Additive manufacturing technologies produce a physical object from its digital model by progressively adding material.
Unlike conventional machining techniques, additive manufacturing can automatically and relatively quickly produce complex-shaped objects in a variety of materials.
Although these technologies are reaching maturity, there are relatively few software tools available to exploit their full potential. Our work focuses on the creation of algorithms that simplify, for the user, the modeling of digital objects destined to be manufactured by these processes. In particular, we are interested in automating the handling of structural and process constraints.
In this seminar, I will present two approaches illustrating this methodology, which have in common that they consider the equilibrium properties of modeled shapes. First, we'll see how an algorithm can take charge of balancing parts in cooperation with the user. Our approach is to model cavities inside objects, enabling the algorithm to modify the position of the object's center of mass. When these cavities alone cannot achieve balancing, a deformation that preserves surface details is employed. In a second step, I will present our work on the generation of minimal support structures that are used to temporarily support and stabilize an object during fabrication.
