Crafting Colorful Objects: a DIY Method for Adding Surface Detail to 3D Prints.

Low-cost 3D printing methods have revolutionized DIY fabrication, and it is only a matter of time before high-fidelity color 3D printing technologies reach the average consumer market. In parallel to this trajectory, our paper describes an ultra low-cost, DIY method for augmenting 3D objects with surface detail. We developed a software tool that maps 2D images onto 3D surfaces and an easy workflow for layering the resulting, warped images onto 3D printed artifacts. We assessed our approach in a workshop where local makers created 3D-printed nested dolls overlaid with personally designed images. Our workshop demonstrates the feasibility of our ultra low-cost method for adding rich surface detail to 3D objects, and our ongoing work will streamline this process and support more complex shapes.