An exploded view is the clearest way to prove build quality. Every component separates along its assembly path, the buyer sees the engineering, and your service team gets a parts diagram out of the same model.
What it costs
- Exploded still set, three illustrations with balloon numbering: $1,390 with us. See exploded views and technical illustration.
- Exploded animation, 20 to 45 seconds: from $3,900.
- Full assembly or service film, chaptered: $6,400.
Published industry guides put industrial animation at $5,000 to $20,000 per finished minute, so a short exploded sequence sits well inside a normal marketing budget.
What you send
- The CAD assembly in STEP, JT or native format
- Your bill of materials if you want balloon numbers to match your ERP part numbers
- A note on which sub-assemblies matter and which can be grouped
- Any internals that are confidential and must be simplified
How the sequence is built
Parts are separated along their real assembly axes, not scattered. Fasteners are usually grouped, because forty identical screws flying apart adds noise rather than information. The camera holds long enough on each group for a viewer to read the labels, then the machine reassembles, which is the shot most people remember.
Where machine builders use it
- Spare parts catalogues and service manuals
- Tender documents, where serviceability is scored
- Trade show screens, as a silent loop
- Distributor and technician training
- Sales follow-up, to answer "how is it built?"
Stills or animation?
Start with stills if the main use is documentation. Choose animation if the sequence itself is the argument, for example a modular machine that can be reconfigured on site. Because both come from the same prepared model, adding animation later is far cheaper than starting again.
Stills, animation or both: a price comparison
| Deliverable | Length or scope | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Exploded view set | Three stills with balloon numbering | $1,390 |
| Cutaway or x-ray still | One section view of the mechanism | $890 |
| Exploded animation | 20 to 45 seconds | From $3,900 |
| Assembly or service film | Chaptered, multi-language | From $6,400 |
For spare parts catalogues and manuals specifically, see exploded view rendering for spare parts catalogues. For a trade show, an explode clip makes a strong silent booth loop.
Timeline
Stills take one to three weeks. A short animation takes two to four. A chaptered service film takes four to eight. Send one CAD file and you will have a fixed price and date within a working day.
Send one CAD file for a free assessment.
We open it, tell you what is usable, and return a fixed price and delivery date within one working day. NDA first if you need it.
