Lifting Design Drawings to 3D

Introduction

Building on the outcome of the ERC Starting Grant D3 (ERC-2016-STG 714221), the objective of DLift is to demonstrate how our technology for reconstructing drawings in 3D can streamline the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) workflow, and to take the first steps in industrializing this technology.

The Importance of Drawing in Product Design

Drawing is a fundamental tool of product design. However, while 2D drawings are easily understood by humans, they are currently not interpretable by computers. To confront their ideas with physical reality, designers have to separately create 3D models that form the necessary input for digital engineering tools.

Skilled 3D modelers often need several hours to convert a drawing into a 3D model, at an hourly rate of 50 euros on average, making 3D modeling a major bottleneck that hinders rapid iterations between ideation and prototyping.

Objectives of DLift

The ERC Starting Grant D3 aimed at bridging design exploration and design engineering by offering the first algorithm capable of automatically lifting 2D design drawings to 3D. The objective of DLift is to optimize our algorithm to integrate it within leading CAD software.

This objective will be achieved through three iterative steps:

1. Feature development: Based on preliminary discussions with CAD users and software editors, we have identified a set of key features to unleash the potential of our technology.
2. User testing: We will hire professional designers and 3D modelers to stress test our tool, first to make it robust to the diversity and complexity of real-world design drawings, but also to assemble a portfolio of artworks that will illustrate diverse ways in which our technology can be used in practice.
3. Transfer: Within each iteration of feature development and testing, we will work hand-in-hand with software companies interested in our technology to assess how it addresses their specific needs. We aim at licensing our technology to one or several of these companies such that it can be integrated into their own solutions.