How much a 3D product model costs, and what changes the figure

What drives the cost up

• Complexity of the shape: a perfume box is simple; a sandal with thin straps or an openwork piece of jewelry takes far more work.
• Difficult materials: glass, clear acrylic, mirrored metal and shiny fabrics are hard to reproduce faithfully.
• Level of detail: a model for a campaign, seen up close on a large screen, calls for a finish a product page does not need.
• Variants: each color, size or finish may be a new model or just a material swap on the same model, and that changes the figure considerably.
• Rounds of revision: how many back-and-forths are included before the piece is approved.
• Preparation for the web: the file has to be light enough to open on a phone and set at real scale for augmented reality.

The three approaches, compared

1. 01

   Manual modeling in a studio

   A professional builds the piece in 3D software from photos, measurements and samples. It offers fine control and is the only approach that handles very complex pieces, or pieces that do not yet physically exist, well. It takes days per piece, and the cost is per piece, with little difference between the first and the hundredth.

2. 02

   Capture from photos taken around the object

   Dozens or hundreds of photos taken around the product are combined into a model. It requires having the piece on hand, a well-lit capture session and processing afterwards. It delivers reliable measurements and struggles with transparent and mirrored surfaces.

3. 03

   Generation from the product photo

   The piece is rebuilt in 3D with artificial intelligence, from one or more photos the store already has. It takes minutes, and the cost per piece is a fraction of the other two, which changes the equation for entire catalogs. In exchange, the side the photo does not show is inferred, and very thin or transparent pieces, or pieces with small text, may need adjustment.

The costs that do not show up in the quote

The file is only the beginning. After it come the viewer that displays the piece in the store, augmented reality on the phone, updates when the product changes, and usage measurement. A quote that covers only the model can end up costing more, once each of those parts has to be solved separately.

How to decide

The question that frames the decision is how many pieces you need per year. For five campaign pieces with art direction, manual modeling is usually money well spent. For an entire catalog, generation from a photo is what makes the project feasible. Many brands use both: a studio for the launch, generation for everything else.

How Complete works

In Complete Dashboard, the brand generates pieces from its own photos, with the viewer, augmented reality and measurement included, and the first piece is free, so you can judge the quality before any conversation about plans. When a piece needs art direction or a finish outside the standard, Complete Studio quotes the project to order. The figures for each case are presented directly to the brand.