The “Small Business Owners” Way To Get Affordable 3D Assets

Have you ever planted a tree?

I have planted over 100 trees in my short span of life.

It is a delicate process, especially if you are transplanting a tree from one location to another.

First the tree is shocked out of its roots.

It gets cut, picked up and moved to a completely new environment.

Then when it arrives to it’s new location, a hole must be dug that fits it’s base comfortably. (Thankfully, they have huge machines with big spades for that).

The soil must be rich and soft enough for the roots to spread and find water.

Then the soil around the tree must be maintained in order to keep it healthy and producing.

What does this have to do with 3D animation?

Well, there are a lot of moving parts with transplanting trees…money, resources and time. Creating 3d animations can be just as demanding, even though it’s a digital creation and once you understand all of these parts, you can understand why 3D artists charge so much for their expertise.

Here are just a few reasons why 3D animations can cost so much.

MODELING

When creating 3D models from scratch, it could take 40-60 hours to be completed. It all depends on how simple or complex the model needs to be. A modeler also needs to include other items to go with the model, like hair, beard, eyebrows, eyelashes…etc. This all takes time to accomplish.

Avg. Cost: $50 – $60/Hr

TEXTURING

This process can take 10-30 hours to apply the correct textures to a character. Pricing varies depending on how complex the textures need to be. This would include hair, clothing and accessories included with a character.

Avg. Cost: $195 – $995 Per asset

RIGGING

Rigging is the process of the bone structure for a particular 3D model and is critical for animating it. Rigging and skinning go hand in hand. If either one is done just a little bit off, it can affect the realism of the characters animation. It is a very tedious process that needs to be done correctly. This task can take 10-30 hours depending on how complex the movements are.

Avg. Cost: $0 – $190 Month

ANIMATION

Animation is digitally generating animated images. There are different ways for a character to be animated. They include the most used methods of key frames or motion capture. Motion capturing is a much faster process but could still take an animator 20 hours per 10 seconds of movement. To accomplish the task they will also need to own the pricy motion sensor suit and software. On the other hand, if key framing every move, it could take about 3-4 hours per 1 second of animation. Usually it’s 30 frames per second of film, game and show quality visuals. Costs depends on the project and can range between:

Avg. Cost: $375 – $1,000 Per/Animated Second

LIGHTING

Lighting is absolutely essential in the 3D world. Lighting a 3D scene is similar to lighting in photography or film and is used to accomplish a specific feel to any given scene. It can be difficult to have consistent lighting during an animation sequence due to its positioning. Like in real life photography, you need specific equipment for it to work correctly and it isn’t cheap. Having the correct software to allow the artist to light a scene as realistically as possible is key. Costs fluctuate with each project.

Avg. Cost: $0 – $20 Per scene

RENDERING

The average time to render 1 animated frame, depending on the hardware used, is about 1-3 hours. A 3D artist would need 30-90 hours to render a 30 second clip that gives the video its realistic look. This process not only takes time but also expensive hardware to process the tons of information to make each video have its realistic appeal. Without the software, it would not be possible. Depending on the quality of the rendered 3D animation or the still 3D image the price can vary drastically.

Avg. Cost: $200 – $1,000 per animated rendered second.

Avg. Cost: $275 – $750 per animated rendered image.

How Can Unimation Media Help?

As you can see, it takes a lot of work and time to create 3D animated assets. Many 3D animated stock websites sell each video clip for $49-$80. At Unimation Media we strive to make available assets like these for small businesses who may not be able to afford such prices. We know our prices are out of this world and know we could charge a lot more for each asset. But our tagline says it all…Where Reality Meets Affordability!

Avg. Cost: $67 per animation.
Avg. Cost: $10 per animated image.
Unimation Media Cost: More than 90% less

There you have it. Now you see why it can cost so much for 3D animated assets and how we can help you spend just a fraction for the same quality.

What are you waiting for?

Look at the Value

• 3D Character Modeling (Valued at $2,000)

• 3D Character Texturing (Valued at $1,950)

• 3D Character Rigging (Valued at $190)

• 3D Character Animation *10 seconds (Valued at $3,750)

• 3D Character Lighting (Valued at $20)

• 3D Animation Rendering (Valued at $6,000)

Total Value = $13,910