Companies now have the opportunity to get their hands on stunning visuals without investing in software or hiring 3D artists. We are talking about outsourcing. With an abundance of 3D specialists, freelancers, and studios on the market, businesses can save a ton of cash and still be able to complete their 3D rendering projects in time.

How do you do it correctly? Companies without outsourcing experience may hit a wall and end up having their projects delayed or with poor-quality visuals.

Below, you will find every milestone you have to go through to nail your next 3D rendering and outsourcing.

Identifying the Projects Suitable for Outsourcing

Not all 3D rendering projects are the same. For instance, some require 3D rendering specialists to use different techniques. They also differ in terms of size.

How do you identify a 3D rendering project that is suitable for outsourcing?

A 3D render can help you pitch your ideas, attract more customers, and improve your brand image. If you are not in the 3D industry but want to reap the benefits from the renders, it is probably the best to outsource.

There are a few instances when projects are suitable for outsourcing, even if you have resources internally. For example, if a valuable project shows up and your resources are already invested in an ongoing project, why miss the opportunity to land a big client.

You can benefit from white-labeling 3D rendering outsourcing and keep your clients happy. For instance, your internal teams can handle all the 3D modeling, while an external outsourcing partner can help you streamline rendering to meet the deadlines.

Investing in IT infrastructure, 3D rendering software, and hiring professionals able to do it is expensive. Many businesses need 3D rendering every once in a while. Investing in the assets required to complete the work is wasted capital in terms of ROI.

Find an Experienced and Reliable Studio

The 3D rendering industry is a lucrative one. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many freelancers and studios on the market. Every studio has a great ongoing marketing strategy. However, behind that marketing message, you will often find out that the variety of 3D rendering services and quality are not the same.

To successfully outsource a 3D rendering project, you need an experienced and reliable partner. Your primary concern should be finding one! Get ready to do some digging. First and foremost, check out the official websites of the studios you find viable for your project.

Look for the “About Us” page to see how long they’ve been on the market. Check their team. The larger the team is, the better. It simply means that they have enough human resources to see rendering projects trough.

Next, check what projects they’ve worked on. The most professional and reliable studios showcase their work on their social media pages and official website. This should provide you with enough information to decide whether it is something you need.

Finally, look for social proof. Social proof stands for client testimonies. They are often located on the homepage.

Extend your search online. Use the query “Studio name reviews” and see what their clients have to say.

Establishing a Brief Will Ensure that You Are on the Same Page

Two main ingredients of successful outsourcing include planning in detail and effective communication. For effective communication, you need to learn essential 3D rendering terminology.

Even if you find the best 3D rendering studio, you won’t accomplish anything if you don’t exactly what has to be done and how it has to be done. 3D specialists at the studio you choose can’t do magic. They will do what you tell them to do.

Before you have a meeting with people from the 3D rendering studio you’ve chosen, you need to make a plan. Your plan should outline the specifics of the project you are working on and describe the tasks you are planning on outsourcing in detail. A good brief depends on the quality of your project plan. If you have expectations about the deliverables, write them down.

Your plan and expectations will help you stay on point during the brief with the 3D rendering studio.

Look at it as a communication platform. You need to tell the team the goal you want to achieve, outline the instances in which you’ll use the 3D render, and finally dive into the specifics about the deliverables.

It is of the utmost importance to be on the same page with the studio you are about to partner with. It reduces the risk of misunderstanding, project delays, and unacceptable deliverables.

Discussing the Pricing for the Project Understanding

When it comes to the project costs, an outsourced 3D rendering project should make and not break your budget. Since every project is unique in terms of scale and requirements, the prices vary. Reputable 3D rendering studios have a transparent pricing policy and are not afraid to discuss costs upfront.

You should have at least a quote before you even consider giving them the green light. Remember, you are the customer here. Asking the studio representative to explain the details behind the final price is essential. Why? It is the ultimate way to make sure they understand your project down to the last task.

The price depends on several factors:

• The scope of work
• Type of work (image render, animation)
• Size of the final 3D render
• The number of details

During this stage, you should also make inquiries into how they accept payments, are you eligible for any discounts, and should you pay something up front? Feel free to ask any questions related to the pricing. It’s your hard-earned cash we are talking about here.

