The internet is loaded with a collection of high-quality 3D rendered images on dozens of websites. Some are available for free while others are for sale at relatively affordable prices. A common problem with ready-made 3D renders is that most of them are quite different from the image you need. And when you finally find an image that has everything you need, the quality is much worse than you expect.
Luckily, there is always the option to hire a freelancer to work on your project from scratch. All you need to do is provide instructions that are as detailed as possible, and a professional 3D rendering artist will deliver an image that meets your standard.
Finding the right freelancer is not always an easy process, but a little bit of research and due diligence on your part will increase the likelihood of finding an ideal 3D rendering artist with just the right amount of experience and qualifications you demand.
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What to Consider before Hiring a 3D Rendering Freelancer
Before you begin a search for the right freelance 3D interior rendering service for any project, you must first get a good grip of the project itself from the initial idea, rough sketches, concept, estimated timeframe, possible challenges, to the skillset needed to get the job done. The person who hires someone to do something also has to know the scope of work to be involved.
Looking for a freelance 3D modeler is like making an announcement for a job opening. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the open position allows you to determine a set of requirements for the applicants to meet.
Once you know what qualifications are necessary, you will have an easier time finding the designers or at least making a shortlist of freelancers to consider. There are thousands of freelancers offering their services on the web, so it is a good idea to target a specific pool of artists—the ones who can actually meet your requirements.
Don’t forget to ask at least several 3D rendering services (with comparable qualifications) to provide quotes. Unless you have commissioned similar works to freelancers many times before, chances are you don’t really know what the appropriate cost for your project should be.
No project is exactly the same as another, meaning it can be difficult to set a fair price just by looking at a few similar-looking samples online. And then there is the question about the services or quality of works too.
An experienced freelance CAD drawing service may charge more, but you get presentable results. On the other hand, a service with a limited portfolio is likely willing to take the work for less money, but the quality can be underwhelming at the end. To avoid getting a quote that is either too expensive or too cheap, set an estimated budget range rather than a fixed amount.
It can be difficult to make sure you’re hiring the right freelancer to get the job done. Because you cannot see the end result until the project is completed, the best thing you can do is to make sure that you have actually thought through all the important considerations.
Check Portfolios
Most 3D rendering freelancers have their own websites, social media accounts, or profiles on freelancing sites. There should be images of various projects they have done on those online pages, and you can always ask for more details about any specific image to the freelancer.
Have a conversation via phone or messaging platform directly on the page and throw some questions about a particular project their way.
Make Sure They Offer the Right Services
A professional 3D architectural rendering freelancer understands that every client and project can be entirely different from one to another, even if the project involved appears to be similar. Differences may come from completion timeframe, budget, communication practices, and, of course, the services required.
In addition to a rendering job, services should include 3D modeling from scratch as well so you can get all the help you may need along the way. A proper communication system/channel must exist too because the client and provider have a lot to discuss throughout the project.
Turnaround Time
When it comes to 3D rendering, there isn’t any typical completion timeframe as it all depends on the complexity of the image to process. That being said, the freelancer should be able to give a rough estimate of how long it will take to complete the work. Remember that 3D rendering is a sophisticated process that requires intensive computational power.
In many cases, the rendering process is handled on massive workstations or even by a render farm, which consists of multiple computers dedicated to producing the highest quality photorealistic image. If quick completion time is indispensable, look for a 3D commercial rendering service with an in-house render farm.
Revision Policy
Time and again, the first result is not perfect. Some people suggest that demanding a perfect result on the first try is an unrealistic expectation on the client’s part. Professionals are well aware of the high possibility of making mistakes, thus offering a revision policy.
Minor edits are almost always necessary; any experienced 3D home rendering freelancer is prepared for the circumstance. Freelancers who offer unlimited revisions certainly look great at a glance, but this can be because they don’t do a great job, to begin with.
Many freelancers are willing to perform revisions without additional cost, as long as the mistakes are in fact theirs. Bear in mind that minor edits and changes are completely different, so you have to be reasonable when asking for revisions.
Price
In an ideal world, you want to get the highest possible quality for the least amount of money. Since this is most likely impossible, you aim for the next best thing—a reasonable price.
When something comes at a reasonable cost, it means you get a good balance between what you give and receive. In other words, good quality works do not come cheap. The money you spend to hire a professional-quality CAD digitalization service pays not only for the final result, but also for a relatively quick turnaround time, a minimum amount of revisions, good communication, and other personalized services. Although you do have to pay more for great service, you actually save money and time in the long run.
Cost is always an important consideration, and things get difficult when you demand high-quality work with a limited budget. The good thing is that you can always discuss the terms of the project with potential freelancers.
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In the event that paying more is out of the question, ask the freelancer if the turnaround time is negotiable; this means you sacrifice quick delivery for quality. However, in most cases, you have to sacrifice quality so you don’t go over budget.
