Help Center/ MetaStudio/ Service Overview/ Billing Overview
Updated on 2024-12-06 GMT+08:00
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Billing Overview

You can choose the yearly/monthly, pay-per-use, or one-off payment billing mode.

Billing Items

The billing items of MetaStudio include fees for virtual avatars.

See Table 1.

Table 1 Billing items

Category

Billing Item

Description

Billing Mode

Virtual avatar

Image modeling

You are charged based on the number of created virtual avatar images.

Each time a virtual avatar image is created, one quota will be deducted from your purchased resource package.

NOTICE:

If you delete the image asset created using a purchased resource package with auto-renewal enabled, you need to cancel auto-renewal first. A message will be displayed in the warning dialog box when you delete an image asset. Perform operations as prompted.

Assume that you purchase a one-year image modeling resource package:

  • You can create only one image asset within the validity period (one year).
  • After one year, the purchased resource package will be frozen. If you do not renew after the package is frozen, the image asset created using the package will also be frozen and unavailable.
  • If the grace period and retention period expire after the one-year validity period, the billed resources will be deleted, along with the image asset created using these resources.

Yearly

Voice modeling

You are charged based on the number of created voices.

Each time a virtual avatar voice is created, one quota will be deducted from your purchased resource package.

NOTICE:

If you delete the voice asset created using a purchased resource package with auto-renewal enabled, you need to cancel auto-renewal first. A message will be displayed in the warning dialog box when you delete a voice asset. Perform operations as prompted.

Assume that you purchase a one-year voice modeling resource package:

  • You can create only one voice asset within the validity period (one year).
  • After one year, the purchased resource package will be frozen. If you do not renew after the package is frozen, the voice asset created using the package will also be frozen and unavailable.
  • If the grace period and retention period expire after the one-year validity period, the billed resources will be deleted, along with the voice asset created using these resources.

Yearly

Video production

You are charged based on the duration of a virtual avatar video.

To enable the pay-per-use billing mode, go to the My Resources area of the MetaStudio console. Click Enable Pay-per-Use in the Virtual avatar video production card. In the Information dialog box displayed, agree to the agreement and click OK. Click OK to enable the pay-per-use billing mode.

NOTICE:
  • The duration of a composited video is expressed in second. The actual charging will convert the duration from seconds to minutes. The value is accurate to two decimal places and the last digit is rounded off.
  • Even if a composited video is frozen due to violation of regulations, the video production fees are still charged.

Pay-per-use

Livestreaming

The subscription entry is not open. You can use virtual avatar livestreaming only when:

  • you have submitted a service ticket for enabling virtual avatar livestreaming
  • the administrator has allocated livestreaming resources to you.

Allocated by the administrator

Intelligent interaction

The subscription entry is not open. You can use virtual avatar intelligent interaction only when:

  • you have submitted a service ticket for enabling virtual avatar intelligent interaction
  • the administrator has allocated intelligent interaction resources to you.

Allocated by the administrator

Billing Modes

You can choose either the pay-per-use or yearly billing mode.

  • Pay-per-use: You pay as you go and just pay for what you use. In each billing cycle, the system calculates the fee based on the actual usage of each resource multiplied by the unit price, and then deducts the fee from your account balance.
  • Yearly: a prepaid billing mode. You pay in advance for a subscription term, and in exchange, you get a discounted rate. The longer the subscription term, the bigger the discount. This mode is a good option for long-term, stable services.

Renewal

The yearly billing mode allows for renewal before the quota is used up. You can renew the subscription on the Renewals page. If the renewal fails, the fee will be deducted from the account balance.

Unsubscription

  • Yearly packages for virtual avatar image modeling and voice modeling cannot be unsubscribed.
  • Other billing items do not involve unsubscription.

Expiration and Arrears

  • Arrears: Prepaid package resources do not expire. In pay-per-use mode, fees are deducted based on each billing item in its billing cycle. If your account balance is insufficient, the system fails to deduct the fees of the previous billing cycle. As a result, your account is in arrears. If your account is in arrears, your cloud resources will enter a grace period and then retention period. For details about how to handle service suspension due to arrears, see Resource Suspension and Release.

    View the outstanding amount of your account in the Billing Center. Pay the outstanding amount by referring to Making Repayments (Postpaid Direct Customers).

    Complete the renewal during the retention period. If the service is in arrears and enters the retention period, the service will be unfrozen after the renewal.

  • Service expiration: Pay-per-use resources do not expire. If a prepaid resource package expires, the remaining resources will be cleared. Since then, you will be billed for subsequent resource usage on a pay-per-use basis.