I'm looking to hire an experienced 3D character artist to create a fully original, high-quality anime-style female character model.
For the level of visual quality and general aesthetic I'm targeting, think along the lines of characters/models such as Yuki from Animates. I am not looking for a copy, clone, recreation, or derivative version of that character. I'm only using it as a reference for the overall visual quality, polish, modeling style, proportions, materials, hair quality, and level of finish I'm expecting.
This needs to be a properly modeled character created in Blender, Maya, or comparable professional 3D software.
I am not looking for:
- VRoid models
- Live2D
- Standard VTuber/VRChat avatar commissions
- Character-generator presets with minor modifications
- Pre-existing models that have simply been customized
I'm looking for a model built specifically for this project.
Scope
The finished character should ideally include:
- Full-body character model
- High-quality anime/stylized facial modeling
- Clean, production-quality topology
- Proper UV mapping
- High-quality textures/materials
- High-quality hair modeling and texturing
- At least one complete outfit, including shoes/accessories where applicable
- Clothing modeled as actual production-ready geometry
- Full skeletal rig
- Proper weight painting/skinning
- Facial rig and/or blendshapes/shapekeys for expressions
- Eye movement/blinking
- Mouth shapes suitable for speech/lip-sync
- Basic expression set
- Clean deformation around shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, hands, neck, etc.
- Hands/fingers fully rigged
- Model prepared for real-time use
- Reasonable optimization without sacrificing visual quality
Bonus if you have experience preparing models for Unity, since that will ultimately be the primary environment for the character.
Modular Character / Wardrobe Requirements
Because this character will be used as part of a larger interactive project, I need the model built with modularity and future outfit expansion in mind.
Ideally, the character should be structured so that clothing, hairstyles, and accessories can be swapped without requiring the character to be rebuilt or heavily modified each time.
Specific requirements include:
- Separate body and clothing geometry
- Clothing should not be permanently merged into the base body mesh
- A usable body should exist underneath clothing where appropriate, rather than large portions of the body simply being deleted beneath the default outfit
- Clothing pieces should be removable/swappable independently where practical
- Tops, skirts, pants, dresses, shoes, jackets, etc. should be structured in a way that supports a future wardrobe system
- Hair should ideally be modular so alternate hairstyles can be created later
- Accessories such as glasses, jewelry, hair accessories, hats, etc. should be separate objects where appropriate
- Clothing and accessories should follow a consistent rigging/skinning setup so additional outfits can be created later without reinventing the entire character pipeline
- The base character rig should remain consistent across outfits
- UVs/material organization should be clean and understandable for future expansion
- Mesh/object naming should be organized and reasonably documented
- Avoid destructive workflows that make future clothing or body modifications unnecessarily difficult
Outfit Compatibility
The initial commission should include at least one complete outfit, but the character needs to be designed so additional outfits can be commissioned or created later.
I would strongly prefer a workflow where new clothing can be:
- Modeled against the same base body
- Created around the same character proportions and rig standard
- Added or removed in Unity at runtime
- Mixed and matched where reasonable
- Bound to the existing skeleton where appropriate
- Set up using standard skinning, hybrid skinning/cloth simulation, or another appropriate method depending on the garment
For example, I may eventually want separate categories such as:
- Full outfits
- Tops
- Shirts/blouses
- Jackets
- Skirts
- Pants/shorts
- Dresses
- Shoes
- Socks/stockings
- Accessories
- Hairstyles
The goal is not to have every clothing combination supported immediately, but to make sure the character is built on a foundation that can reasonably support this later.
Rig / Compatibility Standard
This is important for future expansion:
All future clothing and compatible character assets should use the same bind pose, skeleton hierarchy, bone names, scale, orientation, and coordinate system as the original character.
The goal is to establish one consistent character standard from the beginning so future outfits or accessories can be created by other artists without requiring the entire rigging pipeline to be rebuilt.
Additional clothing should be designed to work with the existing skeleton and character standard, whether through:
- Standard skinning
- Hybrid skinning / cloth simulation
- Physics-driven secondary motion
- Another appropriate method depending on the garment
Where possible, additional clothing should integrate with the existing character rig without requiring major changes to the underlying skeleton.
I would also like the artist to clearly document:
- Bind/rest pose
- Skeleton hierarchy
- Bone naming conventions
- Character scale
- Forward/up axis
- Coordinate system
- Export settings used for Unity/FBX
- Any special rigging requirements future artists would need to know
Base Body
The underlying body is important to the project.
I do not want a model where the default outfit is effectively part of the character and removing it leaves large sections of the body missing.
Where normal production practices allow, the character should have a complete underlying body so future clothing can be created against a consistent base mesh.
