Section: Research Program

Research Program

We focus on the computational aspects of shape modeling and processing for digital fabrication. A particular emphasis is on dealing with shape complexity, revisiting design and customization of existing parts in view of novel possibilities afforded by AM, and providing a stronger integration between modeling and the capabilities of the target processes.

Specifically, we focus on the following challenges:

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  develop novel shape synthesis and shape completion algorithms that can help users model shapes with features in the scale of microns to meters, while following functional, structural, geometric and fabrication requirements;

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  propose methodologies to help expert designers describe shapes and designs that can be later customized and adapted to different use cases;

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  develop novel algorithms to adapt and prepare complex designs for fabrication in a given technology, including the possibility to modify aspects of the design while preserving its functionality;

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  develop novel techniques to unlock the full potential of fabrication processes, improving their versatility in terms of feasible shapes as well as their capabilities in terms of accuracy and quality of deposition;

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  develop novel shape representations, data-structures, visualization and interaction techniques to support the integration of our approaches into a single, unified software framework that covers the full chain from modeling to printing instructions;

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  integrate novel capabilities enabled by advances in additive manufacturing processes and materials in the modeling and processing chains, in particular regarding the use of functional materials (e.g. piezoelectric, conductive, shrinkable).

Our approach is to cast a holistic view on the aforementioned challenges, by considering modeling and fabrication as a single, unified process. Thus, the modeling techniques we seek to develop will take into account the geometric constraints imposed by the manufacturing processes (minimal thickness, overhang angles, trapped material) as well as the desired object functionality (rigidity, porosity). To allow for the modeling of complex shapes, and to adapt the same initial design to different technologies, we propose to develop techniques that can automatically synthesize functional details within parts. At the same time, we will explore ways to increase the versatility of the manufacturing processes, through algorithms that are capable of exploiting additional degrees of freedom (e.g., curved layering [11]), can introduce new capabilities (e.g., material mixing  [20]) and improve part accuracy (e.g., adaptive slicing  [18]).

Our research program is organized along three main research directions. The first one focuses on the automatic synthesis of shapes with intricate, multi-scale geometries, in the context of additive manufacturing. The second direction considers geometric and algorithmic techniques for the actual fabrication of the modeled object, further improving the capabilities of the manufacturing processes by producing improved deposition strategies. The third direction focuses on computational design algorithms to help model parts with gradient of properties, as well as to help customizing existing complex parts for their reuse.

These three research directions interact strongly, and cross-pollinate: e.g., novel possibilities in manufacturing unlock novel possibilities in terms of shapes that can be synthesized. Stronger synthesis methods allow for further customization.