Game asset development cost the unit, what moves it, and how to read a quote

A game asset is quoted per model. The model is the object with everything agreed for it: the mesh at the tier chosen, the texture set at the size chosen, the LODs, the export for the engine, and the check on import. A set is a group of related objects quoted together, with a price per object inside it by size class, so that adding or removing an object changes the total predictably.

Some vendors quote per hour. An hourly rate looks lower and leaves the total open until the work is finished. If you are given one, ask for an estimate of hours per object by size class and turn it into a per-model figure yourself, so that the two quotes can be compared on the same unit.

The tier is how finely the model is built and what it is built for. A High tier for renders carries every bevel and bolt in the mesh and takes the longest. A Mid tier for real time is reduced from it and carries a lightmap UV set. A Low tier for web and AR is reduced further, with smaller textures.

Each tier is work, so a model ordered in all three costs more than one ordered in one, though far less than three separate models, because the lower tiers are reductions of the first. Order only the tiers you will use, and say if more may be needed later; building the High tier first keeps the door open.

Texture size decides how much surface detail has to be made and how closely it is checked. 2K maps suit renders, hero objects and close-ups. 1K maps suit web and AR, where the file must load on a phone. For a game, the size follows from texel density across the set, so a large object carries more texture than a small one at the same sharpness. Larger maps cost more to make and to check. Many separate materials on one object add to the price in the same way, since each is its own set of maps.

Each LOD is a reduced copy of the model that has to keep the silhouette, be checked against the level above and be named so the engine detects it. LOD1 and LOD2 are the usual pair for a prop and are included in the way we build. More levels, for very large objects seen across a level, add to the price per model.

Collision meshes and a lightmap UV set are small items of the same kind, and a good quote lists them separately so you can leave them out when you do not need them. The guide to poly count and LODs explains how many to ask for.

The same object costs different amounts depending on the reference. Manufacturer CAD or orthographic drawings give exact shapes, and the work is in reduction and texturing. Photographs mean the shape is reconstructed, which takes longer and needs dimensions written down. A concept sketch means the object is designed as it is modelled, with more rounds of approval. An existing model may be a short job, if it only needs setting up for the engine, or a long one, if it must be retopologised and retextured. A studio should inspect what you have before quoting, and say which case applies.

A set of props is cheaper per object than the same objects ordered one at a time, because the plan, the material standard and the checks are shared, and because the repetitive objects go faster once the first is approved. Variants of one object, such as a second colour, a worn version or a different arrangement, cost a fraction of a new shape because the mesh is reused.

Library models, which already exist, are quoted differently again: by the tiers and formats you need, with no modelling to pay for. For an Indian scene, starting from our library of Indian props and commissioning only the gaps is the cheapest route to a consistent set.

A quote you can hold a studio to is specific. If any of the items below is missing, ask for it before comparing prices.

• Each model or set, with the objects named and grouped by size class
• The detail tier, texture sizes and map set for each
• The number of LODs, and whether collision meshes and lightmap UVs are included
• The engine and version the export is set for, and that import will be checked
• The formats delivered, and whether source files are included
• The revision rounds per object, and what counts as a revision
• What happens when the object list changes mid-project
• The schedule by batch, the review points on your side, and the ownership and usage terms

Put both on the same unit first: per model, by size class. Then check that the tiers, texture sizes and LOD counts match, because a lower price with 1K textures and no LODs is a different product from a higher one with 2K and a full chain. Ask both whether the files are imported into your engine before delivery, and whether source files are included.

Ask both how they make the models; a studio should be able to say plainly. Ours are built in Blender with our own procedural tooling and checked by hand, and we say so in the quote. The cheapest quote is often the one that leaves the engine setup, the LODs and the fixing to your team.