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THE MODEL BANK USER AGREEMENTS

 

Introduction

Model Bank members who list products for sale are called Sellers. This document will teach you how to list your own 3D models for sale on Model Bank.

 

Preparation

Before you begin, it will be helpful to organize the models that you will list for sale in one central location. This is not required, but it may make it easier to locate them when it comes time to upload files to Model Bank.

 

You should also prepare preview renderings of your models. We suggest that you create several renders of your models, in both shaded and wireframe modes, in the maximum allowable preview resolution of 500 x 300 pixels.

 

*      Tip! Model Bank will automatically create the smaller thumbnail preview images from the large preview images you upload.

 

Publishing a Model for Sale

 

8  Go to www.modelbank.com.

 

8  Click the login / register tab at the top of the page to login to an existing Model Bank account, or to create a new account.

 

 

If you have an existing Model Bank member account;

 

8  Enter your Member Name and Password and click the Login button.

 

 

If you do not have an existing Model Bank member account you must create one before you will be able to access the Seller section of Model Bank. Click here for more information on creating a Model Bank member account.

 

8  Click the Sellers tab at the top of the page.

 

 

The Sellers section has four menu options;

1.    Create New Product

2.    Manage My Products

3.    Seller Information

4.    Sales Reports.

 

8  Click on the Create New Product menu option to begin the process of listing a product for sale on Model Bank.

 

 

Each product for sale on Model Bank has a unique part number called the Product ID. Each Product ID begins with a two letter prefix which designates the type of product it is. Before you can upload and describe your product, you must select the type of product it is. The choices are:

 

1.     Polygonal 3D Model – No Textures: Product ID prefix of VM

2.     Polygonal 3D Model – With Textures: Product ID prefix of TM

3.     Spline / NURBS 3D Model: Product ID prefix of SM

 

8  Select the type of product you will be creating by using the drop down menu and click the Create Product button.

 

 

 

You will now see an empty Product Detail page.  You’ll notice that a few of the fields under Technical Specifications are already filled in for you. The Product ID has been assigned. Your Model Bank ID has been inserted next to Seller.  The Geometry Type of the model has been set.  And today’s Date has been entered next to Date Published.

 

There are four steps remaining to create your product. You will need to fill in the Technical Specifications of your model. You need to fill in the Product Description. You need to upload the actual model itself (and any auxiliary files that you want to include with the model) in the Product Files area. And you’ll need to upload preview images in the Thumbnail Files area.

 

Technical Specifications

These fields include the Name of the product, the Price and the number of Polygons and Vertices.

 

Name (required)

The Name of the product is very important. It allows potential customers to get a good understanding of your model – even if they are viewing a text list of search results. For example 2004 Toyota Camry is a good name. You can tell right away what type of model this is. On the other hand, Toy_Car.3DS is not a very good name.

 

Another reason that your product name is very important is that it will be used as a series of keywords. This is explained in more detail later, but choosing the right keywords can be critical to the success of your product. In the previous example, the name 2004 Toyota Camry will allow your model to be found if anyone searches for “2004”, “Toyota” or “Camry”.

 

*      Tip! Don’t worry about creating a unique name. Your model’s unique identifier is its Product ID. It won’t matter if there are other products on the system with the same name as yours. Better to be descriptive than unique with product names.

 

*      Tip! Avoid using file extensions in your product names. Remember, even though you may upload a 3DS file, Model Bank can convert it to a variety of other file formats. Someone who is looking for an OBJ file may ignore file names with 3DS, even though Model Bank can deliver the model in OBJ format.

 

Price (required)

Pricing your model is also very important. When determining the price that you will be charging for your product, remember to be realistic without selling yourself short. The minimum price of a product on Model Bank is $10. Generally we have found that if a model has any value at all, it is worth a minimum of $10. If you do not feel that your model is worth $10, try combining it with another similar model to increase its value.

 

*      Tip! If you would like some helpful, expert advice regarding the value of your product, contact sellers@modelbank.com. We’ll be glad to look at your product and give you an honest evaluation.

 

*      Tip! Remember, you can always come back later and adjust the price, and Model Bank will not adjust the prices of your products without your knowledge and consent.

 

Polygons

This is the number of faces in your model. This field is not required, but is one of the criteria that customers often use to determine how well a model fits their particular needs.

 

Vertices

The number of points in your model.

