may incur an additional cost depending on amount of detail.
- If the avatar comes with material maps (e.g. normal, roughness, etc) then those material maps will be utilized in the modified textures. If you wish to have material maps added to an avatar that does not already have them, this may be done at an additional cost (approximately 20 dollars per additional material map).
- Textures will be exported at the original resolution, but can be increased or decreased as needed. Increasing resolution may incur additional charges.
- Mask or mapped textures provided at no additional cost. This includes outline masks, simple emission maps, alpha maps, etc.
- If you need materials set up or general Unity help in order to get your textures applied, I will charge my general hourly rate.
- Source files (PSD files, Substance Painter files) provided for free with simple projects. For more complex material setups or larger files, a charge may apply.
Terms of Service/Use
Modification of these terms will be determined per-project for whatever purpose it's needed. These are general guidelines and apply to all work unless a TOS has been otherwise specified.
- If the work is a derivitive work, (e.g. a modification of an avatar,) please refer to the TOS of the original work first.
- My work and modifications of my assets may not be redistributed for profit or otherwise. This includes all paid assets and files contained within.
- Commercial rights can be acquired - expect at least a 2x price increase and/or a 20% commission from each asset sold.
- My work can be used in a promotional/business capacity as long as assets are not shared to another party. You may record videos or stream using my work as an avatar, for example.
- Modifications and edits to my work are encouraged.
- For commissions - please ask if you intend on having a different artist work on something that I've made. I will provide the artist with whatever assets needed to modify the work at no additional charge.
- For assets - please have the artist own a copy of the asset that you wish to have modified.
Second Life Commissions
Expect a quote for this kind of work to be expensive, but I am still more than happy to give one.
I don't often take commissions for Second Life for personal use items because the time spent exceeds the worth of the final product. Others who are more familiar with Avastar, LSL scripting, and the unwritten ins and outs of SL are likely better suited to take this sort of work.
On a business capacity, I am more than happy to contribute to a project to be sold on Second Life if a portion of the sales are allocated towards our joint partnership.