3D rendering pricing, worked out from the hours you really spend.
To price 3D rendering, count the hours each view takes, multiply by an hourly rate built from the income you need, and add direct costs such as render farm time. This guide walks through worked examples: about £41 an hour from £36,000 a year over 880 billable hours, a 26 hour exterior still at about £1,070, and a 30 second flythrough at about £2,610.
Price the hours, then the frames
A render is mostly invisible work: modelling from drawings, materials, lighting, test renders, the final render and post production. Then the changes. Price all of it.
The honest answer to “how much does 3D rendering cost?” is a sum: every hour the view takes × your hourly rate + direct costs such as render farm time. Your rate comes from what you need to earn.
Find your hourly rate
Add the income you want before tax to your yearly business costs: software licences, hardware, plugins, asset libraries, insurance. Divide by the hours you can really bill.
Example only: you want £30,000 before tax and your business costs £6,000 a year, so the business needs £36,000. If you bill 20 hours a week for 44 weeks, that is 880 hours. £36,000 ÷ 880 = about £41 an hour. Your numbers will differ, which is the whole point.
Count every hour: one exterior still
The first still carries the model. Extra views from the same model take fewer hours.
| Stage | Hours |
|---|---|
| Modelling from drawings | 10 |
| Materials and lighting | 6 |
| Final render and post production | 4 |
| Two rounds of changes | 4 |
| Admin and delivery | 2 |
| Total | 26 |
At £41 an hour, 26 hours is £1,066, so about £1,070. A second view from the same model might take 8 hours, about £330, which is why multi view packages are good value for clients and good business for you.
Price animation by the second
Example only: a 30 second flythrough reusing the same model might take 60 hours of camera work, animation, test renders, final renders and editing, which at £41 is £2,460. Add, say, £150 of render farm time and it comes to about £2,610.
Animation costs rise with length because every second is more frames to render and check. Quote by length and resolution, and put the render farm cost on its own line.
Protect the price
Define rounds of changes, and separate them from design changes, in your 3D rendering contract. Bill in stages with the 3D rendering invoice template.
Once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months you must register for VAT; the UK VAT threshold checker shows where you stand. When you want reviews, rounds and invoices on one record, see Veyra for 3D render artists.
Questions people ask
How much should 3D rendering cost in the UK?
Work it out from the hours each view takes, an hourly rate built from the income you need, and direct costs such as render farm time. A still in the worked example on this page takes 26 hours and comes to about £1,070; a 30 second flythrough takes 60 hours plus render costs and comes to about £2,610.
Should I price renders per image or per hour?
Quote per image and per animation so the client sees clear prices, but build each price from hours. The first view on a project carries the modelling; extra views from the same model take fewer hours.
How do I price 3D animation?
Count the extra hours for camera paths, animation, rendering frames and editing, then add render farm or hardware costs. Longer animations cost more mainly because every second is more frames to render and check.
Do additional views cost less?
Usually, because the model already exists. Price the first view with the modelling and each extra view on its own, smaller number of hours.