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How Much Do CGI and VFX Cost? A Guide for Brands and Artists

Writer: Zubin Sahney
Zubin Sahney
Oct 2
1 min read

CGI used to be a big studio expense. Today a focused artist with Blender, Unreal Engine, and a tight pipeline can deliver product renders, 3D animation, and VFX shots that once needed a full post house. Here is what drives the cost and how to plan for it.

Types of CGI and VFX work

  • Product and automotive 3D renders and animation.

  • Music visualizers and fully CG music videos.

  • Compositing CG elements, environments, and effects into live action.

  • Cleanup: removing rigs, signs, reflections, and crew from shots.

  • 3D scanning, motion capture, VR, and AR.

What drives the cost

  • Shot count and total duration.

  • Whether 3D models exist or must be built from scratch.

  • How photoreal it needs to be, which drives render time.

  • Camera tracking complexity for live action integration.

  • Revision rounds.

MindOfDerby CGI and VFX pricing

CGI and VFX projects start at $4,000, $6,000, and $12,000. 3D is built in Blender and Unreal Engine, and finishing happens in After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, and Premiere Pro. Payment is 50% deposit and 50% on delivery.

Plan VFX before you shoot

The most expensive VFX shot is the one nobody planned. If live action is getting CG elements, bring your VFX artist into pre-production: lighting reference, HDRIs, tracking markers, and clean plates. Ten minutes on set saves days in post. Since I shoot and do the VFX myself, that planning is built in from day one.

See examples and tiers on the CGI and VFX services page, or start a project.

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