Materialization of Manipulated Virtual Model

Abstract

Computer graphics and virtual reality have emerged as visual/interactive solutions for several applications simulating real situations. Tasks that required large financial resources and time were optimized with such technologies. With the development and improvement of equipment that enable the materialization of digital models, virtual studies can be combined with subsequent physical analysis at lower cost than in the past. The applications of such hybrid cases are diverse, including artistic performances, prototyping, psychology studies, among others. The use of Additive manufacturing (3D printing) has rapidly expanded in the past couple of years. It is now possible to produce 3D-printed objects, from archaeology to design, with exceptionally high fidelity and precision. However, although the quality of 3D printing has improved, both the time to print and the material costs have remained high. In this paper, we propose a method for materialization of 3D manipulated characters using a CNC router with a rotating axis. With this method it is easily possible to produce expressive and caricatured models in different materials. We show a number of results for different materials, demonstrating the effectiveness of our method.