Best Architectural Animation Studios in 2026: 14 Compared
A comparison of 14 architectural animation studios, ours included, with film types, how a film is made, what drives the cost and how to choose.
In this article
- 14 studios compared by location, film types and whether each has a dedicated film page.
- Every other entry uses facts from the studio's own website or the awards organizer, checked in October 2026.
- A table of film types, the steps of a film and the 7 things that move the cost.
- Advice on showreels, camera routes, music rights, delivery formats and files to send.
This list compares 14 architectural animation studios in 2026: 3Dstudio.co (our studio), 2MB studio, Arqui9, Binyan Studios, Brick Visual, Factory Fifteen, Kunkun Visual, Neoscape, Qoo Studio, River Film, Somewhere, The Boundary, VISUALHOUSE and ZOA Studio. An architectural animation studio makes films of buildings from drawings, such as walkthroughs at eye height, flythroughs above the site and launch films for property sales.
Some of these studios are visualization studios with a film service. Others are film production companies or real estate marketing agencies. For how we make films, see our 3D animation services and our architectural animation guide.
About this list: it is written by 3Dstudio.co, and we include ourselves, marked as our studio. Every other entry uses facts from the studio’s own website or the awards organizer, checked in October 2026. Featured on this list and something has changed? Contact us through 3dstudio.co and we will update the entry.
How we chose these studios
We started with the studios that appear in searches for architectural animation, property films and walkthroughs, and kept the ones we could check on their own websites. A studio was included when it met these points:
- Animation or film for architecture and property is a core business or a clearly named service line.
- Its website names film or animation as a service and shows its work.
- Its website states what services it offers and who it works for.
We left out studios where animation is one service among many, and studios whose websites we could not check or whose current animation work we could not confirm. Fields we could not find are marked “none found”.
Architectural animation studios compared
| Company | Based in | Film types named on its own site | Dedicated film or animation page | Film length, timeline, award or output stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Dstudio.co (our studio) | Tallinn, Estonia | Walkthroughs, flythroughs, product films | Yes | Delivery date fixed in the quote |
| 2MB studio | Berlin, Germany | Interior and exterior animation, walkthroughs, motion design | Yes | none found |
| Arqui9 | Reigate and London, UK | Film and animation | No | Best Commissioned Film, CGarchitect 3D Awards 2025 |
| Binyan Studios | Offices in Sydney, Melbourne, New York, London, Dubai | Film and animation | Yes | none found |
| Brick Visual | Budapest, Hungary | Animations, film | No | none found |
| Factory Fifteen | London, UK | Architectural films | Yes | none found |
| Kunkun Visual | Bandung, Indonesia | Residential launch films, masterplan vision films, hospitality brand films | Yes | 90 to 180 seconds, 6 to 10 weeks; Best Non-Commissioned Film, CGarchitect 3D Awards 2025 |
| Neoscape | Boston, USA | Animation, films | Section on services page | 55 films per year (self-reported) |
| Qoo Studio | Toronto, Canada | Video animations | No, reel on homepage | none found |
| River Film | London, UK | Fly-throughs, CGI film, animation | Yes | none found |
| Somewhere | Liverpool, UK | Film and animation | Filter in work library | none found |
| The Boundary | London, UK | Marketing films, animations, cinemagraphs | Yes | none found |
| VISUALHOUSE | Studios in New York, London, Miami, Los Angeles, Dubai, Hong Kong | CGI animation, cinemagraphs, marketing films | Yes | none found |
| ZOA Studio | Budapest, Hungary | Signature animation, cinemagraphs, product animation | Yes | none found |
The studios
The entries start with our own studio and then follow in alphabetical order. Each one describes what the studio says about itself. It is not a ranking.
3Dstudio.co (our studio)
3Dstudio.co is an architectural visualization studio in Tallinn, Estonia, in business since 2013, that makes walkthroughs, flythroughs and product films. We have completed more than 1,200 projects, and we are rated 4.9 on Clutch. The route, pacing and length are signed off on a rough cut of the grey model before any full rendering starts. Stills of the key views come from the same frames, and shorter cuts come from the same render. Our films are built from the drawings, so the building is the same in every frame. We deliver the film as MP4 and work under NDA as standard. A launch film is one part of our sales launch package. Best for: developers and architects who need a film checked against the drawings, with the route agreed before anything is rendered.
