Sourcing high-quality free 3D models will mean you won't need to sculpt and texture every object by hand. By heading to one of the many sites that offer every 3D asset you can imagine, you'll be able to collect the finest pre-made models available, so you can dress a detailed, realistic scene.

Not all of the free 3D models out there are of the quality you'd expect for your next project so we've made things easier for you by hunting through the offerings and found the very best models for you to use. We've covered models for interior design, exterior design, people and animals, objects, vehicles, characters you'll know (think Daleks) and, finally, where you can find the best collections. Just use the jump links (above) to head to the section you need, or browse the whole list.

If free 3D models aren't enough and you need textures too, we've got that covered with our pick of the best free textures. And we'll throw in some 3D inspiration, with a rundown of the best 3D art we could find.

Free 3D models: Interior design

01. Interior design collection

Dress your house up to the nines

Model Dezign has 22 top-quality free 3D models that will dress your 3D house up to the nines. With intricate models ranging from an interior door to a wooden bedside table, you'll find almost everything you need to make a realistic 3D house scene. The models come in all major file formats, and if you register for free you will have access to the growing range of 3D models.

In case you can't find everything you want here, Model Dezign also offers a custom 3D model building service where they will build anything you need to your exact specification.

02. Eames chair

Add a bit of designer class to your 3D project with this cool Eames chair courtesy of Rob Redman

Add a bit of designer class to your 3D creations with this iconic Eames chair, courtesy of Pariah Studios. Founder Rob Redman has generously offered this iconic post-war chair free of charge. File formats available are .3ds, .c4d and .fbx. Textures are also included, click to download (above).

03. Lamp

Download this free wall lamp to use in any 3D interior project

Not the most exciting of models, we know, but one of those items that will always come in handy. This wall lamp is provided by online store 3D Export, where you can buy and sell models, as well as find a library of other useful free items. This lamp, offered as a .obj file, was created using 3ds Max 2010 and rendered in V-Ray 1.5.

04. Stained glass chandelier

This art deco style light shade will add a vibrant pop to your designs (Image credit: SatoyaSan)

This beautiful chandelier is built to real-life scale, and would be a vibrant addition to an indoor scene. It comes in 3ds Max 2018, FBX and 3DS format.

Free 3D models: Exterior design

05. House

Find this free cool house model at ShareCG.com

This cool house is offered by ShareCG, the site that hosts the web's largest collection of free computer graphics resources including thousands of free 3D CG Models. The house is offered as an untextured .obj file but the download includes separate material files for easy texturing. Note: registration to the site is required to download models.

06. Plants

Download over 100 free plant and tree models courtesy of vegetation generator application Xfrog

Help yourself to 130 free plant and tree models from Xfrog, the vegetation-generation application. Choose from a list of 30 species, then click the 'Try before you buy' button for a free model. You'll need to register to get the models, and download formats include .obj as well as files for use in Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Vue, Terragen 2, modo and Lighwave.

07. Earth Planet Ultra HD model

You are here (Image credit: konstantinledionor18)

This realistic Planet Earth render includes an Earth Layer, a Cloud Layer and an Atmosphere Layer. You also get bump textures, an ultra-fine photorealistic image texture, a +-2k a map of the earth, clouds and a glare map. Plus, an atmospheric texture colour that should be set manually.

Free 3D models: People and animals

08. Male anatomy

Download the model to find out just how anatomically correct it is

If you're working with human figures, then a good anatomy reference is an essential thing to have nearby, and this free model could be just the thing you need. Stripped of pesky skin and hair to reveal the muscles beneath, this real-world scale model human comes as a full scene with cameras, lights and render settings, and it's ready to play with in Cinema 4D R19 and ZBrush 4R7.

09. Wolf

12/10 would pet with extreme care

Get a load of this good boy. This fully rigged wolf model comes with all the textures and materials you're going to need, and it's already animated, making it perfect to drop into any gaming project. Best of all, it's good to go with loads of 3D packages and game engines, so whether you're working in Blender or Unity, you'll find a download to suit you.

10. One-of-a-kind spider

Boo!

One for the arachnophiles, here. This detailed spider model isn't based on any actual species of spider, but it looks good enough to give anyone a fright. The Cinema 4D version comes with two light and environment setups that you can switch between in the Layer menu, while the converted OBJ file has two versions – with or without hairs.

11. Goldfish

Bring your underwater scenes to life with this free goldfish model

Bring your underwater scenes to life with this free goldfish model from Turbosquid user Heidycurbelo. Available in .max and .3ds formats, this asset includes all textures and materials and should be used in accordance with Turbosquid's royalty free license.

12. T-Rex

Create your own version of Jurassic Park with this awesome, free T-Rex model

This awesome model is another from digital media supply company Turbosquid. Registration is required to download and it should be noted that this asset is only available for versions of Lightwave 7.5 and above (formats .lwo, .lw and .lws).

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