3D Printing with the Form 3L for Props and Molds in Film Production

Posted by FIT THAI on August 18, 2026

In 2020, we interviewed Jaco Snyman, the founder of Dreamsmith Studio, an award-winning company specializing in practical prosthetic makeup effects and prop fabrication, and the lead prosthetic designer for the sci-fi series “Raised by Wolves.”

At the time, Snyman discussed the workflow for producing 3D-printed molds and models for final use.

The HBO Max series, created by Aaron Guzikowski and executive produced by Ridley Scott, centers on two androids, Father and Mother, tasked with raising human children. Season 2 aired in February 2022 and featured an increased variety of 3D-printed props and prosthetics, this time fabricated using the Form 3L, a large-format SLA 3D printer.

Revolutionizing “Raised by Wolves” Props and Makeup Effects

5 Case Studies from Season 2

3D printing is expected to bring about a significant transformation in the fast-paced, deadline-driven film industry by leveraging all the advantages of a digital workflow. It can not only precisely recreate props according to imagined visuals but also reduce working time, allowing for more focus on creative tasks. This is why we have integrated 3D printers into our workflow.

Implementing 3D printing requires three specific conditions. First, it must be able to create details at the same level as traditional techniques. Second, it needs a build volume large enough to encompass an entire human head. Third, it must be highly reliable, accurate, and easy to use. With short delivery times and limited budgets, minimizing failures and troubleshooting is crucial.

Finding a 3D printer that could meet all these conditions while remaining affordable was extremely difficult. Printers capable of doing everything at an accessible price were often unreliable, and even highly reliable ones couldn't produce details on a practical scale. After years of trial and error, we began to give up, thinking that 3D printers were just another tool and wouldn't bring about the complete revolution we had hoped for. That's when the "Form 3L" appeared.

The Form 3L met all the conditions, with a large print volume of 335 x 200 x 300 mm and a resolution of 25 microns. Its PreForm software also added reliability and ease of use to the overall package. All this, combined with a wide range of resin options, made the Form 3L an incredibly powerful tool and one that completely transformed our workflow within just two years.

The Form 3L 3D printer in Dreamsmith's workshop in Cape Town, South Africa.

The advancement of the Form 3L cannot be accurately described without elaborating on how it impacted our approach to creative problems. In the following examples, we will introduce our workflow and clearly demonstrate why we believe this printer is revolutionary for our industry.

1: Replacing Real Humans - Actress Replicas and Lifelike Face Models

Creating an extremely realistic silicone facial model of an actress by digitally designing the mold and 3D printing it with the Form 3L using Rigid 10K resin.

In this case study, the challenge was to recreate an actress's body in highly realistic silicone. However, it had to be hanging by the neck, with half of her face missing.

Traditionally, silicone and plaster bandages would be applied to the actress's face to create a disposable mold and a silicone lifecast. From this lifecast, a clay model would be sculpted, with details meticulously added by hand. For this project, the neck was extended, and parts of the face were removed.

This clay sculpture would then be remolded with epoxy resin and fiberglass. From this final mold, the final silicone head replica would be cast. This process took three weeks and required at least three experienced artists and technicians to oversee. The entire process took approximately one month from start to finish.

“The Form 3L can print the final head mold with intricate details, creating a final cast that is virtually indistinguishable from one produced using traditional techniques. This allowed us to switch to a digital process based on high-precision 3D scans of the actress. The result is that lifecasting is no longer necessary, making the experience much more comfortable for the actress.”
— Jaco Snyman, Founder of Dreamsmith Studio

Afterward, we use ZBrush to digitally add necessary sculptural details. This entire process is highly repeatable and flexible, allowing for major changes to be easily made while incorporating feedback from the director.

Thanks to the Form 3L's large print volume, we can divide the mold into large sections and create a final product with fewer seams. The molds are fabricated overnight, and after minor adjustments, they are ready for processing the next day.

