How It Works
A custom figure does not move directly from one photo to a finished object. The photo first becomes a stylized figure preview, the approved direction is translated into multiple views, and the working 3D model is then refined for scale, structure, and full-color texture. Each stage answers a different question: what should stay recognizable, how should the figure work from every side, and what must be adjusted before physical production begins.
MomentFig keeps the customer timeline separate from the production workflow. After we receive suitable photos and complete order details, the figure preview is provided within 12 hours. Physical production begins only after you approve the preview. The approved figure is then completed and shipped in 7–15 days, and courier delivery time is additional.
Custom Figure Timeline at a Glance
- Choose a format: Select the custom figure option that fits the person, pet, formal gift, or wedding you want to preserve.
- Send your references and order details: Share suitable photos and the clothing, pose, colors, hairstyle, pet markings, or accessories that matter most.
- Receive the preview within 12 hours: The 12-hour window starts after suitable photos and complete order details have been received.
- Review and approve: Production waits until you confirm the figure preview.
- Production and dispatch take 7–15 days: This stage begins after preview approval and ends when the order is shipped.
- Courier delivery follows: Transit begins after dispatch and varies by destination and courier.
Step 1: Choose the Right Custom Figure Format
For most birthdays, partners, friends, family members, and pet keepsakes, start with Product A: Custom Figure from Photo. It creates one full-color figure of one person or pet and includes a simple photo frame with basic packaging.
Product B is the formal gift upgrade. It combines the real photo and one custom figure in a refined acrylic frame with gift-box presentation. Product C is reserved for weddings: two newlywed figures, a wooden display frame, and a red gift box. The custom figure gift-format guide compares all three options without mixing their different purposes.
Step 2: Turn the Reference Into a Focused Figure Direction
The current SOP uses GPT Image 2 to develop the initial stylized figure direction from a single-person reference. The design begins by identifying the details that make the subject readable at a glance. The working preview should preserve at least three visible anchors, such as a clothing texture, an object held in the hand, a hat pattern, a distinctive hairstyle, a pet marking, or a recognizable gesture. This prevents the design from becoming a generic character that merely shares the same broad colors.
Figure-generation work uses a square canvas and a clean white background so the subject can be reviewed without visual distractions. If the original person is leaning or standing off balance, the pose may be adjusted enough to create a workable center of gravity while keeping the gesture recognizable. Thin details that may be difficult to carry into a physical figure are also identified early, when a visual adjustment is still easier to make.
When one group photo is being used to create two separate single-person Product A figures, the people can be separated into independent working references. Each figure still follows its own preview and modeling path. A group photo does not automatically turn Product A into a multi-person figure.
Step 3: Review the Preview Before Production
MomentFig follows Preview Before Production. The preview is the customer checkpoint for checking the overall silhouette first, followed by pose, color blocks, clothing, hair, hands, props, and smaller identifying details. A note such as “keep the left hand closer to the phone” gives the design team a clearer target than a general request to make the figure feel different.
The preview is still a design image, not the physical product. Reasonable adjustments are made before approval. Once you confirm the direction, the approved design can move into the multi-view and 3D preparation stages described below. Use the custom figure preview checklist for a focused review sequence.
Step 4: Expand the Approved Direction Into Four Views
A single front-facing design does not explain what happens behind the hair, how a prop sits beside the body, or how clothing wraps around the figure. After the single-view direction is confirmed, Banana Pro is used to expand the design into front, left, right, and back views. These views are arranged as a consistent 2×2 working sheet without text inside the image, then split and named as separate references for model preparation.
The purpose is consistency rather than four unrelated interpretations. Hairstyle, clothing, body proportions, accessories, and color placement need to remain connected as the camera moves around the character. This is where a detail visible in only one view can be reconciled with the complete form.
Step 5: Generate and Scale the 3D Model
The modeling route depends on complexity. More complex figures can be generated in Tripo, while simpler figures may begin from the single-image Tripo workflow available through MakerWorld. The generated model is then opened in Blender for scale and refinement rather than being treated as a production-ready result.
The Blender scene uses millimeters with a 0.001 unit scale to match the working 3D-print dimensions. The model is imported and adjusted proportionally to the ordered figure height. This step separates the shape seen on screen from the dimensions required by the physical workflow.
Step 6: Refine Surface, Pose, and Thin Structures
Model refinement covers three practical areas. Surface smoothing removes visible bumps or uneven transitions. Grab and Pose tools adjust the form when the generated stance needs a cleaner silhouette. Thin structures are reinforced so they do not remain visually delicate in the working model.
Some changes are made in sculpt mode, using tools such as Smooth, Grab, Pose, and Deflate. Others are made in edit mode by selecting the relevant faces and moving them along their normals before smoothing the transition again. The method changes with the model, but the goal remains the same: preserve the approved character while preparing a coherent physical form.
Hands and fingers deserve special attention because they often carry the pose and may also touch a phone, hat, tool, bouquet, or other prop. The review is not based on one universal number for every figure. It compares the hand shape, the gesture, the model scale, and the surrounding structure before deciding what needs reinforcement.
Step 7: Refine the Full-Color Texture
Simpler color corrections can be made directly in Blender’s texture-painting workspace. Color is sampled from the UV texture, surface imperfections can be repaired with a clone-style brush, and larger regions can be filled after the correct model faces are selected and masked. An external clothing pattern or print can also be loaded as a stencil and positioned on the relevant surface.
More complex color changes may use a second route: simplify the model topology, keep the original high-resolution model as the high-poly source, plan UV seams, unwrap the low-poly model, and create a 4K texture map. The high-poly color is then baked to the low-poly UV layout in Blender’s Cycles renderer using a diffuse bake. The SOP uses selected-to-active baking with 0.1 mm working values for extrusion and maximum ray distance, followed by larger color corrections in Photoshop and smaller hand-painted fixes where needed.
Whichever route is used, the edited texture image must be saved before the production file is handed forward. That sounds simple, but it is an important boundary between an on-screen adjustment and a color change that actually travels with the model.
Step 8: Production, Dispatch, and Courier Delivery
Physical production begins after preview approval. After approval, the figure is completed and the order is shipped in 7–15 days. That window covers production through dispatch; it is not the total time until the parcel reaches the destination. Courier delivery begins after dispatch and varies by destination and carrier.
For Product A, the completed one-person or pet figure is presented with a simple photo frame and basic protective packaging. You can compare real reference, preview, and finished-result stages on the custom figure examples page.
Shipping Damage Protection
MomentFig provides a Full Refund for Shipping Damage. If an order arrives damaged during shipping, contact support@momentfig.com within 7 days with the order number and clear photos of both the product and its packaging. Once shipping damage is confirmed, a full refund is issued.
Custom Figure Process FAQ
When will I receive my figure preview?
The figure preview is provided within 12 hours after MomentFig receives suitable photos and complete order details.
Does the 7–15-day production window include courier delivery?
No. The figure is completed and shipped in 7–15 days after preview approval. Courier transit begins after dispatch and is additional.
Does production start as soon as I place the order?
No. Physical production begins only after you review and approve the figure preview.
Which MomentFig option should I choose for one person or pet?
Choose Product A for one full-color figure of one person or pet with a simple photo frame and basic packaging. Browse real custom figure examples or start on the Custom Figure from Photo product page.