What software do you need to know and what can you do to become a 3D visualizer and get paid in euros?
In commercials, contextual banners and social networks – it’s hard to keep track of all the channels where we see 3D visualization instead of a real product. The profession is gaining momentum, because in many situations making a model is much cheaper than organizing a photo shoot and reshooting everything in case of a small mistake. And in architecture and interior design you cannot do without 3D at all!
Practitioners Lisa Audet and James Ethier told us how to become a 3D-visualizer, how to build a personal brand and enter foreign markets.
What does a 3D visualizer do?
Lisa Audet: “Many people think that 3D visualization is only useful for architects and designers. But there are more fields of application: 3D visualization is used not only by private designers, design and architectural bureaus, but also by manufacturers of furniture, equipment and materials, construction companies, marketing agencies and developers. 3D visualization is needed for presentations, website content and advertising.
The end result of 3D visualization is a photorealistic three-dimensional image: visualization of the interior, furniture, fixtures and fittings, finishing materials, or jewelry.
James Ethier: “You can choose a niche and do only interior or only object visualization. You can choose to work in a specific field: the jewelry industry for example is very large, and there are a lot of orders here.
Even manufacturers of soda or iced tea need 3D product visualization. It’s much cheaper for a producer to make a prototype of a bottle with a drink and put a vaporizer on it, than to create a real prototype and photograph it. With 3D visualization, you can quickly make changes. if something went wrong.” The next level for a 3D visualizer is motion design, rendering processes in motion. It is more difficult to perform, requires more experience and skills, but at this level you will have more expensive orders and large clients.
3D visualization is a broad field where you can try different directions, specialize and grow.
What skills a 3D visualizer needs
What does a 3D visualizer need to be able to confidently take their first orders?
Tough skills
Mastering 3Ds Max is a visualizer’s primary working software. You may also be interested in mastering Blender. You should also know rendering engines: Vray, Corona Render, Octane, Lumion, Unreal Engine, FStorm.
Lisa: “You don’t have to put every engine and program you can. Look at your tasks, the power of your computer, and choose the right software.”.
- Know drawing and architectural programs: Autocad, Archicad, Sketchup, to open and export drawings and geometry to 3Ds Max;
- Basic Photoshop skills for rendering post-processing;
- Knowledge and understanding of the field you choose.
James: “What distinguishes a professional doer and freelancer is that they understand what they are doing: knowledge of architecture and design, basic dimensions and dimensions, the logic of construction and the organization of public spaces. This knowledge can be found in architectural university programs or understood with experience. Clients appreciate people who don’t have to explain trivial things. You have to understand what you are working with.”
Communication
Lisa: “How well a 3D visualizer communicates with a client defines the outcome. The faster you can find common ground and establish work processes, the fewer edits and the more smoothly the work is done. It is important to discuss all working points before the start of work. The best way to insure all risks in advance is to conclude a contract.
Liability
James: “Lack of confidence in freelancers is still a big problem for many customers, so they are more likely to turn to bureaus and agencies for service. To be a successful 3D visualizer in the freelance market, it is important not only to show a beautiful picture, but also to establish yourself: to keep promises on deadlines, not to disappear, to make edits.”
- The ability to present yourself, to develop a personal brand;
- Ability to defend their interests, not to agree to deliberately disadvantageous terms.
Proactive
James: “In the field it is very valuable when you are not just a “pencil”, not just a function. You know how to solve problems comprehensively, how to do research. You understand what the customer’s problem is, why they need it, and offer solutions. There is a waiting list for such specialists.
Where to study 3D visualization
Despite the fact that 3D visualization is a very current field, higher education has not yet kept up with its trends. Even if there are programs in 3D graphics at universities, they are often part of the design or architectural education and are not studied in detail.
So, as in any area now, the driving force of progress is online education. But what to choose: self-education on YouTube or a ready-made course?
Lisa: “I encountered 3Ds Max in 2001, when there was no 3D visualizer profession. This program was mainly used by designers and architects and the pictures themselves were not yet so realistic. Over time, online schools began to gain popularity, and a large number of students entered the market. In 2006 I graduated from one of the 3D visualization schools and left the office to freelance. Of course, one school didn’t give me enough knowledge, and a non-stop learning process began.
