A crucial part of the printing digital workflow is software hopping. In 3D-Printing Ceramics, We will start with Polycam to create a photogrammetry scan of an object to act as our context. In Rhino, we will create a base geometry and then jump into Grasshopper to leverage its powerful tools in order to give real-world meaning to our digital creation.

Houdini will then be used to add a further layer of complexity before we head back into Grasshopper to manipulate tool paths to finely control the hand of creation (the robot). Josef will show how Gcode can be manipulated in order to gain fine control over the object’s fabrication, with these techniques applicable to PLA printers, clay printers, and industrial robots. We will learn how, even after the piece is printed, craftsmanship and traditional techniques can be used to add a human touch to our artifact.

In the 3D-Printing Ceramics workshop, you will learn how to seamlessly integrate the real and virtual, using real-world context to inform our designs and manipulating Gcode to create an artifact inspired by the systems that create nature. The digital creations will then be printed in clay, and the instructor will give an overview of the many factors that need to be considered to create organic yet precise creations with this fabrication method.

3D-Printing Ceramics aims to give an overview of how a fluid approach using different software can be used to bridge the gap between the physical and virtual. You will learn how to create organic yet grounded designs and discover the fundamentals of the clay printing process. The workshop will be a follow-along format. However, unlike a tutorial, the main objective is to give a broad overview of a cutting-edge workflow encompassing some of the many different tools available to designers rather than an in-depth look at each of the tools.