Balancing 3D Models with Movable Masses

 

We present an algorithm to balance 3D printed models using movable embedded masses.

October 10, 2016
International Workshop on Vision Modeling and Visualization (VMV) 2016

 

Authors

Romain Prevost (Disney Research/ETH Joint PhD)

Moritz Baecher (Disney Research)

Wojciech Jarosz (Dartmouth College)

Olga Sorkine-Hornung (ETH Zurich)

Balancing 3D Models with Movable Masses

Abstract

As input, the user provides a 3D model together with the desired suspension, standing, and immersion objectives. Our technique then determines the placement and suitable sizing of a set of hollow capsules with embedded metallic spheres, leveraging the resulting multiple centers of mass to simultaneously satisfy the combination of these objectives. To navigate the non-convex design space in a scalable manner, we propose a heuristic that leads to near-optimal solutions when compared to an exhaustive search. Our method enables the design of models with complex and surprising balancing behavior, as we demonstrate with several manufactured examples.

Copyright Notice