Outsource 3D Studio vs In-house Team

There are 2 ways of getting 3D modeling and rendering services: hiring 3D artists full-time or outsourcing to a CGI studio. Which option is best? Let’s see the pros and cons of each choice.

1. Budget

Regardless of the projects’ frequency, an in-house team naturally requires salaries, paid sick leaves and vacations, and up-to-date workstations. Not to mention that CGI professionals don’t work for peanuts.

Meanwhile, outsource 3D artists are only paid for the time spent on the project. The rest of the spendings, including equipment, software, workstations, are taken care of by their employer – the product rendering studio.

2. Time

An in-house CGI team usually includes 3D artists, an art director, and a project manager. Finding such a group of skilled specialists requires a lot of time from the HR department. And then, the new team would need to settle in the space, install the equipment, and some time to work out standard workflows and learn to work together.

Outsourcing 3D rendering is time-saving in terms of monitoring the process. Big 3D studios employ project and client managers who organize everything and help clients track the progress. Overall, less time and trouble – and a better result.

3. Capability

And what if the project is large-scale, time-sensitive, and requires a lot of 3D renders? And a series of photorealistic 3D animations. And on further reflection, a few 360º views, too.

Given sufficient time and technical resources, a large in-house CGI team with various skills can handle such a challenge. Hiring that many CGI professionals isn’t cheap though. Moreover, it doesn’t make sense unless large-scale projects are an everyday reality for the company.

Big CGI studios employ lots and lots of highly trained professionals of every specialization imaginable. They can serve as a single source of product 3D rendering services, or as a backup for the in-house team. CGIFurniture works as this kind of 3D visualization studio for furniture and home goods brands.

4. Equipment

Large-scale and urgent product 3D rendering projects require special equipment and software. Let’s say, the team mainly works with still images. So to create a 3D animation, they would need to acquire specialized software, say, Cinema 4D, plugins for it, video editing tools, like Adobe After Effects. As for the equipment, creating a large animation requires a render farm – a high-performance computer system, consisting of many powerful hardware components that speed up the implementation of 3D projects. Needless to say, buying a render farm is expensive, and probably doesn’t make sense for a product brand.

In contrast, a CGI company works on 3D rendering projects every day. So they have all the range of 3D software solutions, plugins, scripts, and render farms too. This way, a product manufacturer contacting an outsource company gets access to all these assets without buying them.

5. Control and Communication

The usual worry about outsourcing is losing control, since the artists are not down the hall. In practice, studios are built around remote work. Clients send materials, review intermediate results, and request changes in one shared place. At CGIFurniture, that place is Archivizer, a project platform that works on any device and connects the client with every specialist on the task. See how this 3D project management platform works step by step.

An in-house team sits nearby but keeps office hours, so an urgent revision often waits until the next working day. With a studio in another time zone, work can move forward while your office is closed.

6. Quality Control

Without a CGI lead on staff, executives or marketers end up reviewing portfolios, interviewing candidates, and then judging the renders, all in a field they may not know well. A studio builds review into the process. At CGIFurniture, every finished task goes through two checks: a project manager compares it with the brief, then a 3D mentor reviews the craft. Project managers also split the order into milestones and move work between artists when priorities change.

7. The Hybrid Option

The choice does not have to be either-or. Many manufacturers keep a small in-house team for ongoing tasks and bring in a studio for launches, new collections, and formats the team has not done before, such as product animation, 360 views, or AR. The internal team then focuses on briefs, approvals, and decisions, while the studio takes the volume. There is no need to hire for a peak and keep the extra staff afterwards. Each of these formats is one of the 3D product visualization services a full-service studio can take on.

What About Freelancers?

A freelance 3D artist is a third route, and it can work for small, simple jobs. The limits show on bigger ones:

• One person, one pace. A freelancer cannot do more than one person’s work, and a sick day or a broken workstation stops the project. A studio can hand the task to another artist.
• More people to manage. A large order means several freelancers, and someone on your side has to find, brief, and coordinate each of them.
• Thin proof of skill. The portfolio is often the only evidence, and it may not show how the person handles a complex or large project.

How to Check an Outsourcing Partner

• Look at real work. Ask for product images in your category, case studies, and feedback from other clients, not just claims. Our guide to the best 3D rendering companies covers what else to compare.
• Send a clear brief. Include requirements, your deadline, and references such as sketches, shop drawings, and product photos. Remote work leaves less room to fix misunderstandings later.
• Use the intermediate results. Ask for changes as soon as you spot a mistake instead of waiting for the final images, when fixes are harder.
• Protect your designs. Sign an NDA before sharing unreleased products, and agree in writing on the quality checks and on who holds the rights to the finished files.

A product manufacturer can get 3D rendering services with a studio or an in-house team. Both have their pros and cons. An in-house team is a more traditional choice, with a familiar working process, and it is seemingly easier to control. Meanwhile, a CGI studio is way more budget-saving, offers more flexibility in terms of time and scale, and has its own management, project communication, and quality assessment systems.