OTHER RESOURCES
Complementary resources for your 3D projects. Software, assets, references, stores, blogs & addons.
🧰 OTHER RESOURCES
Complementary resources for your 3D projects. Software, assets, references, stores, blogs & addons.
🔧 Complementary Software & Add-ons
⭐PureRef
Idyllic Pixel
"Essential tool in any digital artist's toolkit! Gather references in a moodboard that can be fixed on top of your art software. Surprising amount of functionality!"
PureRef
PureRef, the simple reference image viewer.
⭐Allusion
allusion.app
"I love Allusion so much! Software for browsing through your reference folder. Has a fantastic tagging tool for filtering images. Not a replacement for PureRef, but rather a way to quickly kickstart your PureRef board at the start of a new project.
Unfortunately the software doesn't seem to be receiving any more updates. There are forks being updated, but the regular Allusion works just fine."
Allusion - Visual Library Manager
Allusion is a tool built for artists, aimed to help you organize your Visual Library – A single place that contains your entire collection of references, inspiration and any other kinds of images.
GitHub - RafaUC/Allusion: A free and open source desktop application for managing your visual library
A free and open source desktop application for managing your visual library - RafaUC/Allusion
Mixamo
Adobe
"Mixamo creates a rough rig automatically, then you can select a animation or pose from a library. Results aren't always great but it can be useful in a hurry!
TW: Adobe"
Mixamo
Mixamo Rig
Generate a control rig from Mixamo Fbx skeleton
Kala Paint
Kala Paint, Oliver Lawson
"Excellent digital painting software to complement your 3D work with concept art, sketches or hand-painted textures."
Kala Paint
Kala Paint - Painting software built by painters for painters. One-time purchase. No subscription.
❤️ FAVORITE ADDONS
PAID ($60)
⭐Retopoflow 4
"You might be able to live without it...I can't. Excellent Blender add-on with a suite of retopology tools."
Retopoflow 4
RetopoFlow is a powerful retopology add-on for Blender that helps make quick work of creating custom, clean, mid or low poly meshes on top of high resolution sculpts. The tools in RetopoFlow mode are designed to be used by artists and makes the retopology process more like quick sketching and less like monotonous pointing and clicking and make good topology practices like evenly spaced quads the default rather than the exception.
Retopoflow
A suite of retopology tools for Blender
PAID ($13)
Adjust Vertex Weights
"I greatly dislike weight painting. This one makes the process a bit more tolerable."
Adjust Vertex Weights
This intuitive tool lets you easily adjust the weights of selected vertices by dragging the mouse up and down. The weights are automatically normalized while adjusting, so you can preview what your mesh will look like.
FREE
⭐ GoB
"Really important extension if you're using both Zbrush and Blender. Quickly transfer models between both software.
Right now the extension is broken on the Zbrush side of things, so I use this fix on Hithub made by JoseConseco."
GitHub - JoseConseco/GoB: Fork of original GoB script (I just added some fixes)
Fork of original GoB script (I just added some fixes) - JoseConseco/GoB
🛒 Assets & Marketplaces
🎨 TEXTURES & MODELS
Poly Haven
Free & Public Domain (CC0) Textures, HDRI and Models
Poly Haven
The Public 3D Asset Library
AmbientCG
Free & Public Domain (CC0) Textures, HDRI and Models
ambientCG - Free Textures, HDRIs and Models
Free 3D Assets Never Looked This Good! Get 2000+ PBR Materials, HDRIs and more for free under the CC0 Public Domain license.
LIMITED FREE, PAID VERSION ($107/YEAR, $16/MONTH)
BlendKit
Convenient 3D asset library, with an no-AI policy. Drag & drop models & textures through a Blender addon. A decent collection of free assets (all textures are free), though a lot of the value comes from the subscription
3D assets | Blendkit
Paid and FREE 3D models, materials, brushes and HDRs for Blender. Create beautiful 3D artworks and visualizations with ease. Explore now or download directly in Blender.
📦 FREE CHARACTER MODELS
Practice animation/rigging with these free models!
Agora.community Assets
Make sure to check out both Official and Contributors models!
Agora.community | Assets
Checkout high quality assets from both Agora Studio and community members. Our library of Agora Original characters and props offers a variety of free studio-level rigs created by Agora Studio. Our Contributor Assets library features a large collection of characters, props, and environments created by community members independently or in collaboration with Agora Studio.
Blender Studio Characters
Blender Studio rigs. Free models are mixed together with paid subscription models, but there's plenty available for free!
Characters - Blender Studio
Follow the latest updates from the Blender Cloud.
P2Design Academy Free Rigs
Blender Rigs
Free character rigs to be used in Blender
The Models Resource
Browse Assets & Games
Browse Assets & Games - Archiving and preserving video game media since 2003!
🛒 MARKETPLACES
⭐FlippedNormals
Some of the highest quality 3D assets & online courses you can find! Check out the Flipboxes, which are bundles rich with resources for a pretty good price!
