Render Pricing 2023: How to Price Rendering Work by the Day

In this article on render pricing in 2023, I will show you how to price rendering work from a different perspective. Our place in the industry goes back to the 2000s.

With the experience built up over those years, I can say that many colleagues who quote render prices in the industry are now actually using the wrong pricing scale.

Below, I will explain with examples why it is wrong:

First of all, I want you to know this: being able to create high-quality visuals in a 3D project and produce solutions without struggling in either modeling or design is directly linked to how much money you earn.

How to Price Rendering Work: How Was It Done Before 2023?

Below, I will first cover the old, incorrect way of pricing renders. Then I will explain how render pricing should be done correctly from 2023 onward.

Before, render prices were set per rendered frame; in other words, you asked the client how many frames they wanted.

You then multiplied that number of frames by your price per frame to get the total.

For example, if you have a three-bedroom apartment project, 3 frames for each of 4 rooms comes to 3 × 4 = 12 frames. Multiply those 12 frames by a fixed price per frame and you have the quote for the apartment.

If you add the architectural design fee on top, you arrive at the total you take to the client.

This is now an outdated method, yet you will still see render prices calculated this way on many pages.

In render pricing, what matters is not the number of frames but the time in days. How many days it takes you to finish a job matters more than the number of frames. It is important to price based on the number of days you spend, not on frames. (I will cover this in detail.)

Interior and Exterior Visualization Prices?

Another mistake here is quoting interior render prices and exterior render prices separately. This is still an error.

Because the design and render times differ in interior and exterior visualization, you still need to quote render prices per day.

I will say it again: render prices quoted per frame are flawed and wrong.
In 3D visualization work, pricing per rendered frame will always be flawed and wrong.

Render Prices per Square Meter?

Another mistake in render pricing is quoting per square meter. With this method, there is a huge gap between the price you quote for an interior and the price for large landscaped exterior areas.

And if you are working on huge areas such as large public parks, the per-square-meter render price adds up to an absurd amount.

This price imbalance will drive your client away. That is why calculating architectural render prices per square meter is always flawed.

Other Pricing Mistakes in Render Pricing

As you know, rendering services include 3D services such as:

interior visualization
exterior visualization
360-degree virtual tours
2D floor plans from top view
animation and so on.

Quoting a separate price for each of these services is completely wrong.

Because you spend time on these services, and the price you put on that time is the most accurate and simplest form of pricing.

Clients do not understand highly detailed pricing, and once you start presenting every item separately, you will notice the client drifting away from you.

Render Pricing in 2023: What Should the Right Price Look Like?

I will explain the right render pricing directly, without beating around the bush.

Let’s start with a little advertising and marketing insight:

if you offer a product and its options go beyond three choices,
in other words, if there is too much variety, you lose the customer.

The real way to win a client is to give clear, simple information aligned with the right goals.

When you quote a price, the person in front of you should understand the situation from your pricing scale, even if they do not know the work.

In my research, I found that architects and designers work on a daily rate.

The daily rates of 3D visualization specialists fall within a similar range.

At this stage, when quoting, you need to determine your own daily rate. Even a house cleaner works for a daily fee.

Specialists like us who work in architectural rendering and 3D visualization should also work on a daily rate.

The key thing here is knowing exactly how many days it will take you to deliver a project.

I would like to give a few simple examples:

You are a 3D visualization specialist and you have set your average daily rate.

The job is a three-bedroom apartment, and the modeling and rendering of this plan will take at most two weeks in total.

A simple calculation gives you 14 days × your daily rate.

On that basis, you can agree your daily working rate with the client.

As another example, interior and exterior visualization of an average-sized villa will require about 20 days of work in total. That gives you 20 days × your daily rate.

As you can see, the most accurate approach to render pricing in 2023 is based on the daily work effort.

If you are an architect and the design fee is included, a somewhat higher average daily rate is appropriate for architects.

As you can see, quoting by the day gives the fairest result for both us and the client.

Quoting one price for 10 frames, a separate price for a 360-degree tour and another for a 2D floor plan is a completely wrong approach these days.

Note: You can set your own daily rate based on the years and experience you have in this industry.

For example, a 3D visualization specialist might work with:

an entry-level daily rate for 1 to 5 years of experience,
a higher daily rate for 5 to 10 years,
and, beyond 10 years, a rate whose upper limit they set themselves.

When Can 3D Render Prices Vary?

• You have been in this business for a long time and have your own prices.
• You have a lasting relationship with your client, you have worked together for years on an ongoing basis, and you set your own prices.
• You create very exclusive designs for individuals and brands, and you set your own prices.

Render Pricing in 2023: What to Check Before You Start a Job

* Research the client and talk to people they have worked with before.
* For clients: research the person who will produce your visuals, ask for reference work, and check whether they have ever taken a deposit and disappeared.
* For visualization specialists: take part of the payment, at least half, in advance. ( 50% is appropriate)
* Discuss revisions at the start, and state that a large number of revisions will be added to the fee ( color changes do not count as revisions)
* Do not send the visuals before receiving full payment; if you must send them, send images at the lowest resolution, 640 × 480 (with your logo right in the center of the images).

Below are example lines from people who will have you do the work and then not pay, as heard in early conversations.

“You do the job, our acquaintance will pay you.”
“He’s an architect my brother knows, he won’t cheat you, we’ll pay regularly.”
“Our contractor is solid, he has never been late with a payment.”
“Do this job and we’ll work with you all the time.”
“This work is ongoing, let’s do these first and we’ll send the rest.”
“Instead of the 50%, start with this small amount and we’ll send the rest when the job is done.”

In this important article (render pricing in 2023), we have tried to share key information about render prices. We bring you the most accurate information based on the experience we have gained over the years.

For your architectural renders, you can reach us through our contact page.