Selling AI-Generated 3D Models on Sketchfab, TurboSquid and Asset Stores

Sketchfab

The help article (dated October 8, 2026 on the page): “Sketchfab does not prohibit uploads that have been created, in full or in part, with AI tools.” And: “you need to tag any of your models that have been made with the use of generative AI programs as “Created With AI”.” Models are “not considered to be created using Generative AI Programs merely for use of features that solely operate on content.” Models not flagged “may still appear as Human Created”, which is the vendor’s own caveat about its filter.

The article also covers a NoAI tag, which works with the Standard License for models offered “for free download or purchase”, and the Editorial License for “works that you are selling on the Sketchfab Store”. That tag is about opting out of AI training, not a limit on selling AI-made models.

The Store mentioned there no longer trades. Sketchfab’s blog said on October 22, 2024: “The Sketchfab Store is now closed”, and sellers “will be unable to make any new sales or earn any revenue on Sketchfab”. Selling moved to Fab, covered below. Sketchfab’s August 10, 2026 post on joining KitBash says you can “continue to share and download models” and does not mention a store returning. Treat Sketchfab as somewhere to show or give away tagged AI work, and check for changes under KitBash. We did not read Sketchfab’s Terms of Use.

TurboSquid

The help article on suspensions (dated November 10, 2025): “Models developed using AI tools are not permitted and will be removed.” Also: “AI tools should not be part of the process unless explicitly approved by TurboSquid.” The resolution it gives is deleting the models “or seeking approval for your workflow.” TurboSquid’s separate publishing policy (undated) is blunter: it “will not accept content uploaded and sold on our marketplace that is generated by AI”, because authorship “cannot be attributed to an individual person”. That page gives no approval route; the help article does. So the safe reading is plain: do not upload generator output unless TurboSquid has approved your workflow first, and ask support. CG Channel (May 19, 2025) adds that TurboSquid licenses site assets for AI training under an opt-out policy and was launching its own generative tool; that is press, and it is 18 months old.

CGTrader

The terms (no effective date shown) concern AI training and CGTrader’s own generator, not rules for uploading AI-made models. Section 18.5 says CGTrader may use products for ML and generative AI training “unless the Seller opted out by licensing the Product offered for purchase under the licenses marked with “No AI"". A help article reportedly changing training eligibility from May 15, 2026 returned 403, so we could not read it, and the reported change conflicts with the terms page. Whether CGTrader allows selling AI-generated models: we found no explicit rule in the pages read. General clauses say members may only upload Content they “own or otherwise have the right to use and upload” (18.1) and that sellers represent the Product “is his original work” (18.7); the page does not say how these apply to AI output. That is a gap, not a permission. CG Channel’s 2025 summary reached the same place, noting the terms “do not explicitly forbid” AI content while requiring sellers to warrant originality.

Unity Asset Store

The submission guidelines (Last updated: October 23, 2026) are the most detailed of the group:

• 1.6.a: publishers “must transparently disclose” AI use in the marketing data, in an “AI description” field. That field has to name the specific AI tools and the content generated, in plain terms without marketing language, and describe the modifications that add value (paraphrased from the guidelines). Submissions might be rejected if they “resemble third-party and/or copyrighted work”.
• 1.6.c: AI content “cannot use keywords or terms that would imply human effort”.
• 1.6.d: Unity “reserves the right to reject submissions that are mass-produced using AI”; the guidelines also describe low differentiation from the publisher’s catalogue as grounds (paraphrased).
• 2.4.g: “photoscanned or AI-generated data is retopologized and optimized” before submission.
• 3.1.a: “Submissions with purely AI-generated descriptions can be rejected.”

The retopology line is a concrete bar to clear: see the cleanup hub for methods. A raw generator mesh is not described as acceptable by that line.

Fab (Epic)

Fab’s legal text was not readable: the EULA page returned only a license summary with no AI clause, and other legal pages were blocked or script-rendered. What we confirmed is an Epic forum announcement post (May 22, 2025, posted by the user “Hourences” on behalf of the Fab team per the page; their role is not stated, and it is not legal terms): “Content that’s not identified properly with the ‘Created with AI’ setting violates Fab terms.” The post also described measures under consideration (automatic detection, upload limits). Whether each shipped is unconfirmed. Fab’s own overview page (last updated August 2026) says product pages show whether generative AI was used and that buyers can filter those products out. Search summaries say the EULA defines AI-made content as where “a material portion” is generated; we did not verify that quote.

