Architectural CG work... market?

[Guest Rick Butera]

Hi,

 

First... I would like to say that I love this web site.

 

I am currently a project coordinator for a mid-size architectural firm and I have been exploring my interest/obsession with doing CG architecture, and this site has lotsa great information. I am seriuosly looking into branching out and doing some freelance CG work, but I would like to find out what kind of price range to locate my services. If anyone would like to share their thoughts and/or practices, I would greatly appreciate it. General ranges would be great. Maybe a range for small medium and large projects.

 

Any wisdom would be wonderful.

[Jeff Mottle]

Hey Rick,

 

Yeah I'd be intersted in ths info too. Am just starting to really get into the whole freelance bit in hopes of doing that full time, rather than FT working for somebody else. From my inquiries I've been told anywhere from $50-120/HR US. You should pick up this book Graphic Artists Guild Handbook : Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, 10th Edition) I just bought it on Friday and it has an entire section that talks about Architectural CG renderings, prices to charge, contracts to use, and ethical guidelines to follow on everything from negotiaons to contract disputes.

 

[ April 24, 2002, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Mottle ]

[Guest Rick Butera]

Jeff,

 

Thanks for the help. I greatly appreciate it.

 

This site has been tremendous in helping to focus in on the direction that I want to take my career.

 

Keep up the good work on a great site and I will let you all know what kind of info I find.

 

Rick

[Jeff Mottle]

Your welcome Rick. I'm very glad to hear that I that I have been able to make such an impact.

Good luck with your endevors.

[Wojciech Klepacki]

I am sorry Jeff, but You said 50-120 USD per hour? Unbelievable. If You would like to hear some exotic opinion and experience please read my post. In Poland it’s about 12 USD . But it depends on situation. When I work for myself, sometimes I can get more money but in most cases I cannot. Often it subjects to clients financial condition. They tell You “we have a work to do and we can spend some money (XXXX), do You accept?” Of course I can say “No the ethical guidelines do not afford me to this job for this money”, but who cares? It’s better to take this work (in acceptable price) than not to take it at all. Btw, there always are some guys who can do it chipper (not better but chipper). Now I have a big interior project which is worth the money I get. It takes me 4 months to complete, some renderings, sections, plans and details (all documentation b/w and full color). The area is about 1800 m2 in plan. I can get about 7500 USD including tax (22% high). But remember - I am quite new in this business (about 9 years) and the city where I live is not a giant place (150000 citizens), there is no funny financial condition in Poland, and the architect status is rather low. Best regards.

Wojciech Klepacki

P.S.

Such big interior project I have one time per year.

[nisus]

Hi everyone,

 

I am not suprised by the differences in pay-rates between different parts of the world, because the firm where i used to work did business in that way.

 

They accepted a job in belgium for a good and rather cheap price and gave it out in poland or russia at a very good price overthere (high).

Afterwards the result was taking back to belgium.

My ex-firm did not have to do the job itself, but ran away with 4/5th of the total cost.

I've seen these things many times...

 

It's hard, but there is not much to do against it.

 

rgds

[DelfoZ]

First Scuse my english ...

hey Hold on ! im tinking in a new Forum..

For an examplne i post my Proyect, some images. and the comunity can replay a price they can pay in their Country.

I post my Exteior Residential View. ( interior, comertial.. etc etc ) Days of work. the 3d program or programs they use for the model, and post edited.efects etc..... and the money they get for the work.. maybe we can find a lot of Salaries .. all country pay diferent, the experience is a Big factor.. . "and i dont know, maybe i can go to antoher country to work.. less for more money "

[nisus]

Hi Delfoz,

 

I don't know about this idea. It might be great, but I don't see the added value to it.

I think you'd better set a price before starting your work.

 

nisus

[DelfoZ]

I set a price before starting my work, but i want to know the price of my wotk in another countries , or critique my price if this is expensive or not. just was a idea. .

[nisus]

ah ok

[Bossman]

Rick, the only advice I can give is that it depends on who your targetted clients are going to be. I have found that architects that are looking for 'stills' of their designs either for competitions or to illustrate their concepts to their clients don't like to pay very much for the renderings and usually kill you with revisions. So for that market you would need to be in the US$50/hr range with a total bill of US$5,000 - 10,000 max. If your clients are going to be actual developers or marketing companies using the 'stills' just for brochures, single family homes are US$500 - 750 each, townhouses are in the $1,000 - 2,000 range and highrises are in the $2,500 and up range. Once you get into interior animations it is purely labour x rate to a point that they are prepared to pay. typically in the ranges mentioned earlier $50 - 125. We are US$100 - 150/hr depending on the country.

 

Hope it helps.

 

Ps. make sure you know what the competition is charging and getting successfully for the quality of their work and set your fee accordingly.

[Rick Eloy]

I'm feeling terrible....Here in Brasil, the max we can charge is about US$ 8,00!!!! And that's because there are so many people doing CG (mostly bad CG, but most clients here really don't care!), and that makes it very hard to geta decent price!

SO, is there, by any chance, anyone interested on getting some help from below the Equator?

[]

Rick