For writers, planners and students
Research and data you can cite
What Australian studios charge, what each planning authority asks 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.
Australian 3D rendering price survey 2026: what studios publish
One exterior render starts at a median of $600 across the 7 Australian studios that publish a price, with the data behind it.
Published 24 October 2026 · Download the data (CSV)
How long is a building's shadow? A calculator and mid-winter table for Australian cities
At noon on 21 June, a building’s shadow runs about 0.8 times its height in Darwin, 1.6 times in Sydney and 2.3 times in Hobart.
Published 2 November 2026 · Download the data (CSV)
Planning rules compared
What each authority asks for, side by side, each rule linked to the official document.
What planning authorities ask renders to show: seven Australian cities compared
What seven Australian planning authorities ask renders to show at lodgement.
Updated 3 November 2026
Shadow diagram rules in Australia: the winter sunlight test in each state
The date, the hours and the sunlight tested in shadow diagrams, across all eight states and territories.
Updated 10 November 2026
3D models for development applications: what nine Australian authorities ask for
When nine planning authorities want a 3D model of a development, and in what form.
Published 27 October 2026
AI-generated and digitally altered property images in Australia: the rules in 2026
NSW’s disclosure rule for altered rental ad images, the Australian Consumer Law and what the NSW and Victorian tribunals expect.
Published 28 October 2026
Height poles and view loss in NSW: what councils and the Court look at
The Land and Environment Court’s four steps on view loss, and how height poles feed into them.
Published 29 October 2026
Photomontages in NSW planning — what the Land and Environment Court's policy asks for
What the Land and Environment Court’s policy asks of a photomontage relied on as expert evidence.
Updated 24 October 2026
Free tools
Nothing to sign up for, and nothing you enter is stored or sent.
What resolution do renders need? 4K, 8K and print, explained
A print size calculator: the pixels a render needs for any size from A4 up, and whether 4K or 8K covers it.
Updated 2 November 2026
Render 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 renders, planning imagery or property marketing? Email hello@aurumrender.com for a comment or to check a figure.