Akihabara – Cultural Preservation through 3D Modeling: Carnaval Badajoz 2025

🏮 AKIHABARA – BADAJOZ CARNIVAL 2025
Artistic Digitization of the Award-Winning Costume
🎨 Million Miniatures Studios x Comparsa Cambalada

📌 Project Overview
Akihabara is the name of the costume presented by the comparsa Cambalada, which made history by winning a triple crown at the 2025 Badajoz Carnival:

🥇 1st Prize – Grand Parade
🥇 1st Prize – Children's Parade
🥇 1st Prize – Drumline Competition

This is the first time ever that a Carnival costume has been professionally and fully digitized in Badajoz, merging cultural heritage preservation, digital art, and collectible-grade 3D production.

🎭 About the Costume
The Akihabara costume draws inspiration from Japanese folklore, reimagined through a futuristic carnival lens. Crafted with metallic fabrics, symbols, layered structures, and intricate textile patterns, the design fuses tradition and avant-garde aesthetics into a visually stunning piece.

Two generic figures were digitally created:
🔰 A male character holding the ceremonial banner
🗡️ A female character performing one of the iconic choreography steps

📸 Technical Pipeline
Over 1,700 photographs were taken for photogrammetry using RealityCapture. However, due to the costume’s complexity—its countless small elements, reflective textures, and being photographed on live models—the photogrammetry mesh was not usable. As a result, full manual modeling was carried out in Blender and ZBrush, using the photos only as precise visual reference.

The outcome is a highly accurate replica, featuring hundreds of hand-sculpted micro-details and dynamic poses faithful to the actual parade.

Tools used:
Blender, ZBrush, Character Creator

🧩 Final Production
Available Scales: 75 mm and 120 mm

Tested in High-Definition Resin Printing

Each model comes in modular parts, with a decorative base engraved with oriental motifs, the name of the comparsa, and the title AKIHABARA

Ready for painting or as part of a digital heritage archive

✨ Purpose & Vision
This project was born with a triple goal:

Cultural preservation of Badajoz Carnival and its ephemeral artworks

Artistic collectibles for Carnival and 3D print enthusiasts

Institutional tribute to the comparsas that shape Carnival history

The long-term plan is to create a collection of 3D miniatures based on the finalist comparsas of each year’s parade.

🏛️ Institutional Support
The Cultural Department of the Badajoz City Council has shown great interest in exhibiting these and future figures at the upcoming Carnival Museum.

This is a pioneering project in the city, setting the foundation for the systematic digital preservation of Carnival heritage. An official public presentation and physical exhibition are currently in development.

https://millionminiatures.com/miniaturas-cambalada-carnaval-badajoz-2025/