Researchers have developed a new way of generating 3D models using AI that produces properly 3D printable results.
There are now multiple services and methods to use AI techniques to generate full 3D models. Some use the “text to 3D” approach, others use “image to 3D”, or some combination of both.
I’ve tested a number of these tools, and while it is always astonishing to receive any results, most of them produce cartoony objects that are best used for decorative purposes.
The other limitation of these generated 3D models is that they are merely geometries: the shape of the object. There’s usually no proper information about the detailed makeup of the object, aside from a mostly useless (for 3D printing) surface texture.
Researchers in Japan have developed a new method to introduce a new concept they call a “Poxel”, which is a “printable voxel”. The idea is that these poxels will carry sufficient information that they can be printed individually by certain 3D print processes.
This won’t work for FFF or resin 3D print processes, as they are not able to control the prints at a voxel level. However, other 3D printing processes, especially binder or polymer jetting systems, could definitely make use of this approach.
The researchers explain:
“Our framework directly outputs printable voxel grids by removing view-dependency and converting the digital RGB color space to a physical CMYKWCl color space suitable for multi-material jetting. The proposed system achieves better fidelity and quality in printed models, aligning with the requirements of physical 3D objects.”
The researchers tested their approach using a Stratasys J850 full color 3D printer. This device has a full range of colors, CMYKWCl, and can mix them to reproduce any conceivable color at a voxel level.
3D models were generated using the new approach, and it actually worked pretty well. This means that it is possible to automatically generate full color 3D models that can be printed on suitable equipment.
The researchers conclude:
“Compared to 3D Gaussian Splatting, the Poxel model provided superior alignment with the printer’s color gamut, ensuring that printed colors closely matched their digital counterparts. These results confirm that Poxel’s approach is more suitable for high-fidelity, full-color 3D printing than traditional visualization techniques, establishing a streamlined workflow from digital model to physical print.”
I expect any manufacturer of voxel-level controllable 3D printers will be quite interested in this development.
Via ArXiv
