Commissions & custom 3D printing

Start with an idea.

A description, a picture, a sketch or a digital file is enough to begin.

We develop the direction with you, refine the digital result and agree what will be made before anything is committed to print.

Start a project
Finished Coffee Harvester sculpture by Vantage3DLab

The starting point can be simple. The finished object does not have to be.

Wherever you are starting

Bring what you have.

You do not need to arrive with a production-ready model. The first job is to understand what you want the final object to be.

01

Describe it.

Start with words. Tell us the subject, purpose, approximate size, mood or details that matter. A rough idea is enough to open the conversation.

02

Show it.

Send photographs, sketches, reference images or an existing object. We use them as the visual starting point and ask for anything else needed to establish the form.

03

Send it.

Already have a 3D model? We can assess the file, agree scale and production requirements, prepare or adapt it where appropriate, then take it through to print and finishing.

Unfinished physical print during development in the Vantage3DLab studio
Develop the form

Before production

Work it out before you print it.

The digital stage is where the idea can be discussed, shaped and refined. Proportion, scale, important details and the intended finish are established before physical production begins.

Once the agreed direction is clear, we confirm the production route, scope, timescale and price. Only then does the project move into making.

You approve the direction first. We make it physical afterwards.
Finished bronze-effect Edgar Allan Poe sculpture by Vantage3DLab
Finish the object

How a project moves

Idea → review → refine → approve → make.

  1. 01

    Start with the idea

    Text, photographs, sketches, references or an existing digital model.

  2. 02

    Develop it together

    We clarify the intended result and establish the form, scale, key details and practical route.

  3. 03

    Review and refine

    The digital direction is checked before production. Changes belong here, before material and machine time are committed.

  4. 04

    Approve the project

    When the direction is agreed, the production scope, finish, timescale and final price are confirmed.

  5. 05

    Make it physical

    Printing, assembly, preparation and the agreed finish turn the approved digital work into the finished object.

What the studio can take on

From clean prints to finished display pieces.

Each project is scoped around what it actually needs rather than forced into a fixed package.

Custom sculpture & busts

Portraits, figures and display pieces developed from an idea or suitable visual reference.

File-to-print projects

Production from a supplied 3D model, with scale, preparation and print requirements agreed first.

Adaptation & personalisation

Selected existing concepts can be scaled, adjusted or given a different presentation or finish where practical.

Studio finishing

Where the brief calls for it, a print can continue through preparation and surface finishing rather than leave as raw printed plastic.

Production range

Different starting points. Different outcomes.

Ada Lovelace finished portrait bust
Portrait & sculpture
Thor’s Hammer large display object
Display objects
Frenchie Key Bowl functional printed object
Functional pieces
Custom ECU bench holder printed object
Custom & practical work

These are examples of the studio's production capability, not presented as previous client commissions.

Start a project

Tell us where the idea begins.

You do not need to prepare a formal brief. Give us enough to understand the direction and we can work out what information is needed next.

No production begins from this form. We first review the project and agree the route, scope and price.

What are you starting with?

Before you ask

A few useful answers.

Do I need a 3D model?

No. Text, photographs, sketches or references can be enough to start. What is needed next depends on the object and how precisely it must follow the reference.

Can you work from a photograph?

Yes, as a starting reference. Some projects need additional views, measurements or decisions because a single photograph cannot show every side of a three-dimensional object.

Can I review the result before it is printed?

Yes. The direction is developed and agreed before physical production. Significant changes requested after approval may change the scope, price or timescale.

Can you print a model I bought or downloaded?

Usually, provided the model is suitable for production and you have the rights or licence required for the requested reproduction. We can assess the file before quoting production.

How is a commission priced?

Pricing depends on the development required, size, material, machine time, assembly, finishing, quantity and delivery. The production scope and price are agreed before making begins.