Why re-invent the wheel over and over when there are tons of online resources for you to use.
When i create a set, the first thing i do is look for freebie objects. 90% of the time i have to retexture and rescale them, but they get up and running much faster than if i had to create them from scratch.
As i'm a good texture artist and every object really needs to have a good UV map created for it alot of times i'll have to do that as well.
finally you run it through substance painter with your UV and make custom maps for it and it's a brand new object.
WHen to pay - when to look for free.
- always look for free first
- pay when it would take you many hours to get even close to a model that you can buy for $50 bucks. This will get a project going much faster if you throw money at it. Sometimes there is so much detail needed that to make it would be days or weeks, this is when spending the $50 to $100 would be worth it, and lets face it most models can be had for a song.
Always try to get FBX format if you can, its one of the most robust formats. IF your using blender go for native blend files, ect ect. Some websites are spefic to your program. for example foundation3d.com is lightwave models! And boy is that a good site. http://www.foundation3d.com/
To not be a jerk, and choose the light side, always be respectful of the artists work and notice what kind of license comes with the model - You want it for your commercial work, make sure the artist allows this. Giving credit is also a good thing if you can do it.
To find some places that give away objects for free check out
1)turbo squid - my first place to find a freebie object, its such a great website for freebies and when you have the cash for professional models as well. Most freebies are old and not professional but usually good enough for sets that dont need high quality assets.
Click here to goto turbosquid
2)cgtrader is turbosquids little brother - not as many objects and not as slick as a website, but still it has plenty and they do site wide discounts - i saw 20% off everything recently - if you wait for those you can grab some premium objects for cheap. https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models
3)free3d.com - this used to be another free website but wsa bought out by turbosquid, so the number of free models on it is much less. Still i've gotten some great characters and vehicles from these sites. https://free3d.com
4)45,000 free models - my first goto spot when turbosquid fails - its great - https://archive3d.net
- blendswap is one of the best high quality 3d object sites for blender - works on a meter so you can't just download everything. https://www.blendswap.com
These 5 will hold you in good stead for most of your needs, google for the rest - make sure to use keywords, 3d and free in your search.
Thats my 2cents on making your 3d work flow much faster.
