How Our Jewelry Rendering Process Works
Four steps, two revision rounds, one predictable timeline: what we need from you at each step, and what leaves our side.
From CAD to render
One pendant at two stages: the CAD file on the left, the finished render on the right. Same geometry, no cast piece in between.
The 3DM, STL, OBJ, or STEP file you send us, opened in the modeling software.
The image your customers see, ready before the piece is cast.
From your file to your listing
Clocks start when you approve the quote, not when the file lands.
- 01Hour 0
Send the file and the specs
Upload through the quote form or email. We accept 3DM (Rhino, Matrix), STL, OBJ, and STEP. No CAD? A hand sketch or a clear photo of the piece is enough, and we can work from that.
We sign your NDA, or send ours, before a single file is opened. We confirm your file the same day and send back scope, a fixed price, and a delivery date within one business day. Nothing starts until you approve that quote.
You send- The CAD file, sketch, or reference photos
- Metal and karat, stone chart, finish
- Angles, background, and the date you need it
We send back- NDA signed before the file is opened
- Scope, firm price, and delivery date
- 0224 – 48 h
We model and render
Materials, stones, and lighting are set to your spec, not to a preset. If we modeled from a sketch, you approve the CAD before rendering starts, so geometry surprises never reach the render stage.
Standard turnaround is 24 to 48 hours per piece. Catalog batches of 20 or more run on a weekly delivery schedule with a shared tracker, against a style template you lock before the first SKU is rendered.
You send- Your yes on the quote
- Your yes on the CAD, if we modeled it
- Your yes on the style template, on catalog jobs
We send back- Metals, stones, and lighting built to spec
- A watermarked preview, not an invoice
- 03+24 h per round
Review and revisions
You get a watermarked preview. Comment straight on the image: stone reads too dark, band too thick, background warmer, prong showing where it should not. Two revision rounds are included in every order.
Revisions ship within 24 hours of your notes. Most orders never use the second round, because the preview happens before we produce final files rather than after.
You send- Notes on the preview, in one pass
- A reference image if the fix is a look, not a fact
We send back- Revised render inside 24 hours
- A requote first if the notes change the scope
- 04On approval
Final files, every format
On approval you get full-resolution files: JPG, PNG with transparency, and layered TIFF at 3000 x 3000 px or larger, with platform sizes for Shopify, Amazon, and Etsy on request. Videos come as MP4 and WebM.
We keep the render scene after delivery, so a reorder, a new angle, or a fourth metal comes off the same scene instead of starting again. Your CAD file and full rights stay yours.
You send- Your approval on the preview
- Your SKU codes, if you want them in the file names
We send back- JPG, PNG, layered TIFF, plus platform sizes on request
- The render scene kept for reorders
What to send, and in what format
Five things open on our machines. Four of them are CAD. The fifth is a photo of a napkin, and it works too.
- 3DM
- Rhino, Matrix
- Native NURBS. The best thing you can send us: surfaces stay surfaces, so metal renders as metal and not as polygons.
- STL
- Any CAD, any printer
- Universal mesh. Fine for rendering. Low-resolution exports come through faceted; we rebuild the surfaces during cleanup.
- OBJ
- ZBrush, Blender
- Mesh with material groups. Send the MTL and any textures alongside it if the piece has them.
- STEP
- SolidWorks, Fusion
- Solid CAD from engineering tools. Converts cleanly. Common on lockets, clasps, and mechanisms.
- Sketch / photo
- Paper, phone
- No CAD at all. We work from the sketch or photo, and you approve the model before anything is rendered.
Faceted exports, open surfaces, and stray geometry are the three problems we see most. Clean CAD renders at the flat price. If a file needs more than about 30 minutes of surface repair, we quote the fix before we start, never after. See the jewelry rendering service.
Seven things that make it one round, not three
What goes in the email with the file. Missing half of it? Send the file anyway; most of it we can read off the CAD.
MetalKarat and color
14k or 18k, yellow, white, or rose, and the finish: high polish, matte, brushed, or sandblast. All three golds, rose, white, and yellow, are included in every order at no extra cost.
