PolagonStudio

Design tool for

Polagons: Designing and Fabricating Polarized Light Mosaics with User-Defined Color Changing Behaviors. Ticha Sethapakdi, Laura Huang, Vivian Chan, Lung-Pan Cheng, Fernando Fuzinatto Dall'Agnol, Stefanie Mueller.

The Processing interface takes input SVG file(s) and converts them into laser cuttable polarized light mosaics made from cellophane. Please refer to the paper for more details.

Requirements

This code requires the following Python3 libraries:

• numpy
• scipy
• pandas
• flask
• matplotlib
• cairosvg

Running/Using the Software

1. cd PolagonStudio/backend
2. Run the Polagon backend script: python3 polagon_service.py
3. Open Processing. Make sure you have the ControlP5 Processing library installed
4. Run the PolagonStudio Processing sketch. Save all SVGs to the data/ folder in the Processing sketch. Fabrication-ready files are saved to data/cut/

Design Guidelines

• No Nested Shapes: The process does not support designs that contain nested shapes. However, you can work around this limitation by creating a semi-nested shape, which involves adding a small opening or cut in the outer shape.

• Mind the Gaps: Shapes must not be placed too close together, as this may cause them to unintentionally fuse during the laser cutting process. We recommend maintaining a minimum distance of 2mm between shapes to avoid this issue.

• Avoid Very Small Shapes: Very small and/or thin shapes (< 5mm) do not adhere as reliably to the cutting surface as larger ones. This is an inherent limitation of the material and fabrication process, as smaller shapes have a more limited welding area.