3D-Printing to Understand Complex Topologies

Information

• Publication Type: Bachelor Thesis
• Workgroup(s)/Project(s):
  • Visualization Group
• Date: March 2022
• Date (Start): 10. September 2017
• Date (End): 18. March 2022
• Matrikelnummer: 00825724
• First Supervisor: Eduard Gröller

Abstract

In education and teaching, the way a topic or a concept is presented can be an important factor in how easily and thoroughly it can be grasped by students. The goal of this thesis project is to make a complex subject tangible, in this case the three-dimensional appearance of a mathematical term describing a certain topology and the way it is shaped by its parameters. The approach involves 3D-fabrication of such artefacts in an attempt at providing a helpful tool to comprehend the peculiarities of such objects. A software program was created to preview and manipulate topological objects from their parameterized representations as part of this thesis. Once the shape resembles the intentions of the user, the data can be exported in a format that is suitable for further processing and finally “3D-printing”. The proof-of-concept software as well as other auxiliary tools described in this document can be used to produce physical 3D-artefacts of the described models. While it might be seen as a starting point to elaborate further on this topic, some issues become apparent throughout each of the steps leading from the selection of the object, the preparation before fabrication all the way to the real-world artefacts that were created. Any future work might want to consider these issues and possibly find better solutions to work around given limitations, and maybe find inspiration in the suggested propositions.

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BibTeX

@bachelorsthesis{Staudacher_2022,
  title =      "3D-Printing to Understand Complex Topologies",
  author =     "Florian Staudacher",
  year =       "2022",
  abstract =   "In education and teaching, the way a topic or a concept is
               presented can be an important factor in how easily and
               thoroughly it can be grasped by students. The goal of this
               thesis project is to make a complex subject tangible, in
               this case the three-dimensional appearance of a mathematical
               term describing a certain topology and the way it is shaped
               by its parameters. The approach involves 3D-fabrication of
               such artefacts in an attempt at providing a helpful tool to
               comprehend the peculiarities of such objects. A software
               program was created to preview and manipulate topological
               objects from their parameterized representations as part of
               this thesis. Once the shape resembles the intentions of the
               user, the data can be exported in a format that is suitable
               for further processing and finally “3D-printing”. The
               proof-of-concept software as well as other auxiliary tools
               described in this document can be used to produce physical
               3D-artefacts of the described models. While it might be seen
               as a starting point to elaborate further on this topic, some
               issues become apparent throughout each of the steps leading
               from the selection of the object, the preparation before
               fabrication all the way to the real-world artefacts that
               were created. Any future work might want to consider these
               issues and possibly find better solutions to work around
               given limitations, and maybe find inspiration in the
               suggested propositions.",
  month =      mar,
  address =    "Favoritenstrasse 9-11/E193-02, A-1040 Vienna, Austria",
  school =     "Research Unit of Computer Graphics, Institute of Visual
               Computing and Human-Centered Technology, Faculty of
               Informatics, TU Wien ",
  URL =        "https://www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/research/publications/2022/Staudacher_2022/",
}