Visual Appearance reproduction using 3D printing techniques – Challenges and Opportunities

Visual Appearance reproduction using 3D printing techniques / Challenges and Opportunities

This village is based on the challenges and opportunities in understanding and reproducing visual appearance using 3D printing techniques. Humans are highly skilled in assessing the appearance of objects visually. Reproducing this appearance is an important aspect for prototyping, additive manufacturing, etc and enables higher production efficiency at a lower cost and smarter solutions.

Understanding and reproducing visual appearance using 3D printing techniques needs interdisciplinary teams focusing on both technology, user and societal requirements.

  • By joining this village, students will participate in solving a case-based project in three phases:
  • Introduction to interdisciplinary teamwork and current challenges and opportunities in material appearance reproduction using 3D printing,
  • To choose and solve projects problems in groups as experts in team, and
  • To summarize projects and share the experiences with all village participants.

Relevant competency

Based on problem definition and research questions, this village requires knowledge from a large variety of disciplines – for instances; Computer Science, Vision Science, Psychometry, Interaction Design, Additive Manufacturing, Information Security, Computer Graphics, Engineering, and Ethics.

About the village

Humans have the amazing capability to identify which material an object is  made of, just by looking at it (for instance metal, plastic, rubber, wood, glass, or fabric). In addition, also based only on its visual appearance, we can often judge key properties of the material, such as if it is fragile or rigid, soft or hard, slippery or grippy, rotten or fresh, etc. This so-called material perception is an important function of the human visual system, and its evolution has enabled us to assess the environment surrounding us, and to survive in that environment. Understanding the visual appearance of objects and surfaces is also of great importance in the contemporary society, e.g. the visual appearance, surface finish or generally aesthetic qualities, of commercial products are often key to their success in the market.

3D printing is an emerging field of research, also known as additive manufacturing, which makes it possible to reconstruct the texture and appearance of a wide range of surfaces. However, a fundamental neglected part of the workflow is the ability to match the desired appearance of materials in real life or the requirements of computer-generated designs for reproduction and manufacturing of objects. In the absence of well-validated tools and models that can measure, communicate and control the appearance of materials, the industry currently relies on a time-consuming and costly trial-and-error practice to generate approximate matches, or in some markets is unable yet to participate. This impacts on quality, consistency, and cost. 3D printing has more degrees of freedom than conventional 2D printing enabling the creation of appearance effects in addition to just colour, these include gloss, translucency, texture and goniochromatic effects. This is achieved by combining materials with different levels of opacity or by adding micro-facets to the object’s surface to control directional reflectance. 3D printing also raises security concerns, from malicious design modifications to watermarking.

The use of 3d printing and reproduction of appearance also requires new ways  to design content, opening new directions for among others interior décor. For dental and prosthetic applications, 3D printed objects should look natural as well as be fully functional. We are now at the cusp of a potential shift from manufacturing-driven design to design-driven manufacturing. This is due to the infinitely customisable geometric freedom that this technology  creates  without the drawback of incurring additional costs.

Facts

  • Course code: IMT4310
  • Type: Semester based
  • Language: English
  • Village supervisor: Aditya Sole
  • Contact information: aditya.sole@ntnu.no 
    Semester: Spring 2024
  • Location: Gjøvik
  • Host faculty: IE

How do I register for EiT?

Important information about EiT:

Important information about EiT:

  • The focus on teamwork skills and group processes is the unique feature of Experts in Teamwork (EiT).
  • EiT's teaching methods depend on the contribution and presence of every participant throughout the semester. For this reason, attendance is compulsory on every village day.
  • In contrast to many courses, the first few days are especially important in EiT. During this period, the team members get to know each other and discuss what each individual can contribute. You will also draw up the compulsory cooperation agreement and start preparing a shared research question.
  • For additional information about Experts in Teamwork, see the page for students.