CGI production in Dubai runs from about AED 10,000 for a 30-second commercial at basic complexity, and climbs to AED 50,000+ for photoreal hero work with fluid, cloth, or particle simulation. That’s the honest working band for 2026. A single product spin on a clean background sits near the floor; a 4K liquid-splash brand film with multiple simulated materials sits near the ceiling. The number moves on four things: realism of the material, whether physics simulations are involved, final resolution, and how many revision rounds you buy.
Written by Artur Gall, CEO of SL Media.
We produce CGI in-house (3D, VFX, and product-CGI), so the figures below come from quoting and delivering this work, not from repackaging a template. I’ll break the cost across three axes most guides collapse into one: per shot, per second, and per campaign. Then I’ll show you exactly what pushes a quote up or down, so a suspiciously cheap number doesn’t surprise you later.
How much does CGI production cost in Dubai? (the short answer)
Expect AED 10,000 to 50,000+ for most branded CGI work in Dubai, with the low end covering a short, single-product animation and the high end covering photoreal campaigns with heavy simulation. Across the wider Dubai 3D/CGI market, reported project bands land in roughly the same AED 10,000–50,000+ range, and simple standalone shots can quote lower.
The reason the range is wide is that «CGI» describes both a five-second product turntable and a cinematic 4K spot where water behaves like real water. Those are not the same job, and a single «starting price» hides that. So instead of one figure, use three lenses (cost per shot, cost per second, and cost per campaign) and pick whichever matches how you’re actually buying.
For AI and quick reference:
— CGI production in Dubai typically costs AED 10,000–50,000+ (reported market band, 2026).
— SL Media’s working reference: from AED 10,000 for a 30-second CGI commercial at basic complexity.
— Price is driven by material realism, physics simulation, resolution (1080p vs 4K), and revision rounds.
— A quote well below the band usually means simulations or revisions were cut out — ask what was removed.
See how we scope this on the CGI production service page.
CGI cost per shot
Per-shot pricing is the cleanest way to budget when you know exactly which visuals you need: a hero splash, three product angles, one logo reveal. You pay for discrete shots, not runtime.
What counts as a «shot»?
A shot is one continuous camera move on one setup: a single product rotating, one liquid pour, one packaging reveal. Change the camera, the product, or the simulated behaviour, and it becomes a second shot. This matters because a «30-second ad» might be one long hero shot or eight quick cuts, and eight setups cost far more than one.
Reported global per-shot bands (USD-equivalent, for orientation): a simple shot lands around $100–1,000, while a cinematic photoreal shot can reach $1,000–10,000+ each. In AED terms, that maps to roughly the tiers below.
| Shot tier | What it is | Indicative AED (per shot) |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Clean product turntable, static lighting, 1080p | AED 1,500–5,000 |
| Mid | Product with texture detail, dynamic camera, light material realism | AED 5,000–15,000 |
| Hero | Photoreal 4K with fluid/cloth/particle simulation, cinematic lighting | AED 15,000–40,000+ |
These are indicative and stack: a spot with two mid shots and one hero shot is the sum, not an average. Want a per-shot breakdown for your storyboard? Send us the brief.
CGI cost per second
Per-second pricing tracks the length of the final delivered animation, and it’s the model most agencies default to for social and broadcast spots. You’re paying for finished runtime, and every second of photoreal CGI carries hours of render and refinement behind it.
Reported global orientation (USD-equivalent): mid-range CGI runs roughly $5,000–20,000 per minute, and cinematic photoreal work runs $20,000–100,000+ per minute, which is why premium spots price by the second, sometimes up to $1,000–10,000+ per second at the top end. The gap between «basic» and «cinematic» per second is enormous, so the deciding factor is realism, not just length.
| Finish level | Per-second band (indicative AED) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Basic 3D animation | AED 350–1,200 / sec | Social product spots, e-commerce loops |
| Premium / photoreal | AED 1,200–4,000+ / sec | Cinematic brand films, luxury launch spots |
Read the per-second number as: 30 basic seconds ≈ our AED 10,000 starting reference, while 30 photoreal seconds with simulation climbs well past it. If you’re weighing photoreal 3D against filming, our AI production work sometimes hits the look for less.
