Emily Whiting Marie Curie Cofund Postdoctoral Fellow Institute for Visual Computing ETH Zürich, Switzerland Ph.D. Computer Graphics & Building Technology Department of Architecture Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA M.Sc. Design & Computation Department of Architecture Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA B.A.Sc. Engineering Science Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering University of Toronto, Canada
di < 0 0 di r i support polygon standing mode Make It Stand: Balancing Shapes for 3D Fabrication Romain Prévost, Emily Whiting, Sylvain Lefebvre, Olga Sorkine-Hornung Affiliations: ETH Zürich, INRIA Journal: ACM Transactions on Graphics, 2013 (In Proceedings of SIGGRAPH) Imbalance suggests a feeling of dynamism and movement in static objects. It is therefore not surprising that many 3D models stand in impossibly balanced configurations. As long as the models remain in a computer this is of no consequence: the laws of physics do not apply. However, fabrication through 3D printing breaks the illusion: printed models topple instead of standing as initially intended. We assist users in producing novel, properly balanced designs by interactively deforming an existing model. We formulate balance optimization as an energy minimization, improving stability by modifying the volume of the object, while preserving its surface details. This takes place during interactive editing: the user cooperates with our optimizer towards the end result. With our technique, users can produce fabricated objects that stand in surprising poses without requiring glue or heavy pedestals.
Selected press for SIGGRAPH 2013 publication Make It Stand: Balancing Shapes for 3D Fabrication.
Constructing stable block assemblies. Structural Optimization of 3D Masonry Buildings Emily Whiting, Hijung Shin, Robert Wang, John Ochsendorf, Frédo Durand Affiliation: MIT Journal: ACM Transactions on Graphics, 2012 (In Proceedings of SIGGRAPH Asia) In the design of buildings, structural analysis is traditionally performed after the aesthetic design has been determined and has little influence on the overall form. In contrast, this paper presents an approach to guide the form towards a shape that is more structurally sound. Our work is centered on the study of how variations of the geometry might improve structural stability. We define a new measure of structural soundness for masonry buildings as well as cables, and derive its closed-form derivative with respect to the displacement of all the vertices describing the geometry. We start with a gradient descent tool which displaces each vertex along the gradient. We then introduce displacement operators, imposing constraints such as the preservation of orientation or thickness; or setting additional objectives such as volume minimization.
Interview: PBS NOVA web series The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers (Season 2, Episode 14, March 2011) Procedural Modeling of Structurally-Sound Masonry Buildings Emily Whiting, John Ochsendorf, Frédo Durand Affiliation: MIT Journal: ACM Transactions on Graphics, 2009 (In Proceedings of SIGGRAPH Asia) Procedural modeling has emerged as a powerful technique for generating architectural geometry. However, previous techniques focus on visual realism and do not account for the structural validity of the results. Users may not have intuition about the mechanics that govern structural stability, or knowledge of traditional proportions used in building design. We present a method to automatically snap to feasible dimensions, while leaving control in the designer s hands for deciding which aspects of the model are variable. Our contribution is to introduce physical constraints into procedural modeling methods. We solve an inverse statics problem: given a set of physical constraints and a building topology, we determine an appropriate shape. The user provides a set of production rules that describes the desired architectural style, along with a small set of free parameters. Using gradient-based nonlinear optimization, our method searches over the parameter space for a stable configuration.
