Most brands hire a 3D product visualization studio the way they hire a photographer: look at a few nice images, ask for a price, and sign. With CGI that shortcut causes trouble, because what you are really buying is a set of digital files, and the contract decides who controls them afterwards.
This guide lists what to check before you pay anyone, whether that is Smapit or another studio in India. Where a number comes from a studio's own guide, it is labelled as a vendor claim, because studios have a reason to present their own terms as normal.
Decide what you are buying first
A quote is only comparable to another quote if the deliverables match. Write down which of these you need before you ask anyone for a price:
Still images for marketplace listings, A+ content and ads
Short product animations or turntables
The 3D model itself, for reuse in future scenes, web viewers or AR
Colour or finish variants of the same product
A brand that asks only for images can find out later that it wanted the model too. That is why ownership is worth settling first, as covered in the ownership section below.
How to check a studio's portfolio properly
A polished showreel tells you the studio has talent. It does not tell you the studio can handle your product. Use the portfolio to test fit.
Look for your category. A studio that is strong on furniture or architecture may be weaker on small electronics, steel appliances or cosmetics packaging. Ask directly: have you made something like this before?
Ask for the brief and the process, not only the final image. One UK studio's buying guide recommends asking for case studies that show the brief, the approach and the result.
Judge consistency. Check that lighting and materials hold up across many images, not just one standout hero shot. Frame Sixty's guide lists a portfolio locked to a single style as a red flag.
Zoom in. Check edges, reflections on metal and glass, text on labels and the small radius on corners. Weak work often shows here first.
Ask whether any model is stock or licensed. Frame Sixty's guide lists stock scenes or licensed models presented as original client work as a red flag.
The strongest check is a paid or free test on your own product. Send the same reference material to two or three shortlisted studios and compare what comes back. It costs a little, and it tells you more than any ranking list, some of which are written by the studios they rank.
Who owns the 3D files
This is the question brand owners skip most often. Under India's Copyright Act, 1957, the default rule in Section 17 is that the author of a work is its first owner. There are exceptions, each subject to any agreement to the contrary: a work made by an employee in the course of employment belongs to the employer (Section 17(c)), and a photograph, painting, portrait, engraving or cinematograph film made for payment at someone's request belongs to the person who ordered it (Section 17(b)). The Act's list does not name 3D models or computer renders, so a brand should not assume the default will favour it.
Section 19 then governs transfer of rights. An assignment is valid only if it is in writing and signed by the person assigning. If the document does not state a period, the assignment is treated as lasting five years. If it does not state a territory, it is presumed to cover India only. If the buyer does not use the assigned rights within one year, the assignment can lapse unless the document says otherwise. For a brand selling in the US or UAE, those defaults are not enough. This is general information from the Act's text, not legal advice, so have a lawyer read the final agreement.
In practice, ask the studio to confirm in writing:
That you receive an assignment, or an exclusive licence, with no time limit, worldwide territory and no lapse for non-use, covering the final images and animations.
Whether you also receive the 3D model made for your product, and in which format.
What the studio keeps. One UK studio's guide says studios typically keep scene setups, rigs, render configurations and their own tools, while the client receives the finished work and the commissioned model. That is a reasonable split, as long as it is written down before work starts.
Whether the studio can reuse your model or show it in its portfolio, and whether it will sign an NDA for unreleased products.
Whether handing over the model costs extra. A buyer's guide from that studio calls separate charges for handing over your own deliverables a red flag, so it is better to know the price up front.
Revision rounds and turnaround
Frame Sixty's guide says two or three included rounds are standard and puts extra rounds at $100 to $400 each. XO3D's guide cites three rounds for stills and four for video. Treat those as vendor figures, not an industry rate card.
What matters more than the number is the definition. Ask the studio to separate small corrections (a colour shade, a label position) from a change of direction (a new scene after approval), since the second is usually quoted again. Also ask where approvals happen. A sensible sequence is model approval first, then material and lighting, then final render, so that a wrong dimension is caught before it is baked into twenty images.
Be careful with an offer of unlimited revisions. XO3D's guide treats it as a sign that creative alignment has not happened before production.
