When we need inspiration in the middle of our project, generally we want to glance at others’ portfolios, comments, and techniques they follow. At the same time, when we need to bring together our projects with a broader audience, social networking is a great tool to scale up our exposure.

As vagon team, we curated the best communities for you in order to find your questions and inspiration while you are interacting with many artists worldwide.

Photo by Balázs Kétyi on Unsplash

1. Behance 🔗

Behance is one of the first comers among communities for CG artists. The network is not only for CG artists, it welcomes all creatives such as photographers, filmmakers, product designers, etc.

You can discover many artists from around the world. If you find your inspiration, feel free to follow them and learn more about which tools are used.

Behance gives you the opportunity to create your own website by using Creative Cloud file sync. Interacting with many creatives coming from different backgrounds have never been more fruitful!

2. CG Society 🔗

The front page of CG Society welcomes you with great artworks of professional digital artists. It is already inspirational, isn’t it?

You can feel the quality of the works while you’re browsing. If you want to learn more about which techniques and tools are used, you can comment under the post to interact with the artist and other users.

Furthermore, CG Society offers many contests to boost your skills while competing against other designers coming from all around the world.

In the news section, you can reach the latest news related to games and entertainment industries. If you want to develop your skills, you can attend the course workshop section.

In CG Talk which refers to its forum section, you can get involved in the discussions to take advice, give feedback,, and help other creatives.

3. ZBrush Central 🔗

If you use ZBrush for 3D sculpting and painting for fine details and last touches, even for building a model from scratch, you are probably familiar with the software’s website.

It is really useful to search galleries which include a set of artists’ works that are good resources for new ideas. In the forum section, you can join the challenges, read the exclusive interviews, and enrich your knowledge with the tutorials.

If you want to extend your network with ZBrush artists or you want to develop your skills in the software, the community is a great start for you!

4. ArtStation 🔗

ArtStation is a perfectly designed platform to provide for the needs of game, film, media & entertainment artists.

The front page allows you to explore many artworks that are provided by great artists around the world. When you click on the image, you can give your feedback, interact with other people, and also you can see which tools are used for the artwork.

ArtStation gives you more than exploration.

You can attend online courses, read blogs, and view online magazines to keep up with industry trends. With the challenges, you can compare your skills and extend your network.

Don’t forget to check the jobs section because great job opportunities are shared by industry lead studios and companies!

5. 3D Total 🔗

Learning, creating, and sharing couldn’t be handier with 3dtotal!

In the gallery section, you can find your inspiration and meet new artists.

The platform provides a wide range of tutorials where you can develop your knowledge.

For us, what distinguishes 3dtotal from other platforms is selling books, anatomy figures, and texture packs that you can choose from in a wide variety.

6. Polycount 🔗

If you are interested in games and the character design, you are in the right place! Like other platforms, on the front page, you can see the artists’ works but the website is unique for its forum.

If you need some help and handy tips, all artists will welcome you, making the platform very interactive.

Another great feature of Polycount is the wiki section. You can consult where to find useful resources, models, and any other kind of information.

7. CG Channel 🔗

CG Channel is a great community for entertainment artists where you can keep up with all kinds of industry news.

You can use tools, textures, and wide range models for your projects from the free resources section. If you want to learn more software and enrich your projects by using different tools, check the training section because CG Channel offers many free tutorials and online premium courses.

The eye candy section is a substitute for online forums seen in other platforms but it provides many interesting renders that can help you with your upcoming projects.

8. CG Feedback 🔗

If you already have enough knowledge and inspiration to complete your projects but still need some feedback, this forum is for you!

After a long period of focusing on a specific project, we might miss some points and therefore seek to consult from people who are coming from similar fields. You can join discussions and check daily posts.

Don’t hesitate to dive into interesting topics!

9. Blender Artists 🔗

Blender Artists is a great platform to explore inspirational projects and exchange ideas with professionals under the posts.

If you want to catch the latest news in the industry, check Blender News section!

You can develop yourself and contribute to others’ projects in the forum section. There are many volunteers and paid jobs posted in a dedicated section. Please check the events section before leaving the website because we all know that events are a great opportunity to enrich your knowledge and extend your network.

10. CG Trader Forum 🔗

Another useful forum for joining discussions is CG Trader Forum where you can learn new techniques and tips.

The platform includes many features that you can benefit from. Blogs, competitions, and challenges are quite interesting to see others’ opinions and projects.

In the freelance 3d projects section, you can ask someone else to make assets for you and at the same time, you can create some models for others. Additionally, you can buy and sell 3d models.