@phdthesis{Mueller2016,
  author    = {Mueller, Stefanie},
  title     = {Interacting with personal fabrication devices},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-100908},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xxi, 108},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Personal fabrication tools, such as 3D printers, are on the way of enabling a future in which non-technical users will be able to create custom objects. However, while the hardware is there, the current interaction model behind existing design tools is not suitable for non-technical users. Today, 3D printers are operated by fabricating the object in one go, which tends to take overnight due to the slow 3D printing technology. Consequently, the current interaction model requires users to think carefully before printing as every mistake may imply another overnight print. Planning every step ahead, however, is not feasible for non-technical users as they lack the experience to reason about the consequences of their design decisions. In this dissertation, we propose changing the interaction model around personal fabrication tools to better serve this user group. We draw inspiration from personal computing and argue that the evolution of personal fabrication may resemble the evolution of personal computing: Computing started with machines that executed a program in one go before returning the result to the user. By decreasing the interaction unit to single requests, turn-taking systems such as the command line evolved, which provided users with feedback after every input. Finally, with the introduction of direct-manipulation interfaces, users continuously interacted with a program receiving feedback about every action in real-time. In this dissertation, we explore whether these interaction concepts can be applied to personal fabrication as well. We start with fabricating an object in one go and investigate how to tighten the feedback-cycle on an object-level: We contribute a method called low-fidelity fabrication, which saves up to 90\% fabrication time by creating objects as fast low-fidelity previews, which are sufficient to evaluate key design aspects. Depending on what is currently being tested, we propose different conversions that enable users to focus on different parts: faBrickator allows for a modular design in the early stages of prototyping; when users move on WirePrint allows quickly testing an object's shape, while Platener allows testing an object's technical function. We present an interactive editor for each technique and explain the underlying conversion algorithms. By interacting on smaller units, such as a single element of an object, we explore what it means to transition from systems that fabricate objects in one go to turn-taking systems. We start with a 2D system called constructable: Users draw with a laser pointer onto the workpiece inside a laser cutter. The drawing is captured with an overhead camera. As soon as the the user finishes drawing an element, such as a line, the constructable system beautifies the path and cuts it--resulting in physical output after every editing step. We extend constructable towards 3D editing by developing a novel laser-cutting technique for 3D objects called LaserOrigami that works by heating up the workpiece with the defocused laser until the material becomes compliant and bends down under gravity. While constructable and LaserOrigami allow for fast physical feedback, the interaction is still best described as turn-taking since it consists of two discrete steps: users first create an input and afterwards the system provides physical output. By decreasing the interaction unit even further to a single feature, we can achieve real-time physical feedback: Input by the user and output by the fabrication device are so tightly coupled that no visible lag exists. This allows us to explore what it means to transition from turn-taking interfaces, which only allow exploring one option at a time, to direct manipulation interfaces with real-time physical feedback, which allow users to explore the entire space of options continuously with a single interaction. We present a system called FormFab, which allows for such direct control. FormFab is based on the same principle as LaserOrigami: It uses a workpiece that when warmed up becomes compliant and can be reshaped. However, FormFab achieves the reshaping not based on gravity, but through a pneumatic system that users can control interactively. As users interact, they see the shape change in real-time. We conclude this dissertation by extrapolating the current evolution into a future in which large numbers of people use the new technology to create objects. We see two additional challenges on the horizon: sustainability and intellectual property. We investigate sustainability by demonstrating how to print less and instead patch physical objects. We explore questions around intellectual property with a system called Scotty that transfers objects without creating duplicates, thereby preserving the designer's copyright.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Weise2021,
  author    = {Weise, Matthias},
