How I Earned My First $2,000 From 3D

And Lost $10,000 Right After

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Ross Plemya Creator

I want to share the raw story of how I made my first real money with 3D — and how I learned one of the hardest lessons of my career.

After I finished my first course on 3D visualization, I made one decision that changed everything:

For 14 days straight, I worked on my portfolio. No clients. No audience. Just pure focus and passion.

I built 3 full interior projects from scratch:

1. A bachelor loft — dark, cozy, cinematic.
2. A Spanish-style residence by the sea — light, elegant, warm.
3. A minimalist NYC apartment — clean, modern, quiet luxury.

I rendered everything in Corona Renderer.
Then I curated the best frames, made mockups, edited them nicely, and posted them on Instagram.

Two days later — I got a DM.

It was a client from Los Angeles.

He said he liked my style and asked if I could help with a render for his multifamily residential building in central LA.

We jumped on a call. He sounded professional. The vibe was good.

He offered me $2,000 for the project.

At the time, I was still in university — a 3rd-year architecture student.
I’d never seen that much money come from something I made with my own skills.
It felt unreal.

But I delivered. He loved the result.

And then came the real twist.

He said:

I said yes.
(Even though something inside me felt off.)

Over the next three months, I worked like crazy.
This was the biggest project I had ever touched — dozens of renders, endless scenes, complex compositions.

Finally, I sent the first batch of near-final renders.

He read the message.
And disappeared.

No reply.
No feedback.
No money.

Gone.

That project was worth over $10,000. And I got nothing.

But here’s what I did get:

3 lessons that stayed with me:

1. Never skip the deposit. Even if you “know” the client. No exceptions.
2. Build your portfolio like your life depends on it. Because sometimes it does.
3. You will get burned. Don’t let it break you.

I kept going. I didn’t stop creating.
And that painful moment became part of the foundation for my career, my studio, and my school.

That client gave me my first $2,000.
And also taught me how to protect my future $10,000.

So if you’re just starting out — remember this:

Your renders are more powerful than you think.
But your boundaries are even more valuable.

— Ross Plemya