filename     : Sko14a.pdf
entry        : article
conference   : ACM SIGGRAPH 2014, Vancouver, Canada, 10-14 August, 2014
pages        : 63:1--63:10
year         : 2014
month        : August
title        : Designing Inflatable Structures
subtitle     :
author       : M{\'e}lina Skouras, Bernhard Thomaszewski, Peter Kaufmann, Akash Garg, Bernd Bickel, Eitan Grinspun, Markus Gross
booktitle    : ACM Transactions on Graphics
ISSN/ISBN    : 
editor       : 
publisher    : ACM 
publ.place   : New York, NY, USA
volume       : 33
issue        : 4
language     : English
keywords     : {computational design, physics-based modeling, pattern optimization, seam design},
abstract     : We propose an interactive, optimization-in-the-loop tool for designing inflatable structures. Given a target shape, the user draws a network of seams defining desired segment boundaries in 3D. Our method computes optimally-shaped flat panels for the segments, such that the inflated structure is as close as possible to the target while satisfying the desired seam positions.  Our approach is underpinned by physics-based pattern optimization, accurate coarse-scale simulation using tension field theory, and a specialized constraint-optimization method. Our system is fast enough to warrant interactive exploration of different seam layouts, including internal connections, and their effects on the inflated shape. We demonstrate the resulting design process on a varied set of simulation examples, some of which we have fabricated, demonstrating excellent agreement with the design intent.