Their Quality Control Approach

Quality control has become a standard across industries. 3D rendering is not an exception. Quality control’s primary goal is to ensure the high-quality and/or pre-agreed quality of 3D rendering deliverables. It should be a deal-breaker for you, given that there are thousands of studios on the market.

Be open about it with the studio’s representative. Ask them about their quality control approach. It will be easy to spot a reliable partner. During the brief, you will find out details about their quality control processes, what elements they use for quality anchors, and how often during the project do they do it.

Some of the studios even have a Quality Assurance policy. This is an excellent perk as it often sets you free of paying for the services that didn’t deliver the assured quality. This policy also applies to the number of revisions you can have for one project.

Quality assurance and quality control are two great perks to find in 3D rendering service providers. They will save you time and cash, and enable you to complete internally managed projects that depend on 3D renderings in time.

Contracts, NDAs, Etc.

If you want to outsource your projects to an external company, you must have a legally binding contract. Attractive quality assurance, quality control, affordable prices, and express turnaround times mean nothing if they are not on a piece of paper signed by you and the studio.

In other words, a contract with the studio you are outsourcing to is a must-have. It is the ultimate guarantee that the studio will complete the project under the agreed terms and on time. A contract gives you leverage and enables you to start a legal process against other companies. For instance, if you lose profit because the studio didn’t respect the contract, you can file charges.

There is also the issue of providing business-sensitive information to other companies. You can quickly solve this. Add non-disclosure terms to your contract.

Be very specific about the rules here. Outline what the studio can do with the data you share with them. It is the only way to protect your rights in the case studio shares confidential information with a 3rd company or loses the data due to poor cybersecurity practices.

Keeping up With the Project Progress

With 3D rendering projects, maintaining control and visibility is very important. If you leave it unattended, you can miss a deadline, soon realizing that your expedition to the world of outsourcing is exceptionally costly.

Many companies don’t prefer outsourcing because they lose the visibility and control of their projects. Outsourcing isn’t the synonym for losing control. It is entirely up to you. You can go the extra mile during the brief and ask the studio to keep you in the loop with the project progress.

Make sure to be very specific. Otherwise, you are risking ending up with an email telling you that your project is 37.65% complete. You need to specify what you want to check, and when you want to check it, and how often you want to get reports.

Don’t forget to specify the communication channels that are going to be used during the project. Take the time zone into account if you are working with a studio from a different time zone.

Reviewing the Initial Solution and Making Changes

3D rendering is a form of art. The colors, textures, lighting, and viewpoint all play a vital role in the quality of the final deliverable. Even if you are quite specific with your requirements and expectations, the deliverable will often be less than perfect. It is why there are revisions in this industry.

A revision allows you to make changes to bring your delivers as close to perfection as possible. However, most 3D rendering studios don’t have revisions included in the initial project price. You can avoid misunderstandings by asking simple “What if?” questions.

3D rendering takes time, and you shouldn’t look at revisions as something that can be easily done. If you need a revision, it means that the studio will have to re-render the image. It increases the total rendering time, which automatically increases project costs. Also, re-rendering an image is considerably more time-efficient than re-rendering animations.

Give your best to provide detailed plans and give honest feedback as the project progresses to reduce the number of revisions or completely prevent them.

Agreeing on File Formats and Delivery of Finalized Project

Whether you need to have still-image or animation renders, you need to agree on the resolution and file formats before the project starts. Choosing the right file format depends on the use case and deliverables.

For instance, if you have an inhouse person who knows how to convert images, getting a still-image render in the EXR file format is the best solution. EXR can store a lot of information, and you can use it to export images. Downscaling resolution is alright while upscaling results in quality loss - something to remember before you specify the rendering resolution.

For animations, you will have to decide on the resolution and frame rates. Most studios will use compression and choose a video codec according to the latest standards. But if you want, you can make inquiries about these two as well.

In the end, you need to agree on the delivery of the finalized project. Do you want it delivered on a USB stick? Or you maybe prefer it uploaded and shared with you on the cloud? See what the studio offers and choose the most convenient option for you.

Conclusion

Outsourcing can be your best ally in terms of improving efficiency and cutting down expenses. However, you shouldn’t outsource your 3D rendering projects right off the bat. All of the steps we’ve outlined in this mini-guide are essential for the success of 3D rendering outsourcing. You can look at it as a checklist you have to go through before greenlighting your outsourcing partner to start working.