SUTD students develop applications to make drawing and 3D printing accessible

Lianhe Zaobao, 新科大学生研发新应用 降低绘图与3D打印门槛

(Translated title and summary)

Generative AI has rapidly influenced industries worldwide. Students and researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) are rethinking the role of human-AI collaboration in design and creativity, launching two new inventions to lower the barrier for drawing and 3D printing.

PhD student develops TalkSketch to improve human-AI collaboration

SUTD PhD student Shi Weiyan, specialising in human-computer interaction, led the development of TalkSketch, an app that records both a user’s drawing process and verbal descriptions. This allows AI to better understand creative intentions and generate the desired images.

Weiyan explained: “Designers usually sketch while explaining ideas to others. But with AI tools, they often have to compress complex ideas into brief commands, which causes a large gap between the AI output and the designer’s vision.”

TalkSketch addresses this by capturing drawings and speech simultaneously, enabling AI to understand the creator’s true intent rather than forcing users to adapt to AI commands.

Assistant Professor Kenny Choo, the project advisor, noted that conventional AI tools often require image uploads, and creators’ ideas can be lost in translation when issuing commands. Multiple rounds of edits often worsen results with current AI.

Since April last year, the system has been under development and underwent user testing in November. Students and designers from architecture, robotics, and interior design found that TalkSketch helps maintain creative flow, speeds up output, and clarifies scattered ideas through combined analysis of sketches and voice input.

The research team plans to further refine the app and release it to the public, enabling more people to turn their mental concepts into visual designs.

SUTD Freshmore develops TextForm to simplify 3D printing

23-year-old SUTD Freshmore Wang Kangjie Bryan designed TextForm, a 3D printing prototype system aimed at non-experts. The app allows users without programming or CAD experience to create 3D models using simple text descriptions and print them using a 3D printer.

Bryan, who comes from an architecture background, said: “3D printers are becoming more affordable, but without modeling or programming skills, it’s hard to print exactly what you want. I developed this system to lower that barrier.”

Traditionally, 3D printing requires proficiency in software like Fusion360, Rhino, or SolidWorks, followed by slicing the model into printable instructions.

With TextForm, users can input descriptions like “30-degree phone stand” or “two-compartment storage box,” answer follow-up questions from the system, and have AI generate the 3D model automatically. Users can further refine details such as thickness and dimensions before preparing the model for printing.

Both TextForm and TalkSketch aim to shift AI from being a mere command-driven tool to a collaborative partner that aligns with human thinking, making advanced design technologies more accessible.