 

Publish

Selecting this option ‘turns on’ your product and makes it visible to Model Bank customers. Unless you want to hide your product for maintenance or similar reasons, you should always keep the Publish checkbox selected.

 

Product Description

The Product Description area allows you to describe your product in detail and assign search keywords.

 

Description

The Description field is your chance to really describe your model to a potential customer. Here you can provide information about your model that is not appropriate in the Name field. For example “This model includes a full interior.  All animatable parts (doors, trunk, etc.) have pivot points.”

 

Keywords

The keywords that you use are extremely important. Keywords are what the Model Bank search engine references when determining how relevant your asset is to a customer’s request. When assigning keywords, think of words that you would use to find a model like yours, but don’t go overboard. For example “brown”, although descriptive, would not be a good keyword to use for a football.

 

*      Tip! Model Bank’s search engine will catch plurals - so you don't need separate keywords for words like “car” and “cars”.

 

*      Tip! You do not need to separate each keyword with a comma, Model Bank will do that for you.

 

Notes

This is a second text field that can be used to note interesting facts about your model. For example “This model was used in a television commercial.”

 

Once you have entered the Technical Specifications and Product Description, it would be a good idea to save the information you have entered up to this point.

 

8  Click the Update Product Information button to save your product information.

 

 

The next step in the process is to select and upload the models (and associated files) that you are going to sell. There are two ways to do this; you can upload individual files, or you can upload a single compressed (zip) file containing the model and all associates textures and materials.

 

Compressed File

Uploading a single compressed file containing the model and support files is the easiest way to publish your model.

 

8  In the Product Files section use the Browse button to locate the compressed file that you want to upload.

 

 

8  Select the Unzip Archive option and click the Upload Product File button.

 

 

After a few moments (depending upon the size of your file), you will see a list of all the files that were contained in the uploaded archive.

 

Individual Files

If you are uploading a model file with few or no associated files (texture maps, material files, etc.), you can select the file(s) individually.

 

8  In the Product Files section use the Browse button to locate the file that you want to upload.

 

 

8  Click the Upload Product File button.

 

 

After a few moments (depending upon the size of your file), you will see the name of the file appear. Repeat the process for any other files that should be included with this product.

 

*      Tip! Model Bank’s file conversion software supports a wide variety of 3D formats; however it cannot convert models to, or from, closed or proprietary formats. Maya and 3ds max are examples of closed formats. If your model is in either of these formats you should upload a generic .3ds or .obj version in addition to your Maya or Max file. This will allow Model Bank to convert and deliver your model to the widest possible market.

 

Once the files have been uploaded, you will see a list which includes a Remove button, the Original Name and File Format selector for each file.

 

Remove Button

Clicking the Remove button next to a file name deletes the file from the list of product files.

 

Original Name

This is the name of the uploaded file and cannot be changed.

 

File Format

NEED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS

 

*      Tip! Generally you will never need to change the File Format field. Model Bank will determine the proper format of the files and select it for you automatically.

 

The final step in listing your model is to upload preview images. You can use virtually any type of still image file as a preview image. As with model files, there are two ways to do this; you can upload individual files, or you can upload a single compressed (zip) file containing all of the preview images.

 

Compressed File

Uploading a single compressed file containing all of the preview images is the quickest way to add preview images.

 

8  In the Thumbnail Files section use the Browse button to locate the compressed file that you want to upload.

 

 

8  Select the Unzip Archive option and click the Upload Thumbnail button.

 

 

After a few moments (depending upon the size of your file), you will see thumbnail representations of all the image files that were contained in the uploaded file.

 

Individual Files

If you are only uploading a few previews, you can select the file(s) individually.

 

8  In the Thumbnail Files section use the Browse button to locate the image file that you want to upload.

 

 

8  Click the Upload Thumbnail button.

 

 

After a few moments (depending upon the size of your file), you will see a thumbnail representation of the file appear. Repeat the process for any other preview files that will be used to showcase this product.

 

Above each thumbnail image is a Remove button. Clicking the Remove button will remove the associated preview image.

 

The first thumbnail image will be the thumbnail seen by potential customers as they search through your products. You can make any of the thumbnail files first simply by clicking on it.

 

*      Tip! The maximum size of large preview images is 500 x 300 pixels. If you use an image that is larger than 500 x 300, Model Bank will scale it down proportionally until it fits within the preview area.

 

Congratulations, you have published your first product on Model Bank!