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Freebie Site Closure

mrsparkymrsparky Posts: 249
in The Commons

After nearly 30 years in 3D graphics and 8 years running my freebie site, I am sad to announce that on February 15th, 2026 PoserDirect will close down. During that time I’ve had the privilege of working with some brilliant people (especially Vanishing Point) but for various reasons it's now time to move on. Reasons such as... 

1. Economics: 

While operational and hosting costs have increased, over the last few years sales of 3d models and donations have been decreasing. In particular it's all those 'little' extra charges, like SSL certs, that's made things financially untenable. 

2. The rise of AI:

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of AI. Particularly as some of these tools allows creators to do things in minutes that would take months to make. But it's a technology that I, like many other content creators and vendors, can't compete with. Especially how it can make content for free, which directly risks the income of creators who choose to sell their skilled efforts.

Income that covers not the costs of creators, but also supports brokerages as well. Plus, as can be increasingly seen with video social media, AI can easily become Orwell called a versificator. A tool that distills human creativity into 5 seconds of slop.

3. Changes in Artistic Direction

In part it's the tactility and tangibility compared to the mostly virtual nature of CGI, but over the last few years I've increasingly found making real world stuff to be more fun than 3D alone. In particular making furniture with traditional tools, but also combining that with technologies like laser cutters & 3d printers. Plus I've been exploring other new creative areas as well, such as ceramics and 360 & drone photography.

While some of it can have a place in a 3d workflow, especially 360 photography which is great for making HDR backdrops, that has to be done in conjunction with a full time day job in healthcare. All of which is tricky to balance and it's often hard to know which direction to take.

So I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone I've worked with and to all those 1000's of artists who've enjoyed using my stuff.

Comments

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 40,413

    I love your stuff, Free AND Paid (have both) maybe you will consider hosting it somewhere else like Renderosity so you are not eating the costs as I am certain many others will also want it

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,988

    That's tough, Man... and I feel ya.

    PoserDirect will certainly be missed - Big Time!

    I truly hope that all of your new endeavors bring you good fortune and the happiness that you so definitely deserve!

    Love and Respect, my friend!

  • LorraineLorraine Posts: 920

    Will miss you, Mr Sparky!

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 9,288

    Have your wonderful items in my collection, your work is much appreciated.

    I hear you with AI. One of my friends is a streamer and wanted some background renders done for his streams as he was very interested after I showed him a folder filled with prints of my renders. Had to buy a couple of items to satisfy what he was after, only charged him what it cost me for models, ink & paper. Now he isn't interested in paying for anything as he has discovered AI artwork.

    All the best with your future directions !

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 18,795
    edited January 9

    Thanks very much for your shop & freebies MrSparky.

    Post edited by nonesuch00 on
  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,856

    @mrsparky 

    Mr Sparky or is it really Mrs Parky?

    you are the best and your products adorn a lot of my Carrara renders and will continue to do so into the future. smiley

    You and your products will be missed broken heart

    Thankyou and best wishes for your future endevours.

  • kenmokenmo Posts: 1,074

    Thanks for all your kindness...

  • ZWZW Posts: 49

    I'm a little late, admittedly, but I just spotted this.... Thank you so much, Mr. Sparky, for your 3D contributions, both free and paid, and especially for your generosity. Over the years, you've created a wealth of original and entertaining content that few other creators have dared to attempt. Your models have filled a significant void, and many will miss you dearly. Best of luck with your future passion projects!

  • wsterdanwsterdan Posts: 3,105

    Add my thanks for all the wonderful products; I still use some of your earliest products that I purchased and I appreciate that you've shared your talent with us.

  • caravellecaravelle Posts: 2,688

    Thank you so much for your wonderful work over such a long period of time. I own many of your freebies, as well as several paid models. I wish you all the best with your new focus!

  • Cam FoxCam Fox Posts: 326

    @mrsparky Grabbed a bunch of your free goodies. Very original and fun, thanks for sharing them with us! <3

    Does anyone know if there will be a place to buy or download the Support-O-Bundle? (It says discontinued due to site closure)

  • ArtAngelArtAngel Posts: 2,028
    edited February 10

    Never knew this site existed. A belated thank you for your amazing endeavor!

    Edit forgot the k. wink

    Post edited by ArtAngel on
  • Andrew_CAndrew_C Posts: 117
    edited February 11

    Thanks, Ive found some great stuff there over the years, paid & free. I know some of your stuff is avaliable via Vanishingpoint on Renderosity. Any plans on making the rest available somehere else?

    Best wishes with your new endeavours

    Post edited by Andrew_C on
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