Most product launches have a fixed date: a trade show, a dealer meeting, a website release. The 3D animation that explains the product is often the last thing anyone thinks about, and it ends up squeezed into the final two weeks while the design is still changing.
This guide is for marketing and product teams at manufacturers who want an animation ready on launch day without a last-minute scramble. It covers how much time to allow, what to prepare, and the mistakes we see most often.
The animation itself usually takes 10 days to 4 weeks, depending on length and detail. The rest of the time goes to things on your side: freezing the design, collecting files, and getting approvals from the people who need to sign off. Starting 6 to 8 weeks out leaves room for all of that, plus a buffer if something changes.
If you only have 3 weeks, it can still work, but only if the CAD is final and one person can approve the work quickly.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Decide where the video will play and how long it should be. A 30-second trade show loop and a 2-minute website explainer are different jobs. |
| 7 weeks before | Send CAD files, reference photos and the 2 or 3 points the animation must get across. Get a quote and agree the scope. |
| 6 weeks before | Agree what the animation shows and in what order, before any rendering starts. |
| 5 to 3 weeks before | Animation, review rounds, and fixes. |
| 2 weeks before | Final files delivered: website version, trade show version, short cuts for social media. |
| Last 2 weeks | Buffer. Upload the video, load it onto booth screens, test it on the actual hardware. |
A clean, solid background is quicker and keeps the focus on the product. Showing it in place, on a factory floor or a job site, means building and lighting a scene, which adds time.
Trade show screens usually play without sound, so on-screen text works better there. A website video can carry a voice-over. If you need both, plan it from the start rather than adding it at the end.
A long version for the website, a short loop for the booth, and 10 to 15-second cuts for social media are easy to produce together. Asking for them after delivery means going back into the project.
If there is no 3D model, the product has to be built from photos, drawings and measurements first. That is still quick for a simple product. For one client, a truck rack maker, we modeled the whole product this way and the animation was approved on its first version, delivered in under two weeks.
A few recent launch-related projects, with the timelines they actually took:
You can see each of these, with the brief and how it was built, on our case studies page.
For budgeting, our 3D product animation pricing guide breaks down what changes the cost, with example budgets. If you have a launch date coming up, send us the date, your CAD files and where the video will be used, and we will tell you honestly whether the timeline works.
Start 6 to 8 weeks before the date the video has to be live. The animation itself usually takes 10 days to 4 weeks; the rest of the time covers freezing the design, collecting files, approvals and a buffer for changes.
Often, yes, if the CAD files are final and one person can approve the work quickly. Short deadlines get difficult when the design is still changing or feedback comes from several people separately.
Yes. We sign an NDA before you send any files, which is normal for launch work.
Tell us which parts are final and which are still being revised. Small changes can usually be absorbed; bigger ones add time, and anything outside the agreed scope is quoted before we start on it.
Yes, and it is easiest when planned from the start: a silent loop with on-screen text for booth screens, a longer website version, and short cuts for social media.
