Architectural animation cost
what a 3D property film costs, and why

An architectural animation is priced per film, fixed, before work starts. Our projects start at €1,000, and a film costs much less when it is cut from a scene we already built for your renderings.

  • One fixed price per film, not a rate per second
  • A rough cut on the grey model before anything is rendered
  • If we miss the agreed delivery date, the set is free
Send your drawings, get a fixed price See what moves the price
Still from an architectural animation: an aerial view of a new residential area at dusk, Estonia
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Architects, developers & interior designers

Working for 215 companies since 2013

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More than half of our clients have hired us again

The short answer

How much does an architectural animation cost?

It depends on the film, not on its length alone: the number of shots, whether the route goes inside, how much of the 3D scene already exists and how much moves in it. Every film gets one fixed price before work starts.

We price the film, not the second. The scene is the expensive part, and a film cut from renderings we already made costs much less.

This page is about 3D architectural animation: films of buildings, interiors and sites before they are built. It is not about character animation, cartoons or explainer videos, which is where most general "3d animation cost" figures come from.

Rates per second or per minute look simple, but they hide the real question: does the scene already exist? The same 60 seconds can be a short edit of renderings we already made, or a new scene built from the drawings first. So we quote the film as a whole.

Still from an architectural flythrough of a waterfront apartment building, Norway
Still from an architectural animation of a cabin on a cliff above the sea at dusk, Norway

Where projects start: €1,000

€1,000 is our minimum order, for a film, a set of images or both.

Launch sets: €3,000 to €6,000 for one building

The full image set for one building, which can add a film cut from the same scene. Developer packages for several buildings run €5,000 to €15,000.

Open-ended work: €85 per hour

Only for work where the scope keeps changing. A defined film always gets a fixed price.

See what moves the price of a film, or 3D architectural animation for how the films are made.

Types of film

What changes the cost of a film

Different routes need different amounts of work. All of them can come from the same 3D model as your renderings.

Still from an architectural flythrough of a waterfront apartment building, Norway

Flythrough above the site

The camera flies over the building and its surroundings. More of the neighbourhood has to be modelled, because the camera sees further.

3D interior rendering of a kitchen with a stone island and a view to the garden, the kind of space a walkthrough moves through, UK

Walkthrough at eye level

The camera walks in from the street and through the rooms, so the interiors need the same detail as an interior rendering.

Still from an aerial animation of a large industrial site with its yards and roads, Finland

Large sites and masterplans

A whole development, a business park or an industrial site from the air, where the size of the area decides most of the work.

Still from an architectural animation of a cabin on a cliff above the sea at dusk, Norway

Short loops for social media

A few seconds of movement on one view, for a website header or a social post, cut from an existing scene.

In every price

What is included in an animation price

The same terms apply to a short loop and to a full film. Nothing on this list is an extra.

One fixed price per film

Agreed before work starts, for the route, the shots and the length we agree. It only changes if the scope changes.

A rough cut first

You see the route and the pacing on the grey model before anything is rendered, while changes are still cheap.

Stills from the same frames

Stills of the key views can be pulled from the finished film, so the images and the film match.

A delivery date we keep

The date is agreed together with the price. If we miss the agreed date, the set is free.

Working with us

What the price buys, besides the film

A consistent set of framed images, illustrating one visual language

One scene for films and stills

The film, the renderings and later updates come from the same scene, so they always match.

Two professionals discussing drawings, illustrating direct communication

You write to the artist

Comments on the route or the pacing go straight to the person who has the scene open.

Signing a confidential agreement, illustrating NDA as standard

NDA as standard

Unreleased projects stay off this website and off social media. We sign your NDA before the drawings arrive.

Globe and clock, illustrating European delivery across time zones

Estonian studio, European hours

Working since 2013 and delivering to 17 countries. A message sent at lunch in Europe is answered the same afternoon.

From quote to delivery

How an animation project runs

The price and the delivery date are fixed in the first step, before any work starts.

CAD drawings and elevations on a laptop at the brief stage
Quote

Send the drawings and the idea

Upload the drawings or the renderings we already made, and describe the route and what the film is for. One fixed price and a delivery date come back within 30 minutes.

Clay model of a market-hall interior, no materials and no light yet
Rough cut

The route on the grey model

The camera route and the pacing are shown on the untextured model. This is where the route changes, while changes are still cheap.

Preview render of the same market-hall interior from the same camera, in daylight
Production

Materials, movement and light

Materials, people, cars, trees moving in the wind and the light go in, and the film is rendered frame by frame.

Final render of the same market-hall interior in evening light, fully dressed
Delivery

The film, the cuts and the stills

The finished film as an MP4, the shorter cuts you asked for, and stills from the same frames, with full usage rights, on the agreed date.

