Freelance Rendering, How much to charge?

[c0nfused2]

Hi,

 

I was wondering how to charge for 3d renderings of spaces either interior or exterior. If the client offers me the Autocad files (floor plan, Elevations) but I still need to model the space how would you go about pricing out the project.

 

Thanks

[tmacbriar]

The same way you price any work product. It will vary depending upon the project.

 

Break it down into the tasks you know you will need to complete. Estimate the hours required to complete each task (double it). Decide the value of your time and do the arithmetic.

 

Whoever you are working with will invariably ask for changes along the way.

 

It isn't easy and it isn't straight forward.

 

If your careful you can define exactly what you will deliver for the price agreed upon. Always have a written agreement that defines this.

 

Don't be reluctant to remind your client (gently) of the limits of the scope agrred to. And don't be afraid to modify the agreement to cover requested additional work when it is inevitably requested.

 

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2

[marklin]

we are in China and we charge our US client $500 for interior/exterior rendering.

[c0nfused2]

Mark, is that with the 3d modeling included as well? What is the client asks for changes?

[marklin]

yes include 3d modeling. we do not charge our regular clients.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

- What is your level of experience?

- What is the size of the project?

- What type of architecture is the project?

- Is the at CD stage or DD stage?

- What type of entourage do you need? (People / Trees / Cars / etc... )

- How specific does the entourage need to be? (People on phones / People from UAE / Kids / Species of tress / Etc..)

- What resolution does the final deliverable need to be?

- How many images?

- What is the desired time of day for the renderings?

 

After you answer all of this questions you should be able to ballpark the number of hours it will take you to model and render the images per your clients needs.

 

After you have that number then you need to multiply it by your hourly rate......

 

Your hourly rate needs to take into account all costs that are associated with your life, and allow a little padding to cover future expenses and retirement savings. Coming up with the hourly rate is not easy. You need to do some research and reading to understand all the expenses that you need to account for when coming up with this number.

 

After multiplying the hours x your hourly rate you will have what you "should/need" to charge for the renderings in order to maintain your existence.

 

But... in general renderings range from $1800 to $4000 per image depending on complexity of the image and skill level of the artist.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Crazy Homeless Guy

[Helen Ni]

in Guangzhou, China, we normally will charge $500 more for modeling words, but finally up to the exact situation, like the timeline,complexity egree,image size,detail requirments ...

[grzegorzwronkowski]

In Poland many people don't buy software license especially 3DS Max + Vray and the destroy job market making unfair competition for those who are paying taxes, and software (like me), but there is some controll on that in my country, I expect that in Russia or China nobody cares about this totally...

[aditya_varma]

First of all and most important is to know what your competition is charging. Do a little survey in your area. Ask how much they charge. After you a get an idea of what others charge and then calculate your rate.

 

Don't worry if you think you are over charging your client. Remember customer satisfaction is the only way a business runs smoothly. Also dont compare your rates with others from different parts of the world. Here in India I have seen projects done in about $100.

[M V]

So a 15,000SF building is $500 and a 1,200sf loft in $500 and a 1000 acre masterplan is $500? Thats a 50 cents an acre. Sounds like a bargain to me. It's funny, I asked for a quote from a company in China on some modeling work and they came back with $500. I guess that's the secret number. I ended up doing the modeling myself because I can do it cheaper in house. Something I like to call In-Sourcing.

 

There is no magic number. You really should read Mike Monteiro's book and figure out what it is worth to your client. Even if it takes 2 hours, should you only charge $100? What does this do to the industry? What does this do to you when you decide to no longer freelance and want to do this full time? Your clients will nickle and dime you to the point you are eating dog food for dinner. Think carefully before you set a price. You affect us all.

[dedji]

Does anybody know what's the average price per image in BC or Canada?

[RyderSK]

It would be really funny if this topic picked-up more, but it's too sensitive. At least it's not forbidden like some forums.

 

What I find funny much more is, when I see discussions on Evermotion with questions like: "What clients want PeterG or BertrandB quality for 500-1000 euros per picture" (no, they don't mean it in under-priced way, I think I put this question also very close to authentic source)

 

 

But... in general renderings range from $1800 to $4000 per image depending on complexity of the image and skill level of the artist.

 

4k sound..nice I guess. First time I've seen such number tossed around (freelancing wise).

 

 

Such a discrepancy in what people consider expensive. Definitely interesting.

[heni30]

Another interesting point is how can you make more money by cutting corners. If you always render 200 dpi, would you render at 120 dpi and then blow it up in PS to make it faster (and more $$$$)? Would you do less sampling if it makes no difference at all to the client but you can see a big difference? Would you insist in doing the highest quality you are capable of, all the way to the poor house?

 

I think it is a challenge to use low settings but in a smart way where you can compensate for it in Photoshop in a creative way. I think that's the difference between a technician and an artist. Sooooooooo many people produce the same realistic Evermotion image over and over where the personal individual touch is completely absent.

 

It's possible for the 2k renderer to be making more money than the 4K renderer. A Vyonyx principal was saying in an interview that a good compositor is worth their weight in gold.

Edited July 21, 2013 by heni30

[Kreation]

Interesting Stuff,

Pricing wise , as mentioned before depends on experience,talent and the consumers need/willingness to pay.

It also depends on the clients vision of photo-real

 

I have been at Arch-Viz for 12 years.

 

As For Arch Viz; there is virtually no need for it in my territory (Ireland).I was paid more on an hourly basis 6 years ago than I am now for anything CGI,I rely on cad 2d and the odd medical animation for income these days due to time v earnings;but my heart lies with architecture.

