Ondulé: Designing and Controlling 3D Printable Springs

We present Ondulé, a novel computational design tool to add elastic deformation behaviors to static 3D models using a combination of 3D-printed springs and mechanical joints. Springs are unique because they can exert expressive deformation behaviors and store mechanical energy. Informed by spring theory and our empirical mechanical experiments, we introduce spring and joint-based design techniques that support a range of parameterizable deformation behaviors, including compress, extend, twist, bend, and various combinations. To enable users to design and add these 3D-printable deformations to their models, we introduce a custom spring design tool for Rhino. Here, users can convert selected geometries into springs, customize spring stiffness, and parameterize their design to obtain a desired deformation behavior. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach and the breadth of new 3D-printable designs that it enables, we showcase a set of example applications from launching rocket toys to tangible storytelling props. We conclude with a discussion of key challenges and open research questions.