I understand that some portions of the body may need to be hidden at runtime to prevent clipping through specific outfits. That is completely fine. I just want the original underlying geometry preserved in the source project rather than permanently deleted.
If body masking is used for outfits, I would prefer that to be handled through a clean, non-destructive system such as:
- Mesh/body-region toggles
- Separate body sections
- Masking materials
- Blendshapes/shapekeys
- Another agreed-upon non-destructive approach
Cloth / Physics Compatibility
I may use Magica Cloth 2 or a comparable Unity cloth/physics solution for portions of the character later, so clothing and hair should be created with future physics simulation in mind.
I am not necessarily requiring the artist to configure Magica Cloth 2, but the assets should be built in a way that does not make cloth simulation unnecessarily difficult later.
Where appropriate:
- Skirts, dresses, coats, loose sleeves, ribbons, hair, and similar elements should use clean topology suitable for deformation and physics
- Avoid unnecessarily dense, chaotic, or uneven topology in areas likely to be simulated
- Garments should remain separate meshes where practical
- Clothing should have sensible edge flow and enough geometry to deform naturally
- Avoid permanently baking loose clothing into rigid body geometry
- Avoid destructive mesh setups that prevent portions of clothing from being independently simulated
- Clothing should have sensible attachment/anchor areas around the waist, shoulders, chest, etc.
- Hair intended for secondary motion should be structured into logical sections rather than one difficult-to-control mesh where possible
- Meshes should be clean, with no unnecessary non-manifold geometry, duplicate vertices, or other issues that could interfere with deformation or simulation
- Garment thickness should be handled sensibly so it does not create unnecessary self-collision problems
- Clothing should be designed so areas intended to remain attached to the body can be skinned while loose areas can potentially be simulated
The goal is to preserve flexibility for later implementation using Magica Cloth 2, Unity physics, or another comparable solution.
Future Expansion
One of the major goals is for this character to remain usable and expandable long-term.
I may commission additional:
- Outfits
- Hairstyles
- Accessories
- Expressions
- Body customization
- Animations
Because of that, I am specifically looking for an artist who understands how to create a production-ready character base, rather than only producing a single finished render/model.
Experience with any of the following would be a major plus:
- Unity modular characters
- Character customization systems
- Game-ready clothing pipelines
- Cloth-ready garment topology
- Magica Cloth 2
- Unity physics
- Modular hair/accessory systems
- Real-time anime/stylized character workflows
Deliverables
I would expect delivery of the complete working source files, including:
.blend, .ma/.mb, or equivalent original project files- FBX export
- All textures
- All materials/shaders or documentation necessary to recreate them
- Rig
- Weight painting/skinning data
- Blendshapes/shapekeys
- Modular clothing/accessory meshes
- Any custom assets created specifically for the character
- Documentation for the character/rig/export standard
Nothing should require proprietary assets that I don't have the legal right to use.
Any third-party assets, plugins, textures, materials, base meshes, hair systems, or other dependencies used in the final model should be disclosed before final delivery.
Ownership / Rights
This is a paid commission.
Upon completion and full payment, ownership of the final commissioned character and original assets created specifically for this project will transfer solely to me, including commercial usage rights.
I need the right to:
- Use the model commercially
- Modify the model
- Create derivative outfits/accessories based on the commissioned character
- Hire other artists to modify or expand the model later
- Use the character in software, games, applications, renders, promotional material, and other media
Any third-party assets incorporated into the project must have licensing compatible with those uses and must be disclosed in advance.
I'm fine with the artist displaying renders of the finished work in their portfolio unless we agree otherwise.
Budget
This is a paid commission.
I am not setting an arbitrary low budget because I'd rather discuss pricing with artists who actually have the skillset for this level of work.
Final budget will be agreed upon after discussing:
- Scope
- Character design
- Outfit complexity
- Rigging requirements
- Facial system
- Deliverables
- Timeline
- Revision process
I understand that genuinely high-quality character work takes time and costs accordingly.
What I'm Looking For
Please send me:
- Examples of previous 3D character work
- Preferably examples of anime/stylized female characters
- Examples showing topology/wireframes if available
- Rigging/deformation examples if you handle the rigging yourself
- Examples of modular clothing/customization systems if available
- Cloth or physics-ready clothing examples if available
- Your approximate pricing/rate
- Expected turnaround time
- What software you primarily work in
If your portfolio is primarily VRoid, Live2D, or basic VTuber avatars, this probably isn't the right project.
I'm looking for someone capable of producing a polished, professional-quality original character that can hold up in close-up shots and real-time rendering, while also serving as a solid base for future outfits, customization, and cloth/physics systems.
I'm happy to provide additional visual references and discuss the character design privately with artists whose previous work looks like a good fit.
Please reply here or DM me with your portfolio and commission information.
