Paper Cut

Years: 2022-2023
Collaborators: Amy Traylor and Leah Buechley
Publications
Amy Traylor, Ruby Ta, Alyssa Johnson, and Leah Buechley, PaperCut: A Craft-Centered Approach to Digital Fabrication Using Cut Paper as a Design Medium. Upcoming in the Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Creativity and Fabrication in Education (FabLearn ’23). https://doi.org/10.1145/3615430.3615439 Best short paper award.

Software

Paper Cut is custom software that uses cut paper to create forms and textures for 3D printed objects, see above. To use our software, a user first cuts a vessel silhouette from a piece of white paper. The silhouette is then scanned or photographed against a black background. The image is uploaded into the software as a “Form.” Then a user creates a texture for her vessel by cutting paper in shades of gray. This image is uploaded as a “Texture”.

The user chooses one form and one texture, then presses the “REDRAW” button. When the user is satisfied with their vessel, they press the “SAVE” button. Saving creates a gcode file that can be sent to a 3D printer. The software can accommodate different 3D printers and different materials including clay and PLA.

Printed Forms

The forms below were generated by participants in workshops held at our lab.