What is this model and the background behind it ?
This 3D digital model is of the very small (10.5cm) reproduction of the famous Ashes Urn, a contest that is contested every 2 years or so being Australia and England in the sport of Cricket. This battle of cricket has a long history, starting from 1882.
The Ashes really started on 29th August 1882, where the now famous mock death notice was stated in the Sporting Times. It says:__In Affectionate Remembrance of English Cricket which died at the Oval on 29th August, 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances.
R.I.P.
N.B.—The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia__
This urn was given as a gift to the English Captain Ivo Bligh during the 1882-83 Australian tour, as a personal gift after a friendly match hosted at Rupertswood mansion in Sunbury by his future wife, Florence Rose Bligh, Countess of Darnley, (née Morphy).
Why is it worth buying it? How can it be used?As with all my previous models, my main aim is to make this well know artefact of Cricket, The Ashes Urn, made out of Terracotta (according to Google), with the base made out of ash wood, as realistic as possible so it can be utilized in any environment and in any program you wish to use it in. So instead of downloading or using static material images downloaded from online or other sources, I use the internal material nodes within Blender, specifically the Principled BSDF node. Using this node setup, I always have more control and can recreate any material, specifically the Terracotta and wood.
Despite Wood and Terracotta being two very different materials, the node setup is very similar with the use of the noise node (modifying the various sliders within, including distortion), connected to the mapping node (Scale is stretched to create the desired results for only the wood texture) + texture coordinate node. All of these nodes are then connected to the Principled BSDF Node, creating a wood-like material.
Even though it is hidden away, the top also has a cork material, where like the other material, noise was used, but with more bumpiness via using a higher value in the Bump Map Node.
Aside from the ash wood base, in all of the image references I viewed, the urn has very few little imperfections despite its age from the 1880s. Despite this, I did include some imperfections, most of which can only be seen up close, so it can still feel like the original, well also needing those slight imperfections in CGI to make it feel real. These imperfections included are:
These are achieved using the same Principled BSDF node, but with a different node setup, especially for Edge Wear. This setup, like all nodes can be changed, causes edge wear to be smaller or greater, adding realism by showing the wear, tear and age to the Ashes Urn. Scratches are also included for the same reason, using noise nodes mixed together using Color Ramps and the Factor or Alpha channels as the main controller. Once all these node groups have been created, Mix Shaders are used to create a fully realised Wood and Terracotta material.
When you download this file, you will receive two different versions of the same Blender file. They are:
Procedural texturing (Principled BSDF with multiple tree nodes). These texture settings can be changed once downloaded to better suit your needs, wants and desires. This means you have all the control you need as we all are different in what we want in materials.
Baked texturing using 4K baked textures (all in separate folders - see below for more details). These textures are flat, baked in using the UVs of the model and can’t be changed drastically. Suits other 3D programs outside of Blender
Having two versions of the same model is designed to ensure that you have the choice that you feel more comfortable with, whether you love the model but want to make small changes to the overall textures using the nodes provided, or leave the baked textures in place and just use them in your project.
In addition to this, if you don't have blender, this project contains various project file formats in a separate ZIP Folder to use in various other 3D Programs and these details can be seen below.
So how can it be used? If you love cricket, especially with The Ashes currently being on (November/December 2025), this digital reproduction will be ideal. It can be used as a cheeky background asset in your room or project.
How the file system works and what is contained within
Within the downloadable folder/s, I have included two different blender folders, one indicating its procedural and the other baked.
Within the Procedural Zip Folder (Ashes_Trophy_Procedural) you will find a file called (The_Ashes_Urn_Procedural) all the textures/materials are included, using a wide variety of procedural nodes. This Blender file will suit any level of experience as the node layout is quite simple and easy to follow.
Within this Procedural Folder, a 4K clockface texture and GIMP file is also included named
- The_Ashes_Urn_Message_Sticker
For the use of baked textures, this folder is named (Ashes_Trophy_Baked) and the blender file is called (The_Ashes_Urn_Baked). Contained within the main ZIP Folder you will find a folder called Textures, that contains multiple other folders all with the baked material (.png files), within each folder. These folders contain all the necessary textures for you to use and include:
- BaseColor
- Metalness
- Normal and
- Roughness
Each object/part within this project has their own texture folder that contains each of the four texture layers. These objects below are the folder names and include:
- Ashes_Urn
- Message_Sticker
- The_Ashes_Sticker
- Urn_Cork
As well as these two folders which are suited for blender users, I have also contained a separate folder for those who prefer to use other 3D programs. This folder is called Other Files. With this zip folder contains:
Product Description
- 2 x Blender 5 + Files
- Procedural Materials (modifiable) and
- Flat, Baked Image Materials (PNG) [Attached within zip folders]
- FBX
- OBJ
- GLB (Augmented Reality)
- STL
Technical details
CG ModelUnwrapped UVsPolys - 15991Vertices - 15987
