Full-stack Unity Developer and 3D Modeller expected rates etc

edited in Jobs
So I am making this post because I am in need of some information around what hiring a freelance developer is like in South Africa. I am a recent Computer Science / Game Devlopment graduate who has veered more into the data engineer so I felt like asking this board would be the best place for information around Unity 3D and 3D Modelling in South Africa.

Two years ago I did some freelance work for a company which involved 3D Modelling a real life location and then adding and animating characters/vehicles in the environment based on specific simulation data. And then having the ability to change the environment to see different options

Now this involved:
- 3D Modelling the Environment
- Using google maps and photos to make the model as close to scale as possible
- I used blender
- the models were not exact but resembled the location close enough
- Creating/buying rudimentary materials to match location specified ie. bricks,concrete etc
- Converting a .csv file to the animations based on location/time data
- Creating a camera that can fly around and view the animations in real time.
- Implementing the ability to pause and play as needed

Now I have again been approached by this company to expand on the idea of before but due to my heavy workload at my full-time position I could not join on the project again. However I told them I would put my feelers out to see what the standards are for work like this now and see if there is any interest.

The questions I have are pretty much

- What is the average freelance rate for Unity 3D developers in south africa?
- How common is it to have someone with both 3D Modelling and C# coding skills?
- Where can I best look for people who could fit this position?

Any help around these topics would be much appreciated. Please let me know if this is not the right topic/ place to be asking this

Comments

  • Hi,

    I hope I can provide some insights to your question from the perspective of a prospective employer.

    - What is the average freelance rate for Unity3D developers in South Africa?
    The average rate isn't really a useful metric as what you can charge really depends on where are you are at in your career and is also a function of the type of work you are working on (different work has different charge-out rates for companies depending on the client, location and nature of work).

    That being said I have seen freelance rates vary from R750 a day to R5000 a day. At the R750 a day mark I would expect that you would have very little experience and take on very little responsibility. At R5000 a day you are already maxing out what companies in South Africa can charge a client, so at that point you will probably need to be able to run a large team, and provide some very unique skills, where you value extends far beyond the margin that the company hiring you can make off of your work.


    How common is it to have someone with with 3D modelling c# coding skills?

    In the game industry, this is more common than you would think (at least in my experience). Having some understanding of 3D modelling is very useful, as it will enable you to interface with artists in your team. People tend to pick it up as they go along working on their own games


    -Where can I best look for people who could fit this position?

    If you are interested in both coding and 3D art I'd suggest looking for technical art position specifically. There are several companies in South Africa that would probably hire for this position, such as
    SeaMonster, Formula-D, 24Bit, Jincom, Aurecon, Eden Labs, RenderHeads, Fuzzy Logic etc.
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