For writers, planners and students
Research and data you can cite
What rendering studios charge, what each city’s reviewers ask for, and how far a shadow reaches. Every figure comes from a source we read ourselves, linked beside it, or from a calculation we show.
Original data
Figures we gathered or worked out ourselves, with the data to download.
3D rendering price survey 2026: what studios publish
One exterior rendering starts at a median of $500 across the 16 studios that publish a price in US dollars, with the data behind it.
Published October 8, 2026 · Download the data (CSV)
How long is a building's shadow? A calculator and winter table for 15 US cities
At noon on December 21, a building’s shadow runs about 1.2 times its height in Miami, 2.1 times in New York and 2.9 times in Seattle.
Published November 2, 2026 · Download the data (CSV)
Rules compared
What each city or body asks for, side by side, each rule linked to the official document.
MLS rules for renderings, virtual staging and AI photos: what 10 MLSs actually say
Where the label goes, when the original photo is required and what the fines are, MLS by MLS. Six of the ten want the label on the image itself.
Published November 2, 2026
What design review boards ask renderings to show: nine US cities compared
What review boards in nine US cities ask renderings to show.
Updated November 3, 2026
Shadow study rules in US cities: the days and hours each one tests
When New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle want a shadow study, for which days and hours, and what counts as an impact, plus the hours Boston’s state laws keep new shadow off the Common and the Public Garden.
Updated November 10, 2026
Story pole requirements: what seven California policies ask, and where a rendering counts
What seven California story pole policies ask, and where a rendering is accepted instead.
Published October 29, 2026
AI rendering vs 3D rendering: what AI image tools can and can't do for a real project
What AI image tools can do for a real project, and a table of where California, New York, Minnesota, NAR and CRMLS stand on altered listing images.
Updated October 28, 2026
Free tools
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What resolution do renders need? 4K, 8K and print, explained
A print size calculator: the pixels a rendering needs for any size from Letter up, and whether 4K or 8K covers it.
Updated November 2, 2026
Rendering price calculator
Adds up our published starting rates for the images, film or tour you need.
Using this research
Quote any of it, with a link to the page it came from. Each guide has a citation ready to copy at the end, and the date we last read its sources.
Found a rule that has changed or a price that is out of date? Tell us, and we will re-read the source and correct the page.
Writing about renderings, design review or real estate marketing? Email hello@aurumrender.com for a comment or to check a figure.