Digitalization of paper sketches

How can design research serve industry? In order to benefit from the new flexible production technologies (e.g. additive fabrication), efficient design strategies need to be developed - from the first draft right up to the manufactured, quality-tested product. These strategies must also be able to use all of today's typical methods and tools in virtual environments. Therefore, there is now a changed approach to and way of thinking which combines technical feasibility with nature and traditional-real aids. Conceptual designers work on fuzzy product data applied to creative problem solving. First ideas are depicted in line drawings (non digital paper drafts) for the creative search for shapes which must be digitalised however in addition to be used in computer-aided (CAx) virtual environments. The digitalisation comprises the interpretation of geometrical data and its application-oriented formalisation. The paper discusses new methods and the related R&D work to interpret creative non digital drafts and to generate ideal digital geometrical models. The drafts are interpreted to be vague, blurred images. The prototype software package SKIZZERK is based on appropriate image processing techniques for the interpretation of inherent shape information. Functions for transferring fuzzy non digital 2D shape depictions to fuzzy digital 2D sketches and for developing non digital 2D shapes into 3D digital shape elements are developed. The generated free-formed 3D elements can be used for design, shaping evaluation and the discussion with design engineers. Future work deals with the adaption of these digital models to 3D CAD data models.