String Art: Towards Computational Fabrication of String Images

Abstract

In this paper we propose a novel method for the automatic computation and digital fabrication of artistic string images. String art is a technique used by artists for the creation of abstracted images which are composed of straight lines of strings tensioned between pins distributed on a frame. Together the strings fuse to a perceptible image. Traditionally, artists craft such images manually in a highly sophisticated and tedious design process. To achieve this goal fully automatically we propose a computational setup driven by a discrete optimization algorithm which takes an ordinary picture as input and converts it into a connected graph of strings that tries to reassemble the input image best possibly. Furthermore, we propose a hardware setup for automatic digital fabrication of these images using an industrial robot that spans the strings. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our approach by generating and fabricating a set of real string art images.

“String art” approach to the design and manufacturing of optimal composite materials and structures

“…In this work we suggest a particular technology for production of such approximations, that is based on the idea known as "string art" in design and computer graphics communities (the credit belongs to P. Vrellis -see [6] and references therein). According to it, we approximate a given greyscale pixel distribution by a union of the background constant density and a polyline -multiple windings of a single continuous line of constant stiffness, tensioned around pins on a frame, as shown in Fig.…”

“…It should be noted here that, strictly speaking, there are four distinct ways to connect two pins with a line, depending on the direction of winding (see the detailed discussion in [6]). In this work, we assume the thicknesses of pins and fibers negligible, leading to a unique way to connect every two pins with a string.…”

“…1(C)). This problem has been rigorously stated and solved in a recent work [6]. Placing the found configuration of fibers onto a soft matrix will result in a composite layer with stiffness optimized against the given loading configuration.…”

A computational approach for spider web‐inspired fabrication of string art

“…In contrast, we provide a full description of our thread optimization algorithm and present a custom‐made fabrication machine that can automatically connect the thread. Recently and independently of our work, Birsak et al have presented an automatic approach for the thread optimization and fabrication. However, their optimization is expressed as a nonlinear binary least squares problem, which requires around 2–4 hr of computation.…”

“…Because the plate is transparent, the lines on both layers equally contribute to the final visual result. Compared for example to winding the thread around a pin, the main advantage of our two‐layer approach is its simplicity and efficiency. For example, winding the thread around a pin would require more complex motion paths for the motors, more complex mechanisms (higher degrees of freedom), more expensive components, and more challenging controls .…”