Browsing by Author "Pietroni, Nico"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Automatic Design of Cable‐Tensioned Glass Shells
    (© 2020 Eurographics ‐ The European Association for Computer Graphics and John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2020) Laccone, Francesco; Malomo, Luigi; Froli, Maurizio; Cignoni, Paolo; Pietroni, Nico; Benes, Bedrich and Hauser, Helwig
    We propose an optimization algorithm for the design of post‐tensioned architectural shell structures, composed of triangular glass panels, in which glass has a load‐bearing function. Due to its brittle nature, glass can fail when it is subject to tensile forces. Hence, we enrich the structure with a cable net, which is specifically designed to post‐tension the shell, relieving the underlying glass structure from tension. We automatically derive an optimized cable layout, together with the appropriate pre‐load of each cable. The method is driven by a physically based static analysis of the shell subject to its service load. We assess our approach by applying non‐linear finite element analysis to several real‐scale application scenarios. Such a method of cable tensioning produces glass shells that are optimized from the material usage viewpoint since they exploit the high compression strength of glass. As a result, they are lightweight and robust. Both aesthetic and static qualities are improved with respect to grid shell competitors.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Automatic Surface Segmentation for Seamless Fabrication Using 4-axis Milling Machines
    (The Eurographics Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2021) Nuvoli, Stefano; Tola, Alessandro; Muntoni, Alessandro; Pietroni, Nico; Gobbetti, Enrico; Scateni, Riccardo; Mitra, Niloy and Viola, Ivan
    We introduce a novel geometry-processing pipeline to guide the fabrication of complex shapes from a single block of material using 4-axis CNC milling machines. This setup extends classical 3-axis CNC machining with an extra degree of freedom to rotate the object around a fixed axis. The first step of our pipeline identifies the rotation axis that maximizes the overall fabrication accuracy. Then we identify two height-field regions at the rotation axis's extremes used to secure the block on the rotation tool. We segment the remaining portion of the mesh into a set of height-fields whose principal directions are orthogonal to the rotation axis. The segmentation balances the approximation quality, the boundary smoothness, and the total number of patches. Additionally, the segmentation process takes into account the object's geometric features, as well as saliency information. The output is a set of meshes ready to be processed by off-the-shelf software for the 3-axis tool-path generation. We present several results to demonstrate the quality and efficiency of our approach to a range of inputs
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    HexBox: Interactive Box Modeling of Hexahedral Meshes
    (The Eurographics Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2023) Zoccheddu, Francesco; Gobbetti, Enrico; Livesu, Marco; Pietroni, Nico; Cherchi, Gianmarco; Memari, Pooran; Solomon, Justin
    We introduce HexBox, an intuitive modeling method and interactive tool for creating and editing hexahedral meshes. Hexbox brings the major and widely validated surface modeling paradigm of surface box modeling into the world of hex meshing. The main idea is to allow the user to box-model a volumetric mesh by primarily modifying its surface through a set of topological and geometric operations. We support, in particular, local and global subdivision, various instantiations of extrusion, removal, and cloning of elements, the creation of non-conformal or conformal grids, as well as shape modifications through vertex positioning, including manual editing, automatic smoothing, or, eventually, projection on an externally-provided target surface. At the core of the efficient implementation of the method is the coherent maintenance, at all steps, of two parallel data structures: a hexahedral mesh representing the topology and geometry of the currently modeled shape, and a directed acyclic graph that connects operation nodes to the affected mesh hexahedra. Operations are realized by exploiting recent advancements in gridbased meshing, such as mixing of 3-refinement, 2-refinement, and face-refinement, and using templated topological bridges to enforce on-the-fly mesh conformity across pairs of adjacent elements. A direct manipulation user interface lets users control all operations. The effectiveness of our tool, released as open source to the community, is demonstrated by modeling several complex shapes hard to realize with competing tools and techniques.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    State of the Art on Stylized Fabrication
    (© 2018 The Eurographics Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2018) Bickel, Bernd; Cignoni, Paolo; Malomo, Luigi; Pietroni, Nico; Chen, Min and Benes, Bedrich
    Digital fabrication devices are powerful tools for creating tangible reproductions of 3D digital models. Most available printing technologies aim at producing an accurate copy of a tridimensional shape. However, fabrication technologies can also be used to create a stylistic representation of a digital shape. We refer to this class of methods as ‘stylized fabrication methods’. These methods abstract geometric and physical features of a given shape to create an unconventional representation, to produce an optical illusion or to devise a particular interaction with the fabricated model. In this state‐of‐the‐art report, we classify and overview this broad and emerging class of approaches and also propose possible directions for future research.Digital fabrication devices are powerful tools for creating tangible reproductions of 3D digital models. Most available printing technologies aim at producing an accurate copy of a tridimensional shape. However, fabrication technologies can also be used to create a stylistic representation of a digital shape. We refer to this class of methods as ‘stylized fabrication methods’. These methods abstract geometric and physical features of a given shape to create an unconventional representation, to produce an optical illusion or to devise a particular interaction with the fabricated model. In this state‐of‐the‐art report, we classify and overview this broad and emerging class of approaches and also propose possible directions for future research.