I-Corps: Sketch It Make It

激光切割机和3D打印机等快速制造机器对于寻求快速制造产品原型的设计师来说变得至关重要。在设计这些机器时，人们通常在设计的早期阶段在纸上绘制草图，然后费力地将他们的工作输入计算机辅助设计（CAD）工具。然而，目前的设计软件很难使用，有一个陡峭的学习曲线，其用户界面通常不适合快速原型的探索性质。这些问题给许多人带来了障碍：学生、DIY制造者和偶尔的快速制造机用户可能完全被拒之门外。该团队提出的创新体现在一个基于草图的设计工具中，该工具名为Sketch It，Make It。该团队的原型采用了十几种独特的基于草图的交互技术，使设计师能够粗略地工作，而不需要在细节已知或相关之前进行精确操作。目前大多数基于草图的建模工作都集中在识别整个绘制的场景上，而这个软件一次识别一小部分，增量式。使用我们的原型进行的用户测试表明，这种会话形式的识别效果很好。最近低成本快速成型硬件的爆炸性增长与20世纪90年代桌面喷墨和激光打印机的爆炸性增长相呼应。这场桌面印刷革命使数百万公民能够在没有昂贵的图形设计和印刷专家的帮助下制作各种类型的文件。同样，快速制造硬件有可能使制成品的生产“民主化”，但前提是公民拥有使他们能够进行设计的工具。Sketch It，Make It（以及它所基于的基于草图的交互）有可能触及多个客户群。首先，越来越多的数字制造用户使用激光切割机和其他CNC设备，如3D打印机，需要更合适的软件来设计产品。其次，该团队看到了驱动Sketch It Make IT的基础草图识别引擎的教育和商业应用。例如，基于草图的工具可以识别和模拟工程专业学生的图表。通过使设计更容易为更多的人群所接受，该团队旨在使人们能够在设计和创造周围的世界中发挥积极作用。

Rapid fabrication machines like laser cutters and 3D printers are becoming essential to designers seeking to quickly iterate on product prototypes. When designing for these machines, people typically sketch on paper while in the early stages of design, and later, laboriously enter their work to a Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool. However, current design software is hard to use, has a steep learning curve, and its user interface is typically poorly suited to the exploratory nature of rapid prototyping. These problems impose a barrier for many people: students, DIY Makers, and occasional rapid fabrication machine users may be locked out completely. This team's proposed innovation is embodied in a sketch-based design tool called Sketch It, Make It. The tool's paper-like interface lets designers move from idea to CAD without foregoing the advantages of sketching. The team's prototype employs a dozen unique sketch-based interaction techniques that enable designers to work roughly, without requiring precision before details are known or relevant. Whereas most current work on sketch-based modeling focuses on recognizing entire drawn scenes, this software recognizes small portions at a time, incrementally. User testing with our prototype suggests this conversational form of recognition works well. The recent explosion of low-cost rapid prototyping hardware echoes a similar explosion of desktop inkjet and laser printers in the 1990s. That desktop printing revolution enabled millions of citizens to produce documents of all types without the aid of costly graphic design and printing experts. Similarly rapid fabrication hardware has potential to "democratize" the production of manufactured goods, but only if citizens have tools that enable them to design. Sketch It, Make It (and the sketch-based interaction on which it is based) has the potential to reach several customer segments. First, is a growing population of digital fabrication users who employ laser cutters and other CNC equipment like 3D-printers need more appropriate software to design products. Second, the team sees educational and business applications for the underlying sketch recognition engine that drives Sketch It Make IT. For example, a sketch-based tool could recognize and simulate an engineering student's diagram. By making design more accessible to a greater segment of the population the team aims to empower people to take an active role in designing and creating the world around them.