Render time calculator
Total render time is the time of one frame multiplied by the number of frames. Enter both below to see how long your Blender animation takes on one computer, and how long and how much it costs split across 1 to 8 machines.
| Where | Render time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Your computer | 8 h 20 | electricity only |
| TURNA Standard, 1 machine | 8 h 20 | €40.83 |
| TURNA Boost, 2 machines | 4 h 10 | €45.42 |
| TURNA Max, 4 machines | 2 h 05 | €49.79 |
| TURNA Turbo, 8 machines | 1 h 03 | €51.98 |
Conservative estimate: a TURNA machine is assumed to render a frame as fast as yours (TURNA uses the RTX 5090 first, RTX 4090 otherwise, often faster). Machine startup, usually a few minutes, is not in this estimate but is billed: the clock starts when the render is created. Billed on the time actually used, with a 2-minute minimum (30 seconds until November 9).
Try it with €25 free creditHow the calculation works
A render farm splits the frames of an animation between machines, so the total time is divided by the number of machines. The price is the elapsed time multiplied by the hourly rate of the tier. Going 8 times faster costs about 2 times more, not 8 times, because the total compute stays the same. TURNA renders Blender scenes only, with Cycles and Eevee: see the Blender render farm page.
How long does it take to render a 3D animation?
The number of frames is the length of the animation multiplied by its frame rate, and the render time is the time of one frame multiplied by that number. A one-minute animation at 24 fps has 1,440 frames, so every second spent on one frame adds 24 minutes to the whole render. Three examples on a single computer:
- 10-second shot: 250 frames at 2 minutes per frame, 8 h 20.
- 30-second animation: 720 frames at 2 minutes per frame, 24 h 00.
- Heavy VFX shot: 120 frames at 9 minutes per frame, 18 h 00.
Measure your frame time on a busy frame with your final settings, then enter it above. Lowering the time per frame cuts the whole render in proportion: the noise threshold and the Cycles speed settings are the first places to look.
How to measure the render time of one frame in Blender
The calculator is only as good as the time you enter. Four ways to get it, from the quickest to the most thorough:
- F12 on a representative frame. Set the final resolution at 100 %, the final samples and denoising, move to a busy frame (the one with the most motion blur, volumes or glass), and press F12. The elapsed time appears at the top of the render window when the frame is done.
- The time written into each frame. In Output Properties > Metadata, tick Render Time: Blender stores the render time in the metadata of image formats that support it. Burn Into Image prints it on the frame itself, which is handy on a test sequence but has to be unticked before the final render.
- From the command line.
blender -b scene.blend -f 10renders frame 10 without opening the interface. Arguments run in the order given, so-for-aalways comes last. - Several frames, then an average. When the action changes a lot during the shot, time three frames (start, middle, busiest) and enter their average.
What makes the render time of a frame vary
- Resolution. Render time follows the number of pixels. 4K UHD has four times the pixels of Full HD, and the resolution percentage at 50 % renders a quarter of them, which is useful for tests.
- Samples. In Cycles, Render Properties > Sampling: a higher maximum gives a cleaner image and a longer render. A Time Limit can stop each frame at a set duration, without counting the preparation of the scene.
- Noise threshold. With adaptive sampling on, typical values run from 0.1 to 0.001; lower means cleaner and slower.
- Light bounces. Render Properties > Light Paths. Fewer bounces converge faster, at the cost of some indirect light, which interiors and glass need more than exteriors.
- Engine and device. Eevee renders a frame in a fraction of the time Cycles needs. In Cycles, a recent graphics card renders most scenes much faster than the processor: check that Device is set to GPU Compute.
- What is in the frame. Volumes, motion blur, hair, subsurface scattering and dense geometry all add time. A scene that does not fit in the video memory of the card slows down sharply or fails.
Worked examples: time and cost of three projects
The three projects above, worked out with the same rule as the calculator. Prices exclude VAT; the estimate assumes each machine renders a frame as fast as the computer where the time was measured.
| Project | One computer | Standard, 1 machine | Turbo, 8 machines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-second shot 250 frames at 2 min | 8 h 20 | 8 h 20, €40.83 | 1 h 03, €51.98 |
| 30-second animation 720 frames at 2 min | 1 d 0 h | 1 d 0 h, €117.60 | 3 h 00, €149.70 |
| Heavy VFX shot 120 frames at 9 min | 18 h 00 | 18 h 00, €88.20 | 2 h 15, €112.27 |
The total compute is the same on every tier; what changes is how many machines share it, and the hourly rate of the tier.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate render time for an animation?
Multiply the render time of one frame by the number of frames. A 30-second animation at 24 fps has 720 frames: at 2 minutes per frame, that is 24 hours on one computer. Split across 8 machines, the same render takes 3 h 00.
How do I measure the render time of one frame in Blender?
Render one representative frame (F12) with your final settings. Blender shows the elapsed time at the top of the render window. Pick a busy frame rather than an empty one, so the total is not underestimated.
How much does a render farm cost for this?
On TURNA you pay the elapsed time at the rate of your tier, with no rounding up to the hour (billed on the time actually used, with a 2-minute minimum (30 seconds until November 9)): Standard €4.90/h on 1 machine, Boost €10.90/h on 2 machines, Max €23.90/h on 4 machines, Turbo €49.90/h on 8 machines, excluding VAT. For the 720-frame example, Turbo costs €149.70.
Does a render farm make a single still image faster?
No. A render farm splits the frames of an animation across machines, so one frame is always rendered by one machine. Only a faster GPU speeds up a single still.
Does doubling the samples double the render time?
Not exactly. With the Noise Threshold enabled, Cycles uses adaptive sampling: it stops sampling the pixels that are already clean enough. Raising the maximum samples then adds time mostly in the noisy areas, such as glass, hair or dark corners. Measure a frame again after any change of settings rather than scaling the old time.
Why can the first render of a session take longer?
Before sampling, Blender prepares the scene: it loads textures, builds the acceleration structure and compiles shaders. Part of that work is done only once per session, so the very first render can be slower than the next ones: time a frame after a first test render. In Cycles, Persistent Data (Render Properties > Performance > Final Render) keeps render data in memory between frames, which speeds up animation renders at the cost of extra memory.