Price guide · 3D film

What doesa 3D film cost?

It depends on the working time, and that can be worked out. A simple 3D animation starts at SEK 10,000 and a 3D film at SEK 40,000. Cloth, smoke or water that has to be simulated can make the time several times longer. Here are the hours, step by step, from jobs we have done.

By Melker Sehlstedt, 3D artist and co-founder. The hours are our own.

Talk to us →See what we have made ↓

Our own hours, from real jobs
Fixed price before we start
Getting in touch is never binding

Fig. 1Cosmic Vibe: the laser test on the left, the scene in the film on the right. Working out how the laser would scan the rocks took 8 to 16 hours. Read the case →

01Included

What decides the price of a 3D film?

Six things decide most of it. The time in each step varies a lot, which is why 3D cannot be priced without knowing what is to be built.

01
How hard the product is to build
Modelling in 3D is a lot like modelling in clay, and that helps when you estimate the time. A drinking glass takes 1 to 8 hours. A car takes 100 to 1,000 hours. If you have a CAD model it saves the shape, but it still needs materials. Sometimes a similar product can be bought cheaply and modified.
02
Material and look
After the shape, the material has to feel right: gloss level, how metallic it looks, wear, condensation. For a Celsius can we spend 1 to 8 hours, starting from the can maker's print file. For Orange Rush we spent 4 hours making the can look a little worn so it matched the scale. A product that looks simple can be hard: a ping pong bat often has 2 to 4 materials in the handle, several kinds of rubber and glittering stickers, and it can take days to get close to the real thing. A MacBook is the opposite, with matte metal, glass and plastic buttons.
03
The environment
A simple studio with a backdrop and a few shapes from our library takes about 8 hours, counted from start until you are happy, with revisions, emails and waiting for replies. An environment built from ready-made parts that we buy takes 8 to 24 hours, depending on how advanced it is and how many versions you need to see. Ready-made parts are often faster, cheaper and better than building everything ourselves.
04
Simulation
Cloth, smoke, water and everything else that follows the laws of physics takes a long time to calculate, and you only see the result afterwards. If it did not turn out well, we try again with a small change. A cloth simulation takes 8 to 24 hours depending on how good it should look. Always count on 1 to 12 hours per attempt for the calculation alone. A splash when a can is dropped in an aquarium is 1 to 4 hours of calculation, not counting the time to set up the system. A waterfall or a big wave can be 12 hours or more. Water is the worst.
05
Rendering
When everything is built, the images have to be calculated. Water, smoke and anything transparent is demanding and takes the longest. Orange Rush took about 10 hours to render, and we prefer to run it overnight. When it has to be fast we use a render farm, which is 10 to 20 times faster. A job that takes 10 hours on our computer then costs SEK 1,000 to 2,000, and we can build that into the budget when time is short.
06
Filmed and 3D in the same shot
Anything that mixes filmed footage with 3D needs camera tracking: a specialist has the computer recreate exactly how the camera moved and builds a simplified copy of the place, so the models stay where they should. If it is done carelessly the models look like they are floating around. We hire specialists for it on most jobs and book them before the shooting day, otherwise it can take a while before they have time. Afterwards we add shadows and cut holes where needed, for example in the windows of a bus so the can shows through: 2 to 4 hours.

02Real jobs

Four jobs, hour by hour

These are our own hours from four jobs for Celsius. The modelling of the product itself is not included: it is counted separately and depends on the product. The times are what we budget, not a price list. We set the price when we know what is to be done.

The smoking can in the spaceship

Celsius Cosmic Vibe · ten seconds with smoke and glass

Step	Hours
Sketch a rough idea	8
Find ready-made parts and build the first version of the environment	8
Revise after feedback until the environment is approved	16
Extra details: flying pencils and the countdown screen	8
Build the system that freezes things	8
The smoke simulation	8
Comp and grade	8
Total, not counting modelling the can	64

We had budgeted 60 to 70 hours. Rendering the ten seconds, with smoke and transparent glass in the cryo chamber, takes 10 to 20 hours on our computer or SEK 2,000 to 4,000 on a render farm.

