Methods for fabrication of articles from three-dimensional models

1. A method, comprising:

for a three-dimensional (3D) model defined in a 3D space and characterized by a 3D polygonal mesh defining a surface of said 3D model, defining a streamline on said 3D model, said streamline being a line drawn over the surface of the 3D model that loops back on itself;

using the streamline as an origin, defining a set of isolines over the surface defined by the 3D polygonal mesh;

for each of the isolines, quantizing the isolines into equidistant quantization points along a length of the isoline;

defining a cut line on the surface, said cut line representing a seam in a completed knitted article knitted by a computer-controlled flatbed knitting machine and traversing each of the isolines, but only once per respective isoline;

generating courses by connecting the quantization points of the isolines based on knitting rules to produce a two-dimensional (2D) knitting map containing apexes of quadrangles or triangles of the 3D polygonal mesh, the 2D knitting map specifying locations of stitches for a knitted article;

for a first portion of the 2D knitting map, decreasing a spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes within the first portion of the 2D knitting map, wherein an amount of the spatial distance decreased between respective ones of the apexes of the first portion of the 2D knitting map is based on a first weight value received from a user;

converting the 2D knitting map to knitting instructions for the computer-controlled flatbed knitting machine; and

transmitting said knitting instructions to said computer-controlled flatbed knitting machine so as to produce the knitted article in accordance with the knitting instructions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein as a result of decreasing the spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes within the first portion of the 2D knitting map, the apexes form a smooth edge of the 2D knitting map.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising for a second portion of the 2D knitting map separate from the first portion, increasing a spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes within the second portion.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein an amount of the spatial distance increased between respective ones of the apexes of the second portion of the 2D knitting map is based on a second weight value received from the user.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

prior to converting the 2D knitting map to the knitting instructions, presenting the 2D knitting map for review and edit by the user; and

updating the 2D knitting map according to revisions made by said user.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising, prior to converting the 2D knitting map to the knitting instructions, defining an updated 3D model based on an updated 2D knitting map reflecting said revisions made by said user, and repeating the steps of defining the streamline, defining the set of isolines, quantizing the isolines, defining the cut line, generating the courses, decreasing the spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes within the first portion of the 2D knitting map, and producing a further updated 2D knitting map using the updated 3D model.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

prior to converting the 2D knitting map to the knitting instructions, defining an updated 3D model based on the 2D knitting map; and

updating the 2D knitting map using the updated 3D model.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the 3D model is one of: selected from a library, produced from imaging of a physical article, produced by the user algorithmically, or produced by the user manually.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isolines are determined according to a heat method for computing geodesic distances.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cut line is determined by:

ordering the isolines and indexing the quantization points into groups matching the isolines;

selecting a non-branching one of the isolines as a current isoline starting point and selecting one of the quantization points that lies along the current isoline as a current point in the cut line;

updating the cut line by, for each isoline adjacent to the current isoline, determining a closest quantization point in the adjacent isoline to the current point, and drawing the cut line to connect the current point to the closest quantization point in the adjacent isoline; and

repeating the process of updating the cut line to connect subsequent closest points of subsequent adjacent isolines, treating immediately preceding adjacent isolines as new current isolines and immediately preceding closest quantization points of those isolines now connected by the cut line as current points, until every isoline of the 3D model is traversed.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a texture map representing a design, logo, pattern, or other features to be produced as part of the completed knitted article knitted by the computer-controlled flatbed knitting machine;

applying the texture map to the 3D model; and

immediately after the 2D knitting map has been produced, transferring information represented in the texture map from the 3D model to the 2D knitting map.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the texture map specifies one or more of texture or color on the surface of the 3D model.