The short answer

It depends on your plans and what you need. A single exterior still of a simple plan is a very different job from a full film of a large custom home or a catalog of forty plans. Buildframe does not publish a stock turnaround time for that reason. We review your plans, then give you a fixed delivery date with your quote. The review, quote and date come back within 1 business day.

This guide explains what sets the timeline and what you can do to keep it short.

The stages of a rendering job

Every job moves through the same stages. Knowing them helps you plan.

1. Plan review

We read your plan set. We look for gaps, like a missing roof plan or an elevation that does not match the floor plan. We list questions. This is where we set the scope and the delivery date.

2. Questions and answers

If the plans are complete and consistent, this stage is short. If we find conflicts, we need your answers before we can model. The faster the answers come back, the faster the job moves. This is the stage you control most.

3. Modeling

We build a 3D model of the home from your drawings. Walls, openings, roofs, stairs, cabinets and key details all go in at the sizes the drawings show.

4. Checking against the drawings

Before we render, we check the model against the drawings. We confirm room sizes, window and door counts, roof pitches and ceiling heights. We fix our own errors. If we find a problem in the plans, we flag it and ask. This step takes time, and we never skip it. It is what keeps the images honest.

5. Materials, lighting and staging

We apply your finishes, set the lighting and stage the rooms. For exteriors, we set the landscape and surroundings.

6. Rendering

The computer produces the final images or frames. Stills are quicker than films. A film or fly over has many frames and an edit.

7. Your review and revisions

You review the draft. You mark changes. We make the revisions included in your quote and deliver the final files.

What makes a job take longer

Incomplete plans

The most common delay is missing information. A roof plan, a section through a vaulted ceiling or a window schedule can answer a question in seconds. Without it, we have to ask and wait.

Plans that change mid job

If the design changes after modeling starts, parts of the model must be rebuilt. The delivery date moves. Render after the design is settled if you can.

Open selections

If finishes are not chosen yet, we may need to render a proposal and then a revision. Send a finish schedule if you have one.

More views and formats

Each still adds composition and rendering time. A film adds a camera path and an edit. A plan range catalog of many plans takes longer than a single plan, though we can deliver in phases.

Slow feedback

If a draft waits a week for review, the job waits a week too. Name one person who can approve drafts.

What makes a job faster

  • A complete plan set. Floor plans, elevations, sections, a roof plan and a site plan if you want a setting. See what to send.
  • A finish schedule. Named products and colors for each space.
  • Clear priorities. Tell us which views you need first. We can deliver a lead exterior before the rest of the set.
  • One decision maker. One person to answer questions and approve drafts.
  • Reuse. If we already built a model of your plan, new views, options and films start from that model.

Planning renderings around your sales calendar

Renderings are usually needed for a date: a community launch, a listing date, a sales event or a lender meeting. Work back from that date.

1. Decide what you need: stills, a film, a fly over or options. 2. Settle the plans and selections. 3. Send your plans for review. 4. Get your fixed quote and delivery date. 5. Book the date into your launch plan.

If the delivery date we give you does not fit your event, tell us. We may be able to phase the job so the most important images arrive first.

For listings, remember that a rendering shows a design, not a finished home. Label renderings as an artist's rendering in the MLS and follow your MLS rules. Plan to replace them with photos when the home is complete.

Why we give a fixed date and not a range

A loose range of weeks does not help you plan. It usually means the plans have not been reviewed yet. We review first so we can commit to one date. If something outside our control changes the job, such as new drawings, we tell you right away and give you a new date before we continue.

How timing links to cost

Time and cost are driven by the same things: the plans, the number of views, the format and the level of detail. Our house rendering cost guide explains those drivers in depth. If you are deciding between formats, read film vs stills vs 3D tour.

Related pages

Get your delivery date

The fastest way to know your timeline is to have your plans reviewed.

Send your plans for a free review, fixed quote and delivery date within 1 business day.