Having purchased a number of 3d models both professionally and personally - it’s just like any other asset you might need. They can be useful in games, as props in larger modeled scenes, and so on.

This article is mostly talking about assets used outside of printing or manufacturing, so it’s probably going to be closer to formats like OBJ or FBX.

You can almost always tell when a model was created with 3D AI tools. The topology is usually an absolute mess, and when you combine that with bad UV maps for textures, it practically becomes nightmare fuel.

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/electronics/other/vintage...