The true underlying goal here is to find a professional who has the same artistic approach as yours. In addition to minimizing the chances of having to revise the work, collaborating with like-minded professionals opens the door for developing an on-going business relationship.
Where to Find a 3D Rendering Professional
The best resources you have are freelance marketplaces—think of them as agencies that connect hundreds of 3D modeling professionals with clients from all over the world. They work exactly like agencies by managing the communications and transactions between the two parties. In general, marketplaces take control of the environment in which business relationships happen.
One of the biggest advantages of 3D design services is that they will be more easily found in a marketplace than on social media or individual websites, while clients appreciate the straightforward search process in one single catalog. Clients never have to scour the web to find good candidates as there are already plenty of options available in the marketplace.
A marketplace often manages the payroll just like an escrow service to give a sense of security for both freelancers and clients. Some also handle technical matters, for example, vetting the freelancers, authenticating profiles, and even monitoring freelancers’ performance on a regular basis. But not all marketplaces are created equal. Some of the most reputable marketplaces to find 3D rendering professionals are as follows.
Easy Render
Unlike traditional freelance marketplaces filled with professionals of various backgrounds who provide many different services, Easy Render is created for a specific purpose: to house 3D rendering freelancers from all over the world and provide clients with a user-friendly online outsource function.
It works just like any typical freelancing service, where clients post a publicly visible project for freelancers to place a bid. Once you post a project, the administrators will review the submission to see if it meets all the Easy Render guidelines.
If approved, you will start seeing offers from freelance 3D interior rendering services on the site. While an exchange of contact details is not allowed, clients can browse artists’ online portfolios with just a few clicks. Easy Render also claims to perform the basic vetting and interview process to all freelancers to maintain a standard of professionalism.
The main advantage for the client is a money-back guarantee feature. In the event that a client is not happy with the quality of work provided by a freelancer, the client is entitled to refund and obliged to surrender all images produced by the bid-winning freelancer on the project.
Upwork
Although Upwork is not specific to 3D design work, you will find many 3D rendering professionals on this freelance marketplace. Once you post a project, you’ll start receiving bids from qualified professionals. You can then utilize the platform to collaborate with the freelancer you choose.
Upwork makes it easy for clients and freelancers to communicate (via video calls and messages), share files, and track progress directly on the website or mobile app. Clients have the option to pay a fixed-price or on hourly rate; all invoices are received through Upwork.
PeoplePerHour
It’s another “general” freelance marketplace where professionals of many different specializations offer their services online, including 3D rendering artists. On PeoplePerHour, you use what is called “Project Streams” to keep the work organized and keep an open communication line with the freelancer handling the job.
Other freelance marketplaces to consider:
- CGTrader: Mainly a marketplace for 3D assets, CGTrader gives you the option to purchase ready-made 3D models or commission custom work.
- 3DExport: Another great place to find a collection of quality 3D assets ready to buy. This website does not specifically provide services to connect the client with freelancers, but you can use the messaging platform to send inquiries to artists who have submitted their creations to 3DExport.
- CGSociety: While this website does not explicitly mention anything about being a design firm or a marketplace for 3D assets, you can browse a massive collection of 3D models on the website and get in touch with the artists. Visit their profile pages on the website and connect with them through the available contact details.
- Behance: A gigantic platform where 3D artists of various specializations showcase their best work online. Interested clients can post jobs on Behance either for permanent or project-based positions.
Remember that freelance marketplaces are not the only platforms to find 3D rendering professionals. Sometimes online forums and social websites are better options in case you want to get in touch with local 3D artists. Direct offline collaboration should help you handle the project better, although the choices of qualified professionals can be quite limited.
Technical Matters to Remember
With a reputable freelance marketplace, clients never have to worry about technical matters, including intellectual property rights, non-disclosure agreements, ownership of source files, and even payroll.
A good marketplace should take care of those often-tricky issues in advance, so clients can simply post jobs, hire an artist, and get the job done; there is no need to go through the headache of setting up the terms and conditions of the project.
If you happen to come across a 3D real estate rendering professional you like from social media or individual websites, sometimes you don’t see any clear information regarding how the intellectual property rights issue and any other important paperwork is handled, including the payment method. The best thing you can do is to treat the project/relationship in the same way as a design firm would do.
- Intellectual property: Just because you “hire” a 3D rendering artist to do something for you, it does not always mean you are the sole owner of the finished product. Perhaps the issue is not really a big deal if you want to use the rendering as an image for a poster or profile picture on your social account. Problems may arise when you plan to sell the rendering or any derivative of the product. Avoid getting trapped in a potentially expensive copyright infringement lawsuit—make the effort to draft a legally binding contract for the project in detail and include a point regarding intellectual property rights.
