How much does a 3D walkthrough cost for pre-construction? (2026)
Typical 2026 market ranges: a studio exterior rendering runs about $800–2,800 per image, a 30–60 second walkthrough video about $3,500–7,500, and a high-end 1–2 minute film $10,000–20,000 or more. Unbuilt publishes its own rate for interactive tours built from your plans: $0.75 per sq ft (Essential, $2,500 minimum) or $1.25 per sq ft (Signature, $4,500 minimum), with repeat units of the same plan at 30%.
Matan Assulin, Founder of UnbuiltUpdated · 4 min read
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The quick answer
“3D walkthrough” covers four very different products. Prices only make sense once you know which one you’re buying. Here are typical ranges, labeled with where they come from. Real quotes vary by studio, market and scope.
| What you buy | Typical cost | What the buyer gets |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior rendering (studio) | $800–2,800 per image | One fixed view someone else chose |
| Interior rendering (studio) | $600–1,800 per image | One fixed room view |
| Walkthrough video, 30–60 s | $3,500–7,500 | A set camera path, played like a film |
| High-end walkthrough film, 1–2 min | $10,000–20,000+ | A longer, more cinematic set path |
| Custom real-time interactive build | $2,000–8,000 setup | An app-like 3D experience, scope varies |
| Unbuilt interactive tour | $0.75–1.25 per sq ft | Every room on every floor, any order, any phone |
Renderings: studio pricing per image, FrameSixty, 2026. Walkthrough video: CADCrowd, 2026. Real-time interactive setup: typical range from Unbuilt’s 2026 market research. Unbuilt: published rates on our pricing page.
What drives the price
Whatever format you choose, the same five things move the number.
- Square footage and floors. More rooms means more to model, stage and light. That’s why we price by the square foot.
- How many unique floor plans you have. A row of identical townhomes is far less work than six different custom layouts. A fair quote should reflect that, which is why our repeat units cost 30% of the rate.
- Finish level. Standard staging is quicker than photoreal lighting with a styled furniture package and a cinematic flythrough.
- Extras. Edit mode, extra videos and lead capture all take time.
- Timeline. Rush work costs more everywhere. Ours is +25% for about half the time.
Typical market ranges, format by format
Still renderings
Renderings are the backbone of every pre-construction brochure and ad. FrameSixty’s 2026 breakdown puts studio exteriors at about $800–2,800 per image and freelance exteriors at $300–1,500, with interiors a little lower (FrameSixty, 2026). A typical launch needs several exteriors and a handful of key interiors, so a set of eight to twelve images adds up quickly. They show what you choose to show and nothing else.
Walkthrough videos
A rendered video moves a camera along a path. It plays anywhere video plays, which makes it great for social and for the sales gallery screen. Typical ranges are $3,500–7,500 for 30–60 seconds and $10,000–20,000 or more for a high-end 1–2 minute piece (CADCrowd, 2026). The buyer can’t stop in the room they care about or look the other way.
Real-time interactive builds
Studios working in game engines such as Unreal or Unity build explorable experiences. In our market research, setup typically runs about $2,000–8,000, before any app packaging, hosting or headset work. Scope varies a lot from studio to studio, so ask exactly what’s included and whether it opens in a normal phone browser.
Model units and sales galleries
Physical spaces are the most expensive option, and the most persuasive for the buyers who visit in person. One Miami developer’s sales center was reported at $5–8 million (Bisnow). That’s an extreme, but even a modest model unit means building and furnishing a finished unit before you’ve sold it. A tour doesn’t replace a gallery for a large tower. It extends it to every buyer who can’t walk in.
Unbuilt pricing, with worked examples
We publish our rates and run every quote through the same calculator you can use on the pricing page. Essential is $0.75 per sq ft with a $2,500 minimum. Signature is $1.25 per sq ft with a $4,500 minimum and adds photoreal lighting, a private broker view, a price-on-request lead form and a flythrough video. Developments (townhomes, condos and buildings) have a $7,500 minimum. Each unique floor plan is priced at the full rate, each repeat unit of that plan at 30%, and amenity areas at the tier rate.
| Example project | Tier | How it’s priced | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single home, 3,000 sq ft | Essential | 3,000 × $0.75 = $2,250, raised to the $2,500 minimum | $2,500 |
| Spec home, 4,500 sq ft | Signature | 4,500 × $1.25 | $5,625 |
| 6 townhomes, two plans (2,400 sq ft × 4, 2,800 sq ft × 2) | Signature | Two first units at full rate, four repeats at 30% | $10,250 |
| 40-unit condo, four plans (850–2,800 sq ft) + 6,000 sq ft of amenities | Essential | Four first units at full rate, 36 repeats at 30%, amenities at the rate | $18,982.50 |
| Same 40-unit condo | Signature | Same structure at $1.25 | $31,637.50 |
All totals are before optional add-ons and discounts, calculated with our published pricing. 50% is due to start and 50% on delivery.
What’s extra, and what isn’t
- Included: two revision rounds and the first three months of hosting.
- Hosting after three months: $49 a month per tour.
- Edit mode (move furniture, change walls, save): $1,000.
- Extra flythrough videos: $1,500 each. Signature already includes one.
- Rush delivery: +25% for about half the timeline.
- Plan changes after modeling starts: $95 an hour. Lock your plans before you start and this never comes up.
How to budget for it
The cleanest way to judge any marketing cost on a pre-construction project is as a share of what you’re selling. A $10,250 tour on six townhomes that sell at $1.5 million each is about 0.11% of the sell-out. Our comparison page has a calculator that does this math with your own unit prices and carrying costs, with the formula shown.
Most developers end up with a mix: renderings for ads, a tour for the buyers who are seriously considering a unit, and a video cut for social. If you’re deciding between formats, read interactive tour vs renderings vs video.
Questions
How much does a 3D walkthrough cost for a new home?
It depends on the format. Typical 2026 ranges are about $800–2,800 per studio exterior rendering and $3,500–7,500 for a 30–60 second video. An Unbuilt interactive tour of a single home starts at $2,500 (Essential, $0.75 per sq ft) or $4,500 (Signature, $1.25 per sq ft).
Why do repeat units cost less?
A repeat unit uses the same floor plan, so the model and staging are largely done. We price each unique plan at the full rate and each repeat unit at 30% of the rate.
Is hosting included?
Yes, for the first three months. After that it’s $49 a month per tour.
Are there hidden costs?
No. Optional extras are edit mode ($1,000), extra flythrough videos ($1,500 each) and rush (+25%). Plan changes after modeling starts are $95 an hour. Everything else is in the quote.
How do I get an exact price?
Answer six questions in the quote wizard on our pricing page. It uses the same math as our formal proposals.