From sketch to sculpture: how a large-format piece is made
From sketch to sculpture: how a large-format piece is made
Every piece we deliver goes through the same four stages: model, print, finish and install. Here is what happens at each one, and where clients get to sign off.
Most of our projects start with a sketch, a photo or a character guide, and end a few weeks later as a piece people queue up to photograph. In between there is a lot of work nobody sees. This is how we take an idea from paper to the floor of a mall atrium.
1. Model it in 3D
Before anything is printed, the piece is sculpted digitally. This is where we fix the pose, the proportions and the size. For licensed characters, the model is checked against the brand’s own guides; for original pieces, it is where the idea takes its final shape.
We also size the model against the real space. The marine reptile head we made for Jurassic World Rebirth was 2,118 mm tall in the model, and we knew exactly how it would sit against its ocean backdrop before a single layer was printed.
This is the main sign-off point. Changes are quick and cheap at the model stage and slow and expensive later, so we send screenshots and turntables until the client is happy.
2. Print it at full size
Large pieces are printed in sections, then joined. Splitting the model is a design job in itself: seams go where they can be hidden, and each section has to fit through doors and onto a lorry.
3. Finish it by hand
A print straight off the machine shows its layer lines. Every piece is filled, sanded and primed until the surface is smooth, then painted. Finishes range from flat colour to high-gloss metallics like our 100th Anniversary Mickey, or the gold, silver and black bands on the KWSP spiral.
4. Deliver and install
We run a final inspection in the Puchong workshop, then transport the piece and install it on site. For heavy outdoor work that can mean a crane; for malls it usually means working around opening hours.
Where you come in
- At the start: the brief, the space and the date.
- At the model stage: approve the 3D model before printing.
- During production: progress photos as the piece takes shape.
- On delivery: a final check, on site or in the workshop.
Typical timelines depend on size and finish. [Add typical lead times for small, medium and large pieces.]
Reach out today
Ready to Design Together?
Send a sketch, a photo or a brief. We’ll come back with a size, a timeline and a quote.
Making licensed characters: what brands and malls should prepare
Making licensed characters: what brands and malls should prepare
Mickey, Toothless, Minions and Jurassic World all have one thing in common: someone else owns them. Here is how to get a licensed character built without delays.
Character sculptures pull crowds because people already love the character. That is also what makes them demanding: fans notice when an ear is the wrong shape or an eye is the wrong colour, and so does the licence holder.
Start with permission
Before we sculpt a licensed character, the client needs the right to use it for the campaign: usually through the studio, the distributor or an official licensing agent. For film promotions such as How to Train Your Dragon or Jurassic World Rebirth, this normally comes with the release campaign.
[Add the documents Mono X Sculp asks for, e.g. licence letter or approval email from the rights holder.]
Send the character guide
Most licensed characters come with a style guide: turnarounds, colour references and rules about poses. The more of it we have, the closer the first model will be.
- Official turnarounds (front, side, back)
- Colour references or Pantone codes
- Approved poses and expressions
- Any logos or campaign artwork that sits on the base
Build in approval time
Licence holders often want to see the model, and sometimes the painted piece, before it goes on show. We share 3D screenshots early so approvals can run alongside production rather than holding it up.
Think about the whole set
A character on its own is a statue. Put it on a moss-and-rock base, add campaign signage and leave room for a photo spot, and it becomes the reason people stop. We plan the base and surroundings together with the character.
Planning a character activation? Send us the character, the venue and the campaign date and we’ll tell you what’s possible.
Reach out today
Ready to Design Together?
Send a sketch, a photo or a brief. We’ll come back with a size, a timeline and a quote.
Indoor or outdoor? Choosing the right finish for your sculpture
Indoor or outdoor? Choosing the right finish for your sculpture
A piece that lives in an air-conditioned atrium for a month has very different needs from one that sits in a fountain for years. Here is how we think about it.
The first question we ask on almost every project is where the piece will live and for how long. The answer changes the materials, the finish and even how the piece is mounted.
Indoor and short-term
Mall activations and film promotions usually run for weeks rather than years, indoors and under steady lighting. Here the priorities are detail, colour and getting the piece in and out of the venue quickly. Toothless at Sunway Pyramid and our Jurassic World Rebirth sets fall into this group.
Outdoor and permanent
Landscape pieces for developers and corporate plazas face Malaysian sun, rain and humidity every day. They need tougher finishes, secure fixings and, often, a plinth that keeps them clear of standing water.
[Add the materials and coatings Mono X Sculp uses for outdoor work, and how long outdoor pieces typically last.]
Water features
Pieces that sit in or beside water, like the KWSP spiral, the lionfish or the Antara Genting splash crown, need extra thought about drainage, splash and cleaning. We plan the base and fixings with the landscape or water-feature contractor.
Questions to answer early
- Indoor or outdoor?
- How long will it be on show?
- Will people touch it or climb on it?
- Is it in or near water?
- Will it move to other venues later?
Tell us these five things and we can recommend a build and finish that fits the budget and the lifespan.
Reach out today
Ready to Design Together?
Send a sketch, a photo or a brief. We’ll come back with a size, a timeline and a quote.
Designing a themed restaurant in 3D before we build it
Designing a themed restaurant in 3D before we build it
For the octopus restaurant, every tentacle had to meet a staircase, a rail or a wall in exactly the right place. So we built the whole room in 3D first.
Themed environments are different from standalone sculptures. The piece has to work with an existing building: its stairs, columns, lighting and the way diners move through the space.
Placing every piece in the room
We modelled the restaurant’s staircase and dining floor, then placed each tentacle in the scene. That let us test sizes, check sight lines from the tables and try colour options, including a blue accent tentacle, before sculpting anything.
Sculpting at full scale
With the layout approved, each tentacle was sculpted with its suckers and finished in a soft coral red. Some are taller than a person.
Fitting it on site
Because the positions were already fixed in 3D, installation was a matter of placing each piece where the model said it should go, around the staircase, the rail and the anchor.
[Add the restaurant name, location and opening date once the client confirms they can be shown.]
Reach out today
Ready to Design Together?
Send a sketch, a photo or a brief. We’ll come back with a size, a timeline and a quote.
What to send us for a faster quote
What to send us for a faster quote
A good brief gets you an accurate price and timeline in one reply instead of five. Here is the short list.
We’re often asked for a price on a single photo. We can give a rough idea that way, but a few more details let us quote properly the first time.
The essentials
- The idea: a sketch, photo, reference image or 3D file.
- The size: roughly how tall or wide, or the size of the space it goes in.
- The date: when it needs to be on site, and how long it stays.
- Indoor or outdoor.
- For characters and brands: the brand files or character guide, and confirmation you have the rights to use them.
Nice to have
- Photos of the venue or site
- Floor plans or atrium measurements
- Your budget range
- Who installs: us, or your contractor
What happens next
We reply with advice on size and finish, a timeline and a quote. Once the details are confirmed and the deposit is paid, we start the 3D model.
Ready? Send your brief on WhatsApp at +60173262089 (Jett).
Reach out today
Ready to Design Together?
Send a sketch, a photo or a brief. We’ll come back with a size, a timeline and a quote.