Passive income 3d printing

We have a couple articles about making money 3D printing and making passive income with 3D printing, but this article is more specifically for graphic designers that have 3D design and conception skills.

How can I earn passive income as a 3D artist? You can earn passive income as a 3D artist in a variety of ways. All you need is some capital, time, dedication, motivation and skill. Some of the passive income business ideas for 3D artists include monetized blogging, e-commerce, creating and selling 3D models, 3D printing services, etc.

There are so many different ideas and you can choose from to monetize your 3D art skills. Once your idea is up and running, you can make more money passively. In this article, we look into how 3D artists can make passive income. Most of these ideas are fairly easy if you have the required skills and can help you generate thousands of dollars in passive income every month. For more details on each idea, click on the orange button to read our guide on our site.

1. Sell Printable 3D Art Online

You can sell 3D art on some of the most popular peer-to-peer trading platforms such as Amazon and eBay. 3D designs are cool and some people want to buy them for different reasons. Some customers may want 3D art printed on clothing or on paintings. You could even sell it in physical form. For clothing, print on demand is an awesome way to go. You could also sell in your own online store with Ecwid e-Commerce.

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Ecwid Commerce allows you to sell digital products, print-on-demand, and connect your online store to Amazon, eBay, a Facebook business page and Instagram. Through selling printable 3D models and art online, you can earn more than $500 per month. If having your own 3D printer is too expensive, there are many online platforms where you can lease one for a low cost.


Learn More About eCommerce in Our Guide

How passive is selling printable art as a way of making income? Selling printable 3D models and art online is moderately passive. When starting, you have to spare a couple of hours daily to design and list your pieces on sites. With time, your products will sell themselves, making the idea more passive. You can make good money by selling and reselling your products to different buyers and earn even more.

2. Sell Your 3D Software, Plugins & Scripts

Are you good at coding and designing your own 3D pieces? How about you combine your skills to make some money! Many professional coders are considering investing their time and energy into 3D modelling and graphic design. You can create, design, and sell unique 3D software, plugins, and scripts to save other time and make hundreds or thousands of dollars passively.

All you need to do is to stand out from the rest by writing better scripts, enhanced software, optimized workflows, and more user-friendly features. Some 3D artists can make more than $ 1000 per month passively by selling their work to online buyers. Watch this YouTube video for more information on this topic. There are many platforms such as AssetStore and BlenderMarket where you can showcase and sell your work. Some of them will pay good money for your original work. You can make more money by selling your assets to your own audience, through your own e-commerce store. We will explore that in the next idea.

How passive is selling your plugins and scripts online? Selling your scripts, plugins, and 3D software is a moderately passive way of making money. Initially, you’ll need to commit a lot of time to building assets and then focus on supporting and monetizing them passively.

3. Start a 3D Printing Blog

Are you good at coding and designing your own 3D pieces? How about you combine your skills to make some money! Many professional coders are considering investing their time and energy into 3D modelling and graphic design. You can create, design, and sell unique 3D software, plugins, and scripts to save other time and make hundreds or thousands of dollars passively.

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All you need to do is to stand out from the rest by writing better scripts, enhanced software, optimized workflows, and more user-friendly features. Some 3D artists can make more than $ 1000 per month passively by selling their work to online buyers. Watch this YouTube video for more information on this topic. There are many platforms such as AssetStore and BlenderMarket where you can showcase and sell your work. Some of them will pay good money for your original work. You can make more money by selling your assets to your own audience, through your own e-commerce store. We will explore that in the next idea.


Learn More About Blogging in Our Guide

4. Make Money From Your 3D Printer

If you own a 3D printer these ideas may be for you. We have 6 awesome 3D printing money making ideas in this article! Making and selling 3D prints and materials using your printer is a cool way of making passive income. The best part? You can create and sell 3D designs right from the comfort of your home during your own free time! You only need to have a 3D printer and some basic 3D modelling skills. Another way to monetize your 3D printer can be renting it out to other people who need it. You can create and sell your 3D designs and prints online. If you made and sold two pieces of your work at $50 every week, you earn $400 every month! Designs can be re-purchased repeatedly, which can give you a consistent passive income stream.

