Semi-Automatic Conversion of 3D Shape into Flat-Foldable Polygonal Model

Abstract

This paper presents a method that can convert a given 3D mesh into a flat-foldable model consisting of rigid panels. A previous work proposed a method to assist manual design of a single component of such flat-foldable model, consisting of verticallyconnected side panels as well as horizontal top and bottom panels. Our method semi-automatically generates a more complicated model that approximates the input mesh with multiple convex components. The user specifies the folding direction of each convex component and the fidelity of shape approximation. Given the user inputs, our method optimizes shapes and positions of panels of each convex component in order to make the whole model flat-foldable. The user can check a folding animation of the output model. We demonstrate the e ectiveness of our method by fabricating physical paper prototypes of flat-foldable models.