10 Free: Tools for Character Design and Digital Actors

Free Humans! Character Design and Digital Actors resources including a variety of 3D models and scans of the human body, skin maps, garments, and more. And these items are all free, and most can be used commercially too.

1 Modified Daz Genesis 3 Skin Maps

What it is: This pack includes:

• Genesis 3 Female Modified Maps – Diffuse, Bump, Roughness – OBJ included In T-Pose
• Genesis 3 Male Modified Maps – Diffuse, Bump, Roughness – OBJ included in T-Pose
• Cinema 4D Project File
• Tutorial

Yes, you can use it commercially on any project, but they ask that you don’t repackage, share or resell this content.

Download: Modified Daz Genesis 3 Skin Maps

2 Free Garments Pack for Cinema 4D

What it is:  This pack from Smeccea includes 10 Garments, plus walk cycles, Marvelous Designer project files, Alembic (animated cloth file), and a Cinema 4D file with both cloth and model in walk cycle AND Selection tags. You don’t need Marvelous designer to use this.

Download: Download Garments Pack

3 WikiHuman

What it is: “Dedicated to the studying, understanding, challenging, and sharing knowledge of Digital Humans.” This is not so much a download but a resource for learning about things like facial capture, scanning, and more.

Visit: WikiHuman

4 Human Head Scan from 3DScanStore.com

What it is: download a free high res scan of a human male head in a range of sizes and 3D formats. It is NOT licensed for commercial use but you can use it for personal use or tests as you like.

Compatibility: There’s a Zbrush version that requires Zbrush, but there are also OBJ files TGAs, and FBX files. In addition, there’s a Marmoset toolbag scene file with all of the trimmings.

Download: Male Human Head Scan

5 Puffy Down Jacket

What it is: Cinema 4D Model of a puffy down jacket for your digital human. This is designed by Renderking and distributed by The Pixel Lab.

Compatibility: Cinema 4D

Download: Free Puffy Jacket Model

6 Daz 3D & Free Models

What it is: Free 3D software for creating and rendering. They also have lots of free models and some work in other programs such as 3ds Max, Lightwave, Vue, and more.

Compatibility: Mac and Windows 32 and 64 bit

Download: Daz Studio Free models

7 3D Model Jewelry: Ring, Brooch and Necklace

What it is: Your digital human needs some bling! This model pack comes from The Pixel Lab

Compatibility: Cinema 4D

Download: 3D Model Jewelry Pack

8 3D Posed, Rigged, and Animated People

What it is: Scanned people from RenderPeople.com. These are free for commercial use.

Compatibility: Get 100k and 30k polycount, with unwrapped UVs and 8k high-res textures. In addition, get Diffuse and Normal & Alpha maps.

Download: RenderPeople

9 3D Human Scanned from 3DCAP

What it is: Three free people scanned in 3D.

Compatibility: .MAX and .OBJ format

Download: 3D Humans

10 Free 3D Scan Model Juliette

What it is: A scan of a female in workout clothes with a towel from 3D People. You’ll need to register to get the free file.

Compatibility: 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, OBJ (can be used in Maya, SketchUp, Unreal, Unity, Rhino, Blender, etc.)

Download: Juliette

Featured image photo credit: Alexander Krivitskiy