- Non-disclosure agreements: If for some reason you must share confidential information, such as personal data or business-related issues, ask the freelancer to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Be reasonable in drafting the NDA and make sure you also take the freelancer’s input into consideration. Some freelancers will want to showcase their work in their portfolio or be proud of working with specific clients, and this is entirely possible without disclosing any sensitive information.
- Source files: There is always a possibility that the freelancer you find can only complete a part of the job, which means you (or the freelancer) must look for another professional to resume the work. Because it would be a waste of time and money to start from scratch, the replacement needs to pick up where the freelancer left off. Make the freelancer handle every single source file you provided along with the images produced so far. It can be a messy process because you cannot really be certain if the freelancer also sends “partially-done” images or if such files exist at all. Whenever possible, avoid the possibility of getting involved in this scenario. Hire a freelancer who can actually see the project through to the end to begin with. In the unfortunate event that the scenario comes to surface, at least be prepared.
- Payroll: In a marketplace, payroll is most likely handled like an escrow service to give a sense of safety for the client and freelancer. Hiring directly without going through a marketplace is a bit risky due to the lack of a “built-in” escrow service, but you can always set up a third-party escrow account.
Many companies or professional 3D furniture rendering services have a reliable team of freelancers that they hire time and again to help with 3D rendering. When the same clients have been working with the same freelancers on multiple occasions, they are already familiar with each other; buyers can expect to receive consistent quality because sellers understand the requirements down to the tiniest detail.
Ask the Right Questions
For anybody else new to the world of hiring a freelancer, picking the right person/team from an ocean of professionals with comparable qualifications can be a daunting task. The stakes are higher since you have never met them in person. But on the other hand, hiring a freelancer is the most reasonable thing to do to stay on budget while maintaining quality.
Before you decide to hire anyone on any marketplace, ask the right questions, such as:
- Have you worked on any project similar to mine? Many (if not most) 3D rendering artists are highly specialized professionals. Although they may use the same technique and software, they can produce much better-quality results if they stick to their specializations. Sure, they work on similar projects, but what you really want to know is whether those works fall under the same category of specialization as your project. Hiring a freelancer with a relevant work history improves the chances of getting quality results at the end.
- Can you meet the timeline? Depending on the scope of your project, some freelancers may not be able to meet the deadline, especially if they have a lot of on their tables when you contact them. If the project has to start immediately and finish in a strict timeline, look for freelancers who can commit to your project as soon as possible.
- How did you learn to become a 3D rendering artist? The real question here is concerning the freelancers’ credentials. Although a degree from formal education is a positive sign, in most cases you only have to take a look at their online portfolio. Some skillful 3D rendering professionals are self-taught artists.
Hiring through a marketplace will remove most of the questions in your mind. Some marketplaces like Cad Crowd can help assign your project to the most appropriate freelancer who meets specific requirements including timeline, specialization, price, experiences, type of software, and even the rendering method you prefer.
Establishing Trust
One of the most difficult things about hiring a freelancer is establishing trust, even more so if you have never worked with them before. No matter how impressive the portfolio is, you still want to be sure that the final results are exactly what you envision.
Start by posting a lower-profile project to gauge the freelancer’s skills, commitment, and willingness to take criticism. If you are happy with how everything is handled, that’s a good indication that you can trust the freelancer with a more complex project in the future. You may want to have at least two reliable freelancers on your contact list because you don’t know whether one is always available to accept your project, so a second option is necessary.
Cad Crowd’s Freelancers are Available to Help
The distinguishing feature of Cad Crowd is the in-house quality control team comprised of mechanical engineering services that help clients find the most qualified freelancers. Such services are actually pretty standard in traditional design firms, but Cad Crowd manages to remove the overhead cost typically associated with them.
As a result, you get to hire top quality 3D rendering professionals who meet your specific requirements and are able to cater to your personal preferences.
Armed with freelancers specializing in many different rendering methods including real-time and non-real-time rendering techniques using a wide range of software options, there is always a professional in Cad Crowd capable of producing great quality photorealistic rendering no matter how simple or complex your project might be. In the 3D rendering category alone, there is a wide range of services available:
Cad Crowd allows you to find the right freelancer for your project in three different methods:
- Private Project, in which Cad Crowd reviews your requirements and sends a quote from a qualified professional. Make sure you provide enough details to improve the chances of hiring the right designer.
- Design Contest, meaning you post a design brief for the marketplace to see and make it an open competition. You get to choose only the design you like best.
- Hourly Services, recommended for quick on-demand assistance with 3D rendering needs. Cad Crowd provides a time tracker to constantly monitor your freelancer’s activity or performance.
When many (if not most) marketplaces are still trying to build a huge library of 3D assets, Cad Crowd is already on the right track to building the world’s largest network of CAD freelancers, making it one of the most reliable places to find professionals for your 3D rendering project. If you’re interested in help, get a free quote today.