3D Printed Stage Props

Props are an important part of establishing a detailed setting in any piece of performance art. They help to establish a rich and believable world for your viewer, effectively selling the story and your ideas. Without the right props, whether for film, TV or the stage, a production can often fall flat, failing to produce the intended effect on the viewer. It can come across as unconvincing, and often, perceivably low-budget.

Make use of the right props however, and it can help produce effective world-building within the diegesis and mise en scene of your production. Stage props fulfil the need for excessive detail desired by the ever-pedantic director, helping to convey a real sense of place to the viewer, whether the film is taking place in ancient Egypt or future off-world colonies in outer space. It can even be the difference between your bar scene appearing to take place in a Wetherspoons as opposed to your own kitchen.

3D printing provides a potent method of creating stage props due to the customizability of the technology whilst remaining a positively low-cost solution. This is especially useful when attempting to keep to the minimal budget constraints of independent productions, helping to establish the facade of a film or stage show with high production value.

3D printing can help ensure the look of a high quality production due to the design freedom it enables – allowing for the creation of props and replicas that would otherwise be hard or expensive to source, if even existing at all. For example, if we use the earlier example provided of a film or stage production set on an off world colony, 3D printing can be used to create convincing futuristic props for the stage or screen like space habitats and laser weaponry with intricate levels of detail. This also means you’re not constrained for choice by the props that already exist, and saves you the cost of having to source an artist or designer to customize a stage prop for you.

Furthermore, whereas in prior instances the size of a 3D printed model would have provided certain limitations in regards to cost, large-scale 3D printing has now been made more accessible than ever. So no matter the size of your stage prop, from vehicles to buildings, it can be produced using additive manufacturing with increased savings in time and cost. 3D printing therefore allows you to truly realise your artistic vision in mind, providing a useful set of tools to build the world of your production using props.

3D printed parts can be post-processed with the right finishing and painting solutions to make them look realistic, according to your own design specifications of the desired stage prop. This is a key process when it comes to 3D printing stage props, providing the quality required to create a convincing setting for your production.

Significantly, the 3DCompare on demand manufacturing platform provides a total solution so that you have everything you need to create the exact stage props for your production. We’ll help 3D print the CAD file of your stage prop by connecting you to one of our verified manufacturers from across the globe at the best price. We also provide a number of post-processing solutions from finishing to painting, and can even help design your 3D model for you using our CAD designers service.