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.
