If you want your architectural firm to reach new highs and become a true powerhouse, you need to offer 3D visualizations of your projects. It’s an absolute necessity that will make you stand out, improve marketing, and draw in new clients.

The many benefits of having 3D visualizations have by now become well-known, so every serious firm wants to invest in them. The question is, however, who to delegate the task of 3D visualizing to? Should you hire an experienced freelancer? Or maybe find an in-house professional?

Having an in-house 3D visualizer comes with many pros and cons, and so does hiring a freelancer. The choice between the two can be difficult. So, to decide on who to hire, you’ll need to answer a few questions.

Have You Had Any Problems with Freelance 3D Visualizers in the Past?

Freelance 3D visualizers can be extremely talented artists who can deliver excellent results fast. But, they can also be mediocre at best at their jobs — often stalling, asking for deadline extensions, not listening to your input, etc. You never know until you hire them.

But truth be told, the situation is the same with in-house employees.

In any case, once you’ve had a bad experience with a freelancer, it’s truly difficult trusting another one. You don’t see them in person and can judge their character and levels of expertise that easily.

So, you’ll find yourself doubting your choice of a freelancer and investing much more time and energy into finding a suitable person. In this case, it’s best to simply hire an in-house 3D visualizer and spare yourself the trouble.

Do You Find It Hard to Communicate Your Ideas Effectively?

When you’re hiring a freelancer for a project, you need to be clear, concise, and to the point. They don’t need step-by-step instructions to do their job, but they do need to get a very clear idea of what you want them to do.

Otherwise, you’ll both spend a lot of time going back and forth, editing the project, making changes and alterations, and you’ll just waste a lot of time on reaching an agreement.

This is even more true if you don’t share a common native language. Language has many nuances that can be lost in translation, so communicating can be made more difficult.

If you’re struggling with communicating your ideas to a freelancer, it will be easier to have an in-house 3D visualizer. They can accompany you during meetings with your clients, getting a precise image of what your client wants and how you want the project to go.

Did You Struggle with Receiving Consistent Quality with Freelance 3D Visualizers?

Many great freelance platforms exist where you can find countless people who can perform all sorts of tasks. There are over 57 million freelancers, just in the US alone. In such a massive pool of potential workers, you’re bound to find a few rotten apples.

Even if you do find an ideal, genuinely talented freelancer, you cannot always expect to get high-quality projects. You’re likely not a freelancer’s only client, and sometimes they have bigger or more demanding projects to work on, giving your project just minimal attention.

If you’re tired of receiving works of inconsistent quality, you might be better off with an in-house 3D visualizer who you can supervise and manage.

Do You Have Strict Deadlines?

If you have very strict deadlines that you need to follow, both in-house employees and freelancers can help you. As mentioned earlier, you can easily monitor your in-house 3D visualizers, assess their productivity and performance, and motivate them to work harder.

Since you cannot supervise freelancers, you cannot determine how dedicated they are to your project. On the plus side, however, outsourcing 3D visualization usually means that a bigger team will work on the project.

With more hands on deck, it’s easier to meet the deadline.

In this scenario, perhaps delegating part of the work to freelancers and part to in-house employees would be the best option. This, of course, means that you would need at least a small team of in-house 3D visualizers who can help you out.

Are Your Projects of a Sensitive Nature?

You’ve likely had a project or two in your architectural firm that was highly sensitive. At times, you receive access to information that shouldn’t be shared or discussed outside the office, and this can make it impossible to hire freelancers.

You can always ask them to sign a nondisclosure agreement, but it’s still risky, not just because a freelancer could still share the information, but because they might be more vulnerable to a data breach.

Data breaches are nothing to be taken lightly. They cost companies over $3.9 million on average, and they’re much more common than many would like to believe.

Within your company, you can have a dedicated IT team that can ensure excellent cybersecurity. You can have secure private networks, strong firewalls, and powerful systems in place.

You usually have no idea which devices your outsourced team has and whether their networks are safe. Even if they’re careful with the information you’ve shared, they’re more vulnerable to cyberattacks, making you more susceptible to them as well.

Sensitive projects are best shared with your in-house team only. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Do You Have an Adequate IT Infrastructure for an In-House 3D Visualizer?

Besides having the proper cybersecurity measures in place, there are a few more IT-related things that you’ll need to take care of if you want an in-house 3D visualizer.

To do their jobs well, your 3D visualizers need to have access to top-notch tools, hardware, and software. They need powerful computers that won’t experience constant glitches and be prone to bugs that can grind the project to a halt.

This requires serious investments, as it’s not cheap to equip your in-house 3D visualizer with all the tools they need. It’s also important to know that it’s not just a one-time investment. To stay ahead of the competition and deliver work of excellent quality, you need to follow the ever-changing trends in 3D visualization and invest in new tech as soon as it comes out.

If your architectural firm cannot handle these expenses, it would be best to hire a freelance team. They already have their own equipment and tools, and providing them with the latest hardware and software is not your job.

Can You Afford an In-House 3D Visualizer?

Investing in adequate IT infrastructure isn’t your only expense when you have an in-house 3D visualizer. You have to cover their employee benefits, health and dental insurance, monthly salaries, and your taxes.

Regardless of how much work your in-house employees do in a month, these expenses are always there, and you cannot skip out on them.

When you outsource 3D visualization services, you only pay per project. When there’s no work to be done, you don’t pay them anything. It’s often much cheaper to have a team of freelancers, so if you don’t have the budget for an in-house team, they are your best choice.

The Bottom Line

Whether you should have an in-house 3D visualizer or hire freelancers to complete your projects depends on how you’ve answered the questions mentioned above.

If possible, it’s always best to combine the two. Having in-house professionals will give you more control over your projects, while you can save a lot of money by delegating some of the tasks to your outsourced team.