3D & CGI Pricing Guide
Cost of 3D & CGI Production
Each project is unique in terms of complexity and requirements. Our experience working across hundreds of projects gives us unique and valuable insights to be able to provide you with cost estimates quickly and accurately for your project.
Pricing Examples
3D Production Pricing Examples
3D assets are the building blocks to most CGI production and often require the largest portion of the production budget. Below we break down the typical costs for common 3D asset types, complexity levels and options across price points.
Characters
Vehicles
Furniture
Creatures
Electronics
WeaponsBasic
From $600- Entry to Junior Level Talent
- 5 to 10 Production Days
- Simple Modeling Complexity
- Simple Textures and Materials
- Basic Biped Rigging
Mid
From $1,600- Junior to Mid Level Talent
- 10 to 15 Production Days
- Mid-level Sculpting
- Mid-level Modeling Complexity
- Simple Textures and Materials
- Simple Biped Rigging / Facial Morph Targets
Detailed
From $3,600- Mid to Lead Level Talent
- 15 to 30 Production Days
- Detailed Sculpting
- High Modeling Complexity
- Detailed Materials and Textures
- Hair and Groom Cards
- Cloth Modeling and Simulation (Extra)
- Rigging / Facial Rigging (Extra)
AAA
From $8,400- Lead to Supervisor Level Talent
- 30 to 60+ Production Days
- Advanced Sculpting
- Very High Modeling Complexity
- Advanced Materials and Textures
- Advanced Hair and Groom
- Advanced Cloth Modeling and Simulation (Extra)
- Advanced Rigging / Facial Rigging (Extra)
Basic
From $720- Junior to Mid Level Talent
- 7 to 12 Production Days
- Low to Mid Modeling Complexity
- Textures and Materials
Mid
From $1,600- Mid Level Talent
- 12 to 20 Production Days
- Mid-level Modeling Complexity and Details
- Standard Textures and Materials / Baking
Detailed
From $3,600- Lead Level Talent
- 20 to 30 Production Days
- High Modeling Complexity Interior / Exterior
- Detailed Materials and Textures
- Studio Rendering / Visualization
AAA
From $7,000- Supervisor Level Talent
- 30+ Production Days
- Very High Modeling Complexity Interior / Exteriors
- Advanced Materials and Textures
- Production Lighting, Camera and Rendering
- Vehicle Rigging and Animation (Extra)
Basic
From $120- Junior to Mid Level Talent
- 1 to 3 Production Days
- Low to Mid Modeling Complexity
- Textures and Materials
- Studio Shots (Extra)
Mid
From $480- Mid Level Talent
- 3 to 5 Production Days
- Basic Fabric and Cloth Simulation
- Mid-level Modeling Complexity and Details
- Standard Textures and Materials / Baking
- Studio Product Shots (Extra)
Detailed
From $1,200- Mid to Lead Level Talent
- 5 to 8 Production Days
- High Modeling Complexity
- Detailed Fabric and Cloth Simulation
- Detailed Materials and Textures / Baking
- Advanced Studio Shots (Extra)
- Lifestyle Shots (Extra)
- Animation (Extra)
Complex
From $2,250- Lead Level Talent
- 8 to 12+ Production Days
- Very High Modeling Complexity
- Advanced Fabric and Cloth Simulation
- Advanced Materials and Textures / Baking
- Advanced Lighting, Camera and Rendering (Extra)
- Detailed Lifestyle Shots (Extra)
- Advanced Animation (Extra)
Basic
From $600- Junior to Mid Level Talent
- 5 to 10 Production Days
- Basic Sculpting
- Low to Mid Modeling Complexity
- Textures and Materials
Mid
From $1,600- Mid Level Talent
- 10 to 15 Production Days
- Mid-level Sculpting
- Mid-level Modeling Complexity and Details
- Basic Hair / Fur Groom
- Standard Textures and Materials / Baking
- Basic Rigging (Extra)
Detailed
From $3,600- Mid to Lead Level Talent
- 15 to 25 Production Days
- Advanced Sculpting
- High Modeling Complexity
- Detailed Materials and Textures / High Poly Bake
- Detailed Hair / Fur Groom
- Rigging and Animation (Extra)
AAA
From $7,000- Lead to Supervisor Level Talent
- 25 to 40+ Production Days
- Advanced Sculpting
- Very High Modeling Complexity
- Advanced Materials and Textures / High Poly Bake
- Advanced Hair / Fur Groom
- Advanced Rigging and Animation (Extra)
Basic