Digital Reconstruction and 4D Presentation through Time Sabry El-Hakim, Jean-François Lapointe, Emily Whiting Affiliations: National Research Council of Canada, MIT Conference Talk: SIGGRAPH, 2008 Virtual time travel transforming the existing remains of a heritage site to its original condition has value for education and cultural understanding. However, digitally reconstructing objects which no longer exist is a challenge. In this project we developed an approach to 3D modeling of sites that have undergone changes over the years. The method creates independent models from different types of data, such as frescoes, paintings, drawings, old photos, historic documents, and digitized remains. The models are assembled and integrated for a 4D interactive presentation. Several research issues have been addressed: (1) Modeling from frescoes and drawings with incorrect perspective, (2) modeling from paintings and old photos including fine geometric details from shading (3) coloring models from old photos and drawings to match existing elements, (4) creation of models by seamless and accurate integration of data obtained from independent sources, and (5) the creation of intuitive interactive presentations that link the models with other multimedia components and information related to the history of the site. We model heritage sites such as Venice which appeared in paintings by Canaletto, Bernardo Bellotto, and Francesco Guardi, and many 19th century photos.
Algorithm application: TRADA Pavilion plywood panelling, by Ramboll Computational Design [Image Source: Harri Lewis] Constrained Planar Remeshing for Architecture Barbara Cutler, Emily Whiting Collaborators: Mark Goulthorpe, Michael Powell, John Rothenberg, Dennis Michaud, Matt Trimble, Jeff Anderson Affiliations: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MIT Proceedings: Graphics Interface, 2007 Material limitations and fabrication costs generally run at odds with the creativity of architectural design, producing a wealth of challenging computational geometry problems. We have developed an algorithm for solving an important class of fabrication constraints: those associated with planar construction materials such as glass or plywood. Starting with a complex curved input shape, defined as a NURBS or subdivision surface, we use an iterative clustering method to remesh the surface into planar panels following a cost function that is adjusted by the designer. We solved several challenging connectivity issues to ensure that the topology of the resulting mesh matches that of the input surface. The algorithm described in this paper has been implemented and developed in conjunction with an architectural design seminar. How the participants incorporated this tool into their design process was considered. Their important feedback led to key algorithmic and implementation insights as well as many exciting ideas for future exploration. This prototype tool has potential to impact not only architectural design, but also the engineering for general fabrication problems.
Topology of Urban Environments Emily Whiting, Jonathan Battat, Seth Teller Affiliation: MIT Proceedings: Computer-Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) Futures, 2007 A practical approach to constructing hybrid 3D metrical-topological models of a university campus or other extended urban region from labeled 2D floor plan geometry. An exhaustive classification of adjacency types is provided for a typical infrastructure, including roads, walkways, green-space, and detailed indoor spaces. We extend traditional lineal techniques to 2D open spaces, incorporating changes in elevation. We demonstrate our technique on a dataset of approximately 160 buildings, 800 floors, and 44,000 spaces spanning indoor and outdoor areas. Finally, we describe MITquest, a web application that generates efficient walking routes.
Example castle structure and location. Detailed 3D Modeling of Castles Sabry El-Hakim, Lorenzo Gonzo, Francesca Voltolini, Stefano Girardi, Alessandro Rizzi, Fabio Remondino, Emily Whiting Affiliations: National Research Council of Canada, Trentino Cultural Institute (ITC-irst), MIT Journal: Intl Journal of Architectural Computing, 2007 Digitally documenting complex heritage sites such as castles is a desirable yet difficult task with no established framework. Although 3D digitizing and modelling with laser scanners, Photogrammetry, and computer aided architectural design (CAAD) are maturing, each alone is inadequate to model an entire castle in details.we present a sequential approach that combines multiple techniques, each where best suited, to capture and model the fine geometric detail of castles.we provide new contributions in several areas: an effective workflow for castle 3D modelling, increasing the level of automation and the seamless integration of models created independently from different data sets.we tested the approach on various castles in Northern Italy and the results demonstrated that it is effective, accurate, and creates highly detailed models suitable for interactive visualization. It is also equally applicable to other types of large complex architectures.
Glass Blowing Artist: Emily Whiting Course Instructors: Martin Demaine, Michelle Trammel Affiliation: MIT Artwork created as a participant in the MIT Glass Lab seminars during Fall 2010 and Spring 2011. The pieces apply traditional techniques in free-blowing, mold-blowing, and use of frit for color application.