Fabrication of Complex Clay Structures Through an Augmented Reality Assisted Platform

Abstract

The relationship between clay manufacturing and architectural design has a long trajectory that has been explored since the early 2000s. From a 3D printing or assembly perspective, using clay in combination with automated processes in architecture to achieve computational design solutions is well established. (Yuan, Leach & Menges, 2018). Craft-based clay art, however, still lacks effective computational design integration. With the improvement of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies (Driscoll et al., 2017) and the appearance of digital platforms, new opportunities to integrate clay manufacturing and computational design have emerged. The concept of digitally transferring crafting skills, using holographic guidance and machine learning, could make clay crafting accessible to more workers while creating the potential to share and exchange digital designs via an open-source manufacturing platform. In this context, this research project explores the potential of integrating computational design and clay crafting using AR. Moreover, it introduces a platform that enables AR guidance and the digital transfer of fabrication skills, allowing even amateur users with no prior making experience to produce complex clay components