Smaller stores and itch.io

itch.io has a primary rule, in its quality guidelines. “We ask that you accurately tag your project if it contains materials produced by generative AI” using the AI Disclosure section, and it lists “game asset” pages among those it is “strictly enforcing”. “Failure to tag these pages may result in delisting.” Projects that disclose generative AI appear on an “AI Assisted” browse page. It also says not to “use automated systems to mass produce product pages”. The guidelines show no date.

Cubebrush and Flipped Normals we know only through CG Channel (May 19, 2025). It reports that Cubebrush requires tagging, that tagged AI assets are hidden from search and seller stores and reachable only by direct link, and that mislabeled assets are deleted. It reports Flipped Normals does not permit AI-generated content at all, even free. It also reports that Fab and ArtStation Marketplace permit AI-generated content when tagged. These are press summaries from 18 months ago, and ArtStation has since moved to KitBash; check the current page before listing.

Which gates stack up

The generator’s gate

Look up your plan in the license matrix and confirm resale is allowed. A model made on a plan that forbids resale is not rescued by a lenient marketplace. Three cases worth knowing as of 2026-11-08:

• Meshy. Its help center says paid subscribers “can sell without attribution”, and that Free users “can also sell, but should include the CC BY 4.0 credit line in the listing description”. Its pricing FAQ says free users are “also welcome to sell the models”. So what Free output requires is the credit. The open point is the store’s own buyer license: CC BY 4.0’s Section 2(a)(5)(B) says you may not impose “additional or different terms” that restrict recipients, and store licenses can bar buyers from redistributing. Fab’s summary, for one, says you may not “Resell or redistribute the asset for free on a standalone basis”. Fab’s overview page says it also offers Creative Commons Attribution licensing, which may fit better; we did not read how that works. Meshy’s help also limits Free downloads to untextured Meshy 6 Lite models. Details on free-tier licenses.
• Sloyd. Terms of Use (16 February 2026) permit resale in a marketplace or asset store “under the Pro Subscription plan only”. On printed goods, Sloyd’s FAQ says paid plans can sell prints while its Terms say “3D printing is allowed for personal use only”. That conflict is unresolved. See selling 3D prints.
• Open weights. Hunyuan3D 2.1’s license says Output may not be used or displayed outside its Territory, which excludes the EU, UK and South Korea. Selling that output on a global marketplace runs into the same clause.

What the market data says

Permission is not demand. 404 Media (August 12, 2026) reported CGTrader’s 2026 market-trends findings: one in six models uploaded is AI generated, but AI assets account for $1 of every $90 in revenue. The data covers June 2025 to May 2026 and comes from CGTrader itself, which also operates AI tools. Buyers in CGTrader’s survey ranked quality first, even above price, and CGTrader’s own statement is that “Buyers are voting with their wallets”.

CGTrader’s CEO told 404 Media it prioritizes quality and performance signals over raw volume in discovery. Combined with Unity’s rejection grounds for mass production and itch.io’s spam rule, the direction is clear enough: flooding a store with lightly edited output is the use case stores are writing rules against, and it may not earn much either.

A listing checklist

These are our recommendations, not any store’s requirements.

1. Confirm the store accepts AI content in writing today, and save a dated copy of the policy.
2. Confirm your generator plan allows resale, for the plan on the date of generation.
3. Clean the model to the store’s technical bar, and record the work. Unity’s retopology line is the one to beat.
4. Fill in every AI field the store offers, and write the description yourself in plain words. Do not imply handcrafting; Unity prohibits that for AI content.
5. Show true renders of the file sold. Unity’s guidelines allow generative AI in marketing material only where it reflects the package’s “primary essence or functionality”, and a render of what buyers get is the simple way to meet that.
6. Set the AI-training options deliberately. CGTrader and Sketchfab handle training permissions through license choice or a tag.
7. Decide whether your copy will claim originality at all. CGTrader’s terms have sellers represent that a product is “his original work”, and how that fits AI output is unsettled.

Read the live policy on the day you submit, label AI use whenever a platform asks, and keep your dated terms snapshot. For 3D-print platforms such as MakerWorld, see uploading to MakerWorld, Printables and Thingiverse.

More in the licensing hub.