the seven things a quote needs
- what it is. "three npc characters" beats "some characters". name the count.
- what it is for. the game, the platform, and where the asset sits — handheld, background, crowd.
- the style. link two or three references from your own game if you have them, and say which lane you are in.
- the technical spec. triangle budget, texture resolution, whether it needs a rig, and which rig.
- the deadline. a real one, with the reason attached — a marketing beat reads differently from "soon".
- the budget. a range is fine. withholding it does not get you a better price, it gets you a slower conversation.
- who approves it. one named person. two approvers with different taste is how revision rounds multiply.
phrases that guarantee a wrong quote
| instead of | say |
|---|---|
| "make it look good" | "match these two assets already in our game" |
| "low poly" | "under 3k triangles, one 1024 atlas" |
| "a character" | "one r15 npc, rigged, idle + walk" |
| "asap" | "in-engine by the 12th, we ship on the 15th" |
| "a few tweaks after" | "two revision rounds, in the price" |
reference, done properly
- show your own game first. what the asset has to sit next to matters more than what you admire.
- annotate. "this silhouette, that colour palette, not the material treatment" is worth ten unlabelled images.
- say what you do not want. it is faster than hoping.
- if you have a style guide, send it. if you do not, three consistent references become one.
agree the terms with the scope
scope and terms belong in the same conversation, before anyone models. these are the ones that actually cause disputes:
| term | bevel's answer |
|---|---|
| rights | yours, exclusive, included in the price |
| payment | 50% to start, 50% on approval |
| revisions | 2 rounds included, then hourly |
| rush | +25% |
| delivery | .blend source + game-ready .fbx / .rbxm, every time |
whoever you commission, get the equivalent in writing before money moves. a modeller who will not put revision rounds in writing has told you something useful.