PullupStructs: Digital Fabrication for Folding Structures via Pull-up Nets

In this paper, we introduce a method to rapidly create 3D geometries by folding 2D sheets via pull-up nets. Given a 3D structure, we unfold its mesh into a planar 2D sheet using heuristic algorithms and populate these with cutlines and throughholes. We develop a web-based simulation tool that translates users’ 3D meshes into manufacturable 2D sheets. After laser-cutting the sheet and feeding thread through these throughholes to form a pull-up net, pulling the thread will fold the sheet into the 3D structure using a single degree of freedom. We introduce the fabrication process and build a variety of prototypes demonstrating the method’s ability to rapidly create a breadth of geometries suitable for low-fidelity prototyping that are both load-bearing and aesthetic across a range of scales. Future work will expand the breadth of geometries available and evaluate the ability of our prototypes to sustain structural loads.