2MB studio
2MB studio is a visualization studio based in Berlin, Germany, that makes interior and exterior animation, walkthroughs, motion design and reels. Its site calls it a “High-End 3D Architectural Visualization Studio in Berlin” and says “We treat every animation like a film production.” The animation page lists storyboarding, sound design and color grading. The homepage states 20 in-house specialists and clients in 17+ countries, both self-reported. Best for: a walkthrough with storyboarding, sound design and color grading from a visualization studio.
Arqui9
Arqui9 is a 3D creative agency based in Reigate, United Kingdom, with a London presence, that makes architectural rendering, film and animation, and immersive experiences. It calls itself an “award-winning London based 3D Creative Agency”. The CGarchitect 3D Awards organizer reports that it won Best Commissioned Film in 2025. Its homepage states 900+ projects and 40+ countries. Best for: a commissioned architectural film from an agency with a 2025 CGarchitect film award.
Binyan Studios
Binyan Studios is an integrated content agency that makes film and animation, CGI stills and digital sales tools for real estate and landmark projects. Its site states it was founded in 2007 and lists offices in Sydney, Melbourne, New York, London and Dubai. The work section has a dedicated Film + Animation gallery, and the main navigation links a showreel. Best for: developers who want film and animation next to CGI stills and sales applications from one agency.
Brick Visual
Brick Visual is a visualization studio based in Budapest, Hungary, with offices in Cluj-Napoca and Porto, that makes stills, animations and interactive content. It describes itself as “a creative and technology partner for real estate and global brands”. Its site lists film among its offerings, next to real-time and VR, and states nearly 100 professionals from 24 countries. Best for: a client who wants film, real-time and VR work from one studio.
Factory Fifteen
Factory Fifteen is a film and experience design studio based in London, United Kingdom, that makes architectural films and animation. Its architects page says it helps “visionary architects and developers communicate through the power of storytelling”, and the site has an Architectural section with a showreel and a list of featured films. Architecture is one of several lines, next to automotive and original work. Best for: an architect or developer who wants a film led by directors.
Kunkun Visual
Kunkun Visual is an archviz studio founded in Bandung, Indonesia in 2017, with a second studio in Kuala Lumpur, that makes property films, photoreal stills and Unreal Engine 5 digital twins. Its property film page states films typically run 90 to 180 seconds and take 6 to 10 weeks. It lists residential launch films, hospitality brand films, masterplan vision films and non-commissioned architectural films, and states it won Best Non-Commissioned Film at the CGarchitect 3D Awards 2025. Best for: a storyboarded launch film with feedback at storyboard, animatic and final grade.
Neoscape
Neoscape is a creative agency based in Boston, Massachusetts, with studios in New York and Chicago, that makes renderings, animation and film for real estate and architecture. Its homepage says it has worked for over 30 years. Its services page has a Renderings and Animation line, a company reel and sector reels, and states 55 films per year, which is self-reported. Best for: a developer who wants the film, the brand and the website from one agency.
Qoo Studio
Qoo Studio is a real estate visualization studio based in Toronto, Canada, that makes video animations, interactive sales platforms and 360 virtual tours. Its homepage says its team crafts video animations to showcase a project’s features and links a full reel. There is no separate animation page. Its About page says it works with real estate developers, marketing agencies and sales teams. Best for: a film plus an interactive sales platform (Qoo Box and Qoo Touch) for the same project.
River Film
River Film is a film, animation and CGI production company based in London, United Kingdom, with regional offices in New York and Adelaide. It calls itself “a multi-award-winning film, animation and CGI production company”. Its contact page names CGIs, fly-throughs and hyper-realistic stills among its popular products, next to brand and corporate film. The site has a film showcase and a CGI rendering showcase. Best for: a mix of CGI fly-throughs and live-action brand film.
Somewhere (part of Uniform Group)
Somewhere is a creative agency for real estate based in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and part of Uniform Group, that makes film and animation, CGIs, and AR and VR. It calls itself “the creative agency for the new world of real estate”, with the line “Moving stories for property and place”. Its About page says it has partnered with architects and developers since 1998. The work library has a Film and Animation filter. Best for: a developer who wants film and animation inside a wider brand and sales project.