FlippedNormals
Tutorials for Artists and Game Developers
Superhive
Great addons & assets store for Blender
Superhive (formerly Blender Market)
A Unique Market for Creators that love Blender
🛒 COURSES MARKETPLACES
Raf Grassetti's Online Store
Subscribe to Raf Grassetti's Online Store on Gumroad
Bring your characters to life in 3D Innovative character creation tutorials for beginners to advanced artists
Abe Leal 3D
Abe Leal 3D
Welcome to the 3D World. We provide Top Quality Courses to give you the tools that will make you an amazing artist. Always Learning, Always Improving.
P2design Academy
P2design Academy
P2design is a proud Titanium Development Fund supporter. When you buy one of our courses we donate to the foundation helping to improve Blender.
FlippedNormals
FlippedNormals
Tutorials for Artists and Game Developers
🌀 MISC
PAID
Substance 3D Assets
If you're paying for a Substance Painter subscription, you might as well check out the assets...
Substance 3D Assets Homepage
Browse thousands of fully-customizable 3D assets for your creative projects. Explore and use models, lights, and materials created by specialists and world-class guest artists. Access over 20,000 premium 3D assets on demand as part of the Adobe Substance 3D Collection plan.
📸 Photo References
⭐Animal Photo Art References Search
References for animal heads from all angles, lots of species to pick from!
Animal Photo Art References Search
Angle Ref
Human head references alternative
Angle Ref. Search
Find portrait references by head direction and share the artwork you make from them.
PAID ($100/YEAR, $13/MONTH)
Shotdeck
The price is steep, but the vast library of references and excellent tagging is worth the price if you can afford it!
SHOTDECK - #1 Source of HD Movie and Commercial Screenshots
Created by world renowned cinematographer - Lawrence Sher. ShotDeck is the largest library of high-definition film & commercial images and screengrabs in the world.
Unsplash
AI-free stock images for references
Animal Photo References
AI-free animal references
Animal Photo Reference Repository
Artists creating derivative or transformative works without Generative AI have blanket permission to reference these photos.
⭐ Dreamstime
Some AI-slop (which can be toggled) and awkward Photoshop work sprinkled in, but the sheer quantity and quality of references is unmatched
Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images by Dreamstime
368 Million stock photos, unlimited prints, lifetime, worldwide rights: ✓ Free photos for commercial use. ✓ Model-released, ✓ Safe to use ✓ Free trial. World`s largest stock photo community. Join for free.
⭐ Getty Images
AI-free stock images (though there is some unrelated AI-gen crap around). I do like that Getty Images seem to contain more historical photos than Dreamstime
Royalty-Free Stock Photos, Creative Images & Vectors | News, Fashion, and Entertainment imagery
Discover Getty Images' unrivaled collection of royalty-free images to find the perfect stock photo, vector, or illustration that resonates with your customers.
TrueRef
Well curated store for human pose references. Contains a free section
TrueRef – Just the reference you were looking for
Real, unretouched figure and pose reference photos for artists. Never AI. Browse packs by aesthetic, model, and style.
Adorka Stock
Pose references with a wide range of models! Contains free references & paid packs
Pose reference by artists, for artists by AdorkaStock
AdorkaStock provides safe-for-work pose references for artists of all ages. We include a diverse range of body types.
💻 Blogs
⭐Pablander Academy
Incredible blog full of educational 3D tips!
Newsletter | Pablander Academy
Here you'll find all the best tips and tricks from our newsletter.
Artstation Blogs - Tutorials
Worth scrolling for a while, bunch of nicely written tutorial by professionals!
Artstation Learning - 3D
3D
Master digital 3D art skills for animation, games, VFX, film, and much more.
BlenderNation - Behind The Scenes
BlenderNation
Daily Blender Art, Tutorials, Development and Community News
80LV
Some garbage AI related articles, but the 3D process breakdowns are too useful to pass
Character Art
Character Art Tutorials and Breakdowns | 80 Level
Character art content with tutorials and interviews, showcasing workflows and techniques used in real industry projects.
Props
Prop Art Tutorials and Breakdowns | 80 Level
Prop art content focused on workflows and techniques, shared through tutorials and interviews with artists.
VFX
Articles on VFX | 80 Level
Articles about the production of visual effects for movies and video games in Houdini and other software.
Blender
Articles and tutorials for 2D/3D Artists
Workflow breakdowns and tutorials for Unreal Engine 4, 3ds Max, Substance Painter, Houdini, and more.
Substance Painter
Articles and tutorials for 2D/3D Artists
Workflow breakdowns and tutorials for Unreal Engine 4, 3ds Max, Substance Painter, Houdini, and more.
Zbrush
Articles and tutorials for 2D/3D Artists
Workflow breakdowns and tutorials for Unreal Engine 4, 3ds Max, Substance Painter, Houdini, and more.
3D Art
Articles and tutorials for 2D/3D Artists
Workflow breakdowns and tutorials for Unreal Engine 4, 3ds Max, Substance Painter, Houdini, and more.
The Rookies
Same deal as 80LV
Breakdowns
Project Breakdowns | The Rookies Blog
Go behind the scenes and learn how talented artists create their work.
