The Two Main Factors That Affect 3D Rendering Pricing
1.) 3D Rendering Jobs
The main cost of a 3D rendering is the labor required. Three professionals are generally involved in a 3D rendering project
- Project Manager
- 3D Artist
- Post Processing / Photoshop Artist
By far, the most significant component of the labor cost is the 3D Artist so that we are focused primarily on the 3D Artist's role.
What does the 3D Artist do in the 3D Rendering Process?
To create a render, a 3D artist needs to:
1. Understand the plans and client's vision.
2. Create the model using 3d software.
3. Texture the model.
4. Set up the lighting.
5. Set up the camera.
For more detail on these steps, please click here to see our 3D rendering basics guide
What increases the 3D Artists labor costs?
The labor involved in a 3D render is not as straightforward as one might think. Skilled 3D artists can create what can appear to be an extremely detailed scene in a short amount of time using the tools at their disposal. On the other hand, seemingly simple scenes might take much longer.
For example, one could create a large and very accurate aerial view of a forest very quickly using public topographical data and several automated processes. However, it could take several days or weeks to model a single piece of equipment, according to exacting standards, such as an electronic device with complex circuit boards and wiring.
In many cases, the process can be sped up using items from our libraries, such as furniture, cars, people, and finishes. The main factors that affect labor are the level of detail and the number of unique elements required.
Post Processing on 3D renders Labor Costs.
Once a 3D render has computed, most studios employ a photoshop artist / graphic designer to touch up the image. Post-production can be a minor or major part of the process. Some studios render a fundamental scene and then do most of the detailing in photoshop. We take a more minimal approach to post-processing. A studio could do no post-processing, but almost always is there some color tweaking or touch-ups required.
2.) Rendering Time
Rendering time is the amount of time that it takes a computer to create your image. Rendering time is directly related to how realistic the image is, and how much detail you require. However, there are many tricks to create detail without adding much rendering time.
As a consumer, you should not worry too much about rendering time: that is the job of the rendering company! We provide the information below to help you understand why some projects cost more and take longer, than others.
What increases rendering time?
Depending on the rendering software, the number of light sources can sometimes significantly affect rendering times – thus, exterior scenes can render quite quickly. Another factor is the detail of the scene. The industry term for this is poly-count, which refers to the number of polygons used to model the scene. For more information, you can check out Wikipedia's 3D modelling page here.
A common element that significantly increases detail, and therefore rendering time, is foreground vegetation, background vegetation should be optimized with a technique of using billboards or sprites click here to learn more. Additionally, curved surfaces tend to require much more detail.
Reducing rendering times
The biggest single thing you can do to reduce rendering time is to reduce the number of required revisions by giving detailed plans and specific feedback. Every time you require a revision, some or all of the image needs to be re-rendered, so fewer revisions results in less total rendering time. Reducing revisions may save you money in the long run – at RealSpace, we generally price lower for returning customers, who we know we can work with efficiently.
The other largest factor in rendering times is resolution. This comes into play much more when creating animations, however, it can still be a factor when creating still images.
Hardware and software effect on rendering time
With the constant improvements in computer hardware and the changes in rendering software, rendering time for still images is becoming a minor factor in price. However, the rendering time for animations is still a very relevant factor in their production cost. Learn more about architectural animation services.