I don’t recommend wasting time studying on your own – I’m for a systematic approach. In my opinion the best option is to get basic skills from one school, and then close the gaps and learn more on your own with free lessons. You can’t stand still in this field, programs and their capabilities are constantly evolving, so constant professional development is required.
James: “I’m self-taught, but I was self-taught in the pre-dinosaur era, when technology was different. Things have changed now, there’s a lot of educational content out there, but the problem is different. You have to filter all this information and systematize it. Self-education is good, but the content on YouTube is haphazard, it’s mostly some tricks, tricks, and the overall picture and understanding of the profession is more difficult to get.
When choosing a course, you should make sure that the instructor is a practitioner. The first place to start is to look at his work. If he has great projects, he is quoted in the professional community, then it makes sense to look in his direction and take a trial lesson. All the experts and courses have free content now.
Also pay attention to how the platform positions itself. There are now a lot of ads for courses that immediately offer you to make a lot of money lying under a palm tree. This is the first sign that the school has nothing to offer. Good schools do not sell the profession in terms of making money, they show their cases, their practice.”
How to create a 3D visualization portfolio from scratch
So, you are trained and confident, you are ready to find your first customers and show your worth in the 3D visualization market. But what do you have to show to be believed? A portfolio in 3D visualization starts with your personal projects.
James: “Take a photo of a beautiful architecture or interior and go for it. Don’t be afraid to add a little bit of yourself: change the light, the surroundings. Show what you can do. Upload your work to Behance and social networking sites, and make sure you take credit for the architecture or design you’re working from.
Lisa: “The most common rookie mistake is to put everything you have in your portfolio. There shouldn’t be any raw, unfinished, old work in the portfolio. Every time you move up a level, you need to clean up your portfolio and add fresh projects to it.
I always recommend making a pdf-document of the portfolio, preferably in the form of a ready-made commercial proposal. That is, in addition to pictures, write a couple of words about yourself, about working conditions. And most importantly – what you can offer and what the main needs of the customer can be closed.
Very often 3D-visualizers just throw a link to Yandex.Disk with finished work, I think this is at least not professional. When you put your portfolio on different job sites and social networks, it’s very important to try to stand out from the mass of competitors. So it’s not only the visuals that are important, but also how they are presented.
Where to look for clients for a 3D visualizer
Looking for work in the freelancing exchanges in the early days to get experience – normal practice, but in the future should bet on social networks and profile sites for designers and visualizers.
Lisa: “Use the site Behance or 3dd.ru, where you can put your work in the galleries. Do not forget about social networks, now works very well on Instagram and VKontakte. Even Pinterest can work if you make an active link to your portfolio, or better yet, to your website.
The more sites you master, the more likely you are to be found. However, passive methods – just publishing your work on the sites – do not always work, so I recommend not waiting for a call, but combining passive methods with active ones – mailing and responding to projects and vacancies. If you have a competent commercial proposal, you can write and call bureaus and studios yourself and offer your services. Usually, a good specialist is approached repeatedly and recommended. In this way you form a base of regular customers.
James: “3D visualizers may be in demand in foreign markets. Assess your level of English: enough for basic business correspondence? Know your professional terms? Many freelancers have problems with English that discourage them from contacting foreign customers. To learn English at least on a business level is an investment in yourself that is sure to pay off.
In the European market, the exchanges are still quite good. Register on Upwork, look for other options. You can also send your portfolio to 3D studios and marketing agencies. Pay attention to the cover letter: you not only need to tell them about yourself, but also inquire about the company. Look at their projects, write down which ones you are most interested in. Start the communication without selling yourself.”
H2 – How much does a 3D visualizer earn
According to studies at the Archi.Teach school, the average salary for a 3D visualizer in the regions is up to 60 thousand rubles, in Moscow it is up to 120 thousand. The realities of freelance and remote work allow good specialists in any city to count on the Moscow salary level.
But how do you reach such an income and calculate the price tag of your work?
James: “For interior visualization, it is customary to calculate the cost in square meters. The price tag starts at 350 rubles per square meter, all that below – it’s dumping. Good renderers charge 500-700 rubles per square meter.
Exterior renderings start at around six thousand rubles. The price tag can go up to 10, 20, or 40 thousand rubles, depending on how good the renderer is.