Smoke falling around a Celsius can in a cryo chamber in a spaceship — The smoke is 3D. Each test takes about an hour to calculate, so we budget the smoke over two days.

Reveal with a flying can in space

Celsius · camera moves, environment and light

Step	Hours
The camera moves	8 to 24
Fill out the environment and light it	8 to 24
Comp and grade	8
Total, not counting modelling the can	24 to 56

Electric Lemonade

Celsius · the client did not quite know what it wanted

Step	Hours
Find references, run tests and revisions until the client said let's try this	about 35
Tests of laser, smoke and look	16
Finish the film itself	8
Comp and grade	8
Total, not counting modelling the can	about 67

The spaceship teaser

Celsius Cosmic Vibe · two scenes: the outside and the inside

The outside
Step	Hours
Sketch the concept	8
Work out how the laser scans the asteroids	8 to 16
Gather ready-made parts and build the first version	8
Finish, comp and grade	8
Total	32 to 40

The inside
Step	Hours
Sketch	8
Find ready-made parts and build the first version	16
Revise after feedback and finish the design	8
Research the look of the hologram	8
Create the hologram	8
Design the screens and the animations on them	16
Lighting	8
Comp and grade	8
Total	80

Together 112 to 120 hours. That is almost two projects in one, and we budget at least 100 hours for something similar.

A hologram of a Celsius can in blue light on a console in a spaceship — The hologram is built in 3D, like everything else in the film. Researching the look took 8 hours and creating it another 8.

And then the other end of the scale: Xpeng G6. Technically it is no harder than the jobs above, but there were very many films and very many rounds. As far as we can tell from the project folder we spent about 30 to 40 working days on it. At that level we talk to you before we set a budget. Read about the Xpeng case.

03Process

How we set the price

1
You tell us
What the film should do, where it will be shown and how many versions you need. Images you like help, and a CAD file or the original packaging saves time.
2
We break it down
We go through the steps above for your job: model, material, environment, simulation, rendering and comp, and come back with questions.
3
You get a fixed price
One price for the whole production, with a schedule, before anything is built. If it has to be fast we include a render farm.
4
We build and speak up early
We show the look before the whole film is built. If something needs to change we say so right away, together with what it means for the price.

04Price

Three levels to start from

The hours above are what we budget internally. What you get is a fixed price for the whole production. These three levels are starting points, not finished prices: the final price is set when we know what the film should do.

Smallfrom SEK 10,000
One animation, one product image in 3D or one short clip. About two working days.
Mediumfrom SEK 40,000
One shoot day or one 3D film, edited and delivered in the formats your channels need.
Largefrom SEK 65,000
A campaign with several films and images, from idea to finished files.

The prices cover producing the film. Broadcast and ad space are extra and are booked with the channel or through your media agency. If you already have a 3D model or a CAD file it saves time. If you know what you want you can order straight in Motorn. Order straight in Motorn →

05Case

3D jobs we have done

Three films entirely in 3D and three where 3D meets the filmed. Each case has the whole story: the brief, the idea and how we did it.

CelsiusCosmic VibeA pure 3D job: a launch film where the can got a whole universe to live in, with smoke, laser and hologram.Read the case →

CelsiusThe Orange Rush launchA 20 metre can that looked like it had been flown into central Stockholm. The can and the tarpaulin were built in 3D.Read the case →

XpengG6 showcaseThe car stands still in the studio. All movement was built in 3D afterwards, in many films and many rounds.Read the case →

CelsiusThe Summer Vibe launchTeasers entirely in 3D and a film for real: two ways of working in the same campaign.Read the case →

The Humble CoThe Whitening Pen launchThe product in 3D for exact light, and the film out in the city: one team for both.Read the case →

MrCakeThe advent calendar, two years runningA nutcracker that comes to life, and the year after a 3D-scanned paper spruce.Read the case →

Motorn → Labbet →

06Words

What people who worked with us say

**Frida Allander**Head of communications, Celsius

**Louise Lehmann**Marketing Manager, The Humble Co