Hye Jun Youn, Jun Kyu Choe, SooYeon Ahn, Marcello Tania, Serena Xin Wei Sara, and Hiroshi Ishii. 2026. PixBric: Precision Morphological Control of Pre-Stretched Fabrics Through Tessellated Primitive Geometries. In Proceedings of the Twentieth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '26). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 20, 1–15.

Abstract

3D printing onto pre-stretched fabrics has emerged as a promising technique for rapidly fabricating self-shaping textiles. However, the resulting morphing behaviors are often dictated by heuristics or arbitrarily selected design parameters. We present PixBric, a pixel-based design framework that enables precise morphological control by arranging primitive geometries onto biaxially stretched fabrics. Upon release, these tessellated units buckle into programmed 3D forms such as undulation, curling, and bistable snapping. PixBric expands the design space by systematically varying unit geometry, thickness, and inter-pixel spacing to tune mechanical responses. To support this, we present: (1) a fabrication protocol utilizing magnetic frames for rapid biaxial pre-stretching; (2) software tools for parametric modeling and morphing simulation; and (3) a design chart that links geometric variables to deformation outcomes. Together, these contributions enable more accessible, expressive, and controllable workflows for creating functional and interactive textile morphologies. 

Tangible Media Group