The Boundary
The Boundary is a CGI and real-time marketing content agency founded in 2014, with offices in London, New York and Auckland, that makes marketing films, animations and cinemagraphs. Its marketing films page says CGI films use virtual production and green screen techniques to create TVCs and films at scale. It also lists virtual tours, digital twins and sales platform software, and states over 100 in-house CGI artists and creative technologists, which is self-reported. Best for: a TV commercial-style marketing film made with virtual production.
VISUALHOUSE
VISUALHOUSE is a creative production studio for real estate, with studios in New York, London, Miami, Los Angeles, Dubai and Hong Kong, that makes CGI animation and cinemagraphs, marketing films and CGI stills. Its site has a dedicated Film + Animation page, which describes “immersive films and animations” for real estate brands. Its services also include VR and virtual tours, and digital twins. Best for: a real estate brand that wants marketing films and cinemagraphs next to CGI stills.
ZOA Studio
ZOA Studio is an architectural visualization studio based in Budapest, Hungary, that has operated since 2005 and makes animation and cinematic content. Its animations page lists signature animation, cinemagraph, product animation and stereoscopic VR, and says its work is split equally between architectural animations and 3D renderings. Its homepage describes visualization and animation for architects and real estate developers worldwide. Best for: a client who wants animation and stills from a studio whose work is split equally between the two.
Types of architectural animation
Studios use different names for the same films. This table maps the main film types to what they show and to the studios on this list that name them on their own sites.
| Film type | What it shows | Where it usually plays | Studios on this list that name it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior walkthrough | Rooms in the order a visitor meets them, at eye height | Sales suite, listing page | 2MB studio, 3Dstudio.co |
| Exterior flythrough | The site, the access and the surroundings from above | Planning presentation, investor meeting | River Film, 3Dstudio.co |
| Masterplan film | A whole scheme and how it fits its context | Masterplan launch, consultation | Kunkun Visual |
| Launch or marketing film | A storyboarded film that sells a development | Website, TV, social channels | Kunkun Visual, The Boundary, VISUALHOUSE |
| Cinemagraph or loop | One image with a small repeating movement | Sales-suite screen, website | The Boundary, VISUALHOUSE, ZOA Studio |
| Product animation | One object turning, opening or coming apart | Product page, trade show | ZOA Studio, 3Dstudio.co |
A walkthrough and a flythrough use different cameras and different pacing. Our guide to walkthrough vs flythrough explains which one answers which question.
How an architectural animation is made
These are the 5 steps we follow. Other studios use similar stages under other names: Kunkun Visual, for example, names storyboard, animatic and final grade. Ask each studio at which step you see the camera route.
- The scene is built from the drawings.
- The camera route is drawn through the grey model, without materials or light.
- You watch a rough cut. Route, height, speed and length change here, while a change is cheap.
- Test frames show materials, light and surroundings on a few frames from along the route.
- The full render is made, the film is edited to length and delivered as MP4, with shorter cuts and stills of key views from the same frames.
Changing the route after step 5 means rendering the film again. A launch film for an off-plan project follows the same 5 steps; see our page for real estate developers.
What decides the cost of an architectural animation
We quote one fixed price per film, not a price by the second, because a film cut from an existing scene and a film that needs a new scene are different jobs. Studios build quotes in different ways, so ask what the price is based on. These 7 things move an animation quote:
- Number of shots: more places for the camera to go matters more than film length.
- Inside, outside or both: every room on the route needs furniture, light and finishes.
- How much of the scene exists: a scene built for earlier stills makes the film cheaper.
- People, traffic and trees in motion: each adds work to every second it is on screen.
- Hour, weather and season: a change from day to dusk is a second lighting pass over the whole film.
- Resolution and number of cuts: the screen it plays on sets the resolution.
- Titles, edit and stills: an end card, a custom edit and stills pulled from the frames.
When quotes differ, compare the shot count and whether the route goes indoors, not the price per second. You can read how our quotes are calculated, and we reply within 30 minutes of receiving the files.
