Animation Fee

[glorybound]

What's the going rate for architectural animations? I am assuming that it is per minute.

[Neilg]

we've charged anywhere from 20k to 250k a minute.

[glorybound]

So, you are charging as low (very high) as 20 thousand per minute?

we've charged anywhere from 20k to 250k a minute.

[Neilg]

yeah, but the point i was making is that it's completely arbitrary.
for most things we charge based on scenes - we treat each scene like a still image and charge what we normally would for that, then a camera path and compositing is so much extra (a days work per path, however much you'd charge for that) and any other per shot costs so that we can deliver a fully itemized bill to the client. more shots in the same scene end up cheaper, which is fair.
rendering is a very cheap last minute cost that sometimes we don't even bother to add, because one long 2 minute path shouldn't cost anywhere near the same as 2 minutes with 12 short cameras with a new scene for each in.

[glorybound]

I sensed the sarcasm

yeah, but the point i was making is that it's completely arbitrary.
for most things we charge based on scenes - we treat each scene like a still image and charge what we normally would for that, then a camera path and compositing is so much extra (a days work per path, however much you'd charge for that) and any other per shot costs so that we can deliver a fully itemized bill to the client. more shots in the same scene end up cheaper, which is fair.
rendering is a very cheap last minute cost that sometimes we don't even bother to add, because one long 2 minute path shouldn't cost anywhere near the same as 2 minutes with 12 short cameras with a new scene for each in.

[glorybound]

I did several 360's, which were a lot more involved than a still. With a still, I am only concerned about what I see in the camera view. With animations, I have to worry about seeing a lot more; around corners, down halls, out windows... There has to be an average per minute rate for architectural work.

[Neilg]

We don't even have an internal average that's any use, it's massively different for every job we take on. let alone looking at other companies, freelancers, varying standards

[eyepiz]

I've looked into outsourcing an arch viz animation a while back and was roughly quoted $75 to $150 a second.

[crazy homeless guy]

There is no average as there are far to many variables.... How many shots in a 1 minute scene? Are you doing something more than flying through the building? What type of project is it? Do you need to have aerial footage shot? Are you using 3d people? Do you need to a greenscreen shoot? How many actors do you need? You need to gather a lot of information before you can accurately give a number.

If they do insist tell them 100k a minute as this will likely cover whatever they throw at you. If they say that is to much then tell them you need specifics in order to accurately quote the project. If they say ok to 100k a minute then have fun.

[glorybound]

I am talking a simple fly through - just the camera moving and maybe doors open/close.

[glorybound]

I've looked into outsourcing an arch viz animation a while back and was roughly quoted $75 to $150 a second.

that helps and is the range I'm thinking.

[Neilg]

150 is half the lowest we've ever charged.

[eyepiz]

I guess it really depends on reviewing the project and determining how much actual work you will be doing. like one week of prep work or four weeks could be the deciding factor and where to start pricing an animation at. I've done simple ones that I worked on for a few days and ones that went for over a month to complete not including the farm and comp time.

[glorybound]

Maybe, that's why our industry is a little wonky, no standards. However, how do standardize a global market?

[crazy homeless guy]

If it is a fly-through with absolutely no extra work on people or special effects then I would break the animation into scenes and determine the cost of modeling, texturing, and lighting and the multiply that number by 2.5.

But the larger problem here is that you are looking for an answer to tell your client without taking everything into consideration. A client will often say they want a 1 minute fly through but they have no idea what they are asking for and what they want. Even with a fly-through animation you need to answer the question of how many spaces am I modeling, how fast will my camera be moving, does the client understand how fast the camera will be moving, does the client understand that they won't actually see every nook and cranny of the space?

Just make sure you are educating them when they are asking you how much for 1 minute of animation. If you simply give them a number you are setting yourself up for a painful project.