Time Tracking for Animation Studios

Time Tracking Software for Animation Studios

Animation projects involve extensive pre-production, frame-by-frame work, and lengthy rendering processes that can be difficult to track accurately. Professional time tracking helps animation studios bill correctly for storyboarding, animation, rendering, and post-production while maintaining profitability on animation projects.

48%
More billable hours captured
40%
Better render time visibility
85%
Accuracy in animation project estimates

Time Tracking Built for Animation Studios

Animation studios face unique challenges around time tracking accuracy and billable hour capture that generic tools cannot address. With project-based with milestone payments for each production phase, your team of animators, storyboard artists, voice directors, and production managers needs a time tracking system that understands managing long production timelines with iterative creative review at each animation stage. AgencyPro's time tracking capabilities are designed specifically for service businesses like yours. Rather than forcing you to adapt enterprise software or cobble together freelancer tools, AgencyPro streamlines the process of logging hours accurately across clients and projects in a way that matches how animation studios actually operate. Tracking billable hours per project, Monitoring retainer utilization, Generating timesheet reports, Analyzing team productivity — all connected to your client projects and team workflows. The impact of poor time tracking and ensuring all billable work is captured compounds quickly for animation studios. When lost billable hours and inaccurate project costing become the norm, it affects not just your bottom line but your client relationships and team morale. Key metrics like billable utilization rate, time capture accuracy, cost per project hour determine whether your agency thrives or merely survives. AgencyPro gives you the visibility and automation to optimize these metrics and build a more profitable, scalable operation.

Why Animation Studios Need Better Time Tracking

Animation and motion graphics studios creating 2D/3D content, explainer videos, and visual effects.

Tracking time spent on storyboarding, concept development, and pre-production planning

Measuring hours for actual animation work, frame-by-frame creation, and rigging

Capturing time for rendering, which can take hours or days for complex projects

Documenting hours spent on revisions, compositing, and final delivery

How AgencyPro Solves Time Tracking for Animation Studios

Smart time tracking with project-level timers, billable/non-billable categorization, and team timesheets.

Track time by animation phase (pre-production, animation, rendering, post-production) for detailed billing

Monitor time spent per project phase to optimize pricing and identify bottlenecks

Categorize time by role (animator, rigger, compositor, render wrangler) for crew cost analysis

Generate reports showing time allocation across projects and phases for profitability insights

Key Benefits for Animation Studios

Capture Every Billable Hour

Multiple tracking methods — timers, manual entry, and weekly timesheets — ensure no billable work goes unrecorded. Integration with project tasks means time is always allocated correctly.

Real-Time Retainer Visibility

Monitor how many retainer hours each client has used in real-time. Get alerts before clients exceed their allocations so you can manage scope and expectations proactively.

Accurate Project Costing

Understand the true cost of every project by tracking time at the task and phase level. Compare estimated hours versus actual to improve future project pricing and estimates.

Team Productivity Insights

See billable utilization rates per team member, identify capacity for new work, and understand how time is distributed across clients and project types.

How It Works

1

Track Animation Phases

Start timers for storyboarding, animation, rendering, or post-production work with automatic project and phase categorization.

2

Monitor Render Time

Track render time separately from active animation work, as rendering often happens unattended and can take significant time.

3

Bill and Analyze

Export time data to invoices showing exactly what animation work was performed, with detailed breakdowns by phase and role.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we track render time that happens overnight or unattended?

Use automated render tracking that monitors render farm activity or set up timers that can run unattended. The system tracks render time separately from active work time, ensuring all rendering hours are captured even when no one is actively working. Many animation studios bill render time at a different rate or include it in project estimates.

Can we track time separately for 2D vs 3D animation work?

Yes, you can create separate time categories for different animation types (2D, 3D, stop-motion, motion graphics). This helps you understand how much time each type takes and price your animation services more accurately. Different animation styles have vastly different time requirements and should be priced accordingly.

How do we handle time tracking for animation revisions that require re-rendering?

Track all revision time, including time spent making changes and any additional render time required. The system allows you to see time spent per revision round, helping you identify clients who require excessive revisions and adjust your pricing or revision policies accordingly. Re-rendering can be costly and should be tracked separately.

What about tracking time for rigging and character setup?

Create separate categories for technical setup work (rigging, character setup, pipeline development) versus actual animation work. Rigging can take significant time and is often billed separately or included in project setup fees. Tracking this time helps you understand the true cost of animation projects and price them accurately.

Track Animation Time Precisely

Ensure every hour of animation work is properly tracked and billed. Improve your animation studio's profitability with accurate time tracking.