Fixed price, agreed before work starts. If we miss the agreed date, the set is free.
Where films start

Aerial and exterior scenes we have built

Every film starts from a scene like these. Filter by sector, by light or by market.

See the full portfolio
What moves the price

What decides the cost of an architectural animation

Every film is quoted from the same questions. Answer them in your brief and the fixed price comes back faster.

  • How many shots, and how long

    A short film with a few shots is the smallest job. Each new shot needs its own camera move and its own render.

  • Whether the scene already exists

    A film cut from renderings we already made is much cheaper than one that needs the scene built from the drawings first.

  • Inside or outside

    A route that goes indoors needs furnished interiors at full detail as well as the exterior.

  • People, cars and moving trees

    Moving people, traffic and trees in the wind bring a scene to life, and each one adds work.

  • Time of day, weather and season

    Dusk, snow or rain change the materials and the light, and take longer to render than a clear day.

  • Edit, titles and formats

    Titles, an end card, an edit to your own music track, and shorter or vertical cuts for social media.

  • Changes after the rough cut

    The route is agreed on the rough cut. A new route after rendering has started is new work, and we say so before we start.

Still from an aerial animation of holiday chalets in a pine forest, Finland
Free guide

The Architectural Animation Buyer's Guide

What to send so the quote for a film is exact.

  • What goes in the brief: drawings, the route and what the film is for
  • Flythrough, walkthrough or a short loop, and which one fits your use
  • How the scene, the movement and the formats move the quote
  • One fixed number, not an estimate, back in 30 minutes
Get a fixed quote

Opens the upload form. Send what you have; no sales call.

Who orders them

Who pays for architectural animation, and why

A film does a different job for each buyer, and that decides its length.

Real estate developer in a hard hat

Developers

A launch film for the sales website, the sales office screen and the adverts.

Read more
Creative architect in a black turtleneck and round glasses

Architects

A short route through a scheme for a competition jury or a client presentation.

Read more
Real estate agent in a blazer

Real estate agencies

Short vertical cuts for listings and social media.

Read more
Getting an exact price

What to send for a fixed quote

Send what exists today. The quote reply says what, if anything, is missing.

CAD drawings, PDF plans and references we accept Still from an architectural animation: an aerial view of a new residential area at dusk, Estonia

For the quote

DrawingsPlans and elevations, or the renderings we already made for you
RouteWhere the film starts and ends, inside or outside
LengthRoughly how long, and which shorter cuts you need
UseWebsite, sales office, social media or a competition
DateWhen you need the film

Included in the price

Rough cutThe route on the grey model before rendering
FilmThe finished film as an MP4
CutsThe shorter cuts you asked for, from the same render
StillsStills of the key views from the same frames
DateA fixed delivery date, or the set is free

More on how the films are made on 3D architectural animation and in our architectural animation guide, and the prices of stills on exterior rendering cost and interior rendering cost.

Questions we get asked

Architectural animation cost questions, answered

What people usually ask before they order their first film. Still unsure? Send the drawings anyway; the fixed price comes back within 30 minutes.

Ask us directly
Why is there no price per second or per minute?
Because the length is not what costs the most. A 60-second film cut from a scene we already built for the stills and a 60-second film that needs the whole scene built first are very different jobs. We price the film as a whole, fixed, once we know the route, the shots and how much of the scene exists.
Is an animation cheaper if I already ordered the renderings?
Yes, usually much cheaper. The 3D model, the materials and the light already exist, so the animation needs the route, the moving people and the render time. Ordering the stills and the film together costs less than ordering them one after the other.
How long should an architectural animation be?
As short as the story allows. One route that answers one question, how you arrive, what the view is or where the site sits, keeps attention and keeps the cost down. A longer film is quoted the same way, by its shots and its scene.
Is architectural animation expensive?
It costs more than a still image, because every second is many images and the scene has to work from every angle the camera passes. Against the value of the homes or the space it helps to sell, it is a small cost, and it is fixed before work starts. Our projects start at €1,000, the minimum order.
Do shorter cuts and a vertical version cost extra?
They are cut from the same render, so they are part of the quote, not a new film. Say which formats you need when you send the brief, for example a full film for the website and short vertical cuts for social media.
Is a 360 virtual tour cheaper than an animation?
They do different jobs. A film leads the viewer along one route at full quality; a 360 virtual tour lets them look around from fixed points. Both come from the same model, so ordering both costs less than ordering them separately.
Does this page cover character or explainer animation?
No. We make architectural animation: films of buildings, interiors and sites before they are built. Character animation, cartoons and explainer videos are a different trade with different pricing.
Get your price

Send your drawings, get a fixed price for your film in 30 minutes

Drawings, a 3D model or the renderings we already made all work. The price is fixed before any work starts.

Send your drawings, get a fixed price See all pricing

We take a limited number of projects each month.