Doing it yourself from scratch is definitely a better option all around.
It takes maybe 2 weeks to learn how from 0 knowledge - like you have no idea what a normal map is 0 knowledge.
And you have no licensing issues at all, ever.
As you make more assets and get a feel for it - unless you strive for programmer art I guess? - you end up with viable pieces to a set.
After several In Engine pieces - because you have to learn how to paint the cloth too, making a new piece for what you need becomes trivial if even.
A t-shirt from 0 takes about 5 minutes to make (the mesh plus unwrap - painting the texture is a different story).
The most challenging bits are pants, because of the weight paint in the pelvis area which may need to be married to the underlying geometry (thighs for shorts, ankles etc).
Those can take maybe around 2 hours top to model and unwrap correctly.
I’ll also tell you about how long it takes to texture them…
depending on what you want - say a full set of separate items.
each item has its own material. Texturing it up in Quixel Mixer takes about 5 minutes. Maybe 10 if you want to add normals for buttons like denim or something similar that isn’t geometry but faked.
If you have a consolidated set - meaning 1 model - in which you need cloth areas married to the skin - than that takes a bit longer to setup in order to even start baking. Let’s say 2 hour tops or thereabouts.
with a color id map, the texturing process can take about half an hour or so.
Now, all of that assumes 2 things.
- you actually used a sewing machine at least once in your life, or you have enough analytical skill and brain power to see where the clothing you wear has seams - and guess how it would look taken apart and put flat (your UVs)
- you actually know how to use quixel for custom meshes, which is really more of an art than texturing with it.
let’s add a bonus point:
3)
You have your own scans of more fabric or knowledge on how to shoot scans and normal maps, because while qixel offers a few (mostly of forniture) fabrics, for the most part the fabric stuff sucks.
Mind you, I’m not saying the process couldn’t be simplified by having some tools made specifically for it.
nor am I saying you suck for using some sort of tool that lessens your work…
I’m simply saying that once you learn how to do it you are WAY better off - including for the purpose of getting paid gigs…