  title     = {Auswahl von Selektions- und Manipulationstechniken f{\"u}r Virtual Reality-Anwendungen},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-53458},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-534586},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {iii, 218},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Die stetige Weiterentwicklung von VR-Systemen bietet neue M{\"o}glichkeiten der Interaktion mit virtuellen Objekten im dreidimensionalen Raum, stellt Entwickelnde von VRAnwendungen aber auch vor neue Herausforderungen. Selektions- und Manipulationstechniken m{\"u}ssen unter Ber{\"u}cksichtigung des Anwendungsszenarios, der Zielgruppe und der zur Verf{\"u}gung stehenden Ein- und Ausgabeger{\"a}te ausgew{\"a}hlt werden. Diese Arbeit leistet einen Beitrag dazu, die Auswahl von passenden Interaktionstechniken zu unterst{\"u}tzen. Hierf{\"u}r wurde eine repr{\"a}sentative Menge von Selektions- und Manipulationstechniken untersucht und, unter Ber{\"u}cksichtigung existierender Klassifikationssysteme, eine Taxonomie entwickelt, die die Analyse der Techniken hinsichtlich interaktionsrelevanter Eigenschaften erm{\"o}glicht. Auf Basis dieser Taxonomie wurden Techniken ausgew{\"a}hlt, die in einer explorativen Studie verglichen wurden, um R{\"u}ckschl{\"u}sse auf die Dimensionen der Taxonomie zu ziehen und neue Indizien f{\"u}r Vor- und Nachteile der Techniken in spezifischen Anwendungsszenarien zu generieren. Die Ergebnisse der Arbeit m{\"u}nden in eine Webanwendung, die Entwickelnde von VR-Anwendungen gezielt dabei unterst{\"u}tzt, passende Selektions- und Manipulationstechniken f{\"u}r ein Anwendungsszenario auszuw{\"a}hlen, indem Techniken auf Basis der Taxonomie gefiltert und unter Verwendung der Resultate aus der Studie sortiert werden k{\"o}nnen.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Roumen2023,
  author    = {Roumen, Thijs},
  title     = {Portable models for laser cutting},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-57814},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-578141},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xx, 170},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Laser cutting is a fast and precise fabrication process. This makes laser cutting a powerful process in custom industrial production. Since the patents on the original technology started to expire, a growing community of tech-enthusiasts embraced the technology and started sharing the models they fabricate online. Surprisingly, the shared models appear to largely be one-offs (e.g., they proudly showcase what a single person can make in one afternoon). For laser cutting to become a relevant mainstream phenomenon (as opposed to the current tech enthusiasts and industry users), it is crucial to enable users to reproduce models made by more experienced modelers, and to build on the work of others instead of creating one-offs. We create a technological basis that allows users to build on the work of others—a progression that is currently held back by the use of exchange formats that disregard mechanical differences between machines and therefore overlook implications with respect to how well parts fit together mechanically (aka engineering fit). For the field to progress, we need a machine-independent sharing infrastructure. In this thesis, we outline three approaches that together get us closer to this: (1) 2D cutting plans that are tolerant to machine variations. Our initial take is a minimally invasive approach: replacing machine-specific elements in cutting plans with more tolerant elements using mechanical hacks like springs and wedges. The resulting models fabricate on any consumer laser cutter and in a range of materials. (2) sharing models in 3D. To allow building on the work of others, we build a 3D modeling environment for laser cutting (kyub). After users design a model, they export their 3D models to 2D cutting plans optimized for the machine and material at hand. We extend this volumetric environment with tools to edit individual plates, allowing users to leverage the efficiency of volumetric editing while having control over the most detailed elements in laser-cutting (plates) (3) converting legacy 2D cutting plans to 3D models. To handle legacy models, we build software to interactively reconstruct 3D models from 2D cutting plans. This allows users to reuse the models in more productive ways. We revisit this by automating the assembly process for a large subset of models. The above-mentioned software composes a larger system (kyub, 140,000 lines of code). This system integration enables the push towards actual use, which we demonstrate through a range of workshops where users build complex models such as fully functional guitars. By simplifying sharing and re-use and the resulting increase in model complexity, this line of work forms a small step to enable personal fabrication to scale past the maker phenomenon, towards a mainstream phenomenon—the same way that other fields, such as print (postscript) and ultimately computing itself (portable programming languages, etc.) reached mass adoption.},
  language  = {en}
}