Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

VisiPrint: Previewing 3D-Print Appearance from Real Material Samples

  • Maxine Perroni-Scharf
  • , Faraz Faruqi
  • , Sooyeon Ahn
  • , Raul Hernandez
  • , Szymon Rusinkiewicz
  • , William Freeman
  • , Stefanie Mueller

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

We present VisiPrint, a tool for appearance-first previews of 3D-printed objects. Existing print preview slicers focus on toolpaths, not appearance, while pure rendering software is complex and cannot automatically reproduce slicing patterns. Prior work highlights persistent gaps between digital previews and printed results, such as color shifts, gloss/translucency changes, and layer-line highlights, motivating the creation of VisiPrint, an appearance-focused support tool. The VisiPrint algorithm combines slicer screenshots with filament photos via a custom diffusion-based synthesis pipeline. We present both a standalone user interface for VisiPrint compatible with any slicer and an Ultimaker Cura Plugin. We evaluate VisiPrint through a user study showing it is significantly faster, easier to use, and more faithful than alternatives: within a time-limit, participants completed 100% of preview tasks with VisiPrint, versus 63% with Cura and 13% with Blender. VisiPrint narrows the gap between design intent and printed appearance, complementing settings-centric tools with appearance-driven decision support.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCHI 2026 - Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
EditorsNuria Oliver, David A. Shamma, Heloisa Candello, Pablo Cesar, Pedro Lopes, Alessandro Bozzon, Thomas Kosch, Vera Liao, Xiaojuan Ma, Valentino Artizzu, Fiona Draxler, Gustavo Lopez, Anke V. Reinschluessel, Xin Tong, Phoebe O. Toups Dugas
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9798400722783
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 13 2026
Event2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026 - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: Apr 13 2026Apr 17 2026

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period4/13/264/17/26

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Software

Keywords

  • 3-D Printing
  • Previewing Tools
  • Stylized Fabrication

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'VisiPrint: Previewing 3D-Print Appearance from Real Material Samples'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this