# US 10,307,963 B2 · Multi-material three dimensional models > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,307,963 B2 - Document ID: US10307963B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/114,711 - Filed: 2018-08-28 - Published: 2019-01-31 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-09 - Assignees: Autodesk, Inc. - Applicants: Autodesk, Inc. - Inventors: Francesco Iorio; Nigel Jed Wesley Morris; Adrian Adam Thomas Butscher; Massimiliano Moruzzi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10307963B2 ## CPC - B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing - B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - G05B 19/4099: Surface or curve machining, making three-dimensional [3D] objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - G05B 2219/35134: 3-D cad-cam - G05B 2219/49007: Making, forming 3-D object, model, surface - Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, facilitate creation and use of multi-material three dimensional models. In one aspect, a system includes one or more computer storage media having instructions stored thereon; and one or more data processing apparatus configured to execute the instructions to perform operations including (i) receiving input specifying different material properties of an object to be manufactured, (ii) generating from the input a three dimensional (3D) model of the object using overlapping volume representations of the different material properties of the object, wherein the overlapping volume representations employ different data formats and different resolutions, and (iii) storing the 3D model of the object for use in manufacturing the object. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: one or more computer storage media having instructions stored thereon; and one or more data processing apparatus configured to execute the instructions to cause the one or more data processing apparatus to (i) obtain a multi-material three dimensional (3D) model of an object to be manufactured, wherein the multi-material 3D model comprises different data format representations that are collocated in a defined 3D volume, and the different data format representations store values for respective different material properties of the object in the defined 3D volume, (ii) sample the stored values in the different data format representations to obtain output values at a specified resolution level within the 3D volume, and (iii) combine the output values for provision to a manufacturing system to create the object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more data processing apparatus are configured to execute the instructions to generate an output document for the manufacturing system, and to send the output document to the manufacturing system to cause the manufacturing system to build the object. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, comprising the manufacturing system comprising a 3D printer configured to 3D print the object using different metals, which are combined to form different alloys in the object. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more data processing apparatus are configured to execute the instructions to use a respective sampling function for each of the different data format representations to obtain the output values at the specified resolution level within the 3D volume. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein at least one sampling function for at least one of the different data format representations has an associated interpolant assigned from a set of available interpolants that employ piecewise constant interpolation, linear interpolation, polynomial interpolation, and spline interpolation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the different data format representations comprise at least one volume representation and at least one surface representation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one surface representation comprises a surface representation used to model a sharp transition between one set of material properties and another set of material properties within the object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one volume representation comprises one or more volume representations for each of a chemical property, an electrical property, a mechanical property, an optical property, a thermal property, and a magnetic property. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the different data format representations comprise at least one discretized data format representation and at least one continuous data format representation. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one discretized data format representation comprises two or more differently discretized volume representations. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more data processing apparatus are configured to execute the instructions to cause the one or more data processing apparatus to obtain the multi-material 3D model of the object to be manufactured by performing operations comprising: receiving input specifying the different data format representations for the respective different material properties; generating the multi-material 3D model of the object in the defined 3D volume using the different data format representations; and storing the multi-material 3D model of the object in long term storage for use in creating the object by the manufacturing system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the receiving comprises receiving selections of predefined properties provided by an interface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the generating comprises determining a recommended data format representation for a property based on an available processor resource in a computer system including the long term storage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the storing comprises storing the multi-material 3D model of the object in the long term storage accessible to parallel computing resources in the computer system. ### Claim 15 A computer storage medium having instructions stored thereon that cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising: obtaining a multi-material three dimensional (3D) model of an object to be manufactured, wherein the multi-material 3D model comprises different data format representations that are collocated in a defined 3D volume, and the different data format representations store values for respective different material properties of the object in the defined 3D volume; sampling the stored values in the different data format representations to obtain output values at a specified resolution level within the 3D volume; and combining the output values for provision to a manufacturing system to create the object. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the combining comprises generating an output document for the manufacturing system comprising an additive manufacturing system, and the operations comprise sending the output document to the additive manufacturing system to cause the additive manufacturing system to build the object. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the additive manufacturing system comprises a 3D printer configured to 3D print the object using different metals, which are combined to form different alloys in the object. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the sampling comprises using a respective sampling function for each of the different data format representations to obtain the output values at the specified resolution level within the 3D volume. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein at least one sampling function for at least one of the different data format representations has an associated interpolant assigned from a set of available interpolants that employ piecewise constant interpolation, linear interpolation, polynomial interpolation, and spline interpolation. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the different data format representations comprise at least one volume representation and at least one surface representation. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The computer storage medium of claim 20, wherein the at least one surface representation comprises a surface representation used to model a sharp transition between one set of material properties and another set of material properties within the object. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The computer storage medium of claim 20, wherein the at least one volume representation comprises one or more volume representations for each of a chemical property, an electrical property, a mechanical property, an optical property, a thermal property, and a magnetic property. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the different data format representations comprise at least one discretized data format representation and at least one continuous data format representation. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The computer storage medium of claim 23, wherein the at least one discretized data format representation comprises two or more differently discretized volume representations. ### Claim 25 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the obtaining comprises: receiving input specifying the different data format representations for the respective different material properties; generating the multi-material 3D model of the object in the defined 3D volume using the different data format representations; and storing the multi-material 3D model of the object in long term storage for use in creating the object by the manufacturing system. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The computer storage medium of claim 25, wherein the receiving comprises receiving selections of predefined properties provided by an interface. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The computer storage medium of claim 26, wherein the generating comprises determining a recommended data format representation for a property based on an available processor resource in a computer system including the long term storage. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The computer storage medium of claim 27, wherein the storing comprises storing the multi-material 3D model of the object in the long term storage accessible to parallel computing resources in the computer system.