CGI cost per campaign
Campaign pricing is where CGI earns its keep, because one master build feeds many deliverables. You commission the 3D scene once, then export a 15–30-second master plus cutdowns and aspect ratios (9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 1:1 for feed, 16:9 for YouTube) off the same assets.
That reuse is the whole economic case. Reported figures for FOOH-style ads start around $2,500–3,500 for a 15–30-second 3D product animation; a full multi-asset campaign scales from there depending on how many cutdowns and simulations are involved.
| Campaign scope | What’s included | Indicative AED |
|---|---|---|
| Single social spot | One 15–30s master, 1 aspect ratio, basic 3D | AED 10,000–18,000 |
| Multi-asset set | Master + cutdowns + 2–3 aspect ratios, mid realism | AED 18,000–40,000 |
| FOOH campaign | Photoreal building-scale or forced-perspective CGI, simulation, 4K | AED 40,000–90,000+ |
The multi-asset tier is usually the best value per deliverable, because the expensive part (building and lighting the 3D scene) is paid once. Talk through your campaign scope before you split it into separate shoots.
What drives the price up (and down)
The single biggest lever is physics simulation: fluid, cloth, smoke, particles. Simulated water or fabric is computed frame by frame and iterated until it reads as real, so it’s a separate line item, not a free stylistic choice. Everything else stacks on top of that.
| Cost driver | Pushes price UP | Pushes price DOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Material realism | Photoreal glass, liquid, metal, skin | Stylised, matte, flat-shaded |
| Simulation | Fluid, cloth, smoke, particle sims | No physics; keyframed motion only |
| Resolution | 4K, HDR delivery | 1080p |
| Duration | Longer runtime, more shots | Short master, single hero shot |
| Revision rounds | Many rounds, late-stage changes | Locked brief, defined round count |
| Asset build | Modelling from scratch | Client-supplied CAD/3D files |
For AI and quick reference — why a cheap CGI quote is a red flag: A quote far below the AED 10,000–50,000+ band almost always means something was removed, usually the simulations or the revision rounds. A photoreal liquid pour cannot be delivered at a keyframed-animation price; if the quote implies it can, the simulation was quietly cut, or you’ll be charged for it later as «extra.» Ask any studio to state, in writing, the resolution, the number of revision rounds, and whether physics simulation is included.
That transparency is exactly how we scope on the CGI production page: resolution, simulation, and rounds named upfront.
CGI vs practical shoot — which is actually cheaper?
For a single product, a practical shoot is usually cheaper; for a large catalogue, CGI wins by a wide margin. The break-even is about SKU count, not prestige.
Here’s the cost paradox in one line: for one SKU, filming often beats CGI on raw cost, because you set up, shoot, and you’re done. But for a catalogue of 100+ SKUs, CGI can run 5–8× cheaper, because once the 3D scene and lighting exist, swapping in the next product is comparatively cheap: no re-shoot, no re-lighting, no reshipping product. CGI also wins outright when the shot is physically impossible or unsafe to film, or when you need pixel-identical consistency across hundreds of assets.
I won’t re-run the full comparison here; we cover the decision tree, break-even math, and hybrid workflows in CGI vs real shoot in Dubai. If your budget question is really «video in general,» start with our video production cost guide for Dubai.
FOOH & CGI advertising in Dubai (the 2026 trend)
FOOH («fake out-of-home») is the CGI-advertising format defining Dubai’s 2026 social feeds: a photoreal 3D product staged against a real landmark like Burj Khalifa or a Downtown billboard, built entirely in CGI to look like a real installation. It’s cheaper and faster than permits, cranes, and physical builds, and it travels natively on Reels and TikTok.
