How a Creative Studio Unified Prototype and Figurine Production Using Standard Pro Materials

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

     2025.12.18                          NextShapes,Standard Pro,3D Printing                ＜1 minute                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

In the digital creative industry, a rapidly growing multidisciplinary design studio provides end-to-end services—from concept design to physical representation—for clients in the gaming, animation, and consumer goods sectors. Their work spans fast prototype validation and high-end anime figurine modeling, placing demanding and often conflicting requirements on the color, strength, surface finish, and delivery speed of 3D printed parts. "We used to be caught between two extremes," recalls the studio's founder. "When making functional prototypes, we used a durable but dull-colored, rough-surfaced material. For figurine prototypes, we had to switch to a colorful resin that was incredibly fragile and prone to breakage. This meant managing two different machines and two sets of material stocks, leading to complex workflows, high costs, and compromises on either aesthetics or durability."

 

This fragmented state was finally resolved in 2025 when the studio switched to using Nextshape's 405nm LCD/DLP universal photopolymer resin—the Standard Pro series. With this single material, the studio could now meet the core needs of both its prototype and artistic design business lines.

 

"This completely changed our workflow. The rich color palette of Standard Pro allows us to validate designs with colors close to the final product in the early stages. Its excellent strength and smooth surface also mean that figurine samples can be handled directly and even undergo complex repainting and modifications. It became the 'universal language' for bringing our creative ideas to life."

— Founder of the Creative Studio.

 

Saying Goodbye to Compromises: Overcoming Material Limitations

As a professional service provider, the studio chose different manufacturing solutions based on the final usage of each project: outsourcing SLA for small batch production and turning to injection molding for larger runs. However, for in-house rapid iteration and sample presentation, the studio had always relied on desktop SLA 3D printing.

 

"Previously, our choices were forced. Concept prototypes had to settle for dull gray because the durable material didn’t come in other colors; figurine samples, on the other hand, had to be handled with extreme care because the colorful material would shatter on contact. We were always making painful trade-offs between performance and visual appeal."

— Founder of the Creative Studio.

 

 

Before adopting Standard Pro, they used two different budget resins with vastly different characteristics, but discovered that the hidden costs were significant. Aside from doubling material management costs, the brittle materials led to high loss rates during the support removal and post-processing stages, while the dull prototypes severely affected client evaluations. Although Standard Pro was slightly more expensive per bottle, its versatility simplified inventory management, and its high success rate reduced waste. More importantly, its exceptional printability significantly reduced print failure rates and post-processing times, resulting in a lower overall cost per part.

 

Creative Environment and Efficiency

The studio’s founder has a strong commitment to creating an inspiring yet comfortable work environment. "We wanted the studio to be a space filled with creativity and safety, not one that's filled with harsh fumes and fragile items scattered around," they explained.

 

 

The previous low-cost resins used by the studio had strong odors, and the fragile materials generated dust and debris during sanding, negatively impacting the environment.

 

Standard Pro's optimized formula provides both performance and reduced odor, creating a more pleasant and productive atmosphere. More importantly, the material's excellent toughness and strength make the printed parts less prone to accidental damage during cleaning, support removal, and post-processing, reducing dust and waste. "Our work environment has become more focused and efficient," the founder said. "Designers and modelers can confidently handle their work, and this sense of ease translates into better creative quality."

 

Speed: The Accelerator from Iteration to Presentation

In fast-paced projects, speed is everything. "For prototype design, we often need to make multiple revisions and prints within a single day; for figurine samples, clients also want to see physical results as quickly as possible," the studio’s technical director noted. "The materials we used before either had slow print speeds or required long post-curing times to reach the desired strength, which slowed down the overall process."

 

Standard Pro's fast-curing properties significantly boosted print efficiency. Its high hardness and strength were evident even during the initial curing, which shortened the post-curing waiting time. "Now, the designs we adjust in the morning are already sturdy and colorful physical prototypes by the afternoon. A refined figurine sample can go from printing to being ready for the paint shop in nearly half the time. This speed allows us to take on tighter deadlines and projects that require more frequent iterations."

— Technical Director of the Studio.

 

Reliability and Consistency: Reducing Creative Loss

Print failures and quality fluctuations are invisible killers of creative workflows. "When printing complex figurines with brittle materials, we often faced support point breakage or partial model fractures. Reprinting not only wasted materials but also delayed precious creative feedback time," the founder reflected. "Additionally, issues with layer adhesion in prototype materials sometimes led to failures in testing key structures, making the whole validation process a waste."

 

Standard Pro's excellent layer adhesion and balanced toughness and hardness brought near-disruptive reliability improvements. "Its failure rate is extremely low, and every batch of parts printed maintains consistent performance. This means that the tenth iteration of a prototype we present to clients will feel and perform the same as the first one. This consistency is invaluable for both functional prototype testing and figurine quality control."

— Founder of the Creative Studio.

 

 

Simplified Post-Processing Workflow

 

Post-processing is the final and often tedious step in turning a 3D print into a finished product. Standard Pro's easy cleanability and support detachment properties made this step much more manageable.

 

"The material dissolves in a balanced way, leaving no sticky uncured resin or becoming fragile in alcohol baths. More importantly, due to the material's toughness, we no longer have to worry about accidentally damaging model details during support removal. The support contact points are smoother, and the amount of sanding and repairs needed has been reduced by at least 60%, allowing us to dedicate more time to refining the actual creative work." 

— Technical Director of the Studio.

 

 

Rich Colors and Superior Surface Finish

For creative work, color is the soul of expression, and surface quality defines the product’s finish. Standard Pro offers nearly a dozen pre-mixed colors, covering most needs from basic prototypes to artistic samples.

 

 

"The colors we use most often are Ivory White and Gray Resin. Ivory White has a pure base color, making it the perfect foundation for painting, with excellent adhesion and vibrant color representation. Gray Resin offers excellent detail and a sophisticated feel, making it ideal for concept models, which can be presented to clients with a convincing aesthetic right away," the founder explained. "All the colors maintain a high level of surface smoothness, giving both figurines that will be painted and prototypes meant for direct display a professional visual and tactile finish."

 

 

Expanding Business Horizons: A Versatile Material for Diverse Possibilities

"Standard Pro is more than just a material for us—it's a business-enabling platform," the founder summarized. "It allows us to respond more flexibly and with streamlined resources to a wide range of demands, from educational display models to product design iterations and anime-related merchandise development. Its high strength and hardness allow us to print more complex and intricate functional structures, while its rich colors and excellent surfaces allow our artistic creations to meet display-grade standards right out of the printer."

 

 

 

 

Currently, the studio is planning to extend the use of Standard Pro materials to more areas, including collaborating with local educational institutions to develop design course materials and providing physical character samples for small independent game studios. They believe that with this "multi-purpose" material, they can turn digital creativity into reality faster, more accurately, and more beautifully.

 

"It has unified our previously fragmented workflows and unleashed the creativity of our team. We no longer have to choose between rapid prototyping and artistic design."

— Founder of the Creative Studio.