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vsDaz3D vs Proofly — format lock-in vs open formats

Daz3D keeps 50-65% and locks your characters to one app. You keep 100%.

Daz3D's Published Artist program pays 35-50% royalty — meaning Daz3D keeps the majority of every sale. Worse, .duf format models only work inside Daz Studio, cutting off buyers who use Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, and Cinema 4D. Proofly charges 0% seller commission and supports GLB, FBX, OBJ, and STL — open formats that work in every 3D application buyers already use.

Revenue comparison: $15 character model × 100 sales / month

Daz3D PA royalty (50%) vs Proofly (100% to seller)

PlatformPer sale100 sales / moLost / year
Daz3D PA (50% royalty)$7.50$750$9,000
Daz3D PA (top tier, 65% royalty)$9.75$975$3,000
Proofly (all sellers, always)$15.00$1,500$0

Buyer service fee on Proofly is paid by the buyer, not deducted from your listing price.

Side-by-side: Daz3D vs Proofly

FeatureDaz3DProofly
Seller commission50-65% taken (you keep 35-50%)0% — always
File formatsDaz-proprietary .duf onlyGLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, 3MF, ZIP — open formats
Buyer app compatibilityDaz Studio only (.duf native)Blender, Unity, Unreal, Maya, Cinema 4D, any app
In-browser 3D viewerStatic images onlyFull WebGL — rotate, zoom, wireframe, X-ray
Piracy tracingNo per-buyer fingerprintingHiddenMark unique watermark per buyer
Rigged character supportDaz Genesis figure system onlyAny rig — GLB/FBX with embedded animations
AI description generatorNot availableOne-click AI description and tags
Exclusivity requiredPA agreement variesNo — list on both simultaneously
Founding Creator statusNo early-creator rewardsFirst 100 authors = Founding Creator forever

Daz3D format lock-in limits your buyer pool

Daz3D uses a proprietary scene format (.duf) that only works inside Daz Studio. Buyers who use Blender, Maya, Unity, Unreal Engine, or Cinema 4D cannot directly open your .duf files — they would need to export using Daz Bridge or third-party tools, a process many find frustrating enough to abandon.

Proofly supports GLB, FBX, OBJ, and ZIP packages — formats that are drag-and-drop into every major 3D application and game engine. A GLB character with embedded PBR materials and animations opens directly in Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, and godot with no conversion. Selling in open formats means every 3D artist, game developer, and VTuber rigger is a potential buyer, not just Daz Studio users.

Daz3D's PA royalty: you earn 35-50%, they keep the rest

Daz3D's Published Artist program offers 35-50% royalty on regular-priced items. On a $15 character pack at the 50% tier, you earn $7.50 per sale. Daz3D keeps $7.50. After 1,000 sales, you've earned $7,500 while giving Daz3D $7,500.

Proofly charges 0% seller commission. The buyer pays a small flat service fee directly. Your listing price is your full revenue — from the first sale to the ten-thousandth. No tiers, no thresholds, no percentage disappearing on every transaction.

Founding Creator Program

The first 100 creators who publish a model on Proofly receive Founding Creator status — a permanent badge, priority placement in search, and early access to new features. Daz3D has 1M+ products; early positioning on Proofly means visibility before the catalog grows.

HiddenMark — per-buyer watermarking Daz3D does not offer

Daz3D has no per-buyer file fingerprinting. Every downloaded .duf or exported OBJ/FBX is a plain file — if a buyer shares it publicly, you have no technical way to identify the source. Your only recourse is DMCA requests to hosting sites.

Proofly's HiddenMark system embeds a unique steganographic code into mesh geometry on every paid download — invisible to renders and slicers, but readable by the Proofly verifier. Each code is unique to the specific buyer, model version, and purchase date. Upload any suspected leaked file to proofly.store/hiddenmark to identify the source in seconds.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage does Daz3D take from Published Artists?

Daz3D's PA (Published Artist) program typically pays 35-50% royalty on each sale, meaning Daz3D keeps 50-65%. The exact rate depends on your PA tier and exclusivity arrangement. On top of that, Daz3D models are distributed only in .duf/.dsa format — exclusive to Daz Studio — which limits your potential buyer pool to Daz users only. Proofly charges 0% seller commission and supports open formats (GLB, OBJ, FBX, STL) that work in every major 3D application.

Can I sell Daz-style character models on Proofly?

Yes. Proofly supports GLB, OBJ, FBX, and ZIP packages — the formats that character and figure artists typically export to for use in Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, and Cinema 4D. Rigged characters with animations work in GLB/FBX format. You keep 100% of your listing price; buyers pay a flat service fee. You can list on both Daz3D and Proofly simultaneously since Proofly requires no exclusivity.

Is Daz3D format a problem for buyers?

Yes. Daz3D's native .duf format only works in Daz Studio. Buyers who use Blender, Maya, Unity, or Unreal Engine cannot directly import .duf files without exporting them first — a workflow many users find confusing. Models sold on Proofly in GLB, OBJ, or FBX are drag-and-drop compatible with virtually every 3D app and game engine, making them more useful to a broader audience.

Does Daz3D offer piracy protection for creators?

Daz3D has no per-buyer file fingerprinting. If a buyer shares your .duf or exported model in a Discord server or a piracy repository, you have no technical way to identify who leaked it. Proofly's HiddenMark system embeds a unique steganographic watermark in the mesh geometry of every paid download — unique to the specific buyer and purchase. Upload any suspected leaked file to proofly.store/hiddenmark to identify the source in seconds.

Can I sell on Daz3D and Proofly at the same time?

If your Daz3D PA agreement does not require exclusivity for models in open formats, you can list GLB/OBJ/FBX versions of your characters on Proofly simultaneously. Many creators sell Daz-native versions on Daz3D and open-format versions on Proofly, reaching two different buyer pools. Check your specific PA agreement — Proofly requires no exclusivity on its end.

Sell your characters in open formats. Keep 100%.

Upload GLB, FBX, or OBJ character models to Proofly — your files stay in open formats that work everywhere. AI-generated description and tags in one click, HiddenMark watermarking on every download, and 0% commission from day one.

Start keeping 100% of every sale

Upload your first model in minutes. No exclusivity — sell open-format versions on Proofly while maintaining your Daz3D presence.