Computational Design of Fabricable Geometric Patterns

Abstract

This paper addresses the design of surfaces as assemblies of geometric patterns with predictable performance in response to mechanical stimuli. We design a family of tileable and fabricable patterns represented as triangle meshes, which can be assembled for creating surface tessellations. First, a regular recursive subdivision of the planar space generates different geometric configurations for candidate patterns, having interesting and varied aesthetic properties. Then, a refinement step addresses manufacturability by solving for non-manifold configurations and sharp angles which would produce disconnected or fragile patterns. We simulate our patterns to evaluate their mechanical response when loaded in different scenarios targeting out-of-plane bending. Through a simple browsing interface, we show that our patterns span a variety of different bending behaviors. The result is a library of patterns with varied aesthetics and predefined mechanical behavior, to use for the direct design of mechanical metamaterials. To assess the feasibility of our approach, we show a pair of fabricated 3D objects with different curvatures.