Learn More About 3D Printing in Our Guide


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How passive is 3D printing? The level of passiveness in 3D printing depends largely on the niche you choose, and how you choose to monetize your 3D printer. For instance, it’s less passive to design, print and sell your own designs. However, print-on-demand can help you outsource part of the work. A more passive choice would be to redesign and resell 3D prints online.

5. Selling 3D Renderings & Stock Photos

If you are a 3D artist, you probably have many renderings lying around. You can earn passive income by selling your converted 3D stock photos online (source). You can choose between the photos and videos and upload them to different stock sites. If you want to increase your chances of success, make sure to choose those with high quality and demand. You can upload your work to different sites as long as the designs belong to you and you are not under exclusive rights with a particular platform. Some platforms might require you to sell them the rights to your image, but will usually pay more. In or guide we share a more detailed analysis on how you can make money selling your rendered 3D stock photos and videos. Learn more in our guide here.


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Learn More About Selling Stock Photos in Our Guide

How passive is selling 3D renderings of stock photos and videos? This is a passive way of earning some income. 3D renderings have a high demand and buyers will be interested in new pieces. The market is also very new and there is room to find some excellent niches. You can start by uploading your stock photos to websites, or your own online store. Sometimes the photos take time to sell so you will have to be patient. High quality 3D videos and stock photos can sell for a long time and can continuously earn you good money.

6. Make Money Selling Material Packs

3D artists are always looking for new materials for their designs. You can make good money by creating and selling your 3D material packs online. Materials can cost up to $50 per piece on online platforms such as Motionworks. If you can sell only one piece at $50 every week, you earn $200 passive income monthly! Online platforms including i.Materialise also offer quality-printing services and different material combinations you can work with. As always, make sure to respect copyright laws in the process.

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How passive is selling your materials to make income? Selling your 3D designs and materials is a very passive way of making money. The idea will require some of your time and attention as you start but this.If you want to make more, try to upload many different materials on different platforms. Some of your materials can sell repeatedly giving you a reliable passive income stream in future.

7. Selling 3D Modelling Training Courses

There are many people making good money by creating courses on different topics and selling them online. You can become a 3D trainer, share your basic 3D modelling knowledge & skills, and earn passive income. Websites such as YouTube and Udemy allow you to create content on training courses with a few simple steps. All you need is a laptop, microphone, camera, a recording software and you are set. Make sure that you research popular topics that people want to learn and pay for. If you are using sites such as YouTube, you can earn more by meeting the criteria with a monetized account.

How Passive is creating 3D training courses to make income? This is a very passive way of earning income. You will only require minimal capital and a few hours off your schedule to plan and offer classes. The more interesting, popular, and knowledgeable you are on the topics you choose, the more people you can attract and the more money you earn.

8. Create an App

If you have the skills, you can create an app and monetize it. Making an app will require a lot of your time and some good coding skills. If you are passionate about coding and 3D art, why not make something that suits your users’ needs. The secret lies in choosing the correct niche. In our guide we have some tips that can help you choose a trending niche. Look for something that you think people need on a regular basis. You can look into forums, Facebook groups and reddit to find out what’s hot in the market. Making an app will earn you money as long as people are using it. Your income will mostly come by running advertisements, affiliate marketing and/or e-commerce. If you are wondering how to do this just click on our guide in each link above. Some apps include in app purchases that allow you to sell products within your app. This can earn you more income passively.

How Passive is creating 3D training courses to make income? This is a very passive way of earning income. You will only require minimal capital and a few hours off your schedule to plan and offer classes. The more interesting, popular, and knowledgeable you are on the topics you choose, the more people you can attract and the more money you earn.

Related Questions

Can I learn 3D graphics design? Yes, it is possible to learn 3D designing from different online courses. Some schools will also offer classes for a fee. The main challenge with 3D artists is the high startup costs of some of the materials needed. This includes buying a 3D printer or software. You might also need high quality equipment such as fast laptops and internet connection to do your job effectively.

Which is the best passive income idea for 3D designers? Your choice will depend on your skills and interests. Some ideas will require more capital and time to setup than others. Ideas include making a blog, designing 3D graphics and animation videos. Selling your renderings of 3D stock photos online is more passive and mostly requires finding the right niche and audience.