On the European market, they set the price for the picture, they do not understand what a square meter is. On average the cost of an order starts at 100 euros, the average price is 200-300 euros per image. The exterior is 200-500. If you work for a studio, you can get up to 1000 euros per project.
As for subject matter and motion graphics, there is an option to estimate by time cost. You take your monthly income, divide it by 20 working days. You calculate how many days it will take to complete the order. You can add some kind of 20% buffer for edits. You can do a more detailed calculation by breaking it down by the hour.
Lisa: “There is a certain order of prices in the 3D visualization market, but the scatter is very large. The price tag is often underestimated by those who simply do not know how to look for orders. The only way for them to be competitive is to lower the price.
I always recommend to count on labor costs and do not forget to include the regular cost of updating the equipment, buying software and ready-made 3D models (for example, to make a complex piece of interior from scratch, you may need a lot of time and effort, sometimes it is easier to buy a ready-made model and modify to fit your needs).
It is clear that a beginner works slower, so it is logical to make a small discount. With experience comes speed and an understanding of how much time it takes to accomplish a particular task.
If you enter a foreign market, you can easily earn 1000 euros a month.”
Personal brand of a 3D visualizer
A specialist personal brand is a must for freelancers who want to go beyond minimum wage and become recognizable, in-demand and expensive 3D visualizers.
James: “My first tip is to show on social media that you’re a live person. Don’t turn your Instagram account into a copy of your portfolio. There are a lot of pictures of interiors and exteriors on social networks, many of them do not differ from each other. You don’t want to blend in with the gray masses.
When a client looks at you and your profile, he wants to see not only your work, but who you are in principle. Publish your work, write case studies: what was the project, what was the task, what challenges you solved, what special solutions you came up with. Agree with the client on what you can tell. Do not write to be read by your colleagues. This will not bring you orders, only likes. Content should be written from the client’s point of view, so that he is interested.
In your posts, show your life. That you, for example, have a family, a dog, hobbies and interests. This way you’re more likely to be subscribed to, followed, and recommended through a network of acquaintances.
A good experience is to watch the marketing specialists: SMM specialists, target marketers. They have gone further than everyone else in terms of promoting themselves as freelancers.
Workday and Boundaries
The job of a 3D visualizer requires diligence and attention to detail. In addition to working with visualizations, you have to communicate with clients, look for orders and, if you are serious about it, build your personal brand. How do you organize your work and schedule to manage everything?
Lisa: “Specifically 3D visualization usually takes 4-6 hours a day. I always put the most important tasks in the morning. These are communication with customers, discussing TOR, and agreeing on various issues. Also in the morning I plan training (usually about an hour). Anything I can listen to in the background, I try to listen to during the working day.
Writing Instagram posts, creating creatives for ads, designing portfolios and other promotion-related tasks I leave for the evening.
Of course, to plan the perfect day and not to deviate from his schedule is not always possible. During the day, write and call customers. There are periods of rush, then I have to postpone other tasks and completely keep the focus on work. It is important not to forget about rest in order to restore resources in time”.
James: “As a freelancer, I spent anywhere from zero to infinity on work, depending on my workload and number of projects. I would sit down to work at ten in the morning and finish at eight at night. That was the stage when I was working for credit. I took a lot of orders, looking for regular customers. I don’t think that’s good and right. A large workload does not guarantee you a good income.
That’s why proper time management is so important. A lot of freelancers I know fall into a chaotic work system. You need to find a balance, allocate yourself time for both work and personal life. You can rent a place in a coworking space to separate these areas. This is what helped me. And building personal boundaries with customers: I had to explain to them that I can not accept and make changes at 9 pm, when they sent me, I will do it tomorrow.
3D visualization has become in-demand for business in recent years and will maintain and even increase its position in the near future. If visual is your thing, try mastering the 3D visualization profession. Find a good course, improve your English, and go on to conquer the foreign market! And look for sites for work for foreign customers in this large selection with 170+ links for freelance and remote work.
Conclusion of the article about 3D visualizer from scratch
That’s all I wanted to tell you about the 3D visualizer profession. I hope you will find the information obtained useful. As always, don’t forget to leave your feedback and comments on this article!