 

Travis : While I firmly believe that your pricing is correct I would love some examples of 1800us v 4000us if possible and breakdowns (timewise)

I don't mean to be rude but I enjoy your stuff and would love a comparison on prices.

 

I have seen ;and will always see; cheap pricing for 3d work(on occasion out of need I have priced low myself) .

 

I would love to see a project posted for all to Model/Render/Animate with strict guidelines.The idea would be to post a project of cad files and take it from scratch, to do all work involved and create the desired amount of images for a price.Then also post the price of Milk/bread/electricity etc in your territory .

 

This has probably been addressed before in some form or other,but I would love a system where 1-man teams should be able to prove themselves without getting shafted price-wise .

 

thats my 2 cents,

 

K

[nicholaspapageorgiou]

this is a really sensitive subject but to conclude, i feel like theres almost 3 senarios in my world. Im london based but i have many US clients also who i charge the same price as my uk clients

 

1. Visuals produced in India, china etc. fast turnover and pretty cheap. 500 dollars to 1000, quality is consistent but not spectacular, and communication can be tricky depending on the individual.

 

2. Living in europe, If your work is of a high quality and your communication and working process matches that you can charge as a freelancer, anywhere between 1000 to 1800 pounds (uk) for a rendering- interior or exterior) large to small.

 

3. If your a large company like DBOX or someone similar you can charge anywhere from 1500 to 4000 depending on the scale. Big companies have big overheads hence there visuals are more expensive.

 

Thats it basically. Of course everywhere is different, have no idea what the south american market is like or the american working for European clients but in London and in my working world this is where we are

[notamondayfan]

Also don't forget one of the key factors in pricing is time to turn an image around. If you need something tomorrow, then it's gonna cost (price, quailty, flexibility), where as a job with a few weeks turn around will be more reasonable in price. Studios have an advantage here as they can move resources for fast turn-around, but again this would probably be reflected in a price.

[nicholaspapageorgiou]

I hope people don't get put off trying their hand at freelance work or running your own business. There's so many variables in pricing a visualisation and ultimately you get what you pay for as a client. I often find clients turn to china when everyone else is busy, then they come running back when there on their 23rd set of amendments and the image is still looking as flat as a pancake!

[daleycutler]

Hi aditya_varma,

 

I am new to this but would really appreciate some help. I am creating a project where I need to 3d animators. I know that the fees charged in India are far more competitive than in the West. Can you point me in the right direction of some companies? and needless to say trust worthy companies.

 

Thank you kindly,

 

Warm regards,

 

Daley - daley_cutler@hotmail.co.uk if you cannot communicate directly through here.

[paneli]

Usually I charge 700$ for a project that includes 2 renders.

For each viewpoint I charge another 150$.

 

Most times I also provide free flat plans for each project.

But it depends..

[aurimaspocius]

I think it as well depends in which market you work

 

It is maybe the most expensive in Scandinavia and US. I think that 500 dollars per picture for exterior visualisation is quite expensive, but, for sure, very pleasant to get )

 

Very reasonable price, in my opinion, is 300-400 dollars per visualisation if it's a normal private house, not supermarket or something

Edited February 12, 2014 by aurimaspocius

[marius e]

I think it as well depends in which market you work

 

It is maybe the most expensive in Scandinavia and US. I think that 500 dollars per picture for exterior visualisation is quite expensive, but, for sure, very pleasant to get )

 

Very reasonable price, in my opinion, is 300-400 dollars per visualisation if it's a normal private house, not supermarket or something

 

I have to say that it almost takes the same time to do a house vs a supermaket.....

[frog_a_lot]

Prices are irrelevant without images to see what the price got you..

 

I could come ehre and say i charge $1500 per image.. some people will think "that seems good" or "wow thats cheap" "wow thats expensive" etc etc.. but without an image to show what I supply for $1500 then its basically pointless.

 

I have seen people say they charge $600 for images and then when i actually look at there images, i wouldn't pay $100 for them. I have also seen big companies who charge $2000 for an image and supply the client with a crap image. Then on the otherside i have occasionally seen cheap work that you could sell for much much more.

 

This question gets asked every few weeks by someone who is thinking "should i work for myself, I wonder how much money i can make"..and the answers are always the same.

[DaveC]

"should i work for myself, I wonder how much money i can make"..and the answers are always the same.

 

And the answer if you do work for yourself is always "more" haha.

[Reitveld]

I agree Cameron. It is hard to compare pricing without seeing examples. I offer rendering services that range greatly depending on the image type, quality level, complexity, and timeframe involved. I make sure that a client understands what they will receive for this price (beyond the end product… number of revisions included in price, number of check renderings, flexibility, included design services, etc.). Clients should know that some low-fee companies may not offer these and the client pays for each change/addition.

 

What I find frustrating, is the clients who call who are just collecting numbers from different artists. Artist X says $1200, Artist Y says $800, and Artist Z says $500. And they choose the lowest bidder. I’ve learned that when I have that type of client on the phone, they don’t want to view portfolio examples, they just want a number. I then have a choice. Do I lowball a number just to get the client to call me back (and then I explain what they get for that number) or do I give them an honest number knowing they won’t be calling back because they are looking for the cheapest price possible.

 

As for the other end. I really appreciate the clients who know what an expert can offer and take the time to judge me against my competition. Some people don’t care about price as much as quality and competence.

[M V]