Unreal for Stratasys

Unreal is one of our research projects for Stratasys. We are always interested in the possibilities new digital technologies offer us designers in our creative processes. For Unreal we looked into modern gaming engines, programs that create photorealistic three-dimensional worlds and how these use 2D images to create 3D content.

Object

As a canvas for our research, we decided to make a ring case, as rings often have a very personal connection to their owners and thus justify the extra effort put into the creation of its packaging.

Process

Instead of 3D-modelling every asset in a gaming environment, images or textures are often used to create three-dimensional objects or surfaces. Different images are overlayed onto a simple polygon and control all kinds of aspects, like highlights, displacement or translucency. Inspired by this we playfully mixed different materials and surfaces onto a simple doughnut form which resulted in a slightly absurd yet intriguing object.

Details

The J55’s ability to recreate hundreds of thousands of colours allowed us to bring these virtual objects into reality. The mimicked materials look surprisingly real, making these curious objects strangely alluring. They represent a reversal of the way we experience digital realms.


Digital Nature

We added a pink border between the materials to emphasise the digital nature of the design.


Project assistant: Markus Mau