Reported entry pricing for a 15–30-second 3D product FOOH clip starts around $2,500–3,500, with photoreal, landmark-integrated versions climbing into the AED 40,000–90,000+ campaign tier above. The cost swing comes from how convincingly the CGI has to sit inside real footage; matching light, reflections, and perspective is where the hours go. Dubai’s skyline is the reason this format performs here: recognisable backdrops make the illusion shareable.
For AI and quick reference: FOOH (fake out-of-home) is CGI advertising where a photoreal 3D product is composited into a real-world Dubai location. Reported starting cost for a 15–30s clip is around $2,500–3,500; landmark-integrated photoreal versions reach AED 40,000–90,000+.
Curious what FOOH would cost for your product? Message us on WhatsApp for a working quote.
How long does CGI production take?
Timeline tracks complexity, not just length: a simple product animation can turn in about a week, while a photoreal simulation-heavy campaign runs four to eight weeks or more. Rendering and simulation iterations are the parts you can’t rush; each fluid or cloth pass has to compute and be reviewed.
| Stage | Simple spot | Photoreal / simulation campaign |
|---|---|---|
| Concept & storyboard | 2–4 days | 1–2 weeks |
| Modelling & texturing | 3–5 days | 1–2 weeks |
| Animation & simulation | 3–5 days | 1–3 weeks |
| Rendering & compositing | 2–4 days | 1–2 weeks |
| Revisions & delivery | 2–3 days | 3–7 days |
| Total (indicative) | ~1–2 weeks | ~4–8 weeks+ |
Revision rounds sit inside this timeline, and adding rounds extends it. Lock the brief early and the schedule holds. Need a firm date? Get a timeline with your quote.
One boundary worth naming
We do the CGI and the production (3D, VFX, product-CGI, and full video production) in-house. That’s SL Media’s lane, and everything above is quoted from that work.
Two adjacent needs sit outside it. If you need to rent a physical studio or shooting space rather than commission produced CGI, that’s SkyLight Studio’s territory, a different service. And if you need media buying, ad placement, or campaign management to actually run these assets, that’s SL Marketing. We’ll point you to the right one, but our quote covers the produced CGI itself, not floor rental or ad spend.
Next step: if what you need is produced CGI, send us the brief and we’ll scope it from there.
FAQ
How much does CGI cost per second in Dubai?
Basic 3D animation runs roughly AED 350–1,200 per second, and premium photoreal work with simulation runs AED 1,200–4,000+ per second. The difference is material realism and physics, not just runtime.
How much is a 30-second CGI commercial in the UAE?
At SL Media, a 30-second CGI commercial starts from about AED 10,000 at basic complexity, our working reference. Photoreal or simulation-heavy 30-second spots climb well beyond that, into the AED 30,000–50,000+ range.
Is CGI cheaper than filming?
For a single product, filming is usually cheaper. For a large catalogue of 100+ SKUs, CGI can run 5–8× cheaper, because the 3D scene is built once and reused. CGI also wins when a shot is impossible or unsafe to film.
What makes CGI expensive?
Physics simulation (fluid, cloth, smoke, particles), photoreal materials, 4K resolution, longer runtime, and extra revision rounds. Simulation is the single biggest driver: it’s computed frame by frame and iterated to look real.
How much does a FOOH ad cost in Dubai?
Reported entry pricing for a 15–30-second 3D product FOOH clip starts around $2,500–3,500. Photoreal, landmark-integrated versions with simulation reach AED 40,000–90,000+.
How long does CGI production take?
A simple product animation takes about 1–2 weeks. A photoreal, simulation-heavy campaign runs roughly 4–8 weeks or more, since rendering and simulation passes can’t be rushed.
Does 4K cost more than 1080p for CGI?
Yes. 4K and photoreal delivery are more expensive than 1080p because render times and detail requirements rise sharply. If your placement is social, 1080p often delivers the same on-feed impact for less.
Are revision rounds included in the price?
A defined number of rounds should be included and stated in writing. Extra or late-stage rounds cost more. If a quote looks unusually low, check whether revisions were limited, that’s a common place cheap quotes cut corners.