What does a render actually cost?
See V-Ray, Corona and Redshift staff plus electricity cost next to Syntina AI credit cost in the same table. Revision factor and hourly staff cost included; every default is editable.
Estimated savings versus the classic workflow for 13 images including revisions — 99% cheaper.
| Item | Classic | Syntina |
|---|---|---|
| Total images (incl. revisions) | 13 | 13 |
| Total time | 19.8 h | 13 min |
| Staff cost | $693 | — |
| Electricity / infrastructure | $1.43 | included |
| Credits used | — | 396 credits |
| Total | $694 | $3.96 |
The estimate uses generic commercial electricity and staffing defaults and typical path-tracer (V-Ray/Corona/Redshift) render times. Edit every field with your own numbers; real results depend on project complexity.
How it works
A decision tool, not a quote
Most studios measure classic rendering cost as "render time" only. The real expense is the sum of operator time, revision loops and workstation electricity. The calculator shows those three as one line and puts Syntina's credit price next to it.
Copy the rows into a quote, use them to speed up client approval, or build an internal ROI slide. For the reasoning behind the numbers, read architectural rendering cost and time: AI vs V-Ray.
Formula
Classic rendering
(Total hours × Hourly staff cost) + (Total hours × Power × Electricity rate)AI rendering
Total images × Credits per image × Price per creditRevisions
Total images = Image count × (1 + Revision rounds × 0.6)FAQ
How to read the result
- What formula does the calculator use?
- Classic rendering cost = (total hours × hourly staff cost) + (total hours × workstation power × electricity rate). AI cost = total images × credits per image × price per credit. Each revision round adds 60% of the image count as extra renders.
- Why is a revision round weighted at 60%?
- In practice a revision round does not re-render every image; in a typical 5-image set about 3 images change. That is a factor of 0.6. Scale it with the number of revision rounds to match your own project profile.
- Why does the AI side only count credits?
- In a cloud AI rendering service like Syntina, electricity and workstation depreciation are part of the credit price. Operator time is under a minute per image, so staff cost stops being a measurable line item.
- Where do the default numbers come from?
- They are generic international defaults, not a quote: $35 per hour of operator time, $0.16 per kWh, a 0.45 kW workstation and 90 minutes per path-traced image. Replace them with your own rates; the result updates instantly.
- How should I use the result?
- To compare a classic and an AI line in a client quote, to build an internal ROI table, or to see which item in your current workflow (render queue, revisions, staff time) actually carries the cost.
Next step
Try it on your own project
Done with the estimate? The same project can be rendered in Syntina in a few minutes. Start with a free account and move to a plan when you need to.