Updated November 2026
Can you license 3D models to AI companies?
You can license 3D models to AI companies, either through the data deals marketplaces now run or by licensing a whole library to a firm that buys 3D assets. No firm we read publishes a price per model, and if your models already sit on TurboSquid or CGTrader, you may be in one of those deals today.1,2,3
Two ways to earn
Marketplace sales versus licensing a library
A marketplace sale pays you a set share every time someone buys a model. Fab says creators earn an 88% share, and TurboSquid starts new members at 40% with up to 80% through its programs. You set the price, one buyer gets one model, and the same model can sell again and again.4,5
A marketplace data deal works differently, because your models go in with everyone else's. TurboSquid pays from a pooled fund on no regular schedule, your share rests on how many assets you have, their prices and your royalty rate, and it told artists the price per asset is lower than the store price. Shutterstock, which runs the fund, says contributors earn a 20% average royalty on what it receives for data licenses.6,1,7
A private license is one negotiated deal for a whole library, so the price is a conversation rather than a rate card. We found no published price for one, which means anyone quoting you a number for 3D models is working from their own estimate.3
If you sell on a store
What the big 3D stores do with AI now
CGTrader changed its rules on May 15, 2026: standard listings no longer cover AI training, and those buyers now go through enterprise agreements CGTrader negotiates for you. Those Custom Enterprise Deals are on by default and pay twice a year, and you can opt out in your seller dashboard. A "No AI" setting you chose earlier stays in place.2,8
TurboSquid told artists NVIDIA would train foundation models on its library, and you can opt out of future datasets in your account settings. Sketchfab went another way in 2023 with a NoAI tag you can add to one model or a whole account. Check these settings before you talk to anyone else, since they show what you have already agreed to.1,6,9
| Fact | Value and source |
|---|---|
| CGTrader: AI training licenses | From May 15, 2026, standard listings are no longer eligible for AI training use; buyers can license models for AI training only through enterprise agreements CGTrader negotiates for the seller, and an earlier "No AI" preference stays in place |
| CGTrader: Custom Enterprise Deals | Custom Enterprise Deals cover bulk access, time-limited rights or other custom usage; participation is on by default from May 15, 2026, sellers can opt out in the seller dashboard, and earnings are paid out semi-annually |
| TurboSquid: how data deals pay | Earnings from datasets go into a pooled fund paid out periodically, not on a regular schedule; an artist's share depends on asset count, asset prices and royalty rate; artists can opt out of future datasets in account settings |
| Sketchfab: NoAI tag | Added a "NoAI" tag on February 20, 2023, which marks a model as not to be used for generative AI data collection, either per model or across an account |
Direct buyers
Who says it licenses 3D data directly
Sieve lists 3D assets, gameplay and virtual environments among what partners can license, and Protege lists spatial, physical and motion capture data. Ventra's format list names FBX, Maya, Blender, Unity and Unreal, and its catalog page shows 31 proprietary datasets, by its own count.3,10,11,12
Ventra told us CAD, video game and video datasets don't need its 30-person minimum and could come from one person. That statement does not name 3D model libraries, so if yours is CAD or game data it may fit, and if it isn't, ask Ventra. The quiz asks what files you have and shows which partners take them.13
What gets a conversation
Which 3D libraries are worth raising with a buyer
Ventra says labs often want one kind of file in volume, so a large set of one thing, like building parts or furniture, gives a buyer more to work with than a mix of unrelated models. That line is about design files and CAD libraries in general, and we found no firm that publishes a minimum number of 3D models.14
Before a first call, write down how many models you have, the formats, whether you still have source files, and which ones came from client work, bought parts or a store exclusive, because each of those raises a rights question.11
FAQ
Questions, answered with sources
Print files are 3D data, but no firm we read names STL libraries. Ventra's list covers FBX, Maya, Blender, Unity and Unreal, so ask whether print files count before you size up an export.11
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Before you sign
Questions to talk through with your buyer
Every business is different, so these are best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over them with you before anything is signed.
Questions for this kind of business
- Which models in the library were client work, and how are those left out?
- How are parts from asset stores or texture sites found and removed?
- Does a marketplace exclusive or opt-in setting affect what can be licensed here?
- Who owns this data: the company, an estate, or someone else?
- Do customer, supplier or platform contracts, NDAs or API terms restrict this?
Questions for any buyer
- Is the license exclusive, and for how long?
- Can you sublicense the data, and to whom?
- Which AI labs will receive it, and will you tell us?
- How long do you keep it, and how is it deleted?
- What is your liability cap, and who indemnifies whom?
- Will the contract ban re-identification of people in the data?
- Who removes personal data, by what method, and do we approve it first?