XO3D Studio · Guide

Product CGI Timelines, What to Expect.

Production timelines by project type, what makes them faster or slower, and how to plan your campaign calendar around them.

Alex Mann

Head of Production, XO3D Studio

Check your timeline

The studio behind this guide

Whose timeline this is

These are XO3D's timelines as a director-led product CGI studio, and they assume prompt approvals at each review stage. Worth planning against when the launch date is fixed and the product does not exist yet, because CGI can start before it does. A late approval moves the delivery date, and we say so at the time rather than at the end.

How XO3D compares to the other five supplier models

Timeline is the variable marketing teams most often underestimate when planning product CGI. The most common brief XO3D receives that can't be fulfilled well is one with a launch date that's already passed the point where production quality and deadline can both be satisfied. This guide exists to help you plan properly, with realistic expectations for each project type and a clear explanation of what affects the clock in either direction. For a complete campaign, start with how we plan launch visuals from one CGI foundation.

Build review windows into the plan using the CGI briefing checklist and stage-by-stage review guide. For a film-led launch, the Product CGI Films programme explains how the story, motion and final deliverables fit together.

The core principle: Every CGI timeline has three phases, pre-production (storyboard, animatic, material tests, approval), production (modelling, animation, rendering), and delivery (grade, formats, final export). Rushing pre-production saves days but costs weeks later. The pre-production phase is where XO3D spends the most time relative to most studios, and it's why revisions after delivery are rare.

Five-stage product CGI production pipeline strip — The five stages of a product CGI production: storyboard, animatic, material tests, render, grade.

Timeline by Project Type

Typical production windows.

Project Type	Typical Window	What's in it
Still Image Suite 8–20 images, studio BG	2–3 weeks	Model review, material build, lighting setup, 2 rounds of revision on final renders. Fastest project type, no animation stage.
Hero Product Film 30–60 seconds	4–7 weeks	Storyboard, animatic review, model + material build, animation, render, grade, sound design, 2 rounds of revision on edit.
Launch Suite film + stills + social formats	6–10 weeks	Full pre-production, parallel still and film production from single asset, simultaneous delivery of all formats. Timeline depends on deliverable count.
Technical / Mechanism Film engineering accuracy	5–9 weeks	CAD review, engineering team involvement, mechanism sequencing approval required before animation. Technical review rounds add time.
Social Content Pack from existing 3D asset	1–2 weeks	If the 3D asset already exists, new social content can turn around quickly. First-time builds always take longer than subsequent content from the same asset.
Interactive 3D Viewer web-embedded	3–5 weeks	Model build or optimisation, lighting environment, interaction behaviour, web performance optimisation, integration testing.

What Affects Timeline

The variables that make projects faster or slower.

Makes It Faster

Clean CAD files provided upfront
Clear brief with defined deliverables from day one
Fast client approvals (within 48 hours at each stage)
Single decision-maker with direct sign-off authority
Existing 3D asset from a previous XO3D project
No structural product changes during production

Makes It Slower

No CAD files, model built from physical reference
Product design changes during production
Multiple internal sign-off stakeholders
Approval delays at pre-production stages
Brief changes after production has begun
Revision rounds beyond the standard two

FAQ

Timeline questions answered.

What's the fastest XO3D can turn around a product film?

With a complete, clean CAD file, a clear brief, existing material references, and fixed client approvals, a 30-second hero product film can be delivered in 3 weeks. This is not our standard recommendation, compressed timelines carry quality risk and should only be pursued when the deadline is genuinely fixed. We will always tell you honestly whether a deadline is achievable at the quality level you need.

When should I approach XO3D relative to my launch date?

For a hero film and launch suite, approach us at minimum 10 weeks before your launch date. For large, complex campaigns, 16 weeks is a better target. The earlier we're involved in the production planning, the better the output, we can contribute to brief development, visual direction, and creative strategy before any production begins, which produces better work than being handed a complete brief at the last minute.

Does the timeline include time for my internal reviews?

The timelines above reflect standard production windows at XO3D, including two rounds of client revision. They assume prompt client response at each approval stage (within 48 hours). If your internal approval process involves multiple stakeholders and takes longer, this needs to be factored into the project schedule, we build this into the timeline during our initial scoping conversation.

Start the conversation

Working to a fixed launch date?

Tell us the date and what you need. We'll tell you immediately whether it's achievable and what the production schedule looks like.