🎨 3D Artists Recommendations
You learn a suprising amount from just watching professionals do their work!
Alongside channels that are focused on educational content, I also included artists who share timelapses and their process on finished projects.
I tried my best to avoid creators who dabble in AI generation content, but some content might slip through the cracks over time.
Abe Leal 3D
Software: ZBrush, Substance Painter, Maya, Marvelous Designer, Blender
Hop on any of their livestreams VODs and it's almost a garantee you'll leave with incredible 3D advice
Abe Leal 3D
My name is Abe Leal and I love teaching about the 3D World
Abraham Leal
3D Artist & Instructor
Pierrick Picaut
Software: Blender
Pierrick Picaut
🔥Check out my Blender courses : https://www.p2design-academy.com/ 🔥 My name is Pierrick, I'm a blender foundation certified trainer and former Art director, Animator and rigger in the game industry. Here you will find Blender tutorials video, focussed on intermediate and high technical level. While I work on a lot of different things, I generaly focus on rigging and animation content in Blender 3D.
Alberto Tufino Velez
Software: ZBrush
So many incredible timelapses included on their channel!
Alberto Tufino Velez
Hello everyone!!! I'm reviving this channel. It only had few videos showcasing some models I did when I started the 3d modeling journey. Now, I'm dedicating this channel to show time-lapses of all personal projects. These will be sculptures I will make available for download on my patreon page. If you are interested in printing any of them, don't hesitate to stop by.
Alberto Tufino Velez
Digital Sculptor
J Hill
Software: ZBrush, Substance Painter, Blender
J Hill
Hey, I'm J and I'm obsessed with digital characters. I want to help people that are interested in Character Art. Subjects like 3D Modeling, Zbrush Sculpting, Unreal Engine, Game Art, and Rendering. By sharing some of my thoughts, experiences and techniques, I hope to inspire others to create things. Whether it's tutorials or time-lapses, I'd like to create helpful videos for those interested in digital characters and art that are informative and entertaining. I want to encourage others to make art, try new things and grow. I hope to create a community that is supportive and encouraging. Have fun!
J Hill
Character Artist
Rafa Souza
Software: ZBrush
Rafa Souza
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
Rafa Souza
Anatomy Expert, Artist & Educator
Trikvlt
Software: Blender
Trikvlt
Stylized 3D sculpting in Blender. Monsters, characters, and busts created fast and shown end to end. Timelapses, workflow breakdowns, and experiments. Subscribe and join the kvlt of creation ⚒️👁️
Blender Secrets
Software: Blender
Blender Secrets
Get your free 30-page e-book by clicking on the link below:
Follygon
Software: Zbrush
Follygon
Digital Sculpting, Made Simple 👇 https://follygon.com Hey, I'm Follygon! I'm a digital sculptor who has worked professionally for companies like Pokémon, Clash of Clans, Epic Games, and many, many more. I've mentored students at Blizzard and Disney, and I work with students on their very first day. Glad to have you here, hope you enjoy the vids, and click that subscribe button if you would like to see more in the future!
On Mars 3D
Software: Substance Painter, Blender
On Mars 3D
Solutions Architect at Epic Games and Instructor. Follow for the latest updates!
SouthernShotty
Software: Blender
SouthernShotty
Learn all things Blender 3D with a focus on characters, animation, rigging, and motion graphics!
Ryan King Art
Software: Blender
Ryan King Art
My name's Ryan King. I'm a Christian and Blender 3D artist. I create Blender tutorials and teach how to use the Blender 3D software. I do this for a living, so your support is much appreciated! Thanks! 🟠 Support the Channel: Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/ryankingart Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ryankingart YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/ryankingart/join 🟠 About and Links: Check out my website about page for more info: https://ryankingart.wordpress.com/77-2/ 🟠 Contact: You can contact me via my website contact page: https://ryankingart.wordpress.com/contact/ 🟠 Artwork and Portfolio: Check out my ArtStation profile to see my artwork: https://www.artstation.com/ryanking 🟠 Second YouTube Channel: Check out my 2nd channel where I post other videos: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanKingVideo ✝️ John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Kaizen
Software: Blender
Kaizen
I want to help you become a thriving creative.
📝 Drawing Resources
Finally, if you're interested in guidance about learning how to draw, may I suggest you check out this site made by my friend Kanjon! He's the inspiration behind me making this long writeup!
Skill Guide · bristle
8 Sept 2026: Welcome! The “Improving” section has been added. Further skill levels are still being written but should be available in the coming weeks.
Also consider donating to developers creating the incredible free software we often take for granted!
Blender
"One of the most incredible open source software in history, thanks to user donations!"
Blender Development Fund
Join the Development Fund and support Blender Foundation to work on core Blender development.
PureRef
"Name your price system, but most will usually get it for $0. Consider how often PureRef is open when creating your artworks, and maybe drop them a cup of coffee? :)"
Download | PureRef
PureRef, the simple reference image viewer.
This thread will be constantly updating.
(Last updated: 21/09/2026)
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