Open Access

Laser cutters are 2D tools, but their speed and compatibility with a variety of affordable materials also makes them a frequent choice to create 3D objects. We propose CutCAD, a tool to easily construct simple 3D objects from 2D faces, inspired by the process of paper modeling and magnetic construction kits. The user creates her 3D model by drawing or loading existing 2D shapes, and connecting their edges in the software. CutCAD then automatically resolves the resulting constraints, and folds the faces up into a 3D model that is previewed live. CutCAD also automatically creates the required finger joints based on thickness of the material and dihedral angles, for smooth assembly. Cutouts are easy to add by importing their outlines as vector drawings, and placing them onto faces. After the faces have been cut, CutCAD provides assembly instructions. Observations and feedback from using CutCAD show the resulting process to be easier to understand than traditional 3D modelling. CutCAD is open-source, and has been downloaded over 2,000 times.

Textile interfaces can be ubiquitously integrated into the fabrics that already surround us. So far, existing interfaces transfer concepts, such as buttons and sliders, to the textile domain without leveraging the affordances and qualities of fabric. This paper presents Grabrics, a two-dimensional textile sensor that is manipulated by grabbing a fold and moving it between your fingers. Grabrics can be integrated invisibly into everyday clothing or into textile objects, like a living room sofa, while minimizing accidental activation. We describe the construction and the fold-based interaction technique of our Grabrics sensor. A preliminary study shows that Grabrics can be folded and manipulated from any arbitrary position, and it can detect 2D stroke gestures.