A new open-source software is shaking up the way engineers design and print multi-material objects.<\/p>\n
Charles Wade, a PhD student in computer science at the University of Colorado Boulder, has developed OpenVCAD, a design system that goes beyond traditional modeling by using code to map not just shapes but also the distribution of materials within 3D objects.<\/p>\n
Created in the Matter Assembly Computation Lab led by Assistant Professor Robert MacCurdy, the tool enables engineers to design spatially varying multi-material objects with remarkable ease and precision.<\/p>\n
The project reflects a growing interest in computational approaches that merge coding with design, a shift that could transform additive manufacturing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s certainly a history of multi-material design study and practice that existed well before OpenVCAD,\u201d said MacCurdy, who is also affiliated with the departments of computer science and electrical, computer and energy engineering.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we believe the overhead of writing specific code for specific projects every single time prevents engineers from doing as much design as they could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith OpenVCAD, we\u2019re doing all of that work once\u2014and doing it really well\u2014so that people have built-in infrastructure to represent these spatially varying multi-material designs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breaking CAD boundaries<\/p>\n
Designing multi-material objects has long tested the limits of conventional computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Traditional systems typically define an object\u2019s outer boundaries, assuming that the interior is made of a single material.<\/p>\n
That approach falls short when engineers need to model gradient designs: objects that transition smoothly between materials, like a running shoe sole that shifts from firm at the bottom to soft at the top. Without specialized tools, creating such seamless transitions can be nearly impossible.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where OpenVCAD comes in. The software allows users to combine complex mathematical functions and assign them as materials to different regions of a 3D object.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first multi-material, code-based design tool that is widely available,\u201d said Wade.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike traditional CAD software, where you\u2019re forced to sketch everything out for each change and you cannot represent graded materials, our tool allows users to change one small variable and watch the whole design update in an easy way.\u201d<\/p>\n
From lab to every industry<\/p>\n
The research team demonstrated OpenVCAD\u2019s versatility across a variety of 3D printers, including one in MacCurdy\u2019s lab capable of printing with up to five materials simultaneously.<\/p>\n
The implications stretch far beyond academia. From medical modeling to soft robotics and structural simulation, the software can support engineers and researchers across fields.<\/p>\n
Surgeons could use it to create lifelike anatomical models for surgical planning. Robotics researchers might rely on it to design flexible actuators that bend in one direction but stay rigid in another. <\/p>\n
And structural engineers can apply unique mechanical properties to specific parts of complex lattice structures to enhance strength and impact absorption.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re able to rely on OpenVCAD\u2019s core capabilities to represent multi-material objects in a bunch of different domains,\u201d said MacCurdy. \u201cBut there is a lot more coming in certain areas that we are excited about and we\u2019re really hoping this approach to multi-material<\/a> design takes off.\u201d<\/p>\n