CGI ad cost in India the five stages you pay for

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How CGI product films are made and charged in India, without a rate card. Each stage of the work is a cost item, so the stages are the way to read a quote.

Guide

A CGI ad is priced per project, or per second of finished film. The cost is the sum of five stages: the model, look development, animation, lighting and rendering, and the edit. There is no rate card on this page, because the price depends on the brief.

A CGI ad is a product film made on a computer, with a 3D model of the product in place of a camera shoot. In India the phrase covers everything from a turning pack shot to a film with liquid, smoke and a built set. Those are very different jobs, so one price would mislead. Send a short brief (the product, the idea or a reference, and where the film will run) and the quote states the length, the revision rounds, the delivery size and the schedule.

In short

01
Per project, or per second
Most CGI ads are quoted as a project. Simple product films are sometimes quoted per second of finished film.
02
Five stages, five cost items
Model, look development, animation, lighting and render, edit. A quote that names them is easier to compare.
03
The model is paid for once
The same 3D product model serves later films, still renders, a web 3D viewer and AR.
04
Simulation is the costly part
Liquid, smoke, cloth and particles are simulated and refined over several attempts. A rigid product that only turns is far less work.
05
Stills are priced per image
A 3D product render uses the same model and materials with no animation, so it is the smaller cost.
06
Approve the storyboard first
A change to the idea after animation and rendering have started repeats the costly stages.

Seen in practice

Product films and stills made in 3D: a razor, a keyboard, a suitcase and perfume bottles.

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

Duke & D’or Noir 50 ml perfume bottle, CGI product render

Duke & D’or PerfumesNoir & royal eau de parfum

All creative media work

How CGI ads are made: the five stages

Every CGI ad goes through the same five stages. Each is a separate piece of work with its own cost. The order matters, because a change at one stage repeats the stages after it.

Stage	What happens	What makes it cost more
1. Model	The product is built in 3D from CAD, a sample or photographs	Many parts, curved or soft shapes, no CAD to start from
2. Look development	Materials are made to match the real product: glass, metal, plastic, liquid, label and print	Clear and reflective materials, liquids, fabric, an exact colour match
3. Animation	The product, the camera and everything around them are moved, first as a plain preview	More shots, and simulated liquid, smoke, cloth or particles
4. Lighting and render	Each shot is lit, then every frame is rendered	Length, frame size, glass and liquid, soft-focus backgrounds
5. Edit	Shots are cut together and graded, with titles, sound and music	Several lengths, formats and languages

The unit: per project, per second or per image

A CGI ad is usually quoted per project, because the five stages vary so much from one film to the next. A quote per second of finished film is fair for a simple product film where every shot is the same kind of work, such as a product turning on a plain background. Ask what a per-second CGI video cost assumes about the model, the simulation and the number of shots.

Charges for still images are stated per image. A 3D model ordered by itself, for a website or for AR, is quoted per model. If you need the film, the stills and the model, ask for one quote that shows all three, so the model is charged once.

3D product rendering cost, compared with a film

A still product render uses the first two stages, the model and the look, then lighting and a single frame. There is no animation and no edit. That is why the 3D product rendering cost in India is quoted per image, and why it is the smaller item.

The first image of a product includes the model and the materials. Later images of the same product need only a new angle, new lighting or a new background. A colour variant is a small job when the shape is unchanged. A new shape is a new model. See 3D product rendering for stills and 3D product animation for films.

What raises a CGI quote, and how to bring it down

Simulation means the computer works out how a liquid, a cloth or smoke would really move. It is often the largest single cause of a high quote. The others are below.

Factor	Why it matters	How to keep it down
No CAD file	The product is measured and modelled from a sample or photographs	Send the manufacturing CAD and the label artwork
Liquid, smoke, cloth, particles	Each is simulated, and takes several attempts to look right	Keep simulation for the shots that need it
Glass and clear liquids	They take longer to match, and far longer to render	If the product is glass, this cannot be cut. Allow for it
Several products or variants	Each new shape is a new model	Group the variants that share a shape and differ only in colour and label
A built set	A room, a landscape or a stage around the product is modelled and lit	Use one set, and more angles within it
Changes to the pack or the storyboard	The stages already done are repeated	Freeze the pack design, then approve the storyboard and the preview
Many versions	Each length and screen shape is framed again, and sometimes rendered again	List every format in the brief

What a CGI ad quotation should list

Two quotes for a CGI ad can differ because one includes modelling and the other assumes you will supply the model, or because one counts a vertical version and the other does not. Compare them stage by stage before comparing totals.

Scope: the products modelled, and what the model is built from
The length of the film and the number of shots
Any simulation: liquid, smoke, cloth, particles
Revision rounds, and the stage each belongs to
Delivery size, formats, and the versions included
Music, sound and voice-over: included or excluded
The schedule, tied to your approval of the storyboard and the preview
Usage: where the film may run, and who keeps the 3D model

How to pay less without a weaker film

The stages run in order, so the cheapest place to change your mind is the earliest one.

Send the CAD, the label artwork and a physical sample at the start
Lock the pack design before modelling begins
Approve the storyboard, then the plain preview, and hold to them
Put the budget into one main shot, and keep the other shots simple
Order the stills with the film, from the same model and lighting
Plan the next film now: the model and the materials carry over

When CGI is the right choice, and when it is not

CGI is the right choice when the product must look exactly as it is made, when it does not exist yet, or when the shot cannot be filmed: the inside of a bottle, a liquid held in mid-air, a camera move through a mechanism. Perfume and skincare are common cases, covered in fragrance and beauty CGI.

It is the wrong choice when the film is about people, places and a story more than the object. That kind of film is often made with AI or with a shoot, and it is costed differently. See AI ad cost in India. The two also combine: a product modelled in 3D can be placed into AI-directed scenes.

Questions

How much does a CGI ad cost in India?

There is no single figure. A CGI ad is quoted per project, and the price follows five stages of work: the model, look development, animation, lighting and rendering, and the edit. Send the product and the idea for a quote.

How are CGI ads made in India?

In five stages. The product is modelled in 3D, its materials are matched, the shots are animated, each frame is lit and rendered, and the film is edited with sound. You approve a storyboard and a plain preview before the costly stages begin.

What is the 3D product rendering cost in India?

Still product renders are quoted per image. The first image of a product includes the 3D model and its materials. Further images of the same product cost less, because only the angle, the lighting or the background changes.

Is CGI video cost charged per second?

Sometimes. A per-second rate is fair for a simple product film with similar shots. For a film with simulation, a set or several products, a project quote that names each stage is more accurate.

Is a CGI ad cheaper than a shoot?

It depends on the film. CGI needs no studio hire, set or crew, and the model is reused in later films. A simple film of a product that already exists can cost less to shoot. Compare on what you will reuse.

What do you need from us to start?

The product CAD if it exists, or a physical sample and photographs. The label and pack artwork. A reference film or a written idea. And the list of places the film will run.

Who keeps the 3D model after the film?

It should be written in the quotation. Some suppliers hand over the model files and some deliver only the film. Ask before you compare totals, because a model you hold can be used again.

Can the same model be used on our website and in AR?

Yes. A model built for a film can be prepared as a lighter file for a web 3D viewer and for AR. That preparation is separate work, but the product is not modelled again.

Keep going

Get in touch

Send the product, the idea and where the film will run. We reply with a quote for the project.

In short

Per project, or per second

Five stages, five cost items

The model is paid for once

Simulation is the costly part

Stills are priced per image

Approve the storyboard first