Materials
 | The computational material group investigates novel algorithms and approaches for acquiring, simulating, and fabricating materials and objects. Our vision is to bridge the gap between the virtual and real world, allowing seamless transitions using novel measurement and rapid prototyping devices. We also focus on the representation and intuitive editing of material properties, allowing to design and create custom products for unique customer experiences. |
We propose a system for designing and manufacturing transparent/refractive surfaces such that when light passes through them the focusing/bending of light produces a desired image (caustic). Our surfaces are arrays of micro-lenses. Each micro-lens focuses light to a anisotropic Gaussian footprint at some specified projection plane. Given a budget of NxN micro-lenses, we approximate a desired image as a superposition of anisotropic Gaussians. We then perform an optimization process to assign each Gaussian footprints to a micro-lens such that the resulting surface meets certain constraints imposed by the manufacturing process.
