XO3D Studio · Guide
How to Brief a Product CGI Studio.
The information a studio needs from you before it can quote accurately, plan properly, and produce work worth producing.
The studio behind this guide
What a good brief gets you here
XO3D is a director-led product CGI studio, and the brief described below is the one we would want from you. Worth sending when the work is launch-critical and the visual standard has to be high. Send it even if it is three sentences and a deadline, and you will get an honest assessment of what is possible rather than a template quote.
How XO3D compares to the other five supplier modelsA good brief doesn't just help a studio quote accurately. It shapes the quality of the work. When we receive a brief that clearly describes the product, the audience, the intended use and the creative ambition, we can immediately start thinking about how to solve it, rather than spending the first two weeks of a project asking questions that should have been answered at the start.
This guide covers the eight things every product CGI brief should include. It applies whether you're commissioning a simple still image suite or a full launch campaign. The brief doesn't need to be a formal document, an email covering these eight points is enough to begin a serious conversation with any credible studio.
The Brief
Eight things every CGI brief should include.
The Product, what it is and what it does
Describe the product clearly: what category it sits in, what it does, what makes it distinctive, and what the key physical features are. Include dimensions, materials, and any technical or mechanical elements that matter. This isn't about writing a spec sheet, it's about giving the studio a clear mental picture of the object before they see a file.
The Source Files, what you have
List what you can provide: CAD files (and in what format), existing 3D models, photography of physical prototypes, technical drawings, material samples or swatches. A clear source package lets the studio assess model preparation and identify missing references before scheduling production. If you don't know what you have, that's fine, a good studio will ask.
The Output, what you need delivered
Be specific about deliverables: how many still images, what resolution, which film duration, which aspect ratios for social, whether you need a 3D interactive viewer. If you're not sure what you need, describe the channels the content will appear on, website hero, paid social, trade show screen, press kit, investor deck, and let the studio recommend the deliverable list.
The Audience, who will see the imagery
Is this for consumers buying online, investors evaluating a pitch, engineers reviewing a technical specification, or retail buyers assessing a range? The audience shapes the visual approach significantly. A medical device for clinical procurement looks different to the same device positioned for direct consumer retail.
The Brand Direction, how it should feel
Share your brand guidelines if they exist. If not, provide three reference images that show the kind of visual quality and tone you're aiming for, ideally at least one from within your category and one from outside it. The question to answer here is: what should the viewer feel about this product in the first three seconds?
The Timeline, when you need it
Give the studio your hard deadline: the date by which final deliverables must be in your hands. Then work backwards from there, factor in time for your own internal review and approval. If the deadline is fixed by a launch event or a campaign go-live date, say so clearly. Unexpected deadline pressure is the most common cause of compromised quality.
The Priorities, what matters most
Separate essential launch deliverables from useful later additions. Identify the product feature that must be understood, the channels that cannot slip and the decisions that are still open. This lets the studio propose a coherent first release and plan further assets from the same product model.
The Decision, who approves and who's involved
Tell the studio who the key decision-maker is, who else has a review role, and what the internal approval process looks like. This matters because production schedules are built around review windows. If you know there are three rounds of internal sign-off between the studio's submission and the final approval, that needs to be factored into the timeline.
FAQ
Briefing questions we hear most.
Our product is unreleased. How is confidentiality handled before we send CAD?
What if I don't have a fully formed brief yet?
How does the review and approval process work?
What happens between the brief and the first deliverable?
Can I brief XO3D through an agency?
Start the conversation
Ready to start a conversation?
Send us the brief, or the shape of one. We'll read it, ask the right questions, and tell you honestly how we'd approach it.