How much does a 3D architectural animation cost in Australia?

From A$65 per second of finished film with a 30-second minimum. A typical 60-second launch film starts around A$3,900; larger schemes and heavy interior styling raise the price. If we have already produced still renders of the project, the model is reused and the cost drops.

How long does a 60-second animation take?

Usually 10–15 business days from approved brief, including storyboard approval, a draft preview for revisions and the final 4K export. Shorter films or projects where we already have the model can be faster.

What do you need from us to start?

Architectural drawings (PDF or CAD), a materials and finishes schedule, any landscape plan, and a note on the story you want the film to tell — who it is for and where it will play. If you have brand assets or a preferred music style, send those too.

Can you match the animation to our still renders?

Yes. The animation is produced from the same model, materials and lighting as your stills, so the images on the brochure and the film on the screen match exactly.

Do you provide vertical versions for Instagram and TikTok?

Yes. 9:16 cut-downs are an optional extra, planned from the storyboard stage so key shots are composed for both formats rather than cropped afterwards.

Can the animation be used in a development application?

Yes. For council or panel presentations we keep camera heights and lenses realistic and can add sun-path and shadow sequences. Tell us the submission requirements and we will build the film to suit.

What formats do you deliver?

MP4 (H.264) in 1080p and 4K as standard. ProRes, image sequences and still frames are available on request.

How many revisions are included?

Up to four rounds on the draft preview, with minor edits (music, titles, timing tweaks) handled within those rounds. Changes to the approved camera path after rendering has started are quoted separately, because they mean re-rendering frames.

3D rendering service

3D Architectural Animation

From A$65 per second (min. 30s) · 5–7 business days · up to 4 revision rounds

A 3D architectural animation turns your plans into a moving, photoreal film: a flythrough over the site, a walkthrough of the display apartment, a dusk sequence that ends on the hero elevation. We produce them for off-the-plan launches, leasing campaigns, council presentations and social media across Australia, priced at A$65 per second with a 30-second minimum — so a 60-second launch film starts around A$3,900.

Film is the one service with an approval step before rendering — a 60-second animation is 1,500 individually rendered frames, so the camera path is agreed on a storyboard first rather than reworked afterwards. Every animation is built on the same model as your still renders, so if you order both the film matches the stills frame for frame. You approve a storyboard and camera path before we render a single frame, and you get a low-resolution preview for changes before the final 4K export.

Get a fixed quote See pricing

Aerial 3D render of a townhouse community composited over drone photography of the lake and hills

Starting price: A$65 per second (min. 30s)
Turnaround: 5–7 business days (rush 48–72 hours)
Revisions: Up to 4 rounds included
You send: Plans, elevations, sections and a finishes schedule

More 3D architectural animation projects in the portfolio

What an architectural animation includes

You are buying a finished film, not a raw render. Each project includes camera-path design, lighting and materials matched to your specification, landscaping and entourage (people, cars, planting) so the scheme reads as lived-in, licensed background music, opening and closing titles with your branding, and delivery as an MP4 in Full HD and 4K.

Optional extras are priced per item: a voice-over, animated floor-plan cutaways that peel the roof off to show internal layouts, sun-path or seasonal sequences, and 9:16 vertical cut-downs for Instagram and TikTok.

Storyboard and camera-path approval before rendering
Draft preview at 720p for revisions, then final 1080p and 4K MP4
Music licensed for web and social use, titles and end card included
Up to four revision rounds on the draft

Walkthrough, flythrough or both?

A flythrough is an exterior film — usually a drone-style approach that establishes the site, orbits the building and settles on the main elevation. It suits developers and agents selling a whole scheme, and councils or community groups who need to understand massing in context.

A walkthrough moves at eye level through interiors: the lobby, a typical apartment, the rooftop. It sells the lifestyle rather than the building, so it works hardest for display suites and premium residential marketing. Most launch films combine a 15–20 second flythrough with a 30–40 second walkthrough, which is why our minimum is 30 seconds and the most common order is 60.

How long a 3D animation takes

A 30–60 second animation typically takes 10–15 business days from approved brief: two to three days for modelling and the storyboard, two to three days for you to sign off the camera path, five to seven days for lighting, materials and rendering, and two days for editing, music and export. Rendering is the fixed cost — a 60-second film at 25 frames per second is 1,500 individual frames, each rendered like a still image.

If you already have still renders from us, the model exists and the timeline drops by roughly a week. Rush delivery is possible on shorter films; tell us the launch date when you brief and we will confirm what is achievable before you commit. The turnaround guide compares animation timelines with stills, and the briefing guide explains how to prepare the story and references we need before the storyboard starts.

Software and output formats

We model in 3ds Max, SketchUp, Revit or ArchiCAD depending on what your architect supplies, render in V-Ray or Corona Renderer for photoreal sequences, and use Lumion or Twinmotion where a faster, more stylised film suits the budget. Post-production is done in After Effects and Premiere.

Standard delivery is H.264 MP4 at 1920×1080 and 3840×2160. We can also supply ProRes for broadcast, image sequences for your own editor, and a still frame set pulled from the film for print use.

Who commissions architectural animation

Property developers use flythroughs for off-the-plan launches and display-suite screens. Real estate agencies run 15–30 second cut-downs as paid social. Architects present walkthroughs at design review and development application stage — a film that shows shadow impact through the day is far more persuasive to a planning panel than a set of shadow diagrams. Builders use animations of display homes for their showrooms and websites, and commercial landlords use them for pre-leasing offices, industrial estates and retail centres before construction starts. Developers weighing a launch film against stills will find the wider sales sequence in our guide for property developers.

Pricing for 3D animation in Australia

Our animation pricing is per second of finished film: from A$65 per second with a 30-second minimum. That means a 30-second social film starts around A$1,950 and a 60-second launch film around A$3,900. The rate covers modelling, animation, rendering, music and titles. Voice-over, animated cutaways and multiple aspect-ratio exports are quoted as extras.

The price rises when the scheme is large (a 200-apartment tower needs far more modelling than a duplex), when the brief calls for heavy interior styling on every room shown, or when the film needs photographic backplates composited from drone footage. It falls when we already have your model from a stills job. See the full breakdown on our 3D rendering cost guide.

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