The way it works is you create a 'gig' in Fiverr and you do this by naming the gig and describe in detail what you are going to do for $5. Then you wait. Hopefully people will come across your gig by searching or browsing and actually buy something from you.
You can offer anything, from article writing to posing in a Santa's costume and singing Christmas songs to a friend or relative of yours. Since Architectural Visualisation is all I can do, I thought I'd offer something along those lines.
I discovered a rendering plug in for Sketchup which allows you to create photorealistic renderings of your Sketchup models. It also achieves it's worth by being simple so you don't have to spend months learning new software. I figured I could offer to sell renderings of Sketchup models that people provide. It isn't much work - all I would have to do is load the model and render. Simple.
Well, a month after joining, I've completed two jobs. One I felt was a bit pointless - the buyer simply wanted me to copy a photo, but in 3D. The other (which I finished today) I almost screwed up because I didn't realise the guy had left instructions for me. I assumed Fiverr was going to drop an email if the buyer responded with instructions, but it seems like they didn't. So the poor guy waited three days while I was oblivious. Luckily, I indicated in my gig that I should be allowed 5 days to complete the job. This is mostly to cover my own back in case I somehow get loaded with work or something goes horribly wrong. Like my house catches fire and my computer is destroyed, etc.
And then I've had three enquiries that came to nothing. Actually, make that four. One came requesting models and renderings of socks, of all the things on planet earth and they were apparently in a rush. Since socks aren't my forte and I refuse to be caught up in rush jobs, having learned my lesson in Hong Kong, I turned that one down.
The thing with these clients is that they not only misunderstood the intention of my gig, but they appear to want a lot of work to be done for peanuts. Either that, or they don't realise how much work is actually involved in what they ask. The three enquiries that came to nothing wanted me to build something from a plan or an image and create a rendered image with it. The guy I just finished working for probably at least understood to some extent what is involved in my gig, but I had to draw up the model in 3D anyway since all he could give me was the front elevation of the house (he had apparently misplaced his 3D model and other important files...).
With the three enquiries that came to nothing, I made it clear that they needed to pay more (order another gig) if they did not have their own Sketchup model and wanted me to build one for them. I also named a few terms and conditions of my own that they needed to be aware of before work went ahead. Other than that, I was willing to do whatever they wanted.
I heard nothing from them since.
So for the job I just finished today, I screwed the T&Cs, requesting the extra pay and just did the work for $4 ($1 of the total $5 is actually pocketed by Fiverr).
I suppose I'll have to do this from now on. While the pay isn't great, it's obvious some of these people are looking for a cheap lunch, whether they are cash strapped companies looking to outsource on the cheap or bored housewives with nothing better to do. Still, I would at least be getting some exposure (provided I did well) and if I was really serious about starting up, I can't afford to be picky about pricing, etc.
That said, many sellers are requesting multiple gigs for jobs that they feel are worth more than $5 and they are pretty successful too. I was simply following suit. I've tried a few of these sellers myself and I've had no qualms about paying more for work that appears to be way beyond $5. But then, it's maybe because I understand what goes into making a 3D model, having worked in a similar industry for four years.
But that said, I also understand the wanting to get away with paying next to nothing for a service. I have that temptation myself, but it's also worth keeping in mind that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. I paid $5 for a 3D model that was shoddily made and I requested a refund straight away. A professional quality model might cost you in the region of $80 or more and in Arch viz, most professionals are hesitant to charge less than $25 per hour.
As for my latest job, well... somehow it kinda feels good to be working again, despite dreams of being financially independent and not having to move a mouse around for pay. Surprisingly, it has taken me only 8 hours to complete the job. 6 if you don't count the rendering times. 5.5, if you don't count time spent washing up and making coffee. Far less than the 5 days that I quoted in my gig. I guess the rule of thumb is to model only what you can see, whereas one personal project took weeks because I was concerned about all the niggly details and I was looking to sell the model on Turbosquid and other places.
Well, here are the results:
There's room for improvement, but I did this quickly (for me, anyway) and I didn't bother to sweat the really small details. But then, I can only really go on whatever information I was given. The grass looks a bit too uniform and unnatural, but I've never really figured how to make good looking grass without crashing the system. I think in the future, I'll probably be better served trying to fake it in GIMP instead. It's worked in the past when I was still an obedient employee.
Hopefully, I've done well enough to earn some favourable feedback. The first guy I worked for left one message with, literally, a few words in order to get me started and then I never heard from him again, despite submitting my work.
I think it'll be a good thing if I get a steady stream of business from Fiverr. If I can get 10 good reviews, then I can start adding extras to my gig and charge more for my services. So, with that in mind, if anyone reading this wants some work done that's similar to the above or if they have a 3D model built in Sketchup they would like me to render, then feel free to visit my gig.
Or better yet, if you have money to burn, go here instead...
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