From $240- Junior to Mid Level Talent
- 2 to 3 Production Days
- Low to Mid Modeling Complexity
- Textures and Materials
- Studio Shots (Extra)
Mid
From $480- Mid Level Talent
- 3 to 5 Production Days
- Mid-level Modeling Complexity and Details
- Standard Textures and Materials / Baking
- Studio Product Shots (Extra)
Detailed
From $1,200- Mid to Lead Level Talent
- 5 to 8 Production Days
- High Modeling Complexity
- Detailed Materials and Textures / Baking
- Advanced Studio Shots (Extra)
- Rigging and Animation (Extra)
Complex
From $2,250- Lead Level Talent
- 8 to 12+ Production Days
- Very High Modeling Complexity
- Advanced Materials and Textures / Baking
- Advanced Lighting, Camera and Rendering (Extra)
- Advanced Rigging and Animation (Extra)
Basic
From $360- Junior Level Talent
- 3 to 5 Production Days
- Low to Mid Modeling Complexity
- Textures and Materials
Mid
From $800- Mid Level Talent
- 5 to 10 Production Days
- Mid-level Modeling Complexity and Details
- Standard Textures and Materials / Baking
Detailed
From $2,400- Mid to Lead Level Talent
- 10 to 18 Production Days
- High Modeling Complexity / Sculpting
- Detailed Materials and Textures / High Poly Bake
- Weapon Rigging and Animation (Extra)
AAA
From $5,000- Lead to Supervisor Level Talent
- 18 to 22+ Production Days
- Very High Modeling Complexity
- Advanced Materials and Textures Including High Poly Bake
- Advanced Weapon Rigging and Animation (Extra)
Cost Saving Tips
Reducing Production Costs
Outsource production can be as much as 80% cheaper than in-house production, freeing up budget to take the project to the next level. Below we take you through a few ways we help clients get the very most from their production budget.
Detailed Reference
Reference imagery and concepts dramatically increase the speed and accuracy of production. We recommend providing a minimum set of reference shots and can assist you in sourcing and creation of reference if needed.
Detailed Project Briefs
Just like providing detailed reference images, providing an accurate project brief reduces questions and allows the Hero to move to production faster. Our team are experts in creating technical and design briefs and can assist in managing this process for you.
Targeted Talent
Assigning the right talent is crucial to optimizing your project budget. An expert with experience in the task will be significantly cheaper and faster than a junior level artist or in-house expert who lacks the specialist experience in the same task.
Production Management
The right production management can have a profound impact on speed and quality of delivery. Our managed projects provide you with a dedicated production manager who is an expert in finding time-saving shortcuts without compromising on quality.
Asset Libraries
Off-the-shelf 3D assets reduce time producing standard pieces and parts. This process is often referred to as 'Kitbashing'. Here at CGHero we have access to extensive libraries of 3D assets to help reduce costs and speed up your production.
CAD and 3D Scanning
Having an existing digital double of the asset greatly increases accuracy and speed of production. Our Heroes can work with this data to produce optimized assets ready real-time applications or pre-rendered shots and animation.
Efficient Communication
A huge amount of time and energy can be spent chasing down updates and providing feedback. Our platform has been built for efficiency, sending reminders, automating messages and reducing time lost in communication.
Batch Production
By batching similar families of products we are able to create libraries of components for use across assets and eliminate the need for rework. As your libraries grows, your costs shrink!
Level of Detail (LOD)
Building to the appropriate level of detail will reduce costs and have a dramatic impact on the speed of completion. We ensure that we don't waste time creating high fidelity details that won't be seen.
Creating your project is quick, easy and completely free!
