Gravity Sketch - 3D Design Tool

IAnD Exclusive 

Design Impact Special

By Avinash Yadav

Photography: Courtesy gravitysketch.com

Gravity Sketch - 3D Design Tool

Gravity Sketch is a sleek virtual design tool that breathes life into an idea in an augmented reality environment.

Every creative, be it a sculptor, architect, designer or artist, ideates. However, not everyone is computer savvy and therefore depends on an implementer to translate his idea into a working drawing. Yet, from 2D to 3D, while precision is achieved on one hand, fluidity and imagination tends to take a beating on the other.

Ideation Process

Landing pad prototype

For an idea to finally result into its intended, fully formed expression, without losing out on organic improvisation, if any, a team of students from Royal College of Art and Imperial College, London have sought to design a tool, whose functional quality succeeds in mitigating the communication barrier between creator and implementer and facilitates a participatory virtual environment that can encourage multi-people dialogue during the process.

Infrared pen and Landing pad

Controller that changes the axis

Pen and paper form the basic foundation for any graphical representation of an idea. Thus, an infrared pen acts as point of interaction with the gravity software. The controllers connected to an Arduino help to change the axis of the drawing to form a 3D shape, and viewing the scenario is facilitated via any augmented reality gear.  The augmented (reality device) environment gives the user an opportunity to see his idea taking shape in real time; also allow others to participate in initial modeling stage of the idea.   

Graphical presentation of idea in 3D

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence becomes the driving force here, relying more on the users’ spatial intelligence and less on their linguistic and quantitative intelligences - a communicating link between a human visual space and his final expression of an idea.  Creating a natural and seamless user experience, portability is an added feature.

The purpose of design is to push boundaries with its functional and aesthetic value and create a impact beyond set parameters. Looking beyond the field of design, the tool could also explore bioengineering, surgical and several other applications.

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Currently launched in the beta version, Gravity can be a great influencer in the way 3D content will be illustrated with tangible ideas ‘floating’ amidst the powers that be.