Service 3D Product Animation
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3D product animation the product film that brands call a CGI ad

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A product film made entirely in 3D. In India most marketing teams call it a CGI ad. We model the product, animate it and cut it for each place it will run.

Service

We build your product in 3D and animate the product, the light and the camera. You get a 3D product video that goes inside the mechanism, slows a movement down and holds a close-up that a real camera cannot.

In India the marketing word for this is a CGI ad: a photoreal product animation video used for launches, TV spots, Reels, product pages and store screens. We have made them for a razor, a keyboard, a suitcase and a charging cable. Cove Craft is a 3D product animation studio in Mumbai, and one team does the modelling, the animation and the edit.

What you get

  • 01

    Exploded views and cutaways

    The product comes apart on screen, or is cut open, to show what is inside and how the parts fit together.

  • 02

    Macro detail

    The camera can sit very close to a blade edge, a key switch or a zip and hold it in sharp focus for as long as the shot needs.

  • 03

    Moves a camera cannot make

    One continuous move through the product, a slow turn in mid-air, a part that lifts away. In 3D these are planned and repeated exactly.

  • 04

    Cuts for every placement

    One film delivered as a long cut, short cuts, and vertical, square and wide versions, for TV, Reels, a product page or an in-store loop.

  • 05

    Loops for screens

    A short film that ends on the frame it started on, so it can repeat on a store display, an exhibition stand or a website header.

  • 06

    Stills from the same model

    Hero frames and pack shots are rendered from the film's model, so the campaign images match the film.

Work like this

Product films for a razor, a keyboard, a suitcase and a charging cable.

Macro 3D render of the Gillette Fusion 5 razor head Gillette Fusion 5 — Product Film3d product rendering — hero campaign loop
Cosmic Byte keyboard, frame from the 3D product film Cosmic Byte — Keyboard3d product film — keyboard animation
American Tourister suitcase, frame from the 3D product film American Tourister — Suitcase3d product film — suitcase animation
Ambrane charging cable, frame from the 3D product animation Ambrane — Charger Cable3d product film — cable animation
All creative media work

What a CGI ad is and how it is made

A CGI ad is a product film made on a computer, with no camera and no set. CGI stands for computer-generated imagery. The product is built as an accurate 3D model, given its real materials, lit and animated, and every frame is rendered. It is product CGI animation made for advertising. Because nothing is filmed, the product can come apart, hang in the air or be seen from inside.

The Gillette Fusion 5 film goes from macro blade detail to the hero pack shot. If you have seen a CGI ad you liked and are still working out what kind you need, start at CGI ads.

When a 3D product film is the right choice

Choose 3D animation when the selling point is inside the product, or too small or too fast to film: a blade cartridge, a switch under a keycap, the wheels and hardware of a suitcase. Choose it when the product is not manufactured yet, or when the film will be remade each season for new colours and models.

A filmed ad is the better choice when the story is about a person using the product, about a place, or about food. A campaign can use both, with a filmed story and a 3D sequence for the feature shots. In that case we make the 3D part and deliver it to your agency or editor in the format they ask for.

What we need from you

A brief for a film has two halves: the product, and what the film must say about it.

  • Product CAD (the 3D design file), or a sample sent to the studio
  • Logo, label and packaging artwork
  • The features to show, in order of importance
  • Where the film will run, and the lengths and shapes needed
  • Reference films for pace and mood
  • Brand guidelines: colours, typeface and end frame
  • Voice-over or music, if you already have them

What decides the price

3D product animation is quoted per second of finished film, or per film when the length is fixed. Length moves the price first. The product moves it second: more parts and more materials mean more modelling. The third factor is what happens on screen. A product turning in a studio setting is simpler than liquid, cloth, smoke or parts that fly apart and reassemble. Those have to be simulated, meaning the computer calculates how they move.

Extra cuts and shapes of the same film add little. A second product in the same style costs less than the first, because the lighting and the set exist. Ask for the quote to state the length, the number of cuts and the rounds of changes. The CGI ad cost guide explains what a quotation should list.

How it runs

  1. 01

    Brief and shot plan

    You send the product and the features. We plan the film shot by shot and you approve the plan.

  2. 02

    Model

    The product is built in 3D from the CAD or the sample, with its real materials.

  3. 03

    Plain preview

    You watch the moves and the timing in a grey, unlit version and ask for changes.

  4. 04

    Lighting and rendering

    Materials, light and effects are finished, and the frames are rendered.

  5. 05

    Edit and delivery

    The film is cut to each length and shape and delivered at the agreed size.

Questions

How much does a 3D product animation or CGI ad cost in India?

It is quoted per second of finished film, or per film. The cost depends on the length, how complex the product is and what happens on screen. Send the product and the length you have in mind for a quote.

How are CGI product ads made?

The product is modelled in 3D, given its real materials, lit and animated, and every frame is rendered on a computer. Nothing is filmed. You approve the shot plan, then a plain preview, then the finished film.

How long does a product film take?

It depends on the length of the film, the complexity of the product and how quickly each stage is approved. The schedule comes with the quote, before work starts.

What do you need to start: CAD, a product sample or photos?

CAD is the most accurate starting point. A sample sent to the studio also works, because we can measure it and match its materials. Photographs alone are enough only for simple shapes.

Can the film be cut for Reels, YouTube and TV?

Yes. Tell us the placements at the start. The shots are then framed so that vertical, square and wide versions can all be cut from the same film.

Is a 3D product animation the same as a CGI ad?

Yes, in practice. CGI ad is the marketing name for a 3D product animation made for advertising. A 3D product video for a product page is the same work, usually slower and more explanatory.

Should we hire an ad agency or a 3D product video making company?

It depends on what you have. If the idea is settled and you need the film made, come to a studio directly. If you need the campaign idea and the media plan as well, an agency can lead and bring us in for the 3D.

Do you also make the stills for the campaign?

Yes. Hero stills and pack shots are rendered from the same model, so they match the film. See 3D product rendering.

Keep going

Get in touch

Send the product and tell us what the film has to show, and we reply with a quote and a schedule.

or write to hello@covecraftstudios.com