Cultivating Material Knowledge: Experiments with a Low Cost Interface for 3D Texture Scanning

Inspired by the Bauhaus material sensory training, we examine the role that texture plays in contemporary design workflows. To do this, we prepare a prototype texture scanning device that allows near real-time sampling of physical textures at microscopic scale. Its implementation as a low-cost, portable, open-source device is first described. Next and through this tool, we examine the value and opportunities created by incorporating 3D textures into design workflows. To do this, we present a series of case studies of scanned materials, and discuss the fidelity of the textures produced, and its rendering of materiality. This explores both typical (wood, fibers) and atypical (bioplastics, state changes) materials. Additionally, three expert users examine these cases and reflect on potential opportunities for material inquiry enabled by this tool. Finally, we discuss how this tool might augment design processes and reintroduce material sensibility training, similar to that of the Bauhaus sensory training.

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