StonesThe stone chart
Sizes, cuts, counts, and grades. G color VS2 renders differently from a J. Lab-grown and moissanite carry different dispersion and we set them accordingly.
AnglesWhich views you sell
Up to 6 angles are standard. Tell us which ones your listing actually uses: top, side, upright, three-quarter, on-finger, macro.
BackgroundWhite, gradient, scene
Marketplace white is standard and costs nothing extra. Styled scenes with props are quoted per scene, and ten pieces can share one.
ReferencesTwo or three images
Send shots from your current catalog. We match lighting, shadow, and background so new renders sit next to old photos without a visible seam.
NamingYour SKU codes
Give us the codes and every delivered file carries them. On catalog jobs this is what keeps 500 renders findable six months later.
DeadlineThe real one
The date the listing goes live, not a padded one. Rush means we push your files ahead of the queue, and the fee comes with the quote, never on the invoice afterwards.
How long each kind of work takes
Every figure below is the same one printed on the service page it links to.
| Work | Standard timeline | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| 3D render, single CAD file | 24 – 48 h | 9 HD images and 3 videos, all three golds, all formats. $15 per CAD file. |
| All three golds | Ships with the piece | Rose, white, and yellow gold come with every order at no extra cost. |
| Catalog batch, 20+ SKUs | Weekly batches | Style template locked first, then weekly deliveries against a shared tracker. Largest we have delivered: 4,800 SKUs over eleven weeks. |
| One revision round | 24 h from your notes | Two rounds included in every order, at every price. |
Rush work pushes your files ahead of the queue. Ask for it in your first message and the fee comes back with the quote. Every published price.
What a revision round actually is.
Two rounds are included in every order, at every price. Here is where the line sits, written down before you need it rather than argued about afterwards.
- 01What counts as a roundOne set of notes, answered in one delivery. Ten comments sent together are one round. Ten comments sent one at a time over three days are still one round, as long as the piece has not been re-rendered in between.
- 02What we fix for free, inside the roundStone reading too dark. Band too thick. Background too cold. Prong catching the light wrong. Camera a few degrees off. Metal color and stone size swaps are the most common request and turn around in 24 hours.
- 03What is a new job, not a revisionA different piece. A different setting. A scene that did not exist in the brief. If your notes change the scope, we requote first and wait for your yes. The quote you approve is the invoice you get.
- 04What happens if we still missTwo rounds are included. If we still have not got it right after that, you do not pay for that piece. That policy has cost us money twice in nine years, which is exactly how often it should.
Straight answers about the process
What file do I send you?
A CAD file in 3DM, STL, OBJ, or STEP. 3DM from Rhino or Matrix is the best of the four because the surfaces stay intact. If you have no CAD, send a sketch or a clear photo and we can work from that.
How long does the whole process take?
A single piece is 24 to 48 hours from your approved quote to your preview. Add 24 hours per revision round. Catalog batches of 20 or more SKUs run weekly against a schedule we agree before the first render.
What happens if my STL comes through faceted?
That is the most common file problem we see, and it is fixable. We rebuild the surfaces during cleanup and the render shows polished metal, not polygons. If a file needs more than about 30 minutes of repair, we quote the fix before we touch it.
How many revision rounds do I get?
Two, on every order, at every price. You review a watermarked preview before we produce final files, so most orders are approved on the first pass and never use the second round.
Do I have to approve the CAD before you render?
Only if we built it. If you send your own CAD we render it as it stands. If we modeled from your sketch, you approve the model first, so geometry problems are caught before any render time is spent on them.
When do I pay?
Orders under $500 are paid on delivery approval. Larger projects split 50 percent up front and 50 percent on delivery. Cards, PayPal, and wire. Nothing is charged before you approve the quote.
Do you sign an NDA?
Yes, before we open a single file. We work with unreleased collections every week. You can send yours or use ours, and we do not put your work in the portfolio without your written yes.
The same four steps, whatever you sell
Terms worth knowing
Plain-English definitions for the words that come up when you order renders.
Step one takes two minutes.
Send one file today and see your first preview inside 48 hours. Free, once, on one piece.
- Free sample render
- NDA before we open your file
- Reply within one business day