Animation, virtual tour or still images
Several studios on this list also sell interactive tools, so it helps to know what each format gives the viewer.
| Format | What the viewer controls | Best use | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still rendering | Nothing, one fixed view | Brochures, portals, hoardings | Image files |
| Pre-rendered film | Nothing, one fixed route at full quality | Launches, sales suites, planning presentations | MP4 file that plays anywhere a video plays |
| 360 virtual tour | Where to look, from fixed points | Exploring a space at the viewer’s own pace | Panoramas that open in a browser or a VR headset, as in our 360 virtual tours |
| Real-time model | Free movement through the scene | Interactive sales tools and digital twins | A real-time application |
How to choose an architectural animation studio
A portfolio shows what a studio can make. The points below show how a studio works with you, and they apply to every studio on this list, including us. For the full checklist across all rendering work, read our guide to how to compare 3D rendering companies. Several studios on this list are in the UK, and we compare those in 3D rendering companies in the UK.
- Showreel or a full film: a showreel is cut from the best seconds of many projects. Ask to watch one full film from one project, at the length you need, so you can judge pacing and consistency.
- Who agrees the camera route, and when: the route should be agreed before full rendering, on a simple version of the scene.
- Length and pacing: decide where the film will play. A film for a sales suite screen and a film for a social feed need different lengths and a different speed.
- Music and voice-over rights: ask who licenses the music and the voice-over, and whether you can reuse the film with them in other places.
- Usage rights: check that you can use the film in sales suites, on listing portals, on social channels, in press and in planning submissions without a new fee.
- Delivery formats: ask for 16:9 for screens and portals, and for vertical (9:16) cuts for social channels, and ask whether they come from the same render.
- NDA: an unbuilt project is usually confidential, so ask whether the studio signs an NDA before you send files.
Files to send with an animation brief
- DWG or PDF plans and elevations.
- A site plan and a landscape plan, if the film leaves the building.
- Material specs or mood images.
- A route sketch drawn on the site plan.
- Where the film will play and the target length.
- Logo, end card and music, if you already have them.
Our guide to how to brief a 3D rendering studio covers the files in more detail. If the film is part of an off-plan launch, read visuals for pre-construction marketing to see how stills and film work together. To compare us with your shortlist, request a quote with your drawings, a PDF or even a photo of a sketch.
Questions about architectural animation studios
How much does an architectural animation cost?
Studios price films in different ways, so ask what a quote is based on. At 3Dstudio.co one fixed price covers the whole film. The 3 biggest drivers are the number of shots, whether the route goes indoors, and whether the scene already exists. We reply within 30 minutes of receiving the files, with a fixed price or the 1-2 questions we need answered first. See architectural animation cost.
How long does an architectural film take to make?
It depends on the studio and on the film. Kunkun Visual states 6 to 10 weeks for a property film of 90 to 180 seconds. At 3Dstudio.co the delivery date is fixed in the quote, and it depends on the length of the film and on how much of the scene already exists.
How long should an architectural animation be?
It depends on where the film plays. A sales-suite loop, a portal listing, a social feed and a planning presentation each need a different length. Kunkun Visual states 90 to 180 seconds for property films. Agree the length on the rough cut, before rendering.
What software do architectural animation studios use?
We build and render films in 3ds Max with Corona and V-Ray, and we accept SketchUp, Revit, ArchiCAD and AutoCAD files. Real-time and interactive work runs in a game engine such as Unreal Engine, and Kunkun Visual lists Unreal Engine 5 digital twins. A pre-rendered film is a video file, so the viewer needs no software to play it.
Can AI make an architectural animation?
AI video tools are good for exploring options and early concepts. Depending on the tool, details such as window frames, balconies or the roofline can change or come out simpler between frames, and nothing in the output is checked against your drawings. For a film that must match the drawings, a studio builds the model from the drawings and a person checks it.
Do I need an animation studio in my own country?
No. The drawings give the building, and photos or a map give the surroundings, so nobody needs to visit. What matters is the time zone for rough cut reviews and the language of the feedback. In our process, you review the grey model and the rough cut from wherever you are, before anything is rendered.
Can an animation be made from stills that already exist?
Yes, if the scene behind the stills exists. A film cut from an existing scene costs less than a film that needs a new scene built, so ask the studio that made your stills first.
Diagrams in this post are drawn with an AI image tool from our brief and checked by our team.
