Asset libraries and asset licences

An asset library is a store or archive of ready-made models, materials, textures and HDRIs. Every asset in it comes with a licence that says what you may do with it: use it commercially, change it, redistribute it, and whether you must credit the author. The licence matters more than the price. A free asset with the wrong licence can be unusable in a game you sell, while a cheap one may cover everything.

This page lists the main libraries, explains the licence types you will meet, and covers a common student question: can I use other people's assets in my portfolio? For software licences, see software licensing explained.

#The main libraries

Library	What it offers	Licence(s)	Cost model	Notes
Fab (Epic Games)	Marketplace for models, materials, Megascans and UEFN assets	CC BY (free), or Fab's Standard licence (free or paid) (Fab documentation)	Standard licence priced in Personal and Professional tiers	The old UE Marketplace licence is being phased out
Quixel Megascans (on Fab)	Scanned surfaces, 3D assets and packs	Standard licence via Fab, usable "in all engines and tools" (CG Channel)	Paid for most content from 2025; some stays free	Content claimed on Fab, free or paid, can be used forever
Poly Haven	HDRIs, textures, models	CC0 (polyhaven.com)	Free	No credit required, though "it is appreciated"
ambientCG	PBR materials, HDRIs, models	CC0 1.0 (ambientCG documentation)	Free	Raw files may be included in a project such as a video game
Sketchfab	Free downloadable models and a paid store	Free downloads: CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND, CC BY-SA or CC0; store: Standard or Editorial (Sketchfab Help Center; sketchfab.com)	Free, or one-time store purchase	Store licences are single-seat
Unity Asset Store	Models, tools, scripts, effects	Standard Unity Asset Store EULA, unless an asset has its own terms (unity.com)	Free or paid per asset	Perpetual licence to embed assets in your own products

#Fab's Standard licence tiers

Fab sells Standard-licence products in two price tiers. Personal is for buyers who "have not generated more than $100,000 USD in gross revenue from commercial activity in the last 12 months"; Professional is for those above that line (Fab documentation: Licenses and Pricing in Fab). Publishers must offer both tiers, at the same or different prices (Fab documentation: Licenses and Pricing in Fab).

#Megascans pricing after the move to Fab

Megascans used to be free for Unreal Engine users. When Fab launched in late 2024, Epic made the library free for everyone until the end of 2024, then began charging for most Megascans content from 2025 (CG Channel: Epic Games has made Megascans free to all…). CG Channel reported starting prices of $0.99 for individual assets, $4.99 for procedural kits and $24.99 for packs (article updated November 2024) (CG Channel: Epic Games has made Megascans free to all…). Two details matter if you have an old library:

Assets had to be added to your Fab library for the Standard licence to apply; downloading alone was not enough (CG Channel: Epic Games has made Megascans free to all…).
Content downloaded through Bridge falls under the older Epic Content License, which allows free use only in Unreal Engine (CG Channel: Epic Games has made Megascans free to all…).

#Licence types explained

Licence	Commercial use	Must credit	May modify	Typical sources
CC0	Yes	No	Yes	Poly Haven, ambientCG (polyhaven.com; ambientCG documentation)
CC BY	Yes, "even commercially" (creativecommons.org)	Yes, with a link to the licence and a note of changes	Yes	Fab free assets, Sketchfab downloads (Fab documentation; Sketchfab Help Center)
CC BY-SA	Yes	Yes	Yes, under the licence's ShareAlike terms	Sketchfab downloads (Sketchfab Help Center)
CC BY-NC	No: "others cannot use your model commercially" (Sketchfab Help Center)	Yes	Yes	Sketchfab downloads
CC BY-ND	May be used and shared (Sketchfab Help Center)	Yes	No: "it cannot be altered"	Sketchfab downloads
Standard / royalty-free store licence	Yes, inside your own product; no standalone resale (sketchfab.com; unity.com)	Not by default; Sketchfab asks for a credit in audio-visual productions that credit other providers	As part of your product; check each store's terms	Fab, Sketchfab Store, Unity Asset Store
Editorial	No: "cannot be used for any commercial or promotional use" (sketchfab.com)	—	Only if editorial quality is unchanged	Sketchfab Store

CC0 is effectively public domain: Poly Haven says you "can use our assets for any purpose" and redistribute them, "even in a product you sell" (polyhaven.com: License). CC BY gives almost the same freedom, provided you give "appropriate credit" (creativecommons.org: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) deed). Sketchfab suggests a credit line such as "This work is based on Model 2 by Sketchfab licensed under CC BY 4.0", placed with links next to your published work (Sketchfab Help Center: Crediting users for 3D model downloads).

