Machine builders often ask for an explainer video when what they need is a process animation, or the other way round. The two solve different problems.
Process animation
A photoreal 3D film that follows the real machine and the real material flow, built from your CAD. It shows what actually happens: infeed, stations, changeover, outfeed. Use it when the buyer is technical and the question is how the machine works. Ours start at $7,900 for a 60 second line film. See process animation.
Explainer video
Usually 2D or simplified 3D, focused on a concept rather than a machine: the problem, the market, the benefit, the numbers. Use it when the audience is commercial rather than technical, or when the subject is a service or a platform instead of a single machine.
Feature film
A short focused piece proving one advantage, 20 to 45 seconds. Use it in sales follow-up and social. Cheapest of the three to produce once your machine is prepared, and usually the one that gets used most. See feature highlight animation.
Matching the film to the sales stage
- Awareness, LinkedIn and ads: feature films, 15 to 30 seconds
- Trade show booth: silent process loop, 60 to 90 seconds
- Technical evaluation: process animation plus exploded views
- Tender and approval: assembly, safety and integration animation
- After the order: installation and training animation
Length guidance
Nobody watches a five-minute machine film voluntarily. For each stage above, the shortest version that answers the question wins. If you need depth, chapter the film so a viewer can jump to the section they care about.
Prices side by side
| Film | Typical length | Price at 3DEnginuity |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | 20 to 45 seconds | From $3,900 |
| Line or process film | 60 seconds | From $7,900 |
| Process film, several stations | 90 to 120 seconds | From $12,900 |
| Cinematic launch film | 60 to 120 seconds | From $12,500 |
How a process film is planned is covered in our process animation guide; for budgets see industrial 3D animation cost.
Cost, honestly
An explainer video without 3D is often cheaper, but it cannot show your machine. A process animation costs more and does something no other asset can do: it proves the engineering. If budget is tight, start with one feature film and add the process film next year, reusing the same prepared model at 20 to 40 per cent less. Ask for a quote with your budget stated.
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