This workflow, when executed by a single person, takes only a fraction of the time required by traditional methods, allowing us to dedicate personnel to the "final finishing" stage, which is the most critical step in enhancing the value of the final product. This way, we can efficiently carry out the final stages, which in a traditional workflow are often rushed due to the labor-intensive and time-consuming preceding steps.

Just looking at this example, it's clear why 3D printers can be so transformative. We can work in less time, increase production efficiency, and save on both traditional materials and human labor. The Form 3L makes our workflow faster, better, and more cost-effective.

2: Creating Complex Shapes – Silicone Masks

Designing and printing complex shapes and high-resolution silicone masks with a 3D printer.

In design, some things are greatly enhanced by computer-aided design (CAD). Some things cannot be done by hand, some are not practically feasible, and some are very time-consuming. Previously, for these types of parts, we had no choice but to hire a machinist or give up. 3D printers have always offered solutions to these problems, but the technology needed to evolve to balance print quality and cost.

For us, the Form 3L is that improved version. We no longer have to adhere to traditional manufacturing technologies and can do much more in-house, without relying on expensive outsourcing. From now on, we want to challenge the limits of our own creativity.

In the example above, there was a problem that would have been extremely difficult to achieve without a 3D printer. The Vrille mask needed to solve two unique problems.

First, it needed to combine both organic and geometric details, based on the actress's organic and asymmetrical facial shape, and required an original geometric outer layer.

Second, there was a material issue. Ultimately, the mask had to be made of silicone, and since it cannot be printed with silicone, a mold was necessary.

The first type needs to combine both organic and geometric details. The marks based on the ugly silicone statue cannot just be liked, and the original geometric shape needs to be adjusted.

The second type is a material problem. Ultimately, the mask has to be made of silicone, and since it cannot be printed with silicone, a mold is needed.

In this project, several technological advancements needed to occur simultaneously. We needed 3D scans of the actress, software for digital asset creation and digital mold design, and a 3D printer with a large enough size and sufficient accuracy for mold printing.

From the progress shown above, it is evident that all molds could be placed on a single build plate, significantly reducing the molding time. Furthermore, material development also played a crucial role. By printing with Formlabs Rigid 10K Resin, the final molds achieved very high precision, enabling the creation of the complete final mask as shown above.

3: Molding the Impossible – Biomechanical Bone Structures

There are designs that are easily achievable with a 3D printer, and there are designs that are only possible because of 3D printing.

For example, the design above is a life-sized biomechanical skeleton. It's an intricately detailed prop with flowing geometry, but sculpting it in clay would be extremely difficult, and with traditional techniques, it would be fundamentally almost impossible to mold.

Grandma's skeleton is an example of a design that is truly only possible because of 3D printing. Impossible shapes and interlocking gears have been printed before, but what we needed was the ability to precisely create it at a functional scale. We needed a life-sized skeleton. The Form 3L's print volume allowed us to divide this entire shape into practical sections and print them with high resolution.

“This is a prop that would have been almost impossible to create, both practically and cost-effectively, without the Form 3L.”
— Jaco Snyman, Founder of Dreamsmith Studio

4: Fast Fabrication of Large Parts – Actress Replicas and Lifelike Face Models

We printed actress Amanda Collin's head using the Form 3L with Draft Resin within 12 hours.

Regarding print volume, size matters. One of the prerequisites for selecting a 3D printer was that it must be able to print an entire human head in one piece. If it has to be divided into small pieces, the finishing process increases. Each seam and joint line of the mold needs meticulous finishing, resurfacing, and ultimately, the prop must be seamless.

The "Mother" replica above is a clear example of this. We were able to mold her head in one go with the Form 3L and carefully paint it to match the entire facial model that emerged.

Traditionally, this would be a labor-intensive process, starting with a lifecast, followed by hand-sculpting an epoxy resin mold, and ending with a final silicone cast. Incidentally, before we had the Form 3L, we had to create another replica model, which took a full month for the entire team. But this time, we were able to complete the 3D printing of the model's face and CNC machining of the body in one week, and including the final painting and all adjustments, it was finished in less than two weeks.