#Seats, teams and contractors

Store licences are usually per person or per company, not per project. Sketchfab's store licences are single-seat, for one identified user (sketchfab.com: Licenses). Under the Unity Asset Store EULA, ordinary assets may be installed on any number of computers belonging to the licensee, but a contractor "must have license(s) to its own to the Asset" unless it is a multi-entity licence, and editor-extension assets are limited to two computers per seat (unity.com: Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA). On a team project, check who bought what before you hand files around.

AI-generated assets add another layer. Meshy's free plan, for example, puts outputs under CC BY 4.0, while paid plans make them "Private & Customer owned" (meshy.ai: Meshy pricing). See AI-assisted 3D generation.

#Using other people's assets in a portfolio

The licence decides whether you may use an asset in a portfolio; how you present it is a question of honesty. ArtStation, for example, encourages artists to be "as transparent in your process as possible" (ArtStation Magazine: NoAI Tagging on Projects).

Different viewsShould bought or free assets appear in your portfolio?

Use them sparingly, and only for what you are not showing. On Polycount, sprunghunt thought "one or two pieces" using store assets was probably fine, but warned that reaching for them whenever something is hard stops you learning (Polycount: Asset flipping and using 3d asset from quixel…). In an older thread, Sebvhe found it "contradictory" to aim for AAA environment work while avoiding making your own foliage, and said he would "instantly recognise" a premade engine asset (Polycount: Question about Environment art portfolios).

Fine for some roles, if you say so. toxicsludge77 saw no problem for lighting or world-building roles, but expected environment artists to model their own assets, and advised: "If you DO use assets you have not made yourself, be sure to mention what you didn't make in your portfolio post" (Polycount: Asset flipping and using 3d asset from quixel…). Tobbo agreed that bought assets must be made "very clear" (Polycount: Question about Environment art portfolios).

Assets as normal production practice. phaedarus argued that "You do not earn extra brownie points for making your assets from scratch", and that the problems are using assets without permission, over-reliance, or assets so familiar that the scene looks generic (Polycount: Asset flipping and using 3d asset from quixel…).

In practice: match the asset to the job you want. An environment artist's portfolio should show modeling and texturing in the hero areas; Megascans ground cover or a CC0 HDRI behind them is common and acceptable when credited. A lighting artist can lean on library assets more heavily, because the lighting is the work on show. Always list what you did not make. See planning a portfolio piece and making (and reading) an art breakdown.

#Common mistakes

Treating "free" as "free to use commercially". CC BY-NC and Editorial assets forbid it (Sketchfab Help Center: Crediting users for 3D model downloads; sketchfab.com: Licenses).
Losing the licence record. Save the licence and source link with every downloaded asset, in the project folder.
Forgetting attribution for CC BY. Credit is a condition of the licence, not a courtesy (creativecommons.org: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) deed).
Redistributing source files. Store licences let you embed assets in a product, not share the files on their own (unity.com: Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA; sketchfab.com: Licenses).
Passing a bought asset to a contractor. They may need their own licence (unity.com: Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA).

#Further reading and watching

Fab: Licenses and Pricing

the Standard licence tiers and CC BY on Fab, from Epic. All levels, free.

DocsAll levelsFree

Poly Haven licence

a plain-language explanation of CC0. Beginner, free.

WebBeginnerFree

ambientCG licence

CC0 terms with suggested credit wording. Beginner, free.

DocsBeginnerFree

Sketchfab: Crediting users for 3D model downloads

which CC licences apply and how to credit. Beginner, free.

ArticleBeginnerFree

Polycount: Using Quixel assets in a 3D portfolio

a frank discussion among working artists about when library assets are acceptable. All levels, free.

ForumAll levelsFree