Every studio has its own way of working. Team structure, production requirements, company culture, and business goals all influence how problems are solved. As a result, two studios can approach the same challenge in completely different ways.
This diversity is especially visible in production pipelines. Pipeline TDs often build tools tailored to their studio's specific workflows, allowing them to create solutions that are highly efficient.
While custom tools offer flexibility, commercial software can often deliver value much faster: off-the-shelf solutions provide access to mature features, years of development, and proven workflows that would be difficult to recreate quickly. The tradeoff is that your team must adapt to the software's design and limitations.
So how do you decide whether to build or buy? This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and outlines the key factors to consider when making your decision.
CGWire provides off-the-shelf solutions, but we'll remain as objective as possible throughout this article.
In-House Development (Build)
In-house development means building and maintaining your own software. These tools are typically designed for a specific studio, production, or workflow and are rarely portable to other environments.
Pros
1. Build exactly what your production needs
Custom tools are designed around your workflows rather than forcing your team to adapt to someone else's process.
2. See immediate production benefits
When a tool solves a specific pain point, its impact is often visible right away.
3. Simplify training and adoption
Because your team designed the tool, it's easier to explain, document, and improve.
4. Create a competitive advantage
Unique tools and workflows can help differentiate your studio from competitors.
5. Improve continuously through iteration
Over time, small improvements can evolve into highly valuable production systems.
Cons
1. Quality and reliability may be lower initially
Commercial products are usually tested across many studios and workflows. In-house tools often lack the extensive QA processes and real-world testing that commercial vendors can provide.
2. Maintenance costs grow over time
Development is only the beginning. Ongoing support, bug fixes, updates, and technical debt can consume significant resources.
3. Some tools have a limited lifespan
A solution built for one production may not be useful for the next. While that's not necessarily a problem, it's important to account for the cost of developing tools with a short-term purpose.
Commercial Software (Buy)
Commercial software refers to products purchased from vendors, such as ShotGrid, ftrack, or Arnold.
Pros
1. Add capabilities quickly
You can deploy years of development and features almost immediately.
2. Benefit from industry expertise
Commercial solutions are often shaped by feedback from many studios and production teams.
3. Access dedicated support
Most vendors provide documentation, training, updates, and technical assistance.
4. Reduce onboarding time
Many artists and production staff may already be familiar with the software from previous studios.
5. Handle common industry needs efficiently
Commercial tools are often well suited for standard production challenges that most studios face.
Cons
1. Dependence on a vendor
Pricing, product direction, and even product availability are outside your control.
2. Hidden costs can accumulate
Licenses are only part of the investment. Configuration, customization, integrations, training, and support may add significant costs.
3. No solution fits perfectly
Every studio is unique. Adopting commercial software usually requires adapting some of your processes to the software's limitations.
Key Decision Factors
When evaluating whether to build or buy, focus on three areas:
1. Strategy
Your studio's long-term goals should guide your decision.
- If technology and R&D are strategic differentiators, investing in custom development may make sense.
- If speed, scalability, or client delivery is the priority, commercial solutions may provide a faster path to success.
Ask yourself:
- What makes our studio competitive?
- Where should we invest our resources?
- Which capabilities are core to our business?
2. Budget
Budget is the most practical decision criteria.
Building software requires engineers, infrastructure, maintenance, and ongoing support. It's a long-term investment that rarely generates immediate revenue.
If resources are limited, commercial solutions provide a lower-risk starting point.
3. Studio Culture
Culture influences how teams adopt and maintain technology.
Some studios value innovation and experimentation. Others prioritize stability, predictability, and proven workflows.
For example:
- BUF became known for relying heavily on proprietary software.
- Illumination invested significantly in rendering and asset-management technology while using commercial tools for production management.
- Cube Creative is recognized for automation and production efficiency.
- Unit Image is known for high-quality visual output.
Understanding your studio's culture helps determine whether to prioritize rapid custom development, long-term platform investment, or proven commercial solutions.
Practical Recommendations
Rather than viewing the decision as "build versus buy," consider these guidelines:
Build when:
- The workflow gives your studio a competitive advantage
- Commercial tools cannot support a critical requirement
- You have the resources to maintain the solution long term
- The value of customization outweighs development costs
Buy when:
- The problem is common across the industry
- Speed of implementation is critical
- Reliability and support are important
- Building the same feature would not create meaningful differentiation
Conclusion
There is no universal answer to the build-versus-buy question.
The right choice depends on your budget, team size, production requirements, studio culture, and business strategy. In most cases, successful studios use a combination of both approaches: commercial software for standard workflows and custom tools where differentiation matters.
As Douglas from Blur Studio suggested in our Discord community, one principle is worth following regardless of your decision: keep your pipeline modular.
A modular architecture allows you to replace components as your needs evolve, switch vendors when necessary, and avoid becoming locked into a single solution. As production requirements change, you'll be able to adapt your pipeline without rebuilding everything from scratch.
In short:
- Use commercial solutions for common, well-understood problems
- Build custom tools where they create strategic value
- Design your pipeline to remain flexible and replaceable
The goal is not to choose between building and buying but to create the right balance for your studio.
