In recent years, 3D Printing is also known as additive manufacturing has revolutionized how things are done behind the curtains in the movie-making industry. Skyfall, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor: The Dark World are just a few of the movies that have used 3D printing and 3D scanning technologies. 3D printed props have been utilized in a wide range of ways in these films, and there are several reasons why producers are increasingly having props 3d printed. The high-quality resolution, quick turn-around times, scalability, and better customization or design adjustments are just a few of the benefits of adopting 3D printing in the prop and movie industry.

3D printed Prop Models are not only suitable for background movie objects, but they are also suitable for home décor or display pieces in any industry. At Proto21, we are always excited to take movie prop projects and add them to our portfolio arsenal, and we have worked on myriads of prop models such as Honeycomb structure for short honey commercial, Blue Soccer Balls for PEPSI Co, and much more. Not too long ago, we received an inquiry about a Prop for IDEX 2021 Defense Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The client wanted a replica of the actual design, we accepted the challenge and gathered our expert designers to replicate the images into 3D Models. In the design phase, we referenced the images all over the internet to replicate every detail pixel by pixel. After creating the exact design, we created shop drawings and realistic renders to show them to the client. Thanks to our expert 3D designers’ team the shop drawings and renders got approved straight away by the client.

In the production phase, we understand our clients’ requirements and expectations, we used myriads of materials and technologies to achieve the best possible results. This is why at Proto21, we work with different advanced 3D software, most of which was awarded to us by the Autodesk software impact program due to the positive impact of our work, you can read more about our Autodesk program here (https://www.autodesk.com/sustainability/technology-impact-program). We used multiple 3D printed technologies such as FDM 3D Printers, HP Multi Jet Fusion, and SLA 3D printing to print the models in multiple parts and high-quality detail. We made fake bullets as well to compliment the actual model.

In the post-processing phase, our hard-working post-processing team applied export quality paint to give the model a realistic look, after painting each part we compiled the model together and added real chains to finish the realistic feel of the model. The final model turned out so realistic that we had to convince people that it was not real but only a prop for the exhibition, they believed only when they touched and felt the polymers of the model. The whole project was completed in just 15 calendar days. In the end, we created an incredibly detailed, exact showpiece replica of the real thing using different techniques and 3D Printing technologies. Because of our in-house expertise and brilliant multi-disciplinary team, only Proto21 can deliver such high-quality work in such a short amount of time in the MENA.