On timing, no one number is reliable. Frame Sixty's guide gives 2 to 4 business days for a simple single product and 3 to 6 weeks for a full catalogue with lifestyle scenes. We could not check those figures independently, and your own timeline depends on whether you can supply CAD, clean reference photos and quick feedback. Ask each studio for dated milestones against your own brief, and ask whether rush work carries a premium. The same guide says rush work adds a 30 to 50 percent premium, so expect a conversation about it.
File formats to ask for, and which ones the studio needs from you
The formats you receive decide what you can do next. The table below mixes platform documentation with studio guides.
Purpose | Formats | Note |
|---|
Still images | PNG, TIFF, JPEG | XO3D's guide lists TIFF and PNG. Ask for sRGB for screens. |
Video | H.264, ProRes | Ask for social-ratio versions if you need them. |
3D on a Shopify store | GLB, USDZ | Shopify's help page lists both, up to 500 MB, and converts so each device gets a suitable version. |
What you send in | OBJ, FBX, STEP, IGES | One studio guide prefers OBJ and FBX, says STEP and IGES need conversion, and treats STL as a last resort because it carries no material data. |
If you have no CAD file, a capable studio should be able to work from a physical sample and photographs, or scan the product. Ask how that affects the quote.
Pricing models, and what to compare
Studios quote in different ways. Per image is the main model in the vendor guides we read, and large catalogues are often quoted as one batch. Frame Sixty's guide shows $100 to $300 for a basic white-background render and $800 to $3,500 or more for a full e-commerce package, so treat published ranges as a rough guide. For rupee context, see our own piece on what 3D product visualization costs in India.
To compare quotes fairly, ask each studio to state:
The number of images, angles and variants included
How many revision rounds, and what an extra round costs
Whether the 3D model and source files are included or priced separately
Whether the price is inclusive or exclusive of GST
Whether there is a volume discount. Frame Sixty's guide claims 20 to 40 percent off per-image pricing for 50 or more SKUs, which you can test by asking.
Be wary of a quote far below the others. Frame Sixty's guide lists pricing far below market with no explanation of what is excluded as a red flag, so ask what has been left out.
Red flags worth walking away from
No written revision policy, or "unlimited" with no process behind it
A refusal to say, in writing, who owns the final images and the model
Charging separately to release the 3D model made for your product
Slow or evasive replies during sales, which rarely improve after payment
A portfolio with one style only, or work that cannot be matched to a category like yours
No test option and no named person responsible for your project
Stock or licensed models shown as original work
If a studio passes all of this and you still have doubts, trust the test render. It is hard to argue with your own product on screen.
How Smapit can help
Smapit is a Gurugram-based AI-powered, human-led studio that does 3D product modeling and product rendering for e-commerce brands in India, the US and the UAE. You can compare our approach against any other studio using the questions above. If you want a sample on your own product before deciding, request a free sample through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns the 3D files when I hire a CGI studio?
It depends on what the contract says. Under India's Copyright Act, the default first owner is the author, and an assignment must be in writing and signed. Ask for a written assignment covering the final images and the model, with no time limit and worldwide territory.
How many revision rounds should be included?
Studio guides we reviewed describe two to three rounds as common, with extra rounds charged. The number matters less than a written definition of what counts as a revision and when approvals happen.
What 3D file formats should a studio deliver?
That depends on the use. Stills are usually PNG, TIFF or JPEG, video is often H.264 or ProRes, and 3D for web or AR is usually GLB and USDZ. Shopify lists GLB and USDZ for 3D models.
Should I ask for a test render before signing?
Yes, if the studio offers one. Compare tests from two or three studios using the same reference material, so you judge the work on your own product.
How do I compare quotes from different studios?
Put them on the same list: images and variants, revision rounds, model and source file handover, GST treatment and delivery dates. A cheaper quote that excludes handover or revisions is often the more expensive one.
Sources: India Code and Copyright Office, The Copyright Act, 1957, Chapter IV, Sections 17 and 19 (copyright.gov.in); Shopify Help Center, "Product media types" (accessed October 2026); XO3D (UK studio), "How to Choose a Product CGI Studio" (vendor guide, undated); Frame Sixty, "3D Product Rendering Services: Costs, Timelines, and How to Choose a Studio," 20 August 2026 (vendor guide).
