In order to bring your custom award or trophy design to life, a three-dimensional sculpture of the custom designed award must be created in order for the mold to be made. The molded model is the exact representation of what the sculpture will be in bronze, including size and precise detail.

Hand-sculpted clay applied to a custom armature is the traditional method for creating a model for bronze sculpture. The armature is built using metal welded in the basic skeleton shape of your design. Clay is then applied to the model and sculpted by the artist. While this is an effective way to create the model there are certain limitations. If multiple sizes of the same modeled design are required, the clay model must be created in each size for molding. This adds to the cost of the artwork.

3-D modeling is accomplished by sculpting in specialized computer software. The software portrays the 3-D model our artist creates. Once the model is approved, we move on to rapid prototyping in order to achieve a physical three dimensional sculpture for molding. Rapid prototyping, sometimes called 3D printing, is a process that allows the artist's model to be printed in a hard material with all the detail that was sculpted, and at the appropriate size. This process allows Inspired Bronze to provide custom awards in multiple sizes without incrementally increasing artwork costs.

3D scanning can also be used with the rapid prototyping process. For non-organic designs it may be more cost effective to scan the item the custom award design is based upon instead of modeling the design from scratch. One great example would be a tool or other item that symbolizes a trade or organization.

Custom trophy or award designs that incorporate a logo into the three-dimensional sculpture itself sometimes require a combination of both traditional hand-sculpted clay sculpture and rapid prototyped parts. In the example of this Flight Winner Trophy for Wichita Country Club, we wanted to incorporate the club's logo into the cowboy hat and post design. Our artist created the sculpture of the post, the hat was computer modeled and rapid prototyped to incorporate the logo and the rope was fabricated using copper wire. Our talented team of designers and artists will work with you to determine the best way to create your custom bronze award using the processes that allow us to keep costs in mind.