This prop could not withstand close-up shots, so it was specifically created for the final shot, as shown in the image above. As a result, we could use 3D-printed resin directly, and it still retained enough detail to be usable at this distance. This significantly reduced time, materials, and cost.

Using traditional molding and casting techniques, this replica would have required the same amount of time to create, regardless of the final level of detail. The Form 3L enables the creation of intermediate detail levels and allows us to produce props tailored to the specific needs of each scene. This is particularly important in the film industry with its limited budgets.

5: Hybrid Workflow – Paul's Bio Attack Makeup

Combining 3D-printed scale textures with traditional prosthetic techniques.

3D printing doesn't always have to completely replace traditional techniques. The freedom to use the Form 3L allows us to innovate new hybrid workflows that leverage the advantages of both approaches.

“Paul Cocoon can be considered an example of combining both traditional manufacturing techniques and 3D printing to create something that would be extremely difficult if only one side were used.”
— Jaco Snyman, Founder of Dreamsmith Studio

In "Cocoon," a flexible, scaly prop was needed that moved with the multi-jointed replica. Normally, this would require a very large and expensive mold. However, because the scales were organic and could fit together like a jigsaw, creating the skin by hand on the replica was a logical approach, eliminating the need for expensive molds.

However, to make the entire surface appear scaly, a large number of scale texture sheets were required. At this stage, a 3D printer, which can create complex details accurately and quickly, became the optimal solution. We printed multiple flat scale texture molds of different sizes to be used for casting silicone scale sheets, and then these silicone sheets were used to construct "Cocoon."

The Form 3L, with its ability to freely use various resins, makes such hybrid workflows possible and has become an incredibly powerful tool for solving the daily problems demanded by the film industry.

Behind "Raised by Wolves Season 2": Dreamsmith's Identity

"Raised by Wolves Season 2" marked a major turning point for us. It was the first time we heavily relied on a 3D printing workflow. Many of the examples mentioned above were considerations made shortly before deadlines.

Normally, this is a work area filled with mistakes and unexpected events, and we have faced many of both. But with the Form 3L, no such incidents occurred, and each successful project increased our confidence in the hardware.

The reliability of this platform proved that we could move forward and apply what we learned to larger and more demanding projects. Since then, we have implemented a total of four Form 3L machines and have achieved a level of production efficiency previously thought impossible.

This complete digital workflow also enabled remote work. We could send 3D scan data, designs, digital sculptures, and even finished prosthetic appliances for entire characters to any location worldwide.

Based on our experience with "Raised by Wolves Season 2," we want to introduce you to the new developments we have continuously made since then. When the time is right, looking back at these early experiments and seeing how much we rely on 3D printing today, it's clear that the Form 3L has truly revolutionized our way of working.

A Glimpse into the Future: A Fully Digital Prosthetic Design Process

After implementing the Form 3L and experimenting with several of Formlabs' diverse materials, Snyman and his team are creating molds for prosthetics for a top-secret ongoing project scheduled for release in 2023.

They have transitioned to a completely digital process for creating prosthetic molds, starting with 3D scanning the actors, then digitally sculpting the prosthetics, and using a hybrid silicone casting technique that sandwiches thin layers of silicone between two 3D-printed mold shells.

They say this method allows them to produce prosthetics in one-sixth of the time and at an accessible cost, which has completely changed their workflow. It also offers the advantage of being able to scan actors' faces from anywhere in the world, making remote work easier, especially when faced with tight filming schedules.

Experimenting with creating prosthetic molds using Rigid 10K Resin and the "Form 3L" 3D printer.

Snyman and his team continue their relentless efforts to explore and demonstrate all the possibilities of SLA 3D printing in the entertainment industry. The Dreamsmith team looks forward to incorporating 3D printing into their future projects. Stay tuned for their upcoming works utilizing the Form 3L.