Supporting Freeform Modelling in Spatial Augmented Reality Environments with a New Deformable Material

This paper describes how a new free-form modelling material, Quimo (Quick Mock-up), can be used by industrial designers in spatial augmented reality environments. Quimo is a white malleable material that can be sculpted and deformed with bare hands into an approximate model. The material is white in colour, retains its shape once sculpted, and allows for later modification. Projecting imagery onto the surface of the low-fidelity mock-up allows for detailed prototype visualisations to be presented. This ability allows the designer to create design concept visualisations and re-configure the physical shape and projected appearance rapidly. We detail the construction techniques used to create the Quimo material and present the modelling techniques employed during mock-up creation. We then extend the functionality of the material by integrating low-visibility retro-reflective fiducial markers to capture the surface geometry. The surface tracking allows the combined physical and virtual modelling techniques to be integrated. This is advantageous compared to the traditional prototyping process that requires a new mock-up to be built whenever a significant change of the shape or visual appearance is desired. We demonstrate that Quimo, augmented with projected imagery, supports interactive changes of an existing prototype concept for advanced visualisation.